Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have had cockatiels and have had roomates with parrots before. I think I'd have to be a stay-at-home mom if I every attempted to have a parrot. They are cool animals, but they require a lot, lot, lot of attention in order to be happy and healthy.
I can't see myself ever having a primate of any sort as a pet. They can be aggressive little monsters, cute as they are. I don't think very many people are equiped to give a primate the sort of care they need.
Well I have 6 parrots and they are all rescues I suspect because they got to be more than their owners could handle . Yes they require alot of time . My cousin got a capucin monkey for her b-day back in '68 and the day of the party her father , my uncle let it out of the cage and the monkey proceeded to bite the tip of my cousins ear off and he had to rush her to the emergency room . My aunt insisted the next day that monkey be given to the zoo . He was . I can tell you that was one b-day we will never forget !!! she now has a terrible scar above the top of her ear that she always knows is there . My cousin was always very spoiled by her father and he wanted her to have everything and very exspensive things . thus the monkey was supposed to be a pet . Anyways that proved to be extremely exspensive lesson . My uncle never got her a live present ever again . LOL !! Not funny then but now is .
I can't see myself ever having a primate of any sort as a pet. They can be aggressive little monsters, cute as they are. I don't think very many people are equiped to give a primate the sort of care they need.
I have to agree about having a primate. Remember that woman that just recently lost her face to a chimp? I'm married to a veterinarian and we wouldn't even think of owning a primate.
I have owned and raised birds for over 20 yrs. Double Yellow Head Amazons and African Greys make the best talkers, but can be one person birds. The best talker isn't always the best pet. We now are happy w/ a little Senegal who loves to yell all of our pet's names out. You don't have to have a bird to talk just to be your buddy. I also have a Linny who absolutely adores being w/ me.
I had an African Grey parrot for about 6 months, but had to re-home her due to severe allergies. Who would ever predict they had an allergy to parrots?? And we're not talking about the sniffles, which I get from my cats & dog... I had an recurring high fever, chills, asthma, hives, etc. Thought I had a serious disease of some sort, until the doctor figured out it was the parrot - they injected me with her feathers (made into a serum), and I started to go into anaphylactic shock almost immediately. So needless to say, I will not be owning a bird again in my life.
As Kansas Sky said, she did require a LOT of attention... it was almost like having a toddler, but with a louder and more piercing voice. Aside from that she was super cool, and had an amazing vocabulary of words and sounds by 1 year old. I think she could say about 20 words & phrases, including hello/hi, Maggie (her name), how ya doing, okay, no, here kitty, pretty girl, shut up (wonder why she knew that? ), and a handful of curse words since I swear a lot. She was adopted by my veterinarian who had a toddler at the time, so I had to warn her about Maggie's potty mouth - LOL. She was even better with sounds, and could imitate them almost perfectly within a few minutes... her favorites were the phone ring, alarm clock, hammer, door knock, and confusing the other pets by barking & meowing. She could also associate words with "thoughts," despite what people think about them simply being mimics. For example, whenever the phone rang she'd say "Hello?" Pretty cool pets if you have the time for them! As for primates, I would not recommend those to anyone outside of zookeepers and scientists.
I have a Mollucan Cockatoo. Have had him since he was a baby. He is 14 now. He is a tremendous amount of work. Cleaning the cage, making sure he has his bowl of fresh veggies and fruit everday. I have never missed a day in 14 years. Misting him, making sure the temps never go below 60 in his room and over 90. Sometimes I wish I had never gotten him because of all the work he requires, but I am a responsible animal lover and none of my pets will ever be turned away! In the end I could not have asked for a better parrot. For his breed he is very quiet! He basically only exercises his vocal cords at dusk to be covered up for his 13 hours of peace and quiet! I love my Miki bird!
Here are some pics of him!
I have had an African Grey. As previously stated, parrots are a lot of work. They are very messy by nature and you have to clean their cages and surrounds area often. To stay healthy they need fresh fruit and veggies besides their seeds. They make quite the mess with the fresh food.
As far as monekys, I have not had one but know people who have. They get into a lot of trouble, have to wears diapers or are VERY disgusting (some monkeys take their diapers off). They have to have their canine teeth pulled so they cannot do more serious bites. You gets them shots just like a baby. They need a whole lot of attention and time. you must be very committed to them and not have a job and just leave them at home.
Thanx Gizmo and Broken...Yep he sure is alot of work. Plus I am allergic to his dander. Always coming down with URI's. Gizmo? Do the greys have that powder like the cockatoos?
Any pics of your Grey?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And we're not talking about the sniffles, which I get from my cats & dog... I had an recurring high fever, chills, asthma, hives, etc. Thought I had a serious disease of some sort, until the doctor figured out it was the parrot - they injected me with her feathers (made into a serum), and I started to go into anaphylactic shock almost immediately. So needless to say, I will not be owning a bird again in my life.
), and a handful of curse words since I swear a lot. She was adopted by my veterinarian who had a toddler at the time, so I had to warn her about Maggie's potty mouth - LOL. She was even better with sounds, and could imitate them almost perfectly within a few minutes... her favorites were the phone ring, alarm clock, hammer, door knock, and confusing the other pets by barking & meowing. 
She could also associate words with "thoughts," despite what people think about them simply being mimics. For example, whenever the phone rang she'd say "Hello?" Pretty cool pets if you have the time for them! As for primates, I would not recommend those to anyone outside of zookeepers and scientists.
I love Cockatoos - almost got one when I got Maggie, but decided to go with the Grey instead.
