Bird Help

[Rob99VMI04]

I know this is a gun forum. However, it has come to my attention through individuals avatars and some post that people that carry guns also have exotic birds as pets this seems to be good bed fellows. Well I know fit into that catagory. I was looking for any advice. Just got a 5-6 year old Braziallian Macaw. I read that non stick cook wear can kill the bird. Does this also apply to ironing your clothes? How often to do you take them to the Vet? I got the yellow book parrots for dummies but i'm looking for extra tips.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[QKShooter]

Here is one link to a site with an active Macaw Chat Line.
Looks like a nice site. Click Here.

[Betty]

Yes, the Teflon in non-stick pans can kill your bird, along with household cleaners. I do believe irons can have Teflon in them, or somethinglikethat.

I have a cockatiel named Belle. She (who's probably a he considering she sings all the time) is around 6 mos. old and just learned to give kisses... but only for me.



I sometimes post over at The Tailfeathers Network, where you can find a lot of helpful info on your parrot.

Birds are very sensitive creatures. Don't place his cage under a vent or anywhere he'll get a draft. If a bird looks sick, he's really sick - birds often disguise their illnesses for as long as they can, because it's a defense against predators.

Parrots (even little ones like mine) are like pouty human toddlers with sharp beaks!

[cmidkiff]

I have 3 birds, a red-loried amazon that I've had for nearly 20 years now, a peach fronted love bird that belongs to my wife, and my most recent addition:



A Moluccan Cockatoo, about 2 years old, that I managed to pick up from someone who didn't understand that large birds can be _LOUD_ and was unwilling to expend the time and energy necessary to maintain an intelligent and curious animal such as this.

I have one bit of info that might help another gun enthusiast: Don't use strong smelling gun cleaners such as Hoppes #9 around your birds. The fumes affect them far more than they do you. I thought I had seriously injured my parrot once while cleaning my firearms in the same room where she was caged. She recovered, but it scared the ____ out of me!

I never use teflon, because I don't like the way it cooks more than because of the birds, and I haven't ironed clothes in a decade. That's what dry cleaners are for!


Birds (especially large parrots) require lots of attention. If they don't get it, they can resort to extreme measures. I've seen bald birds that have plucked themselves bare, broken beaks from attempting to break through an iron cage, heard screams that can be heard from miles away... you get the idea.

My birds are members of the family. They eat most of what I eat, sit with me while watching TV, accompany me while working around the house, help tuck in my kids at night, etc.

Enjoy your Macaw!

[Betty]

Ooooh, that cockatoo is pretty. I'd love to have a big parrot, but I'm not ready to handle that. I've had budgies in the past, and so I'm up to a cockatiel now. That's my limit. I also don't want to leave a high maintenence animal in my will.

Parrots can be very human-like in behavior. I have seen a large parrot with no feathers. He was ignored and left in a too-small cage with no toys. Parrots are very intelligent and need constant stimuli. This poor bird ended up plucking all his feathers. So have lots of bird-safe toys (see the bird forum for details) and rotate them!

Birds will also attempt to be "head of the flock." You have to be diligent in teaching them you're boss-bird. My cockatiel tried to boss me by repeatedly hopping onto my shoulder whenever she wanted. One time she flew at my face (ouch!). I had to break the cycle to let her on my shoulder only when I wanted.

Parrots can also be one-person birds. I've seen instances where the parrot loved the wife and would constantly attack her husband, even climbing up the stairs and into bed to bite the man!

head scratchums:



just after a bath:

[raevan]

Betty do your birds attack your spiders?

[Betty]

I only have the one cockatiel now, and the tarantulas are kept in glass terrariums. Belle leaves them alone.

I do have a bird-eating spider, though. (No, I've never tried.)

[Wayne]

I would love to get a bird but my house is too draftie during the winter and too hot during the day while I am at work in the summer.

Once (if) I get a decent house I plan on getting one. Will start out small (like Betty) and maybe go larger once I am comfortable with taking care of them.

Wayne

[BIG E]

I would love to have a large bird, but my wife said no and truth be told I really don't have the time to invest. She said no to pet rats too... HMMM... I see a pattern. At least she still says yes to me.

Question... How does a teflon pan kill a bird. I could only come to one conclusion and lets just say that it involved a "cooked goose".

[BIG E]

I only have the one cockatiel now, and the tarantulas are kept in glass terrariums. Belle leaves them alone.

I do have a bird-eating spider, though. (No, I've never tried.)

Boy,

Betty does sound like the perfect woman doesn't she?

GUNS and bird eating spiders.

My kind of gal!

[cmidkiff]

Teflon releases a chemical into the air when heated. It's toxic to just about every animal, but birds are much more sensitive to it than most. The amounts released when cooking with teflon coated pans are well below dangerous levels for humans, but can kill a bird.

Article on the subject available at:
http://theaviary.com/teflon.shtml

Personally, I feel that it's a low risk to get as much attention as it does among 'bird people'. In a well ventilated home, a drafty window is a quicker way to kill a bird than using a teflon pan to fry an egg.

Large birds are not for everyone. You have to be willing to spend a great deal of time with them. If you are willing to make the investment of time, you'll have a close friend for the rest of your life.

My cockatoo likes toys, but destroys them very quickly. She can turn a foot long piece of 1" oak dowel into sawdust in a few hours. My parrot, on the other hand, doesn't play with toys at all, and doesn't chew things up. The plastic food bowls she's been using for years wouldn't last the cockatoo through one feeding.

As Betty mentioned, it's something you need to make arrangements for in your will. Chances are excellent that my cockatoo will outlive me by a good many years. It's a good thing she likes my daughter!

Betty: Love the 'drowned rat' look in that photo :)

[QKShooter]

beautiful birds.
Thanks for posting the pics.