Are Parrots Pets?
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Marcus writes: “Although it is not related to tech, you did mention it on the live stream and I thought that was enough to merit a top 5 list. My top 5 list is involving one of my pets, which is my parrot. I have 1 parrot at the moment, and he is called Elvis. He is almost 1 year old, and is an African grey parrot. I have had him since January and love him! Here is a top 5 list of tips on how to handle and deal with your parrot.”
- Although the parrot is yours, HE is the boss. If you want him to do something and he does not want to do it, he will not do it. You cannot expect that he will do everything that you tell him to do.
- This relates to the first point and it is very important. Do not tell your parrot off, or show any negative behavior towards him EVER. The end result will only be he will be to scared to go anywhere near you. Encourage good behavior and ignore bad behavior.
- Do not think that even if you have a big cage, the parrot will be satisfied. I try to keep my parrot out of his cage for as much time as possible. At night I put him into it for around 20 minutes so that he can get some food, and then he sleeps on his perch in my room.
- Do not leave him unattended near anything that you do not want him to poop on. Parrots excrete their bodily waste every 40 minutes. If he likes to stay on doors or chairs, have a newspaper or two around.
- Do not buy a parrot thinking it will be easy and not matter. They can live for as long as you (60 years)… and depending on when you buy it, he will be with you for your whole life. It is like adopting a child… only it will spend its whole life with you and not leave. Consider everything before you buy one.
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30 Comments
TechTV Reunion
April 9th, 2008
at 4:03am
Is the Quality of your Coax Cable Important? - Apr 8, 2008 - Chris How can you get out of a Traffic Ticket? - Apr 8, 2008 - Chris Do You Like Going to the Beach? - Apr 8, 2008 - ChrisAre Parrots Pets? - Apr 8, 2008 - Chris How Technology Can Help the 2008 Olympics - Apr 8, 2008 - Chris
CrazySk8erKidd505
April 8th, 2008
at 11:38am
hhhaa lol
michaelcage
April 8th, 2008
at 11:38am
WOOT!
noimus13
April 8th, 2008
at 11:39am
3rd comment!
lucario290
April 8th, 2008
at 11:42am
4th comment !
death8796
April 8th, 2008
at 11:44am
woot 5th and 2nd Rating pwned!
Dorkopolis
April 8th, 2008
at 11:48am
lol wicket at the end
such a relaxed dog
sk8erboyz1
April 8th, 2008
at 11:52am
lol
Ix07I
April 8th, 2008
at 11:54am
holy crap 60 years? Are parrots the ones who talk back?
sk8erboyz1
April 8th, 2008
at 11:57am
im human then geek!!!
andrewBsoweird
April 8th, 2008
at 12:01pm
so awesome!!!! nice video i never am in the live chat when you record!!!!!!!! dude ur so cool and awesome =D
CorgyX
April 8th, 2008
at 1:47pm
I absolutely love that screensaver. For those wondering, it’s called Fenetres Volantes.
JOEMLM
April 8th, 2008
at 3:37pm
Our parrot, a yellowhead, is over 100 years old! belonged to my great grand father!! not sure of exact age, the larger parrots easily live far over 60 years … you can give them to your kids because they will outlive you in most cases!
Irockman1
April 8th, 2008
at 4:31pm
We have a 4 year old blue and gold macaw. They’re pretty good animals, but they tend to scream every now and then.
TGseason10
April 8th, 2008
at 10:28pm
I’m also afraid of spiders… :P
Chris W.
April 8th, 2008
at 7:22pm
Very good post and excellent starting advice. I’d also suggest reading a book on the type of bird that one is thinking of adopting. Every bird species has specific needs and behavioral quirks that can make or break a human/bird bond. These books can give you an indication as to whether that budgerigar, cockatiel, parrot, cockatoo or macaw is right for you.
I have had lots of pets in my life, and my pet Eclectus parrot (Thommen) is by far one of the best companions I’ve ever had! (pics on my site)
Luke Wallace
April 8th, 2008
at 7:34pm
I have a parrot too, although a much smaller one than Marcus. I think they make great pets, and have a lot more personality than people expect. And although parrots can live a long long time, they can be put in a cage and take care of themself. I got a silo-style feeder for my bird, so that I don’t have to give him food every day, and he can’t mess it up very easily. This makes an overnight trip very easy, as he can take care of himself for a couple days without any help.
David
April 8th, 2008
at 11:47pm
I would like to add that the longest lived parrot was an African Grey and the bird lived for 110 years, or three generations of family.
Always plan for your pets life in case you pass on.
African Grey’s are the smartest of the parrots. and a former one at the University of Chicago could speak over 200 words when he died. Also, the bird knew colors, shapes, etc… that is smarter then many people.
They will not only poop on everything in site, but chew it all at the same time.
Give them plenty of toys to play with and change them on a regular basis.
The Cockatoo species is about equal to a 2 yr old child. Imagine spending the rest of your life with a 2 yr old child.
My African Grey loved sweets. A friends Cockatoo loved bread, and another friends Goffin (smaller Cockatoo) loved spaghetti and ice cream. The Goffin would start to scream when he heard the noodles crack just before hitting the water.
Pets in general are a major commitment and should never been given as a gift! Also, Parrots are a huge commitment to the rest of your life sort of like having kids!
Melanie Phung
April 9th, 2008
at 4:41am
How funny to see a post about parrots on this blog. I also want to point out, to build off the second bullet, parrots are fascinated by excitement. That means that if they’re going to pick up words, the first ones they’ll pick up are ones you say with emphasis and emotion (e.g., cussing). Smaller parrots also poop a lot more often than once every 40 min. Most parrots also like to chew up antique furniture, not just poop on it :)
I’m getting inspired to do a post about what parrots can teach us about social media. :)
ted
April 9th, 2008
at 12:57pm
Gee I get to post twice about the same thing. Parrots ya see are one of my five least favorite foods, that practically make me gag. No I dont believe that something that is a food source should or could be considered as a pet.
Jeff
April 9th, 2008
at 2:29pm
I’ve found Parrot’s “love” those one sylable words early on meaning swear words..
Robert
April 9th, 2008
at 5:15pm
We had an African Grey parrot for nine years. Otto was great; he knew my wife and me and our daughter by name – and spoke in our voices, often. He often spoke appropriately. In the morning, he would say, “Good morning, wanna come out? In the evening, sometimes as early as 7 pm, he would say, “wanna go ni-ni”, and if you didn’t cover him in a hurry, he would shriek those words repeatedly. He’d imitate our voices when we talked on the phone. He’d say stuff like “yeah, uh-huh, really, no kidding, see ya later.” Otto talked to the dog, saying, “Flossie, where’s your ball” and “Wanna go out? Dog didn’t know what to do! Other things he said were: “I’m only a bird” – “Miserable beak wiper!” – “Want some supper” – much more, believe me. Unfortunately, one day Otto flew away; my wife walked out on the deck to put some food on the grill. His wings had not been clipped for a while. Never saw him again. Advertised with various sources, including the Internet. Maybe a cat got him; maybe one of our neighbors took him in!
Robert
jonnyk5614
April 13th, 2008
at 2:16am
We have a 4 year old budgie. He is deff a pet. He will have a conversation with you (he talks crap but hey!). He is very affectionate and responsive. He even plays scrabble (he picks the pieces off the board and re-arranges them!).
AdrianPetersonAP
April 14th, 2008
at 8:36am
Parrets dont live that long, I had one. It died in 2 months.
Jean
April 16th, 2008
at 7:55pm
Hi, about 5 years ago I bought my first parrot, and they turned into my passion. That was when I was 36, I’ve always loved dogs, but when I was 19 the last dog I owned was killed and I lived in rentals as a college student for years, so I didn’t want to commit to another dog until I was stable. A decade and a half past, and I still was renting, and then I read the book “The Parrot That Owns Me” for fun. I realized, maybe I should consider researching owning parrots. I have to say, I have found everything I loved about having dogs in my guys, and really never need to have a dog again…they are smarter, and are less likely to die so soon of old age! But they are a major commitment and tons of day to day work and cleaning. The thing is, they are worth it…affectionate, loyal, intelligent and funny. I have 2 African Greys, 2 Eclectus, a Patagonian Conure, a Lesser Jardine’s and a Meyer’s. All are wonderful and my pals. Many parrots are purchased and then sold and bounce from home to home in our throwaway society. They suffer psychologically from this sort of neglect , sometimes developing issues such as screaming, feather plucking, and biting. All of my birds except for my Greys have had previous owners, and some of my birds are not ‘perfect’…one of my Eclectus is very plucked, one of my Greys is a handicapped scoliosis bird who’s mother was not given adequate calcium when she was developing her eggs in her body, so her two babies had skeletal issues. But those ‘imperfect birds’ are great guys, smart and sweet, and just as good of companions as my others. My other Eclectus and Jardine’s were rehomed due to screaming when I am leaving the house (abandonment screaming) so I live in an area where noise is not an issue. This is very common with cockatoos, be aware of that if you are interested in them!!! Most of my other birds have had to be rehomed because they simply were disliked by a new family member…the new girlfriend, boyfriend, the kids grew up and now the mom has to take care of the parrot or they conflicted with the new baby. Parrots live a long time. Be committed to your bird if you get one, they deserve it.
xxCarnageCamxx
April 17th, 2008
at 1:10pm
get a fucking life nerd and get a girlfriend
CrazyToastie
April 19th, 2008
at 11:44pm
you obviously didn’t treat it well…the bigger ones like macaws and african greys can live 60+ years
Atomilate
April 26th, 2008
at 8:19pm
Do you know he is married? And is there anything wrong with being a geek?
snager80
May 23rd, 2008
at 3:53am
maybe it was sick. genetic crap.
snager80
May 23rd, 2008
at 3:55am
don’t volcans have RED blood? don’t MOST the specise in that show have red blood? there’s the blue people with the antenas (i like them, they are telepathic) they have BLUE blood, like horse-shoe crabs, and there was one with orange blood, but … VOLCANS HAVE RED. he’s not a REAL geek, just smart. XD