Birdman666
Well-known member
- Sep 18, 2013
- 9,904
- 264
- Parrots
- Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Well, 1 turned to two, and two almost immediately became four... Then came the foster zons (you're just so good with zons, won't you please take him/another one/another one, and there ended up being eight of those over the years, same number of birds, just a revolving cast of characters.) Then came the big macs, which I adore. What's one more?! I've got the big playstand set up for them. As long as they all get along... Then Rachel gave me Tusk. Then came Pecker. (They were throwing her in the friggin dumpster ALIVE! I HAD TOO!) Then, actually on the day Pecker died, came Casper, who just jumped into my arms and wasn't having anyone else... (SO I HAD TOO!)
At one point I actually went out for a walk with the macaws, and came home rolling another one, cage and all home... (I've got one of those too! IT'S VERY LOUD, AND IT BITES! You want him?!)
Then Bob went back to his former owner. My conures all died (hit by a car, eaten by an owl, and Inca was accidentally poisoned by the kids while I was at work.) Pecker died of a tumor. Casper died of an intestinal impaction. The foster birds all got placed in good homes. We actually got all the way down to three. (Which made the bird room seem kinda empty... and the house too quiet.)
Then Maggie and Lila came, and for the longest time we were a flock of five. Then, I saw those videos of Kiwi, and I HAD TOO again. And let's face it, I am really good with amazons. (That part is true. Though I may be even better with big macs.) So now we are a flock of six.
I don't want seven. (Please don't ask. Especially if it's a blue throat! I'm weak.)
I feel like I am at the limit of what I can do, and still give them all the attention and interaction they deserve. That to me is where I draw the line. With a multi bird flock, at least with mine, I am used to handling multiple birds at the same time. And I had an established FLOCK STRUCTURE... which I harp on for a reason. With the proper flock structure, THE BIRDS THEMSELVES keep each other in line. So, you don't have to. There are rules here. (I didn't make all of them up either.) It makes all the difference in the world.
All three conures, for example, got played with simultaneously... The zons, all got held and interacted with as a flock. Same goes for the big macs... when you have multiple macs. And you go back and forth between birds, with each getting their fair share of attention. (Especially if you are using your face as the "divider" between birds...)
At the rescue, we had 350 birds, and it was not uncommon for me to work with 6 or 8 at once out on the big playstand, go put them back, and bring me 6-8 more. While I'm working with them, someone else is cleaning cages. (Sometimes it's good to be the behaviorist!) So ONLY 11?! That's nothin'!
(I was younger then!)
Right now I have three high attention needs birds (Kiwi, and the ever attention deprived macaws), and three that require daily attention for about 15 minutes or so, then want their independence again.
So, it's not all work and no play.
But it is a lot of work.
You clean cages and floors twice a day, and I did it as part of my morning feeding ritual, and nightly bedtime ritual. (NOT OPTIONAL! IF YOU FALL BEHIND IN CLEAN UP, IT BECOMES EEEEWWWW! IN NO TIME... KEEP IT UP, IT'S TEN MINUTES TWICE A DAY. Problem being, a lot of folks don't keep it up.) IT'S THE SAME MESS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, JUST MORE OF IT WITH 11 BIRDS. You're sweeping and vacuuming anyway whether it's one bird or ten... or at the moment, SIX. One "break down" cleaning once per week, about a three hour job... And it's just part of your weekend routine. Has been for almost 20 years now...
As for the food stuff, they get their fresh foods when we eat. So, you just make extra of what ever you are eating and they can have. You fill a treat cup for each one, and give it to them BEFORE you feed the humans, and then they are busy stuffing their beaks with it, and people can eat in peace... so, that's part of the system too. And I also did things like baked a sweet potato, cubed it and froze it. So they got a little of that every morning as well. Zap it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, and there you go, fresh vitamin A food, that is usually the first thing that goes...
It becomes second nature. Just something you do.
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