Is a Bird a Suitable Companion for You?

Sybil Erden, Director - The Oasis Sanctuary, September - December 2002

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Part Two - So, what kind of Parrot is appropriate for me to live with?

We learned why the differences between mammals and avians can make living with a parrot difficult...for both bird and human.

But here you are, reading on. You must really want to share your life with a bird...or having one already, you must really love your companion and want to make this relationship work.

Good. The first step is recognition of the commitment.

If you are going to bring a companion bird into your home you need to make a number of decisions. What kind of bird is appropriate given your lifestyle, time and space limitations? How many changes are you willing to make to your lifestyle in order to accommodate the new family member? How many years do you think you can commit to share with another intelligent...if alien...being (and I am not referring to your spouse!)?

Parrots do not all have the same, or even similar, temperaments. They do not live the same length of time. Their voices are not all of equal pitch or volume. I strongly suggest before you go out to buy or, more preferably, adopt a bird, that you find a local rescue organization and volunteer some of your time to learn about a wide variety of parrots. After working with a variety of birds, you might discover that what you thought would be your "dream bird" would be your nightmare, but the little fellow you originally overlooked might be absolutely ideal for you.

Certain generalities: The smaller the bird, the shorter the life expectancy; the larger the bird, the longer the life.

Canaries and Finches live 5-10 years, although some can live to be 12 or more.

Budgies, Cockatiels and Lovebirds average 15 or so years but one can live to be around 20 years of age with proper care and some luck.

Conures, Psitticula and Quakers average 18-25 years.

Poicephalus (Red-bellies, Senegals etc.) can live into their mid or late twenties.

Pionus, who are not much larger, have a life expectancy of up to 40 years, although we have a retired breeding pair already in their mid-forties.

Small Cockatoos such as Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos and their sub-specie cousins the Citrons, are expected to live between 40-60 years of age.

African Greys can live into their 60's, as can smaller Amazon parrots.

Larger Amazons such as Double Yellow-Heads or Blue-Fronts, while not much larger than the Greys or small Cockatoos, have been known to live into their 80's, and some have even been reported to live into the early hundreds!

Larger Cockatoos such as Eleanoras, Umbrellas or Moluccans, can live to be 60 or more years of age.

The larger Macaws can also live into their 60's. Two of our Scarlet Macaws lived to be 72 and 79 years of age respectively.

The same size-to-volume ratio generally holds true in birds. However, there are people who cannot stand certain pitches or frequencies. For some a Cockatiel may be too shrill, while a Pionus may be just right. I personally find African Greys delightfully quiet, but some people cannot stand the repetitious mimicry of a telephone ringing or the beeping of a microwave.

The small bird with the loudest gram-to-decibel ratio is a Conure. While their size would seem to make them a wonderful apartment or condo bird, their noise level will assure eviction for many.

Cockatoos are LOUD. So are Macaws. My partner TJ cannot stand to be in the next room to a screaming 'Too. I can sleep through it. He has no problem with the bellowing of Blue and Gold Macaws. In my opinion, they wake the dead.

Much of this is obviously personal preference, but these things must be dealt with and decided upon by all family members before acquiring a new family member who will be around, quite possibly, when your youngest child's grandchild is born...

Do you want an active family companion like a little Goffin's Cockatoo or do you want a more independent bird with potential talking ability like an African Grey? And if the Grey decides that she has nothing to say to you, but likes sounding like the neighbor's barking Rottweiller, or the car alarm, will you still love her? If your beautiful and affectionate Eclectus decides that he wants to shred his green feathers and now is an affectionate, naked fuzz-ball, will you still think he is beautiful?

Parrots are highly intelligent, self-aware creatures. They, like humans, enjoy controlling and reshaping their environment. They are active participants rather than passive observers of their lives. We have been told that Parrots are "easy pets", that all they need is a cage and some seed. Obviously, this is untrue. They are highly complicated individuals and, if you cannot accept them for who and what they choose to be, perhaps a Parrot is not the best companion to bring into your home...

But I see you are still reading...

The amount of time you can give your new companion is paramount in selecting the type of bird to bring into your life. With enough toys, a Pionus or small Amazon might be able to spend hours a day alone, where the cute and cuddly Cockatoo might scream or pull her feathers out if she is left alone the same amount of time. With the right bird, quality time with his or her flock-mate (you) can be more important that the amount of time. But, be careful. When your new bird first comes home, do not give him more time and affection that you will be able to sustain over time. Parrots are creatures of habit. If you give him several hours which, as the newness and excitement wear off, becomes a few minutes to feed daily, your bird will feel rejected and may act out.

Space for your bird is a major consideration. This means that there must be room for your new family/flock member to hang out with you, and not get into trouble. Many species of birds are extraordinarily destructive. Your grandmother's hand-carved heirloom credenza is a hunk of wood worth shredding to a happy Cockatoo or Macaw.

So, when creating an environment, a habitat for your companion, it is important to keep in mind a number of things that are hardwired, i.e. difficult or impossible to change:

1) birds are designed to fly many miles a day;
2) birds spend a great deal of time foraging for food;
3) they can be very loud; and
4) part of what they do is excavate trees and tear up branches.

It therefore becomes paramount to give your bird many things to do to burn off the energy normally taken up with flight and foraging. Part of this can be through toys and other stimulation. Make sure there is wood or shredding material for your bird to "play" with. And get the appropriate bird for your noise tolerances, and that of your spouse and neighbors as well.

Parrots should have a large space for activity. This may be a large aviary (cage) or a room where you can set up play stands. The idea is not to confine the bird but to create a safe, enjoyable, and interesting habitat. The newest theories also suggest that rather than one large cage, many birds might desire play stands and climbing areas with a smaller sleeping cage for night. Remember that in the wild they sleep in small excavations in trees. So, perhaps a huge jungle-gym type play stand and a smaller cage are better than a single large cage for your bird. However, if you are away from home a lot, you will need to have a safe enclosure for your companion during the times you are gone. Birds tend to wander from their play stands and can get into serious trouble. Although you would no doubt be angry if your beloved companion ate your antique furniture, you must remember that they can and will eat through walls and get into the electric wiring...or chew through appliance cords and such. There are also toxins in our environment from which we must protect the birds. And there are other, less apparent, but equally dangerous things for birds to get into.

True story... A friend of mine had a pair of baby Moluccan Cockatoos in her home. She had a huge guest bathroom on the second floor of her two-story home. It was unused and she felt that it was the safest place to leave the birds so that they could play when she had to go out. One day she came home and found her living room and dining room, on the first floor, awash with standing water. Water was raining down and the ceiling was caving in. At first she thought a pipe had burst. She ran upstairs and found that the two little ones had turned on the water taps in the bathroom and were playing in the sink...

When thinking of acquiring a bird, or any pet, keep in mind that over time where you live may change. That you may lose or acquire different living partners, that your career may put different demands and constraints upon you.

It's a lot to think about. It goes back to that word "commitment"... like choosing a spouse or contemplating having a child...

We've now looked briefly at who and what Parrots are. Now we need to find out how to live with them...

Back to Part One
Continue to Part Three