What our customers are saying:

Hi Karrie,  They love the 8' rope!  Me too.  I'll get more photos for you soon".
-Ann Brooks, Phoenix Landing.

Red Line: Keeping your bird for the long run.  Challenges: Part 1

     Bird Ownership is a lifelong commitment.  It is full of joyful and loving moments with our feathered friends as well as challenges, learning experiences, and occasionally a few chomped fingers.  Unfortunately many parrots lose their homes after a number of years.  This article will look at the reasons for relinquishment and the suggestions to ensure you can keep your bird for the long run.

     The current standard of pet parrot care have put owners on what I refer to as "The Red Line".  This is the idea that we have given ourselves no buffer for life's unexpected challenges and no room for a night off.  It is similar to running a car so hot that it is sitting right on the red line to overheating all the time.  Any little thing that happens will push it over.  The three major considerations for creating space to avoid living on the redline are: larger cages, parrot companionship, and outdoor aviaries.

     The three major considerations for creating space to avoid living on the redline are: larger cages, parrot companionship, and outdoor aviaries.

LARGER CAGES 

The current "recommended" cage sizes for parrots confine very intelligent animals within a small environment for a considerable amount of time for their entire lives.  Please refer to a more detailed explanation of cage sizes in the other articles "Why are we so confused about cage size" and "wingspans."  These animals are maintained in such a way that they NEED attention and out of cage time DAILY.  Most birds are unable to even flap their wings inside their cages.  Think about being in a car all day long.  You can stretch and move, but not really exercise or fully extend your limbs.  Having animals, that in the wild, spend a great deal of time and energy flying, playing, hanging, climbing, swinging, etc over hundreds of square miles, in a 2x3 cage (or smaller) for 8-10 hours means they are dying to come out and play!

  Many times new bird owners are sold cages by pet stores that are too small for their bird with the easy out of "as long as they come out every day, it should be fine."  But we've already determined above that, realistically, your bird WON'T come out every day.  There will be weeks, months, or even years where you are emotionally or physically less available to your pets at some point in your life. 

 The three weeks around finals time for College students, the first six months with a new baby, the two weeks before and after a major move, hosting Christmas day for the family, the year and a half you spend getting chemo treatments to fight cancer, the first six weeks of meeting the new love of your life!  These are times, both good and bad, when your parrot will probably NOT be out of its cage getting all of your attention and free time the moment you wake up until its bedtime every single day. 

When we start to consider these life changes we can honestly begin to plan long term.  Don't even consider putting your bird in a cage where you feel he "has to come out every day."  Everybody needs time off, everybody has a busy week, everybody needs a vacation, everybody has a bad day.  Set yourself up to succeed!  By purchasing a small cage we are setting ourselves up to fail in the long run.  So don't buy "the largest cage you can afford" or "the largest cage you have room for" or even "a large cage, but he's out a lot."  Consider the space and money you have and purchase a cage -THEN acquire the appropriate parrot.  I want a killer whale.  Is it OK to just build it the largest swimming pool that I can afford - even if it's only 20ft long?  No, it's not.  It is unfair to the animal and to yourself.  If you can't afford the cage or don't have the space, you shouldn't have the animal.  It's really that simple.  So many pet stores and breeders are trying to "sell" the idea that parrots are low maintenance, inexpensive, easy animals to own and care for.  Nothing could be further from the truth.   Investigate proper cage sizes further with the articles "why are we so confused about cage size" and "wingspans."   

There will be weeks, months, or even years where you are emotionally or physically less available to your pets at some point in your life. 

PARROT COMPANIONSHIP

     Now that you've taken care of a spacious inside cage, lets revisit the idea of parrots being alone.  Again, I will reference you to a more in depth discussion with the articles Multiple bird households and Fish tank theory.  Give yourself a good start when you are planning on purchasing a pet bird and acquire one from a breeder that leaves the babies with the parents for at least several weeks, but the longer the better, prior to pulling for hand feeding.  Ensure that they allow the babies to fledge (fly) and socialize with many other parrots-both adults and other babies.  Let them learn social skills and how to be birds.  This is so, so important.  Do a great deal of species specific research to find the best fit for your lifestyle and then consider purchasing two or more babies of similar size, disposition, and species instead of just one.  Avoid stamp collections (i.e. one macaw, one cockatoo, one Amazon, etc) that will be housed in a row of cages, each one alone.  **Older or unsocialized birds need special considerations prior to being placed around other birds**.  If your pet parrot has not had an opportunity to be socialized with other parrots, they may react aggressively to a new comer.  Realistically, people rarely own one parrot anyway.  Acquiring parrots that enjoy each other and can share the same space...and you is beneficial.  What would you (and your bird) consider a more stimulating environment: two 3 foot long cages and be all alone, or one six foot long cage together?  It's the same space in your home, it's the same cost, it's the same number of parrots - they are just set up differently.  (Again, take caution with unsocialized older parrots.  This is not a suggestion to just throw your parrots together.  Please refer to the other articles for a more in depth discussion of multiple bird households). 

OUTDOOR AVIARY

          Last, but certainly not least, an outdoor aviary.  Currently this is considered a "luxury" or a "some day" item.  It should, without a doubt, be considered mandatory, especially for cockatoo owners.  Even for those that live in a colder climate, most states in the US hold temperatures, daily, for at least 6 or 7 months of the year where birds can be outside for at least a few hours during the warmest part of the day (temperatures above 45 degrees). 

     But outdoor aviaries have numerous benefits for humans too.  There are days it is so nice to be able to "put the birds outside" and have some peace and quiet in the house.  You're having a birthday party for your 4 year old and you don't want your birds getting poked at or your guests getting bitten...outside in the aviary!  You need to have the carpets cleaned, but you know it's toxic for the birds, so instead of dismantling all their cages and setting them up in makeshift outside enclosures, praying that the chemical smell dries before dark.....outside in the aviary.  You have a terrible cold and you just need a few hours of quiet to sleep.....outside in the aviary!  Remember, you're not looking at the next 10 months, you're planning for the next 10 years or more! Noise and mess get old;  having a break recharges you.  The ability to have a non-bird day every now and then is really important to avoid "burn out." 

     Outdoor aviaries obviously also have incredible benefits for your parrots.  It provides your birds the space (that for most of us is impossible to accommodate indoors) to play vigorously and experience natural enrichment.  They love the fresh air, the summer rain, native wildlife, and all the activity of being outside.  They can play, climb, flap, and fly to get all that energy out.  A large outdoor aviary allows for big toys like huge natural tree branches full of leaves and bark, giant bowls of water to bathe in, large pots of dirt to dig up and forage for treats in, and tons of toys.  Then when you bring your birds in for the night, they have had a full, exciting day interacting with other parrots, and are ready for cuddles and bedtime.  They are not pacing or doing repetitive behaviors, screaming, or sitting like a perch potato in a 2x3 cage in the corner waiting for their daily ration of attention.  Remember, they are a part of our lives; we should be a part of theirs.  Again, think long term.  That means the next 30 -50 years or more.  Invest in their quality of life. 

      When you consider that most people pay $1500 for a large cockatoo or macaw and $800 for an indoor cage, $1000 - $2000. for an outdoor aviary is not unreasonable when considering you are going to use it for your bird for the next several decades.  Parrots are not cheap.  Even after these big initial expenses they are very costly to maintain with toys, daily fresh food, pellets, perches, nuts in shell, vet bills, etc.  Spending extra money in the beginning to set up your parrot correctly is better than giving away a plucked, screaming, biting $1500 bird with his $800 cage for free to good home or rescue:) 

Cages and aviaries are not the place to cut corners.  Set yourself up for success! 

      These three changes (larger cages, parrot companionship, and outdoor aviary) can easily make the difference between a bird having 20 different homes in it's life and a bird being in the same home for 20 years of it's life.

      Imagine now that you have two well socialized, properly weaned baby parrots who are bonded and live in the same large indoor cage together. You have had a very stressful day.  You walk through the door and your two parrots are out playing in their aviary.....just leave them there (or put them out if you don't feel comfortable leaving them outside when you're not home) and get yourself together!  Get dinner going and put the baby to sleep and then get your birds and spend a few minutes enjoying them before putting them to bed in their big indoor cage.  They have now become a pleasant addition to a stressful day as opposed to a negative component.  They don't crave your constant attention because they have another companion to play with all day while you're at work.  They live in a large cage big enough to allow them to flap their wings and have many different toys to play with in both their cage and outdoor aviary.  If you don't get to taking them out that day...it's ok!  You don't feel stressed or guilty that you don't have time to play with them.  Can you see the difference? 

       Life happens.....be prepared.  Set yourself up for success!