[popeye]

We have owned several parrots but now have had a Senegal that is a very agressive and mean bird towards everyone except my wife...we havehad this bird for about 20 years. If my wife dies before me so does the bird.LOL I will then get a ptbull.

[seeker1950]

I've had a couple of parrots. The last one I had was an African Gray. I was really excited to get this bird and paid a LOT of money for him, the huge cage, etc. I had him from a handfed baby, and he was super smart and quite a talker. But he turned very mean and, I would even say, vicious. I've always felt this was because I had to leave him daily to go to work, and he was alone all day. I sold him for a fraction of what I had invested to a woman who was home all day, so hopefully he got tamer, but I somehow doubt she succeeded with him.

[mel80]

Quite often parrots will form a strong unhealthy attachment towards a person or an object as they reach sexual maturity.This almost always ends in tears particularly when a sharp beak and claws are involved.Sometimes but not always successfully by having your own human partner or friend/s help feed and water the parrot they may but not always become slightly less aggresive around you or other people.My Rainbow Lorry has issues particularly if you try to take him away from your feet while he is attempting to have his wicked little way.He becomes very aggresive and launches a full on beak and claw warfare and boy does he tear the flesh from you when he is like this.When he is in this state I leave him to his own with all his toy friends in his cage.

[mgran]

The pitbull will probably be calmer and less territorial than the parrot.

Funnily enough my son and I were just talking about getting a pair of birds for companionship. I was trying to talk him out of it... our landlady recently forbade us from getting a dog.

[popeye]

I trained all my parrots and had great success with them but this African Senegal hates everyone except my wife. Once I had to wear welders gloves to train a cockatoo. Ouch!!!!

[popeye]

Originally Posted by mgran

The pitbull will probably be calmer and less territorial than the parrot.

Funnily enough my son and I were just talking about getting a pair of birds for companionship. I was trying to talk him out of it... our landlady recently forbade us from getting a dog.

DO NOT get two birds ...they will be very difficult to train. IMO

[mel80]

Good old cockatoo's you got to love them even if they give you stitches.Problem is parrots are such intelligent creatures that they succumb to similar issues that we humans deal with anxiety being one.Some birds resort to feather plucking and have
you seen a naked feather plucked parrot they kinda look like a living chicken roast putting it nicely.It has been proven that some species are as intelligent as a 2yr old child.

[Queen of Chaos]

The funniest bird rescue story I've ever seen on TV (Animal Planet) involved a woman in the U.K. who adopted a parrot that had spent many years in a home with a bunch of little kids. The bird mimicked the sounds to perfection - babies crying, toddlers screaming, little children whining and fussing...and all this went on day and night! The bird wouldn't even be quiet when its cage was covered.

The poor woman who had brought the bird into her home was shown sitting with her head in her hands, totally frustrated and nearly insane from the racket.

[popeye]

Originally Posted by mel80

Good old cockatoo's you got to love them even if they give you stitches.Problem is parrots are such intelligent creatures that they succumb to similar issues that we humans deal with anxiety being one.Some birds resort to feather plucking and have
you seen a naked feather plucked parrot they kinda look like a living chicken roast putting it nicely.It has been proven that some species are as intelligent as a 2yr old child.

Parrots can be as demanding as a 2 yearold.

[mel80]

Yes so I[ve heard.They are very intelligent thyats why they can be a real handful .

[Vossie42]

I love all your comments. They made me laugh! The problem with
most parrots is that they're pair-bonding. Once they bond with someone, they're bonded to you like industrial strength super glue. It's unhealthy for us, but totally natural for them. In the wild, they spend all of their time with their mate and their flock. Remember, parrot are tame but not in any way domesticated lie dogs and cats.

I have a male ecletus who is very mellow and rolls with the punches better than I do, lol. The nice thing about eclectus is that they're non-pair bonding meaning that they do not mate for life. While eclectus do bond strongly to you, they are less likely to try to own you exclusively and chase away other humans and animals.

Many times I think that parrots are too intelligent to be kept as pets. They pobably have more intelligence than emotional maturity!

[Maven]

My boyfriend and I have a bratty but lovable Senegal parrot named Loki. He can be a bit mischievous (hence, his name), but he's my baby and I love him!

[gma45]

I had an African Grey, He was my pal. They do get attached to one person sometimes. He put up with everyone in the house but you could tell he was my bird! I used to be all the way on the other side of the yard feeding the horse and think the phone was ringing, come running in and it was just the bird. I started letting the answering machine get it after a few times. I train pretty quick lol!

[Maven]

Yes, Greys are really good imitators. Our favorite bird store has a Grey who's the store pet, named Sammy. Sammy's gym and perches are right in the center of the store, where he can keep an eye on everybody. It's not a good idea to pick him up, though, because he might bite you when you try to put him down, LOL!