The Random Fur Babies In Our Lives

[nauticalstar]

I've got two unusual pets: A lovebird named Beaker and a lionhead rabbit named Darwin (despite the name, Darwin is a girl ) I think they are much more interesting pets than a lot of people give them credit for. I can't tell you how many times someone has said to me "So... they just like, sit in their cages?" Um. no.

 

[nauticalstar]

Want to hear something that will really make your skin crawl?? One day Buffy got out of her cage. I must have not secured the top very well. I couldn't find her for days. One morning I was taking a shower, looked at my shower curtain and there she was. I'm just glad it was me that found her. DH would probably have screamed like a girl and run out of the house naked.

I would die! There was once a tiny jumping spider in my shower and I screamed so loud that my DF thought someone had broken in and was murdering me!

 

[Cindi]

Another interesting Tarantula fact (speaking of the fuzziness). Buffy could if she wanted to flick off her hairs which can cause severe skin irritation. Some types of them are used in itching powder. They can even be deadly if inhaled.
Tarantulas use them in the wild to flick at predators to discourage them from attack. So much for cute and fuzzy.

Aww....(being a safe distance away, I can 'aww' and not scream)....lookit the fuzziness.

 

[Hatfield1313]

I've got two unusual pets: A lovebird named Beaker and a lionhead rabbit named Darwin (despite the name, Darwin is a girl ) I think they are much more interesting pets than a lot of people give them credit for. I can't tell you how many times someone has said to me "So... they just like, sit in their cages?" Um. no.

I've always wanted a lovebird! They're beautiful! But I've heard they can be mean Is that true?

Ok, the spider thing, *sticks fingers in ears, closes eyes, "la la la la, not looking! la la la la"*

 

[buzzytoes]

My office lovebirds were far more interesting than my parakeets or cockatiels ever were. With lovebirds, you can tell there is a brain behind those eyes. Unfortunately mine were never tamed, otherwise I think they would have been even more entertaining.

 

[floridasun8]

OMG, I opened this thread and saw that tarantula and almost fell off my chair trying to get away from the screen!! ROFL!! I'm not terrified of much, but huge spiders and snakes will do it!

But in response to the thread, the pets we have left in our house is 2 dogs and a rabbit. Used to have fish as well. I absolutely love animals and would be in heaven to have more dogs and even birds but I am just at a place in my life now where I don't want to be tied down to having to make sure I am home enough to take care of them and spend time, make sure they are fed at a certain time, etc. so once my 3 are gone, no more animals for me...unless something changes where I don't mind being a homebody again.

 

[Myrkur]

Oh my god I shouldnt have opened this thread in the middle of the night in bed on my phone, everything is itchy now :'))))

 

[nauticalstar]

I've always wanted a lovebird! They're beautiful! But I've heard they can be mean Is that true?

They definitely can be mean if they aren't tamed. I think a lot of it is that they are much smarter than their size would indicate, and they get their names from how devoted they can be. So they need someone (another bird or a person) to obsess over- if they are paired with another bird, they've got no use for you. And if they love you, they're a velcro bird. Ours is super sweet (likes having his cheeks scratched, gives kisses, and loves to ride around on your shoulder) but he can be loud if he feels left out of the fun- especially if you're on the phone, he tries to join the conversation. He's also smart enough to recognize patterns, and does not get out of his cage when we open it in the morning to feed him, but does hop out immediately when we open it in the afternoon because that is when we let him out.

 

[poopsie]

I've got two unusual pets: A lovebird named Beaker and a lionhead rabbit named Darwin (despite the name, Darwin is a girl ) I think they are much more interesting pets than a lot of people give them credit for. I can't tell you how many times someone has said to me "So... they just like, sit in their cages?" Um. no.

Love them!

Your little bird looks so cheeky! I am so glad that you allow them to roam about. Nothing pizzes me off more than people who go out of their way to acquire an animal (notice that I didn't say pet) and then just stick them in a cage and go about their business. So many around here just treat them as patio furniture.

 

[Hatfield1313]

They definitely can be mean if they aren't tamed. I think a lot of it is that they are much smarter than their size would indicate, and they get their names from how devoted they can be. So they need someone (another bird or a person) to obsess over- if they are paired with another bird, they've got no use for you. And if they love you, they're a velcro bird. Ours is super sweet (likes having his cheeks scratched, gives kisses, and loves to ride around on your shoulder) but he can be loud if he feels left out of the fun- especially if you're on the phone, he tries to join the conversation. He's also smart enough to recognize patterns, and does not get out of his cage when we open it in the morning to feed him, but does hop out immediately when we open it in the afternoon because that is when we let him out.

Cool! Thanks for the info!