HoundsGood

Friends of mine have a large parrot.  He sits and whistles and chatters with you once he gets to know you.  He is so friendly and nice that it sometimes causes others to want to get a bird, but they want to rescue one, not buy one.   Unlike finding someone who has a goldfish that they don’t take care of and ask you if they want, a bird requires more forethought.  You may be able to rescue a Molly or a goldfish and temporarily put them in a large bowl for a few hours while you run to the pet store.

For particular large birds, you want to look into Bird Cages, toys, and supplies, long before you bring a bird home. Rescue of these large friends are not spontaneous decisions. Yes, a bird may need immediate rescue, but I recommend thinking about the idea, and then being ready when the bird comes along.

Birds are naturally curious creatures and it would behoove you to have some Bird Toys on hand, especially since moving to a new home might be stressful. A bored or stressed bird can start pecking his/her feathers out, which can lead to physical disease. We have all seen balls with bells on them, but there are also toys that they can tear a part, like this leaf toy

Large Bird Cages are not something easily obtained at a big box store, and even many pet stores don’t have anything suitable. Birdcagedepot.com has a selection if you want to avoid driving from store to store. Also, keep in mind that not every cage is created equal even if they are large. Some birds prefer to perch, some prefer to have a lot of ground room to waddle around, and some like to climb. An interesting style I just found out about is an aviary or flight cage. It sits on the floor and is wide and tall enough for a tropical bird to fly up and down the length of it. They are not much more expensive than a traditional domed top cage.

Whatever you decide, please make the well thought out decision of adding a rescued bird into your life before looking around.  They are more sensitive to their environment than other pets are, but if you plan ahead, a lifelong partnership and friendship with a large bird is something that will enrich your life.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.