[carfreemama]

This is probably just a simple, silly question. But here goes. Dd wants a parrot. We have a dog and a cat. End of story? We love critters around here. I would be looking for a "rescue" parrot, or other bird that might talk. Dd is fantastic with animals (not that I would expect her to care for it; she's
only 4)!, but I'm up for just about any creature she can think of. The only "rule" in our house is that the pet must need us, too.

What are good options for increasing our animal diversity? I work at home, so our animals are almost never alone. Thanks!

 

[daisymama12]

There may be many cases where they can co-exist, but the only parrot I knew well was killed by a very exuberant, large puppy

There was a very laissez-faire attitude about the two of them finding their own balance - I think the animals loved each other, but they were entirely unsupervised, and the puppy (who by then was around 60 lbs) killed the bird by accident.

It was horrible.

 

[mesa]

I semi permanently bird sat my mother's African Grey, and I had two extremely high prey drive basenjis at the time. She brought Sammy over one day for me to watch, and just never picked him up again, so he lived with our family for nearly two years. He never tangled with the dogs. They were extremely interested in him and sniffed his cage once...he met them at the bottom and bit their noses through the cage. Curiously enough, they never bothered him again

Thing is, Sammy had a large freestanding iron cage that they couldn't mess with (move or knock over), he was NEVER (ever, ever, ever) allowed out of the cage when the dogs were around (I had to put a padlock on the cage to keep the kids out) and when we weren't home, the dogs were kept crated in another room with the door shut, just in case.

 

[Girl In The Fire]

Birds and other animals can co-exist. I used to have/breed several species of parrots and the dogs learned early not to bother them. I had a friend who had a dog and several cats and they never bothered her African Grey. She let them out together unsupervised and nothing ever happened, but that is not a risk I would be willing to take.

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but parrots and kids don't always mix.They are not domesticated animals and are nothing like cats or dogs. I am not saying all parrots hate children but many do. Parrots especially the medium to large birds can inflict pretty severe damage on humans in the blink of an eye. I would do a lot of research before you decide to get one. I -would also start with a smaller species, some that talk well are the English Budgie (male), Cockatiel (male), or Quaker Parakeet (can be very loud and screechy).

In general, rescue parrots are either ex-breeders (totally wild and not socialized to people) and/or have severe behavior problems. The average parrot has at least 4 homes in their life and not all of them are good homes. Sometimes you do find well adjusted nice birds in rescue. People develop allergies, die, divorce, whatever... If you are dead set on a parrot I would recommend getting it from a breeder, hand feeder, or a specialized parrot shop that gets babies from breeders to hand feed out and sell. Ideally you would go visit the baby while it is being hand fed and even better if you and your daughter can participate in the hand feeding.

 

[carfreemama]

Thanks for the replies!

I appreciate the warning about kids and parrots. Dd is very, very responsible about animals, but I still take extreme precautions with the dog. He's an older shelter dog and he has issues with things like being hugged; plus he's a food guarder. So the last thing we need is another pet we have to constantly warn dd about. As it is, she has a fairly limited relationship with our dog; but she loves him anyway and has bonded despite this. What I'd really like for her is to have an animal she can relax with a bit (though never to roughhouse), so maybe a parrot is NOT the way to go. Someday, I'd like to get a little dog and parrot at the same time and socialize them together. Probably fantasy for now. Our dog is about 50 pounds and while he's excellent with the cat, I have no idea how he'd react to a bird. Otherwise, though, I know they live a long time and need to be carefully socialized. I would LOVE to take that on someday. I'm just longing to add another critter to the house, the way other people long for a new baby! I love dd more than life, but I think we're "one and done" with kids. Animals, OTOH, not so much.

I don't think I could bear to leave a bird caged for long periods. Sounds like now is just not the right time. Thanks.

 

[Girl In The Fire]

Quote:

What I'd really like for her is to have an animal she can relax with a bit (though never to roughhouse)

What about a Guinea Pig? I have two kiddos who are 7 and 2. We have two Guinea Pigs and they are great pets for small children. They have a sweet disposition, are fairly easy to care for, kids can easily participate in daily GP chores, and GP's can develop quite a bit of fondness for the people that feed them and scritch under their chins

There are hordes of GP's in rescue so finding one that needs you would be pretty easy.

Here are a couple links about GP's

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

http://www.guinealynx.info/

 

[sugarbeth]

We have two budgies that belong to my kids (7 and 4) and we also have a dog. My dog is ancient, and nowhere near spry enough to give the budgies any trouble. The budgies are flighted also, so they never have to be on the ground. So our scenario works.

I'd never mix a cat and a bird, though.

I'll be getting a parrot sometime in the next year - but it will be mine, not the kids'. Parrots are a huge responsibility, as they are like toddlers themselves, and can do a lot of damage if they bite.

 

[carfreemama]

I LOVE the guinea pig idea! If that would work, though, would a rabbit be a big stretch? Dd would LOOOOVE a rabbit (and so would I)!

But I think we could love a guinea pig. It really sounds like a bird is not a good idea right now. Our cat is of indeterminate age, but probably 13 anyway. You'd never know it, though. She plays like a kitten! Dog is maybe 9 and a handful, but in fantastic health. So they're pretty old, too; but it looks like they'll be with us a good while yet! And both of them are excellent mousers; I NEVER want to know if they're good birders.

Thanks. Will think rodent.

 

[Girl In The Fire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carfreemama I LOVE the guinea pig idea! If that would work, though, would a rabbit be a big stretch? Dd would LOOOOVE a rabbit (and so would I)! But I think we could love a guinea pig.

I dont have much rabbit experience but I think rabbits can be good pets with kids. I think there are some rabbit people here, hopefully they will chime in!

We had a rabbit for a short period of time, my husband found it at work one day and brought it home. It was small black lop and had obviously been someone's well loved pet that got away. We posted ads and searched lost pet sections but never found the owners. We kept it for about a month or so until we found it a home with a friends relative. While we had it, it was a very nice friendly little guy, almost like a dog in personality. They are not very hard to care for, similar to a GP, and they can be litter trained. The only negative was Mr. Bun was an intact male who sprayed and humped. If you got a female or neutered male that would take care of that issue.

I know there are many rabbits in rescue so finding a nice rescue would not be hard. Once we have a larger place I plan on getting a rabbit or two, I really like the English Lops and Flemish Giants.

 

[lab]

Hi!

I think it depends on the temperment of the bird and the dog and cat.

I have a large parrot and a 75 pound German Shepherd. They co-exist beautifully. My parrot, a double yellow headed amazon, is a love. He isn't aggressive so he doesn't terrorize the cat or dog. Which honestly, is a possibility. And the dog and cat leave him alone. We do watch the cat.

I did (or my dd) have a small conure (parrot) that our cat recently murdered. I say murdered because that is exactly what happened to Peaches. But the cat and bird co-existed for over 7 years. The thing is, the cat actively stalked the bird the entire time. My daughter was and is broken hearted over the death of her companion. This was one of the worst things I have ever experienced as a parent. I mean it really sucks when your toddler loses a pet and you have to explain. But when your 13 year old daughter is grieving - that is another story entirely. UGH!

So here is the line up (just because I love to brag):

Recently deceased Peaches (peach front conure - about the size of a cockatiel)

Harry the Parrot

Riley

 

[Dabble]

I see you've already reached the conclusion to not get a bird, which is probably a good idea. Especially a large bird like a parrot. They really are very labor-intensive and can be unpredictable... really not a good choice for a four-year-old.

If you are interested in getting a rabbit or a guinea pig, however, you should look at Petfinder.com -- you put in your zip code, select "small and furry" from their drop-down menu, and it will show you all of the little rodents available for adoption at shelters in your area. You can specify what kind of rodent in the breed box, or just look at all of them for fun. A great way to give a needy animal a home!

 

[Arduinna]

my ex's amazon parrot bit the dog and the dog was forever afraid of him. To the point that sometimes the parrot would get down from her cage and walk around and the dog would run away. However I do think their could be issues between dog and bird if the dog has prey drive like some breeds.

 

[UmmBnB]

I know this is an old thread but I just popped onto it and had to post a little pic we call "Where's the bird?"
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f5...resthebird.jpg

Actually our cat and parrot get along fine. They are quite interested in eachother yet tentative at the same time.

 

[angie7]

I've had 7 dogs (4 Great Danes and 3 mixed breeds) along with a macaw, cockatoo and an Amazon parrot and with 2 cats successfully raised together in a 1,400 sq ft home. So yes, it can happen

Of course that was several years ago but it can happen.