UGH I do NOT need another bird

Christinenc2000

New member
Oct 8, 2014
3,320
4
North Carolina
Parrots
Big Bird _ Blue & Gold Macaw
Pet shop about a hour and half from me is going out of business. Serious reductions on birds and anything in store. They actually posted a Citron Cockatoo . Make a offer. Because of my Asthma and lack of room at home i know I do not have room for one.

BUT they have two Peach Face Love birds with cage $40.00 OMG I am so tempted . They posted saying they are not hand tame. I called James and told him to talk me out of them but NOOOOOOO . He shocked me and said go get them tomorrow if you want. Whew.

Big fear I have ...... they are reducing the cost of these pets ( they have more than just birds ) that they will go to the wrong people. Oh well can't save them all just one feather at a time I guess.
 
Do not resist the pull of MBS, Christine! You'll help give some of them a wonderful home.

Despite the pressures of going out of business, hopefully the owners will have sufficient ethics to see they go to good homes. I know that sounds naïve, and they can't control what happens post-sale, but it would be a nice gesture.
 
I know the feeling... I get people who are friends of friends messaging me all the time to take their babies :( If we didn't have cats and only 1 room for birdies, I would have taken a few of them... just have to be reasonable. I'd rather care for 1 birdie with 100% than give 20% to 5 of them.
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
Well I have never been offered any. If fact I don't know anyone that has any lol So that keeps me kinda safe. James shocked me saying go get them > Boss reading over my shoulder said if you want off just leave go get them

I am just not sure. BB was my first bird and learned so much .
 
I feel for you, Christine, I really do!

Smack me of you'd like, but I'm happy for the bird or birds you bring home. I hope all the displaced pets from the store find happy homes.
 
I honestly haven't had much luck with lovebirds, and I will warn you this...

They are escape artists and tend to gravitate to the tallest object in the room, which down at the rescue, just happened to be the large macaw cages.

THE LARGE MACAWS DID NOT APPRECIATE THE LITTLE LOVEBIRDS STOMPING AROUND ON THE TOPS OF THEIR CAGES... SO WHENEVER POSSIBLE, THEY ATE THEM!

My Ruby in particular was a love bird killer...

So, something to consider when housing love birds and macaws in the same proximity.
 
Well I have never been offered any. If fact I don't know anyone that has any lol So that keeps me kinda safe. James shocked me saying go get them > Boss reading over my shoulder said if you want off just leave go get them

I am just not sure. BB was my first bird and learned so much .

Are you on your way yet? :D

You'll give those lovies a FABULOUS home, Christine, no doubt in my mind. Are you excited yet? And give James a HUGE (extra) hug from me. He is awesome!!! (As is your boss!!)
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
I had just been told Exactly what Mark posted. Mac's and Love Birds are not a good mix. There cages would be close so Really going to think on this.

Good news a co - worker is interested :) Whew
 
Opposite side of that same coin would be a mac climbing down and stomping around on the top of their cage... WE FOUND A NEW SPORT, TERRORIZING LOVE BIRDS! IT'S FUN!!!

Yeah, like you little pipsqueaks can really do something about it.

Like to see you try... You better not bite my toes, or go for my tail. YOU WOULDN'T LIKE ME WHEN I'M ANGRY...

OOOOHHH! IT'S ON NOW PIPSQUEAKS, OF COURSE, YOU REALIZE THIS MEANS WAR!

Ummmm.... yeah, I've had to get in the middle of a couple of those wars, and the lovebirds were actually the ones foolish enough to start them...

Worse yet, one of them was dumb enough to slip between the bars of Ruby's cage, and perch on her food bowl... "OH, LOOK AT THAT! A PROTIEN SNACK!" Yeah, couldn't get the cage door open in time. CHOMP! We're talking fraction of a second from start to finish.

OH YES, THEY DO!
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #10
You are cracking me up Mark lol. Well the bug has big me and I am looking. Just want to make sure I get one that MIGHT get along with BB and his Alpha Attitude
 
Pshhh of course you need another bird:D
 
I know they're sold and you're "safe" now but keeping even medium-size parrots and lovebirds, I can tell you that it's not without its challenges. First and foremost, do test those guys before you bring them home. Lovebirds are known carriers of several nasty parrot viruses that don't seem to affect them at times and then do when they're stressed (like when moving to a new home) but they can still transmit to your other birds, even looking bright-eyed, clean-nared and cute as a button. On the rare occasion I've added LBs, I QT'd them off site and tested them at day 1. Waited 90 days and tested again before bringing them into my flock.

Secondly, LBs are simply fearless and they are very high on themselves. My pet (the one I can't lose or I'm gonna need years of therapy) routinely flies to my Grey's cage (his arch nemesis) to just annoy and harass him. Even landing on the Grey's cage could lose him a foot. It's tough to manage such dissimilar sizes. We're managing it, but it's always a hassle.

Birdman, you just haven't ever had a LB hand fed and raised properly, I think. When they are raised with the same loving care and dedication that a responsible, caring breeder does with more "high profit" parrots, they are every bit as interactive and engaged with people as their larger cousins. I'm so fortunate to share my life with two pet lovebirds that had such breeders, and I continued their socialization throughout their first year with me (so important with even hand-fed lovebirds to handle them daily for that crucial first year). Every visitor to my home immediately wants to hold one of my LBs. They are sweet and social and safe (no one is ever going to sue me because of a lovebird bite, even though neither one has ever, not once, bit a visitor). Lovebirds that have missed that proper hand feeding and socialization with people just never seem to achieve that level of tameness that an advantaged lovebird has. I see so many posts imploring someone to help with the taming of a wild adult, and I just wouldn't even attempt it. I'm not sure why they're wired that way, but I just don't have that kind of patience. They're cute with a buddy to just enjoy watching. If you want a primary pet, though, a proper upbringing from babyhood is imperative.
 
Opposite side of that same coin would be a mac climbing down and stomping around on the top of their cage... WE FOUND A NEW SPORT, TERRORIZING LOVE BIRDS! IT'S FUN!!!

Yeah, like you little pipsqueaks can really do something about it.

Like to see you try... You better not bite my toes, or go for my tail. YOU WOULDN'T LIKE ME WHEN I'M ANGRY...

OOOOHHH! IT'S ON NOW PIPSQUEAKS, OF COURSE, YOU REALIZE THIS MEANS WAR!

Ummmm.... yeah, I've had to get in the middle of a couple of those wars, and the lovebirds were actually the ones foolish enough to start them...

Worse yet, one of them was dumb enough to slip between the bars of Ruby's cage, and perch on her food bowl... "OH, LOOK AT THAT! A PROTIEN SNACK!" Yeah, couldn't get the cage door open in time. CHOMP! We're talking fraction of a second from start to finish.

OH YES, THEY DO!

Wow Mark! It's obvious, but I hadn't considered the size differential of birds in captivity might lead to cannibalism. Are Macs particularly fond of eating the little ones or might the larger Toos and even Zons be similarly inclined?
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #17
Opposite side of that same coin would be a mac climbing down and stomping around on the top of their cage... WE FOUND A NEW SPORT, TERRORIZING LOVE BIRDS! IT'S FUN!!!

Yeah, like you little pipsqueaks can really do something about it.

Like to see you try... You better not bite my toes, or go for my tail. YOU WOULDN'T LIKE ME WHEN I'M ANGRY...

OOOOHHH! IT'S ON NOW PIPSQUEAKS, OF COURSE, YOU REALIZE THIS MEANS WAR!

Ummmm.... yeah, I've had to get in the middle of a couple of those wars, and the lovebirds were actually the ones foolish enough to start them...

Worse yet, one of them was dumb enough to slip between the bars of Ruby's cage, and perch on her food bowl... "OH, LOOK AT THAT! A PROTIEN SNACK!" Yeah, couldn't get the cage door open in time. CHOMP! We're talking fraction of a second from start to finish.

OH YES, THEY DO!

Wow Mark! It's obvious, but I hadn't considered the size differential of birds in captivity might lead to cannibalism. Are Macs particularly fond of eating the little ones or might the larger Toos and even Zons be similarly inclined?

I doubt cannibalism but do not for a second doubt they would attack .
 
Secondly, LBs are simply fearless and they are very high on themselves. My pet (the one I can't lose or I'm gonna need years of therapy) routinely flies to my Grey's cage (his arch nemesis) to just annoy and harass him.

EXACTLY!

The STUPID LOVEBIRD picked one of the most aggressive macaw in the place, and deliberately set about tormenting her, and didn't even have the sense to back off where grown men feared to tread...

PICK A FIGHT WITH A BIRD THAT'S ABOUT 1,000 TIMES YOUR SIZE THAT CAN SWALLOW YOU WHOLE, AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD TOWARD THAT BIG BEAK EVEN WHEN SHE'S COMING AFTER YOU...

As usual, it's the macaw's fault.

That was one of them. The other one was torment the macaw, and then go root around in her food... while she's coming for you with her eyes bulging out of their sockets...

I never actually worked with the love birds. I mostly ran around trying to stop them from getting to the macaw cages on the other side of the room when they got out...

Had one cute little bugger. I caught him trying to open his treat cup door, which he did. I intercepted him and stepped him up. He did this cute little whistle song and dance on my finger, and then when he finished his little dance, tried to put as many little holes in my finger as possible! (I counted 8 of them!)
 
Wow Mark! It's obvious, but I hadn't considered the size differential of birds in captivity might lead to cannibalism. Are Macs particularly fond of eating the little ones or might the larger Toos and even Zons be similarly inclined?

Big bird/little bird is always an iffy proposition. Mine were always socialized together, but I had separate playstands for the conures. The bigger birds generally always all got along. (Macs/cags/zons) My too didn't like other birds. Shied away from everything, including the conures.

Macaws in the wild have been known to occasionally supplement the protein in their diet with smaller birds. Especially if the little birds are foolish enough to go beak to beak with them, and taunt them...

My Ruby's favorite protein snack when I got her was FINGERS! She was quite the dominant and beaky big mac...

And somehow the lovebirds always made for her playtop like a rocket...

NOOOOOOOOO!!! ANYWHERE BUT THERE!!!

I never trusted that one around anything smaller than another mac.

She got into it with a U2 one time as well... (The U2 started it, and was immediately sorry he did!)

Rehabbing THAT ONE took about eight months, but she was eventually tamed down, no bite, out and about trained, and was adopted out to "her person."
 
Last edited:

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Back
Top