Any bird owners?

I just started volunteering at a local bird rescue and it seems that one of the red loreed amazons has decided that I am going to be his new buddy. I have to admit, I never really thought I would be owned by a bird but this guy is winning me over really fast.

Does anyone here have birds? If so, how do the cats handle the birds?

Aww! They do have a way of winning you over.

My cats are fine around my macaw. They know that he has a big beak and will use it, so they know to pretty much stay away from him. I think bigger birds (like amazons) don't excite them as much as a small bird like my cockatiels would. They are curious at first...but after they get used to being around them and know that the bird is off limits, its ok. Of course I would still never trust any cat alone with a bird out in the same room though.

Another good thing about the bigger birds is their cage sizes. The cages are big and strong, can't be knocked over and keep the bird pretty safe from the cat. The cats should still be taught that the cage is off limits though (mine used to try to lay on top of the macaw cage as somewhere comfy to hang out ).

My cockatiels are a whole different story and the cats arn't allowed around them at all. The tiels have their own room and the cats are not allowed to go in it.

My cats are all fine with my Quaker Parrot...Rylee yells NO NO whenever a kitty gets too close to him He has also bit them when he has been pawed at one time too many...Hes a moody little thing who really knows how to get his way The only time I had issues with him was when he was a baby and the cat saw him more as food then...I kept him separated from everyone until recently and now he does great!

We used to have a Blue-Crowned Conure. That cats were actually afraid of him! When we still had RB Mufasa, the bird would actually dive bomb him and chase him. And she never bothered Willow, or she never bothered the bird. She liked to watch his cage, but maybe she knew better then to get close...

Louie was a very possessive bird. We would leave her cage door open when we were in the room, and if someone got close to me she would squawk in jealousy. She actually flew after my mom once for hugging me. My mom was teasing the bird though - so I say she deserved it

We had to re-home Louie when Josh was diagnosed because we arent aloud to have birds or reptiles (or live plants for that matter) with his compromised immune system, but when Josh is off-treatment, I dream about getting another parrot some day!

Originally Posted by Kaylacat

Of course I would still never trust any cat alone with a bird out in the same room though.

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Well of course I never leave King unattended with my Bird.. there only allowed loose together when im in the room.

The only incident ive ever had was when my old 'Tiels cage was on the back Porch one night ((RIP CeCe)), the Porch was screened in so we thought he'd be fine outside in his cage for the night... either the neighbors cat or a neighborhood Stray broke into the screened in Porch and CeCe's Cage and got him

... ive never had an issue with my cats though.

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Originally Posted by Brandi

Hes a moody little thing who really knows how to get his way

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Oh wow! so is my bird!!

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Originally Posted by Marianjela

Louie was a very possessive bird. We would leave her cage door open when we were in the room, and if someone got close to me she would squawk in jealousy. She actually flew after my mom once for hugging me.

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My Petra is a very Possessive Bird too... he bites anyone who gets to close to me while im in the room or holding him.
Haha! when the Verizon Phone Guy came by and came into my room to hook up a line... Petra was loose and went after him!! the Verizon Guy didnt mind, but I find it funny cuz hes only a small 'Tiel so unless you pet him he wont do much damage.
He usually does fine around other people when im not around.

I NEVER for the life of me thought that I would fall so completely for a bird! I actually always thought they were sort of annoying and loud. I decided to try out the rescue because birds are the one type of animal that I really had no experience with. It's almost an hour away from my house and honestly, if I hadn't met Peppers that first time I was there, I might not have gone back.

The rescue is run out of someone's house, and there are atleast 17 birds in the two adjoining rooms. There are 5 macaws and four of the big cockatoos and a whole bunch of the little guys that can scream with the best of them. Peppers is actually the quietest bird in the place, and the only one that I have not heard talk. I'm betting that he is somewhat overwhelmed with all of the commotion there and after he comes home, I bet that huge personality that I know he has will come out more.

I'm actually getting really excited. I've been spending a bunch of time researching Amazons to get ready for him. I really need to make sure I am going to be able to adopt him before I go out buying stuff though. I know that the owner of the rescue is really attached to this particular bird. I don't think I will have a problem adopting him, she's already mentioned that she would be jealous if she wasn't excited that he is going to find a good home so I'm pretty sure that she is already anticipating me adopting him but we haven't actually talked about it yet.

Fantastic news, parrots make great companions! The only warning I would give is that some Amazons can become very hormonal and moody for a period every year during breeding season, and there's not a lot you can do about it except ride it out. Once they have chosen you, you will be their friend for life though

I have a Senegal, I have a bird room because my cats will not leave him alone and I don't trust them around him. They never come into contact. Be aware that cat saliva carries bacteria to which birds have no immune protection, if the parrot is licked, bitten, scratched or in any way 'handled' by a cat, it is a veterinary emergency even if it seems fine, antibiotics need to be started within 24 hours. Also check your home for other toxins which could kill a parrot - chemical cleaners (especially pine disinfectant), air fresheners, febreze, scented candles, and non-stick pans - best to get rid of anything like that before he moves in with you as they can be fatal and it's easy to forget and use it if it's there in the cupboard, especially if you're new to bird keeping. I assume that as you have cats, you already have window/door control down to a fine art!

Good luck! And where are the photos, we need photos!!!

Lol, I will get pictures of him next time I go out there which will be later on this week. I might even head out tonight to help out for a little bit.

Are your birds flighted? I definately plan on getting him clipped at first because being new to birds, I would be somewhat scared to have a flighted parrot right away. I know that this is a controversial topic in the bird world though and I'm not sure what I will end up doing after I've had him for a while.

I have 2 cockatiels. one of them will come out of the cage but the other one, that someone found & bought to my work(my boss is a bird lady), she is too afraid of people to come out of her cage. Monster couldnt really be bothered by them, he never looks at the cages but i never trusted him to leave the bird be if he was out with Monster in the room, i mean hes a cat, & has that instinct... so we have always locked the cats out of the room when we bring the one bird out. Mittens i would never trust around birds. the reason my boss gave her to me was bc Mittens was trying to catch my boss' parrots while they were in flight. i told her to do what i do, & lock her up when the birds are out, but her birds are out for the majority of the day, & have free roam of the house(thats why theyre bad, & the one has bitten my ear twice just bc he wanted to). she refuses to cut out some of theyre out-of-the-cage time and lock Mittens up. so now she is with me, but the bird only comes out a couple times a day, & we usualy shut the comp room door to keep the cats out.

I have a Cockatiel that is 17 years old. He was handraised by my mom and has been with me since I was 2 years old. He is like my little brother. He can sing, talk and whistle. He says "here kitty kitty kitty kitty pretty kitty I love you kitty" lol I also have 9 zebra finches 3 of which are handraised/handfed from when they were 7 days old and very tame.

I clipped Charlies (my macaw) wings recently. My tiels arn't clipped though.

I think it would probably be a good idea to keep him clipped at first. It would help so he can get used to you and the house first. It will help with training (hard to train if they keep flying away ) and help with safety. Sometimes it also can help with attitude...because certain birds will get a big one if they arn't.

I like to keep Charlie clipped because I am always afraid he will fly into a window, into the kitchen while something is cooking or out the door if someone suddenly opens it.

Originally Posted by CalicoPrincess

Are your birds flighted? I definately plan on getting him clipped at first because being new to birds, I would be somewhat scared to have a flighted parrot right away. I know that this is a controversial topic in the bird world though and I'm not sure what I will end up doing after I've had him for a while.

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I've never clipped a bird's wings (we just don't really do that here in the UK, it's generally viewed as distasteful tbh), and in more than 30 years of bird keeping I've never lost one or had an accident as a result. If you do clip, make sure he can still actually fly a bit, a grounded bird around cats is just going to become lunch. He needs to be able to get out of reach. What are you scared of exactly?

ETA: clipping one wing only is a definite no-no, and more likely to cause accidents than leaving them fully flighted as they can spiral to the ground out of control. Do a google search on partial wing clips, the type that leaves some ability to fly to get out of trouble, but only over short distances

Clipping only one wing will make them off balance. It really isn't a good thing to do because they will fall to the floor and get hurt more easily (like cracking their chest bone). My dad used to try to clip Charlies wings that way, which is why I decided to do it myself from now on.

Clipping both wings the same length, to make it so that they actually glide to the floor instead of dropping like a rock is better...so you don't want to clip them way too short or take too many either. The best thing to do is have an avian vet (or someone that really knows what they are doing) show you how to do it first.

I have had a tiel fly away (he wasn't clipped) on accident one time. Another time, me and my mom were sitting outside with Charlie (who had his clipped) and something startled him, so he took off and actually got pretty high and far for having his wings clipped. He made it over a wooden fence into the nighbors yard and gave me a heart attack. His wings were growing out a little though. Still, I don't like to take him outside any more. It makes me too nervous now. A strong wind or something scaring them could give them enough height to lose them.

i have 2 finched a cockatail 2 doves and a fancy pigeon

Originally Posted by Epona

I've never clipped a bird's wings (we just don't really do that here in the UK, it's generally viewed as distasteful tbh), and in more than 30 years of bird keeping I've never lost one or had an accident as a result. If you do clip, make sure he can still actually fly a bit, a grounded bird around cats is just going to become lunch. He needs to be able to get out of reach. What are you scared of exactly?

ETA: clipping one wing only is a definite no-no, and more likely to cause accidents than leaving them fully flighted as they can spiral to the ground out of control. Do a google search on partial wing clips, the type that leaves some ability to fly to get out of trouble, but only over short distances

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The only thing that would give me pause about not clipping his wings at first is the fact that I am not exactly well versed in handling a parrot. I won't be bringing him home for another month or so to give me an opportunity to learn more about his care before I take him in full time. I've been told that a non-flighted bird is much easier to train/handle for a beginner then a flighted bird is. However, he does have his flight feathers right now and I've never seen him even try to fly so I don't know. . .

Cute stories and CalicoPrincess its neat that you're volunteering at a bird rescue. I don't think I could, I love peace and quiet and become quite stressed in very loud environments.
But you're at the best place to learn and gain experience in bird care. Let's just hope you don't become every birds favorite!
Share pictures when you bring your new pet home.

Originally Posted by Marianjela

We had to re-home Louie when Josh was diagnosed because we arent aloud to have birds or reptiles (or live plants for that matter) with his compromised immune system, but when Josh is off-treatment, I dream about getting another parrot some day!

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I could possibly see how birds could kick up stuff into the air. But how would reptiles and live plants bother him if he didn't handle them? There are people on reptile forums with suppressed immune systems that keep their reptiles -they would never dream of getting rid of their babies. Of course they make sure to thoroughly wash their hands and even change clothes if they need to. Doctors do sort of go overboard about possible salmonella contamination though, when the bigger risk comes from our own food.

I love parrots and I had a pair of budgies when I was 7, they were my first pet. I was absolutely devastated when the latter of them passed 12 years later when I was 19. She'd been with me as long as I could remember pretty much so it was really hard.

Back before I got Nikita I had almost settled on getting a Senegal parrot (after doing a lot of research) but then ended up deciding to get a cat because cats are easier to move between countries and also easier to put into a cattery etc. if you need to travel for a week or two.

Now though there's no way I could have a bird. Nikita goes nuts over anything with feathers and it's her mission in life to kill birds. Really, she shakes and vibrates when she sees them outside and she'll jump up to 5 feet up to try to get at them. She's also high maintenance and I don't think I could have a seperate bird room and manage to give both Nikita and the bird enough attention.

Still, I do love the birds.