What sacrifices do you make for your birds?

[Kiwibird]

One particularly bad day at work, when I was close to my breaking point, my CAG waddled over to me. When he saw how upset I was, he waddled down my leg, and over to his cage and I watched him pick out a large cashew from his treat cup. He struggled down with the cashew and waddled back to me. Then he set it down in my hand, and he told me "You're a good boy!"

That is so sweet! They know us so well

 

[Birdman666]

On a related note, my red lored amazon taught my ex-wife to behave...

My ex-wife was deathly afraid of that bird, and for good reason.

She was very "in your face" argumentative with me, approaching violent, deliberately provacative... she was trying to provoke me into doing something stupid, so that she could report me, and use that against me in our custody trial.

WELL, every time she raised her voice, and started towards me, SALLY, MY RED LORED, my "guardian angel" bird WENT BIG BIRD ON HER...

Now, Sally came to me as one of the worst biters the rescue ever had, and she was (and still is) fiercely protective of me.

Long story short, from the minute she raised her voice, until my ex-wife backed down and quieted down, Sally did her wings out - poised to strike - eye pinning - crazed amazon pose.

EVERY TIME I knew I had to deal with my ex, that bird was on my shoulder!

That bird and I have been through a lot together... She was one of my toughest rehabs, and the first one I ever brought home. She's paid me back so many different ways...

 

[crimson]

of course we have a vacuum with bags, it's one of the best vacuums I have ever owned, sucks up anything.....good ol Panasonic.
it's been running for years, you cannot kill that thing, and I wouldn't trade it for the world....until I find something better

 

[Birdman666]

I actually have two vacuums.

One is an industrial shop vac, that would probably suck up one of my amazons if they got too close.

The other is a "normal" Hepa filtered floor vacuum.

Once over it with the shop vac to get the big stuff.

Then a second time to do the detail work...

 

[tab_xo]

What an awesome topic!


I wouldn't say i have made many sacrifices apart from my room... But i kinda actually think that is a plus, because when i got Fargo i got to go to the bigger master bedroom.. So more space hahaha


I KNOW people told me- You shouldn't have a macaw at 17 years old, you aren't living your life if you have a macaw, it restricts you..



But my WHOLE life, i have sat in my room, watched hundreds of movies, NEVER gone to friends house, and never been to a party in my life!


So when i got Fargo, not a single thing changed... I still watch hundreds of movies and tv shows.. He plays, whilst i watch!



Our family never went on vacation, we weren't the type that goes on a holiday each year... The last time we had gone away was when i was 10 So the whole 'going on vacation' didn't change when i got Fargo!

and i don't want to travel anywhere, except to the beach with my horses, but the resort allows pets, so i can bring Fargo anyway



I don't have any money, so I am not making any sacrifices with that

Fargo wins SO much, in the past month he has won 200 dollars, so he pays for basically everything himself!!!


Only extra time is when i have to make Fargo's food... But i haven't eaten a vege in my whole life, and i don't eat properly, so the time i use to make Fargo's food is just a replacement for the time i would use if i was going to eat haha



Another thing people say is that young people shouldn't have a bird because they go off to college, but i am studying full time, absolutely LOVING it, and Fargo doesn't bother me at all

and strange little me, actually enjoys cleaning hahaha

Honestly, not a single thing has changed since i got Fargo, apart from him taking over my room, and he has made me so happy and lucky! I think it is easier if you just have one bird rather than a whole flock!


If it wasn't for Fargo and my 3 horses, i think i would always be upset!

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Biggest sacrifice: Wearing green/multi-color print (poop-stain hidin) tops -- (green is not really my color).

Everything else is a piece of cake:
-Chewed up furniture.
-Chewed up sandals.
-Countless thousands of dollars over 32 years so he can have the best of evrything, and plenty of it.
-Countless hours of scrubbing, disinfecting, laundering.
-Being considered a crazy bird lady (that is... until they get to spend siginficant time around Pritti..... then they become like his private cult follower).
Significant amount of space in the house.
Probably some of my hearing capacity in the earier years.
Definitely some blood and skin.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Honestly, not a single thing has changed since i got Fargo....

Oh yes, I can think of at LEAST one thing that has changed since you got Fargo. ....... :54: ...sniff sniff, I feel SO left out now.

 

[tab_xo]

HAHAHAHAHA!

I met someone who is incredible and like a mother to me and she is my best friend, and i don't know what i would do without her

 

[Mike17]

Holidays are the biggest thing for me... my wife goes home to her original country every year while I stay home to mind the birds. We're going to Tasmania together next month for close to two weeks, luckily we have a great neighbour who will mind the birds (with a key to come into our house) although we worry about the varying dietary needs of the flock. I've minded her cats, dogs and fish plus garden so it works well. With other hobbies like fishing, I have to be really careful rigging lines and not leaving stuff around, most of our fishing in summer is at night so no issues there. I also have to be careful with my books - as a mature student I can have books everywhere- and some of the birds just love books (chewing them, that is ).

 

[tab_xo]

I also have to be careful with my books - as a mature student I can have books everywhere- and some of the birds just love books (chewing them, that is ).

Hahaha luckily Fargo isn't a fan of huge books, so i haven't had my text books destroyed yet

250 dollars per book, I won't be too impressed if he decides they are a new shredding toy :09:

He isn't interested in them at the moment.. But i can just imagine one day i will have to use the excuse- 'Sorry professor, my bird ate my textbook'

 

[jenphilly]

Vacuum bags?

Vacuum bags?

We don't need no stinkin' vacuum bags!

Whether or not you get that quote depends upon your age... Bonus points if you remember the movie. Seriously, do people actually still use vacuums that have bags?!

Although, you can add hours of time spent cleaning out shop vac filters that have been clogged with shredded paper and feathers...

Vacuum bags or badges?? My husband knew Blazing Saddles didn't need no stinking badges. But I don't know where the original quote is really from... But he can quote most of Blazing Saddles... and Bugs Bunny... and Airplane... he's my favorite 12 year old

 

[Mike17]

I also have to be careful with my books - as a mature student I can have books everywhere- and some of the birds just love books (chewing them, that is ).

Hahaha luckily Fargo isn't a fan of huge books, so i haven't had my text books destroyed yet

250 dollars per book, I won't be too impressed if he decides they are a new shredding toy :09:

He isn't interested in them at the moment.. But i can just imagine one day i will have to use the excuse- 'Sorry professor, my bird ate my textbook'

Indeed- I have to be careful with library books too. Over summer when uni's off I actually read books and Alex the eccy decided he really liked one of them- had to take it to library in tatters and then buy it. Luckily it was a cheapy, not a $300 "coffee table" book. Really embarrassing taking a book to the library with V-shaped bits out of it... The 'tiels are the worst. Years ago when I had Toto the peach-face, I had to share my Sunday newspaper with him- he specialised in going along the edge so paper looked like I'd cut with pinking shears.

 

[BirdyMomma]

Haaa! I am in such good company!!

Birdman, I almost cried, when I read about your Grey bringing you a cashew!

JenPhilly, my Facebook name is Shelly VonSchtupp. (My real name is Michele). If you don't recognize the name, ask your hubby what it refers to

You are all such wonderful people! It's no wonder you are all owned by birds!

 

[Birdman666]

Vacuum bags?

Vacuum bags or badges?? My husband knew Blazing Saddles didn't need no stinking badges. But I don't know where the original quote is really from... But he can quote most of Blazing Saddles... and Bugs Bunny... and Airplane... he's my favorite 12 year old

It's Twwuuuee!

It's Twwuuuee!

It was Blazing Saddles...

Looks like Hubby picked a good week to stop sniffing glue!

DON'T FORGET THE MONTY PYTHON QUOTES...

 

[Birdman666]

I also have to be careful with my books - as a mature student I can have books everywhere- and some of the birds just love books (chewing them, that is ).

Hahaha luckily Fargo isn't a fan of huge books, so i haven't had my text books destroyed yet

250 dollars per book, I won't be too impressed if he decides they are a new shredding toy :09:

He isn't interested in them at the moment.. But i can just imagine one day i will have to use the excuse- 'Sorry professor, my bird ate my textbook'

Actually Sarah already used the excuse "A bird ate my homework."

She was sitting next to the big playstand only pretending to do homework, but actually beak wrestling with my red fronted macaw, who was hiding in a toy, and would pop out and grab her fingers, to much laughter from both of them...

Until she fainted for the fingers, grabbed her homework assignment, ran off with it... then the game became can I shred this toy before they get it away from me!

Catch me if you can!!!

And since I use phone books as shredder toys, anything that looks like that set down in the bird room would be fair game.

They no not to shred stuff outside the bird room, but accidentally leaving something like that in the birdroom, it would become a bird toy... and then it would become confetti.

 

[Birdman666]

Birdman, I almost cried, when I read about your Grey bringing you a cashew!

He and my red lored are the two most amazingly empathic birds I've got...

The most amazing Tusk story happened at Halloween about two years ago.

I put the birds out in the tree, to avoid the"birdie alarm" going off every time someone comes to the door. So I sit outside with the birds in the tree, and hand out candy to the kids. And we get a fair amount of trick or treaters - we had about 250 kids this particular year, so it was busy with people...

Problem is my macaws are both lap birds, and they don't want to stay in the tree all night. So I had one macaw on my shoulder, and one on my lap, passing out candy...

Now, my CAG is almost invisible in the tree at night, and the amazons are invisible day or night. They just blend in. If they don't let you know they are there, you wouldn't know. The other thing you need to know about my CAG is that there are about a dozen or more phrases that he knows in context, that he uses absolutely in context.

So, I have three in the tree, and my two big 'uns on my person. Along comes this little girl in a princess dress, couldn't have been more than four years old... obviously her first Halloween, and she is sprinting from house to house, getting candy, with Mom and Dad following behind. So, this little girl comes running across my lawn, and about half way there, she suddenly realized that the giant red bird on my lap IS REAL!!!

Well, at that point she freaked out, and managed to trip and fall and spill her candy, and now she is upset and crying her eyes out... BEFORE ANYONE CAN GET TO HER, MY CAG WALKS OUT TO THE END OF THE BRANCH ABOVE HER HEAD AND SAYS:

"AAAWWW! WHATSAMATTER? IT'S OKAY. YOU'RE OKAY. COME ON. COME HERE."

Now the phrases COME ON. COME HERE. are universal in my flock. They all learned that one during recall training. They all say it. SO, WHEN TUSK STARTS SAYING IT, ALL FIVE BIRDS START CALLING TO THE LITTLE GIRL. "COME ON. COME HERE... "

The little girl got up, and came over, and I gave her extra candy, and I held Maggie's beak, and taught her to scratch a bird's head.

Well, by now we have a crowd of about twenty people with their jaws down to the floor... Like, I can't believe what I just saw.

And I have to give my little lecture about how if you teach them words and phrases in context, they know what it means.

Tusk continually blows my mind with things like this.

Rachel and I raised this one from an egg. He was a gift from Rachel. Now he is my last living link in my house to her...

So, yeah, getting back to our original premise, taking care of my birds involves sacrifices, but doesn't really feel like much of a sacrifice in the grand scheme of things.

 

[BoomBoom]

Like many of you, the sacrifices are too many to list! So here is the biggest one: I have decided to be single for the rest of my life for Boomer because finding a partner who:

- is a bird person
- can adhere to my bird rules
- will love a Boomer more than me

... is pretty slim to none! The sad part is, I am completely fine with that!! I'm the very definition of crazy bird person, and judging from what most you wrote... so is half of this site. Love it, haha!

 

[MikeyTN]

Hummmmm....Endless money spending on their food, care, toys, etc. Slaving away scrubbing and cleaning their cages. They drink filtered water while I'm drinking tap....lol....So replacement filters just for them.....Keeping the air consistent even during winter time as we turn the heat up for them even though we HATE the heater on too high as we don't sleep well, so heater on while our windows is open in the bedroom, not a good combination...lol....I've become a begger for newspapers as I ask everyone to save them for me as I go through a ton of papers a week. We no longer go on vacations due to me not trusting people to care for my birds so we do what you call stay cation.....Constantly cleaning air filters cause their dust clogs it up....They keep me very busy!!!

 

[Zumaria]

Many of my lifestyle changes have been the same as listed above.

I don't really go out after work. I work M-F and go out on the weekends only. I hardly travel - partly due to money and partly due to Jenga. I have options for a sitter and boarding but also don't want to push it and I truly enjoy spending the time with her. No more manicures and eating out all the time - I now buy finger traps and pellets. I quit smoking. Only certain friends are allowed over - people I trust and know, no more "bring a friend" get togethers.

We are all such great parronts

 

[SharlenaSharlena]

Our birds have such a different diet than other parrots we have stopped traveling away from home for more than 4 hours on weekends and my husband has adjusted his schedule to work from home. I get such anxiety worrying about whether they are warm enough, do they have enough nectar and fruit, etc. It's a sacrifice but I hate the thought of leaving them overnight or with a sitter or boarding them! And any extra money I have usually goes to them and the fur-kids. I swear they should all have their own college funds at this point!

When I was diagnosed with cancer last year I was determined that if I didn't die I would get Lorikeets no matter what. I didn't know much of anything about them and was extremely scared to get the birds because I would have to hand feed myself! Scary when you have never owned a parrot before. Getting those little fuzzy meatballs as infants and watching them grow into beautiful intelligent children really is something I never in a million year would have considered being a part of. They helped keep my spirits up and give me a purpose when I didn't understand what mine was at the time. I never was able to relate to how people felt about being so bonded to their bird kiddos until I got mine and now I don't think there is any bond that is stronger between animal and owner. And this is coming from someone with 4 dogs.