i have a pet cat and im kinda afraid he'd eat the bird, but i really wanted a pet bird.. also i heard they fly into mirrors and i have a mirror in my room. i really want this pet but how can i possibly keep it safe with the hazards i have?
2006-11-08 07:38:31 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Birds
Certainly they would be much happier and healthier - they have wings for a reason. To me it would be like a human losing use of their arms or legs - they can surive and do fine but..........
I have a Cat and Dog and a couple of parakeets. It would depend on your living situation and how many rooms you have. I have my birds in my room. The Cat goes outside alot and when not it has access to All rooms downstairs except mine which is downstairs but has two doors between the rest of it. My daughters dog has full access to the upstairs with her. When she is gone I take the dog with me downstairs and has use of the back yard along with the cat. When the dog and Cat are in their areas I do bring my birds out at different times during the day. It works out fine. It would be best to get the youngest one you can get - for them to be able to adjust to whatever you decide. Always in a cage (Very Large) - Let out when you are with them only etc........Plus it is easier to teach a baby to bond to you also.
When the first parakeets were young they had their wings clipped to be able to train them easier. I let them grow back - by then they had bonded to me and would fly to me when they wanted to and to have the freedom for fun and exercise. I also felt safer with them being able to fly incase the cat did accidently get in. They stay high up when they land-I believe the cat would have a hard time getting them. I certainly have a hard time catching them sometimes.
Unfortunately I did lose one to the great outdoors when I took them to our Cottage which is Open Concept. Only one door and that is the outside one. That you have to be more careful of! Now have a 3x4 ft cage up there and only let them out when I am staying put like in the morning or evening.
On Wing Clipping I am experimenting with clipping them to the degree that they can fly high enough to escape from the Cat and dog safely- but not so high that if it ever escaped again it would have to stay low enough and I would have easier access to reach it and lure it back. I was told depending on the Bird you have - weight-individual ability and how much they are clipped would affect the outcome. After losing one of mine - I did go to get another baby and feel more nervous because it has its wings clipped and barely is able to hop up more then 6 inches at this point and not with any accuracy. I don t let it out of the cage unless I m with it. We have six people in our household and it is so easy to make a mistake in leaving a door open. The Cat could have it in a second.
IF your situation isn t good for this- other types of birds could be vivable - ones that may be easier kept in cages. Just would have to make sure that they are secure and couldn t be knocked over.
2006-11-08 13:06:00 · answer #1 · answered by Mary S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's good to let your bird have time to fly, though for safety reasons, clipping is preffered. I have 12 birds and I have a mixture of clipped and unclipped birds. My untamed birds are clipped as I have 2 cats in my apartment and if they sneak off, flight is better than nothing if my cats get involved. I nearly lost my budgie, Buzzsaw, to a foster cat I was caring for. She's a persistent escape artist and I didn't know she'd taken off.
If you want your parakeet to fly, make sure you train them to return to you. There's lots of training sites on the net that can teach you how to free flight your birds. You can prevent them from flying into windows and mirrors by covering them with a towel or with blinds. It's just a matter of covering things up and making sure you can capture your little guy. Like I said, I have a home with 2 cats and 12 birds. Oh.. and 6 rats and 3 guinea pigs ^.^ . Make sure that when your bird is out to close the door in the room the bird is in and keep the cat out. Also, stick a towel under the space between the door and the floor so the cat can't stick a curious toe under the door and scratching your bird.
If you'd rather clip your budgie, you can still get them to exercise and have time out by putting them on a play stand with toys and ladders. I also let my birds climb around the guinea pig cage as there's lots of toys there that are bird safe. The pigs haven't drooled on them and the birds can watch what everyone in the bird room is doing :-) .
I hope that helps! Good luck!
2006-11-08 20:02:48 · answer #2 · answered by white_ravens_white_crows 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u should let the bird fly every once in a while but keep it away from the cat! when u deside to let the bird out take the cat to another room and take off the mirror or if you cant then cover the mirror with paper or something so that the bird doesnt fly into it
2006-11-08 10:21:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Parakeet do no longer elect gravel or because that's often referred to as at shops, grit. Thats for smaller birds that swallow the seeds entire and would no longer crack the shells open. Parakeets can and do open up the seeds to devour, and do not elect grit. except that, it sounds like a classic first attempt at flying around the abode. As others have reported, attempt a smaller room before each and every thing till he seems to get the carry of it and tames down slightly better. it is also a unprecedented concept to have his wings clipped so he won't be able to fly off into issues. he will nonetheless be able to waft right down to the floor, if finished authentic, yet he gained't be able to get authentic. He would not elect to really fly to get the excersize, letting him out of the cage to play on a small play stand or similar might want to be large for him.
2016-10-16 08:10:02 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to work at Petland and have owned parakeets. They fly into mirrors or windows because they think they see another bird. If you keep their wings clipped (as you should) it makes it difficult for them to fly very far but in reality there is no reason to let the bird fly around outside of its cage.
2006-11-08 07:48:34 · answer #5 · answered by lisainkentucky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it needs some exercise
and if you're worried about your cat getting it just put the cat outside or let ur parakeet fly in a small room with the mirrors covered
2006-11-08 16:37:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can get a cage to protect the parakeet and once a week or so let ot out but close your door so 1. it'll not fly out 2. so that your cat doesnt eat it.
2006-11-08 10:19:13 · answer #7 · answered by someone 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Clip his wings, a vet or pet shop owner can show you how, so he can't fly. Then you can open up his cage door and he can climb around to his hearts content! Just shut the door so the cat can't come in.
2006-11-08 07:44:19 · answer #8 · answered by dolly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have parekeets and they are timid and very messy. i only give them a bath once every month. if you want to get a bird that you can take out you should get a parrot or a cockatoo
2006-11-08 08:58:45 · answer #9 · answered by jenna p 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mine come out everyday, I leave the cage door open with some treats, sometimes they come out and go right back in.
2006-11-08 07:59:51 · answer #10 · answered by Myra G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋