Advice for Bird Owners, aka Birds are Better

[YellowPoofBall]

Birdies rock much more than cats and dogs, so it was imperative that there be an advice thread for birds as well. Post any questions or advice about pet birds.

[jasper]

Here's my question: do you know if teflon pans are hazardous to birds? (And, no! I'm not talking about frying birds in pans!) I remember hearing a news story about how a teflon pan heated too hot will put off a gas that can kill a bird.

[YellowPoofBall]

yeah, teflon heated past 500 degrees releases chemicals toxic to birds, even if they're nowhere near the kitchen in a room with open windows. One little whiff will kill them. It's not just pans either, I think I read somewhere that irons have teflon too and are also not safe to use around birds.

[Kimagine]

I suspect that teflon pans are bad for everything -- wasn't there a story out there that the coating leaches off into our food? Hmmmm...

I have a cockatiel named Tequila who is about 22 years old. The bird has been around almost twice as long as my husband!! Does anyone know the approximate life expectancy of a typical cockatiel?

[mexicant]

Originally Posted by Kimagine

I suspect that teflon pans are bad for everything -- wasn't there a story out there that the coating leaches off into our food? Hmmmm...

I have a cockatiel named Tequila who is about 22 years old. The bird has been around almost twice as long as my husband!! Does anyone know the approximate life expectancy of a typical cockatiel?

from Wikipedia The Cockatiel's lifespan in captivity is generally given as 15-20 years, though it is sometimes given as short as 10-15 years and there are reports of Cockatiels living as long as 30 years, the oldest confirmed specimen reported being 35 years old when it died. Diet and exercise, much like in humans, are often major determining factors in cockatiel lifespan. Again, breeders are divided as to the best diet.

I realize this may not be helpful...

[Kimagine]

So this birdie's Momma is doing something right, I guess

[mexicant]

Originally Posted by Kimagine

So this birdie's Momma is doing something right, I guess

Oh my goodness, your bird and I are the same age!

[Fawkesfan1]

Originally Posted by Kimagine

I suspect that teflon pans are bad for everything -- wasn't there a story out there that the coating leaches off into our food? Hmmmm...

I have a cockatiel named Tequila who is about 22 years old. The bird has been around almost twice as long as my husband!! Does anyone know the approximate life expectancy of a typical cockatiel?

Wow, I have a cockatiel named Sam whose around 18 years old. Guess he may be around longer than I thought he would be. That's cool that yours has lived as long as he or she has .

[cathairetic]

The teflon stories are true about the outgassing that can cause birds to die but....

You should never heat a non-stick pan over high heat. You should use only medium heat. I have a gas stove and I never turn it on without using the hood fan.

I used to raise parakeets and I never had a problem with the gases from the kitchen. Their flight cage was in the next room and they were never bothered at all.

One just uses common sense with these things. I closed the windows when the spray planes were going over with pesticides to kill mosquitoes, or when I sprayed the roses for blackspot. I never used harsh chemicals around the house to clean or sprayed any fragranced deodorizers in the air.

Birds are very sensitive to things like that.

[Mad_Druid]

My Dad and I caught a young Red Factor Canary in the backyard a few months ago (We couldn't find it's owner).
It's 42C here today and tommorow, and I wanted to know if I should bring it inside even though we have air-conditioning?

[cathairetic]

Are you kidding? Would you want to be out in 42C? I hope it has lots of shade and lots of water to drink! Birds do like to be warm, a chill can kill them off quickly, but I wouldn't put my birds out in that kind of weather. It can get to 39-40C here and I would keep them inside on really hot days.

If you do bring in the canary, keep it out of a direct draft from the air-conditioner. Does it seem stressed at all? Is it panting at all? Sometimes I look out and see our wild birds looking pretty miserable but we keep the water baths filled so they can always get a drink.

[Mad_Druid]

Originally Posted by cathairetic

Are you kidding? Would you want to be out in 42C? I hope it has lots of shade and lots of water to drink! Birds do like to be warm, a chill can kill them off quickly, but I wouldn't put my birds out in that kind of weather. It can get to 39-40C here and I would keep them inside on really hot days.

If you do bring in the canary, keep it out of a direct draft from the air-conditioner. Does it seem stressed at all? Is it panting at all? Sometimes I look out and see our wild birds looking pretty miserable but we keep the water baths filled so they can always get a drink.

Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound as stupid as it did. There's no way I would have left it out in such heat. I was just worried beacuse all of the books I've read warned against placing them inside with air-conditioning.
I did bring it in, very early in the day. It has plenty of shade and water to drink, and a bird bath. We have wild birds that visit us too, and they loved their bird bath yesterday.

[MidnighterWitch]

I own a Green Cheek Conure. Her name is Noel aka Godzilla! She bites and she hurts. However, she has been better lately. The reason we think she's bites really hard because she is bored. Sometimes she expects us to let her out of the cage all day long, but honestly we can't. During the week we can only take her out at night because everyone has work/school. But then again we do in fact take her out in the morning, although we need to rush out of the door and she gets mad again for being put back in the cage. She is so cranky and my mom is considering giving her a friend, but she doesn't want the same kind of bird. (I think she fears it's going to have the same attitude at Noel and I don't blame her )

Anyway, what type of birds can be in the same cage with a conure? Supposedly my mom's friend's love birds are ready to get homes, but Noel would probably be a big bully!

Any advice and suggestions?

Noel is a sweetheart though..well when she wants to be. I do make her sound rather mean. She does cuddle, she is very funny (she actually flips on her back to get her belly rubbed, how odd), and gives nice kisses on the lips. And the other night I was doing homework, instead of her sleeping she was talking to me. Making little squaking noises. Maybe she was telling me to go to sleep?

[YellowPoofBall]

If Noel is getting attention from you when she bites you, she'll continue to bite you even if you get her a friend.

It's not a good idea to put two birds, even of the same species, in the same cage until you see how they would react to each other. I would suggest you try getting Noel a bigger cage and a LOT more different toys and maybe a large variety of food before getting another bird. Getting another bird means you won't have time for two birds... The boredom sounds to me more like Noel doesn't have enough toys to keep her occupied in her cage.

But if you're going to get Noel a friend no matter what, a lovebird would be fine with a conure. A budgie would be okay too, I think. Parrotlets tend to be a little too territorial. But since all birds have different personalities, Noel may get along with one lovebird, but not with a different lovebird. You should quarantine a new bird for about 30 days before caging them together.

[dweaselqueen]

I have only ever had parakeets, but I hope to have bigger birds in the future. Be that as it may, I love my parakeets. Bashful was the first pet that was truly mine, and he lived for 7 years. I miss that guy

Right now, I have three parakeets, all in one cage. From all the books I've read, two of the birds seem to be trying to mate with each other, but they keep switching positions, and we thought all three of the birds were male. Does anyone know what that is about? Are we misinterpreting behavior, or is it something else?

[Weatherby]

My senegal parrot Pagoda has taken to throwing fits if he sees the other birds are being treated to snacks before him.

I also have two sun conures and three cockatiels.

[goldensara]

Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone can offer some advice on bonding with a Senegal parrot? I just got mine yesterday and I'm afraid he has bonded more with my mirror than with me! My closet doors are mirrored and all of today he would go towards the mirror and try to nip at it and get to the "other bird" (his reflection). Whenever I would move the mirror he got noticeably confused and would sit on top of his cage refusing to move. When I put him in his cage earlier tonight I made sure to cover the mirrors.
So my question is (sorry for the length) should I keep the mirrors free for him to see or not?
Also, what are some good treats that he would most like? I want him to associate perching on my hand with good things
I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow btw to get his physical exam.

[YellowPoofBall]

If he's getting obsessed with mirrors, I think it would be a bad idea to let him use them. I've read stories about birds who bonded only with their reflection. Maybe he's just lonely or scared because he just moved in with you. A good tip I heard for bonding is to read out loud to him. On our first day together, my birdie and I watched Chicken Little (it was the only birdie movie I had)

For treats, try some fruits and nuts maybe. My birdie likes tropical fruit Nutriberries.

Good luck

[MidnighterWitch]

I have a young Sun Conure and recently he started to peck at my hand like a wood pecker. He had only done it to me and now is doing this to my mother. It is just so funny I can't help but laugh. The only thing is that I do not know what this means. So does anyone here fimiliar with this bird behavior?

[YellowPoofBall]

It sounds like a sign of affection to me. So cute