too many???

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I am a dissabled veteran (meaning I'm always at home). I function just fine most of the time as long as I have access to my Lortab and Vicodin The point is that I don't work a traditional full time job. I run the aviary and do some rehab, etc.

I have had birds most of my life (except 5 year stint in the Army...lol), and I cannot imagine trying to own a pet parrot and have full time work and young children.

So, what are your opinios? How many birds are too many in what circumstances?

Most families could probably manage 1 large parrto (not necessarily to the perfect standard, but depending on the bird they might do just fine.) Others have 2 small parrots and do very well (2 irds will often be company for eachother)

I am starting to be alarmed by the number of people getting multiple large birds before they have had any time to sort of master the previous big bird. As a breeder this is why I ask some very unique questions, it helps me assess if someone is lying to me about their big bird experience and I can turn them away empty handed. I am never comfortable sending a big bird to a home that already has a big bird or two, but they know next to nothing about big birds.... seems like a recipe for disaster.

So, again, what are your thoughts or guidelines on how many is too many?

 

[IcyWolf]

That can only be answered on a case to case basis, in my opinion. I think it depends on the people, how much time they are home, how much experience they have, and just psychologically, whether or not they understand birds. I have a friend that got into keeping snakes(which I also do, although on a much smaller scale than in the past) and he was holding Billie, our little conure. When he flew off of him, he wanted to hold him again and he looked at me and said "make him step up!" I just looked at him and laughed. I said, birds aren't snakes, you cannot(and should not) make them do anything they don't want to do. I could tell that when I said this it clicked with him and he kind of understood, but I could also see that until that point, he had it in his mind that you could make a bird do whatever you wanted it to do. I don't see our birds as pets, they are more like room mates We have a mutual respect for each other and it works. With that being said, we have 7 birds now and they are all very well cared for. BUT... if I had 7 macaws, I would be pulling my hair out! I wouldn't have 7 socialized parrots, ones that want to be held and interacted with everyday. We have our two birds that we hold and play with all of the time, and the 5 budgies keep each other entertained. I give them fresh food and water and clean their cages, I also sit and talk to them for short periods of time, but other than that, they aren't really that much work. I also grew up with parrots though. Our family had an orange wing zon, and M2 and a goffin too, so I've always known how loud, messy and destructive they can be I didn't start keeping birds myself until I was about 18 and had my own place and I didn't just get bird after bird after bird either. I had my goffin, a tiel(he was abused and hated people) and a pair of ringneck doves. A few years later we adopted another 'too and a few more tiels(a bonded pair and a super friendly little guy), but we never got to the point were there care or attention wasn't above average. I think people that have no experience and just jump into owning a macaw or a cockatoo are taking a huge risk, and not just for themselves. Then when you have people that not only adopt a huge, complicated bird, but they get multiple ones, and I just think they are crazy! Birds aren't the only ones that go through a honeymoon phase, and when your honeymoon period wears off and you suddenly look around to have 5 screaming cockatoos terrorizing your house, that's when the birds suffer.

 

[merlinsmom13]

I have 1 parrot. I'm a very experienced animal owner & I feel that I do well w/interacting w/Merlin. Saying that for me personally 1 bird is enough. I do envy the people who get to experience the different personalities of different species, but I dont want to join them. I would love to work @ a rescue, like a grandmother, I could experience them from afar. lol

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

What's been bothering me is people who have on large parrot that they've had less than 6 months and it has problems they are trying to figure out, and instead of focussing on that bird they get another huge bird with problems, and instead of dealing with their full plate, they get another and another, etc....


This behavoir looks like traditional hoarding (one needy nut job bird that they can't truely fix isn't enough).

Personally, I won't be surprised when people like this wind up with 5 bald birds that scream endlessly.... I guess I just don't think their are very many good reasons to get so many birds, unless the persona has a mental defiencency and needs to feel loved (part of the driving cause of a hoarder).... I know there are exceptions, I just can't think of any good ones.

I just don't think a lot of thought can go into adding another bird until someone has lived with the one they have now for quite a few years and learn first hand the vet costs, toy costs, lack of vacations, and just the day to day business of being owned by a large parrot.

 

[merlinsmom13]

I've noticed the same thing. I cringe when I see it. Hey a parrot for a 1st time owner is alot of adjustment. I've been there & remember the mistakes I made. I couldnt imagine dealing w/his & my adjustment issues doubled or tripled. Besides, he's my guy & he's not sharing me w/anyone else.

 

[MikeyTN]

Iceywolf, if its a trained bird, they should step up on command regardless!

As a multiple pet household, it is our life. We don't go on vacation nor do we go out much. We like staying home with the animals. We're nothing like hoarders you see on tv, we clean ALL the time! Most of our birds are taught to play on the play stand or we each have one or several birds on shoulder while on the computer, house work or whatever. I am experienced and im teaching my partner all the time and we read up on them together cause there's always more to learn. We wouldn't have it any other way. How much is too much? I think we have too much but we love them all equally. And there are times I give more attention to certain ones cause either sick or needs extra training.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I'm not picking on multiple bird households... lol

I'm alarmed by people who get too many big rehomed parrots in a very short time and have no previous experience and take on so many right away.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I had never had horses (that weren't boarded at a full care facility) before we bought our farm, and I have gotten 4 in 6 years (which I still think is too many too fast), I think people need to take their time and understand some of the basics with animals before they add to the problem.

 

[MikeyTN]

I agree with you there! I don't think people should take on problem animals unless they can handle it! Most of the time it's because they look cute, cheap price, or free. They have no prior knowledge of them what so ever. That's when abuse and neglect comes into play, making a problem animal even more of a problem. Dont take on more then you can chew. Unless your experienced!

 

[IcyWolf]

Iceywolf, if its a trained bird, they should step up on command regardless!

Still, when he is holding him and he flies over to me and my friend replies with "make him come to me!" I just look at him like he is crazy. We haven't had Billie for very long so we are taking things pretty slow with him. He gets rewarded when he steps up and flies to the right places, but I am not about to force him to do anything he doesn't want to and I definitely don't expect him to do everything I tell him to. I know most people wouldn't agree with this, but I try to treat the animals that share our home as equally as possible, they are sentient beings with their own feelings and I don't feel that because I am human, that automatically I have dominion over them. I try to understand not only what they want, but WHY they want something and it seems to really help in our cohabitation. The point I'm trying to make is that I have had people say things like, "make him talk" or "make him fly here" or whatever and it always frustrates me. Birds aren't like other domesticated animals, granted, some can be trained to respond on cue 100% of the time, but most aren't that predictable. I can tell my dog to sit, and he will sit, every time. It took a couple weeks for him to completely learn that, which is about normal, I just hate that people see a parrot and expect them to be just as understanding as the dog. Parrots are strong willed, independent creatures, much like humans are, and I wouldn't want someone telling me what to do twenty four hours of the day...

 

[MikeyTN]

If you put it that way your absolutely right! I wont make my birds go to someone if they don't want to. I did it quick read on my phone, probably read it wrong...lol...if you stare at your phone screen too long your vision kinda get a bit blurry...

 

[IcyWolf]

Haha, I know what you mean. It kind of got to me just like when people ask me if a certain bird "bites", to me, all birds bite. It's just part of what they do. They don't all bite very hard or viciously but I don't know anyone who has had a bird for any extended period of time and can say they have never been bitten for one reason or another. It's like, if you don't want a pet that can bite you, get a fish and keep your fingers out of the tank I've had people get mad at me for this one, it's happened with all sorts of animals, snakes, lizards, birds, etc, someone will look at me and say, "Does it bite?" My response, "It has a mouth doesn't it?" Not that I'm trying to scare anyone, just trying to explain, any animal can bite, whether it will or not is something you can't just answer, there are any number of circumstances that could cause them to bite, or to be friendly and I think when we start to assume that we will not be bitten is precisely when you get bit. Sorry, little tangent there, just speaking of people that understand birds and one's that don't, these are a few of the things that tell you.

 

[Mare Miller]

my question is...why would you want more than one?!! especially if you don't have enough time for that one? I came from a family of seven kids and I'll tell you now, my parents loved us all equally but there was just not enough quality time. That's why I only had a couple kids, and they feel very special!

 

[melinda]

I think a lot of people that just get into birds over night end up getting more because the bird they started out with was so sweet and loving during the honeymoon period and after that started behaving "badly". In stead of working through the problem its like "Hey lets go get a new baby and maybe Princess will become loving again". But the bird doesn"t change and is left locked in the cage forgotten. Then the same thing happens with the new bird setting off a chain reaction. Before you know it they have 10 birds that are nuhealthy plucked screaming and anti-social. I got my first bird the sun conure because i was told he would be great for my first "parrot" and boy that first year was trying. I stuck with him bought books talked to people that has had birds a long time and worked through bitting and screaming. My sweet little sun taught me more than i ever planned on. As of now he is the quietest sun i have ever met and will go to anyone that ask him to step up. I have my three but i stay home with them almost 24-7. Trips?What is that lol. Sorry but i can't trust anyone to care for my babies a couple of days. Do i want another? Yes but i want a cockatoo that needs a loving home and that special kind of crazy person to love it and its issues. Want to come to my house to meet my birds? The door is always open as far as a home visit. Anyone that sells a bird should take the time to see if the person with the cash is in fact going to be the best for the bird. Sorry i got to long winded.

 

[birdybabies]

I have not personally experienced this. I suppose as a breeder, rescuer, re-haber etc, you would see it on a regular basis. What I find concerning is when newbies join the forum and they want an amazon, too or whatever large bird that takes their eye. Many of them have had NO bird experience or they had a budgie/tiel as a kid - what kind experience is that? My nearly 8yo son says he has a gcc, a quaker and 2 budgies. What does he do with/for them? Not much. He plays/talks with them. I clean cages, feed, cut fruit & veg, take to a-vet, train, etc etc. So I always raise my eyebrows when they say they had birds as kids. The majority of kids are not responsible. (I know that there are quite a few on forums that have changed my mind on kids and pets, but you guys are an exception, not the rule) Another thing that bothers me is the younger kids wanting the larger birds. I dont think they realise the "jump" from budgie/tiel to an amazon/too etc. And the sad thing is - many breeders/ pet shops/ re-homers dont care who they sell a bird to.

 

[oled]

The problem is that people dont know if the have a bird to many before they have tried but for me 1 is enought. I focus on geting it right and dont have time for more than 1. If I should get more than 1 it should be for breeding but I dont thing I will start that project.

I belive that 1 bird should be prefered when people have lack of experiance, but that is only my belive, dont take ofence

 

[Spiritbird]

This is a good question. I think as long as the birds receive annual vet exams., proper diet, enrichment, love and a clean cage on an on-going basis the number would not matter.

 

[mtdoramike]

Too many birds is when you can't spend at least an hour a day of one on one quality time. This doesn't include cage cleaning, which should be done daily. Now, I think this is ideal. But unfortunately not practicle for people who run shelters or aviaries and such. I'm referring to the normal pet owner. So to me, that number would be two-three.

 

[mtdoramike]

Too many birds is when you can't spend at least an hour a day of one on one quality time. This doesn't include cage cleaning, which should be done daily. Now, I think this is ideal. But unfortunately not practicle for people who run shelters or aviaries and such. I'm referring to the normal pet owner. So to me, that number would be two-three.

It's never a good thing when you allow a hobby to become an obsession.

 

[YNAMomma]

I know i totally agree with ur last post Icy, I rescued 2 YN amazons from a breeder who used them for breeding only and never even came withing 3 feet of them. She would pull out the bottom of their cage and clean it elsewhere so she didnt even need to stand near thier cage. When i showed my parents the birds thier first question was can u make them come to me, and things like take them out so i can hold them. An this was still in the the first 2 months after i got them. It took me weeks to explain to them that for quite sometime since they had little socialization that they would be a very non-interactive pet. No holding, no perching and such on until we had worked on trust issues. The looks my parents gave me when they realized they were pets that couldn't play with for many months to come was like i had told them i adopted a dinosaur. It just erks me when people expect my birds to act like the ones in movies just because they look like them.
I've had my babies for months now and we are still working hard on the trust training (which is odd for these guys when they have never had someone hand them food) and treat training and they are flourishing. They are starting to mimic and eat out of my hand. This is all i had hoped for and then some. I don't spend 3-4 hours a day with them poking them with a perch saying perch perch perch perch and just expect it to happen. I figure if i would get ticked off with a stranger doing it to me they will too.
I have had family members who hoarded pets before so i have seen the to many to fast more times then i would like in a lifetime, so informed choices when it comes to getting a new pet are a key factor in whether a person should have a bird or any pet for that matter. So, for shredded oaks original question, when deciding how many birds are to many as much as it puts a damper on where one can sell/adopt thier birds or any pets out to i always make sure a home visit is in order. If you go there alot of times as a informed bird/pet owner you can see right away if the person is someone you would like the pet you are rehomeing at the time to go to. I have had experiances where i adopted a cat out to a family who already had 6 cats but i could tell from my talks with them and home visit that the family could have had 20 cats and still taken amazing care of all of them. An there are the situations where i have adopted out a pet and the family had 1 or no other pet and i could tell there was no way on earth they could have handled this pet i had at the time. So in the end it all comes down to each person/family you want to adopt out to. There is no to many in general number for all people and adopters. You just have to be picky about who and where your pets go. I even set up return visits a month or 2 after the adoption to make sure of long term care. I know i am reeeeeaaallly picky, but i figure if you are willing to put up with some weird lady stopping in and checking in on the pet/bird and keep in touch then maybe just maybe you are the right adopter. =)