Any parrot owners?

I did alot of research last night and I read that you don't have to get them in pairs unless you're not around alot, and I'm home for most of the day.

My cat is kinda weird, terrified of birds but attacks dogs. I rescued a pidgeon ad brought it home once and it flapped its wings at her and she didn't go into the back room for 5 days.

My SO and I have a lovebird, and he is definitely a feisty guy. The lovebird I had in college terrified my dog- she was a lab and the friendliest dog ever. My bird, Oz, went right after her! Katy steered clear of Oz after that.

Right now, Beaker is our only pet, but he has a ton of personality. Its true that they will bond to you if there isn't another bird. He tends to be a bit of a velcro bird, though, because it means he always wants to do what we're doing. He loves when we do dishes- he sits on the faucet. He loves drawers and shelves. He sits in our change dish and tosses all the pennies onto the floor. Half my books have strips chewed off of them. What would you like to know about them?
 
I just bought my lovebird home :smile:

She's yellow with a peach face and a blue bum :smile:

Got her an hour ago and she managed to get out of her box and onto my bookshelf. She looks so scared atm, but seems to like her cuttlefish :smile:

My cat hates her already. LOL
 
My SO and I have a lovebird, and he is definitely a feisty guy. The lovebird I had in college terrified my dog- she was a lab and the friendliest dog ever. My bird, Oz, went right after her! Katy steered clear of Oz after that.

Right now, Beaker is our only pet, but he has a ton of personality. Its true that they will bond to you if there isn't another bird. He tends to be a bit of a velcro bird, though, because it means he always wants to do what we're doing. He loves when we do dishes- he sits on the faucet. He loves drawers and shelves. He sits in our change dish and tosses all the pennies onto the floor. Half my books have strips chewed off of them. What would you like to know about them?

I'm curious to know how long they take to tame, and how often you spend time with them a day. The interwebs said a few weeks, but the girl at the pet store said that it would take a few months?

She's anywhere from 6-12 months...
 
I just bought my lovebird home :smile:

She's yellow with a peach face and a blue bum :smile:

Got her an hour ago and she managed to get out of her box and onto my bookshelf. She looks so scared atm, but seems to like her cuttlefish :smile:

My cat hates her already. LOL

She sounds really sweet. Your cat will have to get used to her. I'm glad you'll be home most of the day.
 
My cat is annoyed at being kept awake by her squawking. Sulking in the other room.

Meanwhile my lovebird has been dangling upside down for the last ten minutes.

Why can't my animals be normal? LOL
 
Why do US-Americans their parrots always keep alone? I don't understand it, because they are VERY social and imho need another parrot. At the moment we can't have parrots because of our small appartement. :sad:
 
It is important to not "tame" them but give them time to bond with you. You must earn their trust. Hand feeding treats like millet will help them get used to you. Singing, talking or even reading to them is good. I sing a song to Chipper when she goes to bed in her sleep cage every night.

They need large cages and great toys and good fresh foods. Good quiet sleep is important also.

My Chipper flies all over the place and loves her playgyms. They are very intelligent so they need to have a lot to do. They love to interact with us and they learn quickly.

Many Americans keep more than one parrot. They don't always like each other, you just never know. I am on several parrot forums and most people have multible birds. I have just my Parrotlet. We are always together and she has a wonderful life.


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You just brought her home, right? She is scared. Make sure there is food and water and cozy places to seek security. Offer millet too. That is comfort food. Keep the house quiet and she will slowly adjust.What does the cage look like?

Birds do this when they are afraid. Can you hang a peice of fabric in an area on top of the cage?
 
^ when we first got our bird we made sure the cage was up against a wall or covered the back section with a cloth. He felt safer when nothing could sneak up on him. When we got our bird, he was young but parent raised so he was pretty wary of us. We spent two weeks just hanging out in the same room with him doing quiet things until he got used to our presence. When we let him out the first few times, we took the cage into the bathroom, because our apartment had no way to close off the rooms and we were afraid he would flap around wildly. So we just opened the cage and sat there. He ventured out and sat with us for awhile. We also had good luck hand taming him using pieces of millet- there wasn't much he wouldn't do for millet!

I would say it took two months to get him to the point where he'd come out regularly for us. It took awhile for him to not be afraid of hands, but once he was we trained up to step up on our fingers. It will be slow at first, but have faith! We thought our bird would always be scared but he loves us now!
 
Why do US-Americans their parrots always keep alone? I don't understand it, because they are VERY social and imho need another parrot. At the moment we can't have parrots because of our small appartement. :sad:

There are people in this very thread who have more than one bird- some don't give their location, but at least one is American. I also know non-Americans on my bird forum who only have one bird. So... you don't understand it because its not true?

Our bird is alone because we got him from a friend who has many many birds (15+ lovebirds alone). He was getting picked on and she thought he would do better alone. He's social with us- every minute we're home that he's not asleep he's with us. He seems quite happy with life as it is.
 
Why do US-Americans their parrots always keep alone? I don't understand it, because they are VERY social and imho need another parrot. At the moment we can't have parrots because of our small appartement. :sad:
yes that is quite a blanket statement....i know two people that have parrots and have them in pairs...and i am american as are they....it depends on the person and family,,,not the place we live....i want an african grey parrot for as long as i can remember,,,but i will not get one until my kids are much older....would i get 2?? probably not...one takes a lot of time and care...i know many one parrot families that are very happy and well adjusted...i think it depends how much you bond with the bird and take the time with him ,,,not whether you have one or two....IMO
 
Don't worry- she'll get used to you. They crave attention and soon she'll get used to you and want yours! Do you know if your bird is a male or female? It took us a long time to find out.

Here's a pic of my little guy...
 

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I don't know. I called her Coco, and I'm calling her a hermaphrodite until I figure it out :S

I know she likes music and hanging upside down...