| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
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| 724.1 | It's possible BUT, BUT, BUT.... | UTROP1::BOSMAN_P | | Fri Aug 21 1992 03:55 | 50 |
| Steve,
Your lifestyle would be unsuitable for a single pet parrot.
No discussion possible.
However if you are prepared to make proper arrangement you could still
enjoy having a parrot.
You'l have to realise though that your "case" is stretching it to the
outmost limit. If you don't get it right the birds will suffer in the
long run.
1. You HAVE to go for a couple. Get two parrots, wether male or female or
even of the same species is paramount. Any two of compairable format
and compatible temperament will do. Cockatoos usually combine very good
with an Amazon or Macaw. You would probably even be better of with two
seperate species since you wouldn't want them to get into a breeding
mode, that wouldn't be fair on them.
2. Find captive bred, handraised chicks of about 12-16 weeks old so you
get them at the most flexible age and can get them accustomed to your
routine.
3. Get a hardy, stress-resistant species:
Any large Macaw, any Cockatoo, most of the Amazones: the Blue and gold
macaw and the Greater sulpher crested cockatoo I would consider your
best bet.
Stay away from the African Grey, African longwinged parrots, the Vasa,
Pionus species, Conures, Lories, Eclectus- and some Amazone species.
4. Buy two cages �nd a perch stand: one roomy, practical travel cage
and a very large one at home, put the perch at you girlfriends
location.
5. Stick to a fixed routine and time-schedule as closely as possible!
So be prepared to spend money or forget it. Any shortcut in
equipment or choice of birds will be crossing the line.
Costs to be minimally expected:
- Large cage 350 pounds, travel cage 100, perch 200, b/g macaw 750, gsc
cockie 500, food and accessoires 100, totalling up to at least some
2000 pounds!
Choosing alternative but cheaper species is the only possible way to
cut costs but even if you'd go for a Sulpher crested cockie and a
Blue-fronted amazone you'd only save 500 pounds maximum.
I do some travelling with my Cockatoos and they have even got to
enjoy it, be carefull they stay out of drafts though.
Be sure your girlfriend wants them too. They can and will make a
dreadfull mess and the only silent parrots are the stuffed ones.
So, if you have the funds, the attitude, the patience and the right
girlfriend....
Let us know.
Peter
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| 724.2 | Wow! | WAYOUT::LOAT | Bored....Bored....BORED!!!! | Fri Aug 21 1992 11:18 | 7 |
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Thanx for the reply. Seems like I've got a lot of thinking to do!
Maybe I'll move the girlfriend... 8-]
Steve
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| 724.3 | agree with .1 on all but suitable species | USHS05::VASAK | Sugar Magnolia | Fri Aug 21 1992 15:09 | 53 |
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RE: .1
> 3. Get a hardy, stress-resistant species:
> Any large Macaw, any Cockatoo, most of the Amazones: the Blue and gold
> macaw and the Greater sulpher crested cockatoo I would consider your
> best bet.
> Stay away from the African Grey, African longwinged parrots, the Vasa,
> Pionus species, Conures, Lories, Eclectus- and some Amazone species.
While I strongly agree with most of your suggestions, I must disagree
here, speaking from my personal experiences.
The macaws, cockatoos, and amazons I have known (and lived with!) have
been much more "needy" in terms of "people-attention" than African
birds.
My schedule, when I got my Timneh grey, was much like that of
the basenote author's, other than that I spent most weekends at home.
My grey's needs were well met by 1/2-1 hour a night, a few hours on
weekends, for "physical time" and the rest of the evenings/weekends in
a space where she could verbally and visually interact with us. Much
of the time she *preferred* to entertain herself. We eventually got a
little parrotlet that she enjoyed verbal and visual interaction with.
Our cockatoos, although there are two of them, as well as other types of
birds, are STILL MUCH more demanding of our time and attention. And
my SO is home all day! I CANNOT recommend a single cockatoo for any
household where there is no one home for most of the day, and even a
pair is "iffy". Pairs of cockatoos (and single ones!) are also
EXTREMELY noisy and can get too aggressively affectionate and injure
each other at sexual maturity. Macaws and amazons are a little less
demanding of attention, but still need LOTS.
I have found African species to be far less demanding of human
attention than any other psitticine species I have kept. My suggestion
to the basenoter: pick two from the following list of species:
African grey (either Congo or Timneh), African or Indian ringneck,
Senegal, Pionus, or Meyer's. Get them as handfed younsters. Raise
them together and start them on their weekend travel schedule right
away so that they are accustomed to it.
My personal preferance would be for a Timneh grey and a lovely lutino
ringneck, but I'm biased :-)
And don't forget to leave a radio playing or a TV on where they can
see/hear it when you leave for work each day.
/Rita
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| 724.4 | Still.. | UTROP1::BOSMAN_P | | Mon Aug 24 1992 04:43 | 20 |
| Rita,
You may have a point about the attention but the African Grey is a
definite NONO on the grounds of the high sensitivity to distress that
the general example displays.
Remember the change of surroundings and travel every weekend.
Yes, cockatoos and macaws do need a lot of attention but if you don't
intend to spend time on your birds than they shouldn't be kept as pets
anyway but should be in a large outside aviary. Keeping two is the
biggest contribution you can make to any parrot's wellbeing as no human
can ever replace an avian companion.
Yes, keeping a pair has it's drawbacks, that's why I suggested to
combine different species.
The larger species are the hardiest so..
Peter
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| 724.5 | Some more thoughts. | WAYOUT::LOAT | Bored....Bored....BORED!!!! | Mon Aug 24 1992 05:54 | 22 |
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re .-1
If I were to get a parrot, it would definitely be a pet. Nowhere did I say that
I would not be spending time with it. In fact, it would would be with me for
almost all the weekend, and every night in the week!
How much time do you guys out there spend with your parrots? Apart from the
working days, there would be no time where the parrot would be left alone for
any extended period of time.
Is it just the travelling/change of environment which would cause the problem, or
do all you people out there have someone in the house with the parrot all day?
I thought that cockatoos were one of the most demanding of parrots when it came
to the amount of attention that they needed? Is this wrong?
Just wondering what the big problems would be...
Steve
PS. There's every possibility of me moving the girlfriend, so who knows? 8-]
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| 724.6 | Try it. | UTROP1::BOSMAN_P | | Mon Aug 24 1992 11:03 | 23 |
| Steve,
Most, if not all, of the "problems" with lonely parrots originate from
birds kept in solitairy.
Cockatoos and Macaws are in this respect VERY demanding and, as was
pointed out correctly, unsuitable as pets.
However if kept in a pair this is overcome. Cockatoos are about the most
active of parrots and therefore the most noisy but also the most
interesting.
We both work and are away during working hours and have a pair of
cockatoos. We've had several other parrots as well.
If you get them as young birds and get them accustumed to the routine
and don't spoil them no problems should be expected, even with the
larger cockatoos.
The travelling however will definitely ask for a stress resistant
species. It isn't the distance that's the issue but the changes.
Peter
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| 724.7 | take one from col. A and one from col. B. | CSOA1::DIRRMAN | | Mon Aug 24 1992 11:10 | 16 |
| Ok - I will add my two cents. I have to agree with Rita. I have a
Congo grey - and he does very well with small amounts of Human
attention. Also - I have found my conure to be Much more sensitive
to change than my Grey. If you start them out traveling - it becomes
the norm and therefore will not bother the bird. The other thing you
might do is give the bird to your girl friend and visit more often.
I also have cockatiels and find them a great deal of fun and they
are really lovey. (they will talk if you work with them - of course my
Grey is the best talker!).
Birds really do make wonderful pets and if they are loved - usually
do quite well. As for all the birds mentioned so far - the Grey
(either type) would be the quietist.
Good Luck!
Dora
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| 724.8 | | WAYOUT::LOAT | Bored....Bored....BORED!!!! | Mon Aug 24 1992 12:07 | 38 |
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Well, if I eventually get a parrot, it won't be for quite a while. I need to save
the ���� first. the Greys I've seen for sale in shops range from �400 for a wild
grey (God when they mean wild, they really mean wild!) to �800 for a hand reared
hand tame one.
One place I've visited had a line of cages with hand reared babies in them, and
I was walking past them, and I heard someone say 'Hello'. I was the only person
in there, so I wondered what was going on. Seems one of their greys has learned
to talk *very* quickly. I believe that the bird was only about 5 months old! It
moved to the edge of the cage, and it was quite plain that it wanted a lot of
attention. I spent 20 minutes stroking this grey, and speaking to it. Good job
I didn't have my credit card with me! 8-[
The cockatoos I've seen are about �1000 each! From the things written in here,
it seems like most birds a quite a bit cheaper in the USA.
While I'm here, what prices have you seen for birds in the UK? I haven't seen
too many noters from the UK in here, but I just thought I'd ask.
re .-1
might do is give the bird to your girl friend and visit more often.
I wish! the 150 mile journey takes 3 hours on a Friday night if I leave work
exactly at 5:30, and the journey back on Sunday takes 2 hours (if I go *quite*
fast!)
Karen (I can't just go on calling her "the girlfriend"!) may be moving down to
Basingstoke in the new year, so that may co-incide with when I manage to get
this sort of money together! I'm sure you'll hear more of me nearer the time.
Until then I'll just carry on reading this conference, learning more, and
enjoying your stories of your birds.
Thanx for all the help/advice.
Steve.
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| 724.9 | No double Dutch! | UTROP1::BOSMAN_P | | Tue Aug 25 1992 06:44 | 27 |
| Steve,
The prices I quoted are Dutch prices, I live just across the Channel.
Dutch breeders are well on the front lines of parrot breeding and
hand-raised captive bred birds are freely available. An A.G. chick will
go for 240 pounds.
A Blue-fronted Amazone chick can be had at 275 pounds. A friend of mine
breedsGreater Sulpher Crested Cockatoos and will sell chicks for around
450 pounds. I know Red/green macaw chicks(app. 14 weeks) for 1225
pounds and that's CHEAP!
At these prices you could afford a boattrip to Amsterdam and still have a
bargain.
I've done a book about captive breeding and hand-raising and in the
proces got to know sources for even Hyacinth chicks with legal Cites
papers. Export from the Netherlands to the UK will not be a problem for
all but the species on the Cites appendix A since all chicks come with
a closed footring. If neccessary the breeder can supply the Cites
export documents and a vet. health certificate.
If and when you're realy ready for it and have reached you decision I'd
be quite willing to help you organise an export/import deal.
First you decide what you realy WANT,contact a breeder, then organise
around the consequences of your choice, get the neccessary equipment
and last of all get the birds.
Whatever you do, if you decide to go for it, GET TWO!
Peter
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