Re-homing a YCM

[eickhorn]

I hope that i can learn from this forum about my new bird.

I first question that i have is, how hard is it to re-home a YCM, when i have two cats?

I'm getting this bird from a family, thank cant keep him any longer and i don't want to mess it up. I will re-home my cats if it doesn't work out.

 

[psychocircus91]

Parrot ownership in general is very challenging. Bringing in a bird with a questionable history, even more so.
Please do not rehome your cats to bring in another pet.
I recommend finding a reliable bird rescue/sanctuary in your area and bringing in the macaw if things are not working out.

If moving forward, read the stickied threads in the macaw sub-forum. A lot of concise information there.

 

[chris-md]

Hello and welcome! You’ve come to a great sandbox!

YCM are not super common. As pets they are fine, wonderful companions.

You’d simply won’t find a situation where you’ll have to regime the cats. You’ll have to simply adapt and set up rules and safe guards. A common one would be that when the bird is out of cage, the cats but be securely locked in a room.

Bringing in a rescue can be a crap shoot, no doubt. You’ll run into trouble if you aren’t going to be consistent with training. - they can be turned around with time and a gentle hand. If it does t worn out with the bird, I fully agree with Don, look for a local parrot specific rescue you can send him to.

Please feel welcome to ask any and all questions you may have, were here to help!

 

[Cardinal]

I would say -Please rehome the cats if you want to take the bird.

You can never trust cats with birds, however cautious you are. and even their saliva is poisonous to birds. Accidents will be waiting to happen.

So you can rehome the cats or let another person adopt the bird.

I lost 2 budgies to a cat, so I know a little about this one.

Post Script

I am editing to clarify. I don't mean that you should selfishly abandon your old pets because you are attracted to a "shiny" new one.
What I meant is that there are many people who would be well qualified to take care of your pet cats , even among your friend and family circle but there are very few people who are qualified to care for a Parrot, especially a larger one like a Yellow Collared Macaw. If you feel you are qualified and find there is no one else who is willing to take the bird, I would strongly recommend to rehome your cats with a proper family and then take the bird.

 

[psychocircus91]

I would say -Please rehome the cats if you want to take the bird.

You can never trust cats with birds, however cautious you are. and even their saliva is poisonous to birds. Accidents will be waiting to happen.

So you can rehome the cats or let another person adopt the bird.

I lost 2 budgies to a cat, so I know a little one this one.

IMO abandoning pets to bring in new pets is a poor practice.

 

[LordTriggs]

if you're worried about bringing a bird in to your home because of the cats then don't bring a bird in. It may not be what you want to hear but with all pets you have a responsibility. To think of rehoming cats to make way for a new shiny thing isn't something you should do. Your responsibility is to your cats and if you feel anyone will be in danger when bringing a new pet home then the new pet should not come home

 

[Kiwibird]

I agree with most of the above sentiments that it wouldn't be right to rehome your cats in order to get a bird. They were there first. I'm also in the camp of never keeping predators and prey in the same house. I know a lot of people do, but I wouldn't personally.

How old are these cats? Unlike parrots, cats don't live forever, so just let your cats have long happy lives with you and don't replace them with more cats or dogs after they pass away. Then get a bird. Sure, it may be some years down the line but it is the right thing way of going about it.

 

[itzjbean]

I would say -Please rehome the cats if you want to take the bird.

You can never trust cats with birds, however cautious you are. and even their saliva is poisonous to birds. Accidents will be waiting to happen.

So you can rehome the cats or let another person adopt the bird.

I lost 2 budgies to a cat, so I know a little one this one.

I have to disagree with rehoming the cats. They were in the household first, and as Don mentioned, abandoning one pet to take in another is not fair nor good practice.

Maybe you've lost bids to cats, but I have cats and a bird and have had no incidents for years. BUT I take precatutions while the bird is out of his cage. Cats go into their room (they have a bedroom and an outdoor sunroom to enjoy) and then bird gets let out to enjoy flying around.

Cats and birds can live together, you just have to use caution and plan ahead. No need to rehome anybody.

 

[bug_n_flock]

I have never - *never* had birds and no cats in my home. And I have had birds for close to 2 decades.

If your loyalty to your current pets is so little that you would get rid of them for the new shiny, why would it be any different with the bird when another new shiny comes along?

Either have both, or just the cats.

Trying very hard to be polite, but I don't think it's right to give up one pet to bring home a new one.

 

[EllenD]

While I admire your willingness to help out this parrot, I have to agree that re-homing pets that you already have taken responsibility for because you want to bring the new bird home isn't the correct solution to your dilemma. That's not fair to your cats, nor is it a good sign that you're ready to take-on another pet that will live for decades. My concerns too go to what happens when another new pet comes along for you to take-in, but you don't think it's going to work well with your current parrot? Do you then re-home just like the cats? You see why this isn't a good solution to your problem, I'm sure...

The question you need to be asking the experienced members of this forum is "What precautions must I take in my home in order to safely welcome a new parrot into my house with my current 2 cats?" That is a proper question that many people on this forum can answer because they have years of experience dealing with the exact same issue.

It's true that cats are natural hunters and killers, and no matter how sweet they are or whether or not they have hunted or killed another animal/bird in the past, or whether or not they are de-clawed, etc., none of this makes any difference at all because their hunting/killing instincts are innate and cannot be removed with time nor tameness. This being said, can you have both a parrot and a cat living in the same home without incident? The answer to this is a resounding "yes", but ONLY if you make rules and procedures for your home, and EVERY PERSON living in the home commits to always following those rules and procedures. You cannot have your parrot out of the cage while the cats are free in the room, nor can you allow your cats to torment the parrot while it's inside it's cage as they tend to do. Cats love to sit and stare at their future prey, and forcing a parrot to sit inside it's cage while a cat or cats sit outside of the cage making them nervous can cause such stress that the bird start to self-mutilate. But, if you are willing to re-home your 2 cats then you can't care much about moving them to a separate room with a latching door whenever the parrot is out. That being said, you still must ask yourself some questions that have nothing to do with your 2 cats really:

-Are you able to give the parrot at least 4-5 hours, at a minimum, out of his cage every single day and interact with him, while the cats are shut in a separate room
-Are you willing to locate the parrot's cage in the "main room" of your house where the people in your house spend most of their time when they're home, such as the living room, den, family room, TV room, etc.? You cannot locate a parrot's cage in a spare bedroom or a room off away from where the "action" of your house is, where the parrot can hear people but not see them. And saying this, you must ask yourself the question "How will this effect the mental well-being of my 2 current cats?"
-Are you ready to take-on the responsibility of adding another pet to your home that has the intelligence of a human toddler, and as such needs the same type of attention and stimulation? How will this effect your cats and their welfare?
-I hate to add this question but it begs to be asked, "If you are so willing and ready to rehome your current 2 pets, how will your attitude towards this new parrot change over time as well?" Parrots are constantly, and I mean constantly re-homed from one owner to another to another to another, far more often than dogs, cats, reptiles, etc. are, and this is because people get a cute, tame, hand-raised baby parrot that is 12-23 weeks old, love it, and then it suddenly shows it's intelligence, it's attitude, it's personality, and it's individual characteristics, just as a human being does, and the original owners don't like the mess the bird is creating, don't like the attitude of the bird, which may include nips and bites, don't like the screaming and the noises of displeasure the parrot starts to make when the owner moves him to a back bedroom out of frustration, and finally the first owner says "Hell with this, I can make some money selling the parrot, his cage, and all of his stuff", and they re-home him to home #2. Home #2 does the same, as does home #3, #4, and so-on, until either the bird dies from malnutrition, self-mutilation, or even physical abuse, OR someone with parrot experience comes along and is willing to commit the time, energy, MONEY, etc. that it takes in order to earn a parrot's trust, then spend hours every day re-training, or simply training the parrot, and forming a close bond with the parrot. So you must ask yourself if you are this person, or not in it for the long-haul...
-Do you have the financial capability and access to a Certified Avian Vet nearby in order to keep the parrot healthy, and if need be, get him advanced Avian medical care that is often necessary when they get sick or injured? The specialist vet bills from a Certified Avian Vet can easily exceed $1,000 just for one initial visit with the necessary cultures and swabs, blood work, x-rays, and medications it often takes to diagnose a parrot's illness and treat it. It's not like taking a dog in to get it's shots or be spayed/neutered. Not even close. And you cannot rely on home-remedies as a lot of people try to do when their parrots become sick with an infection, parasite, or other illness, as the poor bird's in these situations always pass away after a long battle with the illness. And the reason that these parrot owners refuse to take their sick parrot's to the Avian Vet isn't usually because they don't care or wouldn't love to, but rather because they cannot afford $500-$1,000 a-pop to take them and treat them.

These are just a handful of the questions that anyone and everyone needs to ask themselves BEFORE, well before they decide to bring a parrot into their home and their family, whether it's a young, hand-raised, baby parrot right from it's breeder, or it's an adult parrot who has had at least one prior home before. Birds are not the same as bringing home a cat or a dog, or a reptile or a rodent, they are of a higher intelligence, and they have personalities very similar to that of human beings. They let you know when they are happy, but also when they are not happy. You can lose their trust and then face such a stressful, trying time in your home that you end-up not being able to deal with them anymore.

***I suggest that just as an education for yourself before you make a decision about bringing this parrot home, that you jump onto your local Craigslist, change the search result radius to 200 miles, the max on Craigslist, and then type "parrot" into the search bar, and count the number of pet birds that need new homes within that small, 200 mile radius of your home, and read the reasons that the owners list for rehoming them. I'm willing to bet that the #1 reason people list for having to re-home their pet bird's (we can safely just assume that most people aren't going to just come out and say that the bird has a "behavior issue", or so they think, lol), is because "We just haven't had enough time to spend with him/her, and he/she spends most all of their time in their cage, without any interaction from us", or something of the sort. And that isn't a false statement at all, but it's only a small piece of the puzzle as to why they are re-homing them...

 

[Kiwibird]

My MIL (who only has dogs and cats) apparently had her cats out in the backyard the other day for some fresh air and sunshine and WHILE SUPERVISING these (normally indoor) cats, one snuck up on and got a wild bird so fast she couldn't react in time to stop it. Cats (dogs too for that matter) are what they are- predators. They may behave in your presence, but in the absence of a watchful eye, they will revert back to their instinctual nature at any given opportunity. Parrots are what they are-prey, with little ability to defend themselves from predators.

Some people may be responsible in locking up the predators while the prey is out, but all it takes is one time the door to the room the cat is in isn't shut fully while the birds are out or the bird gets out of it's cage somehow while your at work etc... These things can and do happen. Every few months, we get yet another story of how the cat (or dog) ate/killed the bird on this forum, often after some years of coexisting. Obviously, it is something each owner has to decide if it's a risk their willing to take with their bird(s). But make no mistakes about it, no matter how you want to sugar coat it there will ALWAYS be a risk to predators+prey in the same house.

 

[eickhorn]

I would say -Please rehome the cats if you want to take the bird.

You can never trust cats with birds, however cautious you are. and even their saliva is poisonous to birds. Accidents will be waiting to happen.

So you can rehome the cats or let another person adopt the bird.

I lost 2 budgies to a cat, so I know a little one this one.

IMO abandoning pets to bring in new pets is a poor practice.

I have wanted a parrot for over 25 years. My cats are 6 mos old and were rehomed to me. I am receiving Rio for free, including all the cage and toys.

 

[eickhorn]

I have never - *never* had birds and no cats in my home. And I have had birds for close to 2 decades.

If your loyalty to your current pets is so little that you would get rid of them for the new shiny, why would it be any different with the bird when another new shiny comes along?

Either have both, or just the cats.

Trying very hard to be polite, but I don't think it's right to give up one pet to bring home a new one.

I am hoping to do just that. I prefer to have both pets at the same time, and plan on placing the cats in their room while Rio is out for 3-4 hours.

 

[eickhorn]

While I admire your willingness to help out this parrot, I have to agree that re-homing pets that you already have taken responsibility for because you want to bring the new bird home isn't the correct solution to your dilemma. That's not fair to your cats, nor is it a good sign that you're ready to take-on another pet that will live for decades. My concerns too go to what happens when another new pet comes along for you to take-in, but you don't think it's going to work well with your current parrot? Do you then re-home just like the cats? You see why this isn't a good solution to your problem, I'm sure...

The question you need to be asking the experienced members of this forum is "What precautions must I take in my home in order to safely welcome a new parrot into my house with my current 2 cats?" That is a proper question that many people on this forum can answer because they have years of experience dealing with the exact same issue.

It's true that cats are natural hunters and killers, and no matter how sweet they are or whether or not they have hunted or killed another animal/bird in the past, or whether or not they are de-clawed, etc., none of this makes any difference at all because their hunting/killing instincts are innate and cannot be removed with time nor tameness. This being said, can you have both a parrot and a cat living in the same home without incident? The answer to this is a resounding "yes", but ONLY if you make rules and procedures for your home, and EVERY PERSON living in the home commits to always following those rules and procedures. You cannot have your parrot out of the cage while the cats are free in the room, nor can you allow your cats to torment the parrot while it's inside it's cage as they tend to do. Cats love to sit and stare at their future prey, and forcing a parrot to sit inside it's cage while a cat or cats sit outside of the cage making them nervous can cause such stress that the bird start to self-mutilate. But, if you are willing to re-home your 2 cats then you can't care much about moving them to a separate room with a latching door whenever the parrot is out. That being said, you still must ask yourself some questions that have nothing to do with your 2 cats really:

-Are you able to give the parrot at least 4-5 hours, at a minimum, out of his cage every single day and interact with him, while the cats are shut in a separate room
-Are you willing to locate the parrot's cage in the "main room" of your house where the people in your house spend most of their time when they're home, such as the living room, den, family room, TV room, etc.? You cannot locate a parrot's cage in a spare bedroom or a room off away from where the "action" of your house is, where the parrot can hear people but not see them. And saying this, you must ask yourself the question "How will this effect the mental well-being of my 2 current cats?"
-Are you ready to take-on the responsibility of adding another pet to your home that has the intelligence of a human toddler, and as such needs the same type of attention and stimulation? How will this effect your cats and their welfare?
-I hate to add this question but it begs to be asked, "If you are so willing and ready to rehome your current 2 pets, how will your attitude towards this new parrot change over time as well?" Parrots are constantly, and I mean constantly re-homed from one owner to another to another to another, far more often than dogs, cats, reptiles, etc. are, and this is because people get a cute, tame, hand-raised baby parrot that is 12-23 weeks old, love it, and then it suddenly shows it's intelligence, it's attitude, it's personality, and it's individual characteristics, just as a human being does, and the original owners don't like the mess the bird is creating, don't like the attitude of the bird, which may include nips and bites, don't like the screaming and the noises of displeasure the parrot starts to make when the owner moves him to a back bedroom out of frustration, and finally the first owner says "Hell with this, I can make some money selling the parrot, his cage, and all of his stuff", and they re-home him to home #2. Home #2 does the same, as does home #3, #4, and so-on, until either the bird dies from malnutrition, self-mutilation, or even physical abuse, OR someone with parrot experience comes along and is willing to commit the time, energy, MONEY, etc. that it takes in order to earn a parrot's trust, then spend hours every day re-training, or simply training the parrot, and forming a close bond with the parrot. So you must ask yourself if you are this person, or not in it for the long-haul...
-Do you have the financial capability and access to a Certified Avian Vet nearby in order to keep the parrot healthy, and if need be, get him advanced Avian medical care that is often necessary when they get sick or injured? The specialist vet bills from a Certified Avian Vet can easily exceed $1,000 just for one initial visit with the necessary cultures and swabs, blood work, x-rays, and medications it often takes to diagnose a parrot's illness and treat it. It's not like taking a dog in to get it's shots or be spayed/neutered. Not even close. And you cannot rely on home-remedies as a lot of people try to do when their parrots become sick with an infection, parasite, or other illness, as the poor bird's in these situations always pass away after a long battle with the illness. And the reason that these parrot owners refuse to take their sick parrot's to the Avian Vet isn't usually because they don't care or wouldn't love to, but rather because they cannot afford $500-$1,000 a-pop to take them and treat them.

These are just a handful of the questions that anyone and everyone needs to ask themselves BEFORE, well before they decide to bring a parrot into their home and their family, whether it's a young, hand-raised, baby parrot right from it's breeder, or it's an adult parrot who has had at least one prior home before. Birds are not the same as bringing home a cat or a dog, or a reptile or a rodent, they are of a higher intelligence, and they have personalities very similar to that of human beings. They let you know when they are happy, but also when they are not happy. You can lose their trust and then face such a stressful, trying time in your home that you end-up not being able to deal with them anymore.

***I suggest that just as an education for yourself before you make a decision about bringing this parrot home, that you jump onto your local Craigslist, change the search result radius to 200 miles, the max on Craigslist, and then type "parrot" into the search bar, and count the number of pet birds that need new homes within that small, 200 mile radius of your home, and read the reasons that the owners list for rehoming them. I'm willing to bet that the #1 reason people list for having to re-home their pet bird's (we can safely just assume that most people aren't going to just come out and say that the bird has a "behavior issue", or so they think, lol), is because "We just haven't had enough time to spend with him/her, and he/she spends most all of their time in their cage, without any interaction from us", or something of the sort. And that isn't a false statement at all, but it's only a small piece of the puzzle as to why they are re-homing them...

Thank you for your advice and guidance in this matter. I plan on having the cage in the front room and placing my cats in another room while Rio is out. Im getting him tomorrow from a family who is moving to Hawaii. He is 2.5 yo and talks a little, no other issues were mentioned when i asked about it.

 

[Scott]

Many families successfully manage companion cats and birds. The key is to have a simple and reliable plan for interacting with each species. It must be carefully considered and rehearsed by each member of the family. We are all human, and complacency is the enemy. Looking into the eyes of your YCM each day and pledging to protect is a good way to keep the hazards fresh!

 

[eickhorn]

Okay, Rio is now in my house and i found that SHE was building a nest below you pan. So much for her being a male. I found out why the previous owners needed for her to go. The wife hated her and their teenage daughter use to spray her allot. How do i post pictures?

 

[Boozieshome]

Your cats are just babies and it could simply work out. Train them. My cat is terrified of my cockatoos, and sneaks out the dog door as soon as they come out of their room. The dogs allow the 'toos and the Zon to perch on them. The birds are never unsupervised, no matter how much I think I know the animals, I am always hyper aware of where all the animals are.

 

[Anansi]

...How do i post pictures?

This link should help in that regard. Check post #51 in particular.
http://www.parrotforums.com/showthread.php?p=723706#post718293

 

[eagle18]

That is not fair to re home your cats who were already there first. Hundreds of cats are euthanized every year due to lack of homes, with mature cats leading the way.

I have had cats and birds together for years without any incident. You just need to use common sense, be observant, and learn how to read their body language.

 

[eagle18]

My MIL (who only has dogs and cats) apparently had her cats out in the backyard the other day for some fresh air and sunshine and WHILE SUPERVISING these (normally indoor) cats, one snuck up on and got a wild bird so fast she couldn't react in time to stop it. Cats (dogs too for that matter) are what they are- predators. They may behave in your presence, but in the absence of a watchful eye, they will revert back to their instinctual nature at any given opportunity. Parrots are what they are-prey, with little ability to defend themselves from predators.

Some people may be responsible in locking up the predators while the prey is out, but all it takes is one time the door to the room the cat is in isn't shut fully while the birds are out or the bird gets out of it's cage somehow while your at work etc... These things can and do happen. Every few months, we get yet another story of how the cat (or dog) ate/killed the bird on this forum, often after some years of coexisting. Obviously, it is something each owner has to decide if it's a risk their willing to take with their bird(s). But make no mistakes about it, no matter how you want to sugar coat it there will ALWAYS be a risk to predators+prey in the same house.

Please don't scare the op! My cats have never killed any of our birds nor have my dogs. Where I got Fred from they had a house full of cats and one dog. I have seven cats, and four parrots and nobody has been hurt. Its called using common sense.

Your reply is not only despairing but it also gives cats a bad name.