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Blackdesertwind wrote:Jennifer wrote:
Also, lovebirds are well known for harboring Psittacosis (parrot fever– YES you can get this from a bird in some cases!),
I saw this video about that yesterday: http://www.cbc.ca/video/popup.html?/mrl3/8752/vsu/wmv-hi/charles-sick-birds-090331.wmv
Yes. It’s rare but it does happen sometimes. It’s usually carried to humans from breathing in the dust from the parrot’s droppings (the article mentioned dust, but it’s specifically from the droppings according to the medical papers I’ve read)… the droppings break down into very fine dust from the moment they dry (it isn’t like it needs to sit there for weeks!) and you can inhale it. Obviously it’s far more likely to happen to people that are cleaning a lot of bird droppings, like pet store employees or someone with a lot of birds/breeders, etc.
Most of the time though it is simply fatal to the birds, and people usually don’t catch it. But it’s possible.Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comWow. So much to determine for one little bird! That’s more vetting than I do when I buy a pony! 😀
Is there a quarentine period that 2huberts can wait that will dertermine the health of the little guy? I mean it survived in the cold all that time, you wouldn’t think rescueing it would kill it? Can the bird’s immunity fight off the parisites or does it take medicine to cure it?
Great info Jennifer! As much as I LOVE parrots, I know I would be a terrible owner as I’m not that commited to preventative matainence and vets.Phoenix wrote:Wow. So much to determine for one little bird! That’s more vetting than I do when I buy a pony! 😀
Is there a quarentine period that 2huberts can wait that will dertermine the health of the little guy? I mean it survived in the cold all that time, you wouldn’t think rescueing it would kill it? Can the bird’s immunity fight off the parisites or does it take medicine to cure it?
Great info Jennifer! As much as I LOVE parrots, I know I would be a terrible owner as I’m not that commited to preventative matainence and vets.I didn’t mean to imply that her lovebird is sick– it might be very healthy. 😀 A vet check is just to make sure that it is healthy and to see if it needs any dietary supplements. Birds, unlike mammals, rarely show signs of being ill until they are VERY ill… this is a survival defense. They, much to my chagrin, hide any problems until it’s usually expensive to fix, or worse… which is why vet visits and checkups are so important.
Quarantine is usually more important between members of a family of animals than it is with humans. Like the thing that BDW linked to said, it’s fairly rare for humans to contract these things from parrots (keeping clean is pretty much the best way to prevent it, common sense stuff!). Therefore it’s always a good idea to quarrantine new birds from each other for 30 days even if you know your vet results. Unless 2huberts has other birds, then quarantine is not really necessary, at least in my opinion. 🙂
Most parrots in captivity rarely carry parasites* unless they are housed either with many other birds or in an area where they come in contact with wild birds… the most common one is feather mites. A vet can check for them. 🙂
*An exception are canaries and gouldian finches, which many of the captive canary population carry air sac mites, which create scar tissue and shorten the life span of many canaries/finches. The problem with this type of mite is that birds can otherwise look healthy and not show signs of having them, until it’s too late. 🙁
Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comJennifer wrote:Lovebirds don’t need to be in pairs! That’s a myth and people keep it alive because it’s a romantic thought– that they need a mate to be happy. Let me tell you about the number of lovebirds injured or killed by their ‘mates’..!! It’s also totally false that you need to have parrots by themselves to tame them. It doesn’t even make it ‘easier’ in most cases!
Do you know, is that true of any pet birds? That they need a mate around?
Congrats on the bird!! I purchased a pet out of pity one time and he turned out to be the best dog ever, may he RIP. Good luck with your bird!! I have thought about getting one, but they are too much work! 😀
sunhawk wrote:Jennifer wrote:Lovebirds don’t need to be in pairs! That’s a myth and people keep it alive because it’s a romantic thought– that they need a mate to be happy. Let me tell you about the number of lovebirds injured or killed by their ‘mates’..!! It’s also totally false that you need to have parrots by themselves to tame them. It doesn’t even make it ‘easier’ in most cases!
Do you know, is that true of any pet birds? That they need a mate around?
No– no parrot ‘needs’ a mate around to be healthy physically. That said many birds do benefit from having non-human flock members and it truly can enhance their lives. It’s a really complicated subject and one that many people in the parrot community can’t agree on. So, it is in my opinion that it totally depends on the individual bird. I have known parrots that have genuinely hated all other birds, even to the point of attacking. And then there are species that generally spend most of their time alone except for when mating (such as eclectus parrots). Most parrots are social and travel in flocks.. some in huge flocks, some in small private flocks. I think that in general, many parrots do benefit from having members of their species around, but even then care must be taken as many parrots can be very territorial… for example, I have two pionus parrots and though you’d think that I could house them together, they are both so territorial of their own respective spaces that they might injure each other seriously if I let them share a cage, so I have to have two individual cages. That’s what I mean by each parrot is individual and thus needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. 🙂 Some parrots do best with their human flock only… some do really enjoy the company of other parrots.
As for other types of birds other than parrots, not to discredit them because they do have personalities and can be pretty smart, but they don’t really accept humans as ‘flock members’ as readily as the more intelligent parrots. Depending on species, for many of them I’d consider it bordering on cruel to keep them solo (with obvious exceptions to those that need to be housed alone). e.g. many finch species in particular really do best with others.
Sorry to ramble! It’s a complicated thing, and the simple truth is that we (humans) are learning more all the time about our companion birds and their care. 😀 Beyond the basics of good animal husbandry and obvious things like keeping things clean, and good diet, there is no ‘one true way’. 🙂
Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comJennifer wrote:sunhawk wrote:Jennifer wrote:Lovebirds don’t need to be in pairs! That’s a myth and people keep it alive because it’s a romantic thought– that they need a mate to be happy. Let me tell you about the number of lovebirds injured or killed by their ‘mates’..!! It’s also totally false that you need to have parrots by themselves to tame them. It doesn’t even make it ‘easier’ in most cases!
Do you know, is that true of any pet birds? That they need a mate around?
No– no parrot ‘needs’ a mate around to be healthy physically. That said many birds do benefit from having non-human flock members and it truly can enhance their lives. It’s a really complicated subject and one that many people in the parrot community can’t agree on. So, it is in my opinion that it totally depends on the individual bird. I have known parrots that have genuinely hated all other birds, even to the point of attacking. And then there are species that generally spend most of their time alone except for when mating (such as eclectus parrots). Most parrots are social and travel in flocks.. some in huge flocks, some in small private flocks. I think that in general, many parrots do benefit from having members of their species around, but even then care must be taken as many parrots can be very territorial… for example, I have two pionus parrots and though you’d think that I could house them together, they are both so territorial of their own respective spaces that they might injure each other seriously if I let them share a cage, so I have to have two individual cages. That’s what I mean by each parrot is individual and thus needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. 🙂 Some parrots do best with their human flock only… some do really enjoy the company of other parrots.
As for other types of birds other than parrots, not to discredit them because they do have personalities and can be pretty smart, but they don’t really accept humans as ‘flock members’ as readily as the more intelligent parrots. Depending on species, for many of them I’d consider it bordering on cruel to keep them solo (with obvious exceptions to those that need to be housed alone). e.g. many finch species in particular really do best with others.
Sorry to ramble! It’s a complicated thing, and the simple truth is that we (humans) are learning more all the time about our companion birds and their care. 😀 Beyond the basics of good animal husbandry and obvious things like keeping things clean, and good diet, there is no ‘one true way’. 🙂
I love talking about birds, so don’t apologize! I’ve never had one as a pet (well outside trying to rescue a few baby birds with mixed success a few times) but I loooove birds 😀 After seeing the strawberry finch in the other post, I was thinking about finches since I’ve heard they are easier to care for, maybe in the future I’d like just a male, but I wouldn’t want him getting lonely or whatever the equivalent is for the tiny finch brain, but I don’t want to get a female either since I have no desire to breed them or have babies. And I would think two males in a cage sounds like a constant cockfight waiting to happen. And I want a pretty male, I’m willing to admit that their look and song is part of the appeal LOL Again, this is all theoretical talk, I would be putting a lot more thought into it before I became serious about getting a bird, especially living in an apartment where the walls are not as thick as I would like. Maybe in ten years, there’s no rush! LOL
Friend of mine has a great eclectus who has such a personality but she’s usually pretty quiet, as parrots go, and is attached to her keeper but doesn’t seem to crave more than that. Though when she was away and I was checking in on her bird, I remember getting the “happy dance” (with the whipping of the head over her back and turning around) which normally only her keeper gets, which was adorable to see for me, I was glad to give her a little attention and kind words (didn’t try to touch her, didn’t want to spook her) since she was so happy for some interaction! This parrot likes to make coffee maker whirring, does an adorable singsong “la la la” and she also says “MEOW” like a person saying meow when one of the cats meows, it’s really funny. And she’s picked up my chortling laugh so sometimes she does it back at me if I do it first, that’s hilarious, being mocked by a parrot LOL
It makes sense what you say about each bird being different, cats are like that too 🙂
ETA: and thank you for answering my question ^_^
ok, figured I’d better update on my little rescue. 😉
She? is doing so much better. She’s calmed down and well rested. She looks 100% better. She’s playing more and comes up to me to give her attention. She isn’t screeching, but she does have a loud chirp she uses to call me. I woke her up yesterday with “Hi little girl” and she yawned and stretched just like a person when we wake up. It was so cute. ( Yeah, things are going well and i like her.) My hubby’s even taken to whistling at her when she chirps and he said he didn’t want to have anything to do with her. XD She’s eating and drinking well but I still need to get her on vegies and fruit. 😳
The only thing that was bothering me was a raw spot on her back, but even that looks to be healing now that she’s not as nervous and exhausted. :yes:2Huberts wrote:ok, figured I’d better update on my little rescue. 😉
She? is doing so much better. She’s calmed down and well rested. She looks 100% better. She’s playing more and comes up to me to give her attention. She isn’t screeching, but she does have a loud chirp she uses to call me. I woke her up yesterday with “Hi little girl” and she yawned and stretched just like a person when we wake up. It was so cute. ( Yeah, things are going well and i like her.) My hubby’s even taken to whistling at her when she chirps and he said he didn’t want to have anything to do with her. XD She’s eating and drinking well but I still need to get her on vegies and fruit. 😳
The only thing that was bothering me was a raw spot on her back, but even that looks to be healing now that she’s not as nervous and exhausted. :yes::hi: i have found that men are like that… they dont want to have anything to do with it at first, then when it comes down to it he is the one crying when they leaves.. not saying you are getting rid of your bird, but i rescue dogs and my hubby wines when i bring one home and cries when i find a good home for them.. lol.. i worked at a pet store and we had love birds… they are a trip when they warm up to you.. they say you should have a mate for them so they can have a play mate.. but if you pay lots of attention to them then you dont really need another mate.. sometimes that can spread diseases.. i am glad to hear that “she” is doing good.. thank you for helping our feathered friends… 8)
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