How to be a successful Parent And Bird owner.

[Saemma]

those of you who have babies or young children, how do you make time for both your children and your birds? I ask because a very common excuse for getting rid of pets is because of pregnancy or the arrival of a baby and existing small children. Please share your best practices. how do you manage to keep the birds and children safe from each other? How long have you been Both a parent and a bird owner at the same time? How long were your birds with you before you had children?

 

[QBird]

I've had Parrots before children and some nights I feel like I've successfully kept everyone fed, happy entertained etc, others I feel like I've failed them all.

Not sure with regards to best practices. I have a bird room which means the birds are not always in the main area although they do come to and from with me or my hubby. Once the boys were old enough I taught them that they cannot go poking fingers into cages and if they birds are out they stay a respectful distance, my youngest is three, he enjoys giving the birds treats but only when supervised and invited to. Okay the other day we had an incident, he got a nip, it broke the skin slightly but he put his finger in the cage and readily admitted to this (he unfortunately chose one of the worse cages - or may fortunately he's got a reminder without much more damage then pride that a cars plaster fixed).

I can add that the birds get very very excited and loud when we have parties or friends over to play, when the boys go hyper so do the birds. I do bring one or two of them out to get treats from the children at parties so they can see children are not all that bad, and with the less nervous guys the children can hold them, again under supervision, and the children must line up to wait their turn. If a bird gets frustrated or at all upset we stop and take the bird back to a stand or to the birdroom. Both my boys can use a chopstick and do target train the birds when they are with me and want to be involved. Some of the birds will be held and will have a pet. The boys have learnt that they wait until the bird is fluffed up nicely etc.

The eldest impressed me as he took his budgie out the other night and did a few step ups, after that the sat and talked with the budgie on his hand and the budgie fluffed up quickly. My son said "Look mum the budgie is happy now" it seemed to understand and started straightening out his wing feathers, that made me very proud of him, his budgie, Ghost, hops straight from anyone's hand to his without a moment of hesitation

 

[Bokkapooh]

I'll respond tomorrow. If I dont. Tag me.

New rules in the hours means no phone time when its family time. So only at work will I be on or the bus.

 

[arwyn031313]

I have two kids ages 8 and 10 both boys and two birds. Since my kids are older it's easy to make time for all because the boys play with the birds as much as I do. Now having a baby or toddler and birds would be a Hugh difference. In my house everyone gets tons of attention.

 

[JLcribber]

I thought parrots were children?? Only worse.

 

[rocky'smom]

i don't have kids either. but the kids i have allowed in to my house have been taught from the first second, that you may look at the birds. the older ones were allowed to touch the bird that i held for them.
when my nephew was a little guy, he held a baby budgie that i was handfeeding. he had mom & dad on either side of him, and auntie in front of him. i put a folded paper towel into his cupped hands, then the baby budgie. he thought it was very cool, then he asked what would happen if the baby pooped. i told him that was what the paper towel was for. 'auntie you can put him back into the cage, cuz i don't want to be pooped on.' he did very good and has as a adult held the birds i have had.
Sweet Pea's mom

 

[Kiwibird08]

My parents had their parrots LONG before I was born. I was raised from a very early age that they were delicate and (up until a certain age) I was not allowed to handle them without my parents around. I did get bit more than a few times by the cockatoo and he had to be clipped until I was older. One amazon loved me from the time I was born (female, and she saw herself as my 'mother' bird), the other had no issues with me. I also think the fact they were well trained, social, happy parrots before I was born played into them 'accepting' me better. They never fell by the wayside either. They were always included in everything, the same as before, just with one more family member. I think that's a big thing right there. The birds fall by the wayside because of the kid, and things go downhill for the bird from there. The cockatoo was the only one who ever went after me, and he had over bonding issues (which wasn't common knowledge like it is now back when I was a baby/kid). I guess my parents did something right though, because I grew up loving parrots! And I was well prepared for parrot ownership as an adult when I adopted Kiwi. I do not have children of my own yet, but Kiwi was here first and measures will be taken so it's a peaceful existence for everyone, just like how my parents did. I look at him very much as a member of the family, and you wouldn't suddenly ignore a family member just because a new one came along would you?

 

[QBird]

I thought parrots were children?? Only worse.

lol true enough

 

[Gen120]

I don't have kids yet, but do want them eventually so curious to see the responses. I would say, if you divide the time between your birds & baby then it should be okay. I would also say I/my siblings & I have always been raised with animals & my parents never "gave up" animals because we were born, we coexisted with them. I plan to do the same with my kids. I will probably have my parrots in a separate room like I do now, when I have kids- that way so they are separate so no biting can occur etc. That is, until they are old enough to understand/handle them.

 

[pajarita]

I don't think that giving up a parrot because of a new baby is an 'excuse' but a 'reason'. And I think that whether you would have to give your bird up or not depends on the circumstances, set up and number of birds. Babies demand A LOT of attention and time, same as parrots, and, if you work full time, it's pretty much impossible to devote enough time to both so it follows that the bird will be neglected for the simple reason that there just aren't enough hours in the day. But, if you are a stay-at-home mom, have a birdroom where multiple birds live cage-free and have their own companions, it's doable.

 

[Bokkapooh]

[quote"Gen120, post: 2112741, member: 22"]I don't have kids yet, but do want them eventually so curious to see the responses. I would say, if you divide the time between your birds & baby then it should be okay. I would also say I/my siblings & I have always been raised with animals & my parents never "gave up" animals because we were born, we coexisted with them. I plan to do the same with my kids. I will probably have my parrots in a separate room like I do now, when I have kids- that way so they are separate so no biting can occur etc. That is, until they are old enough to understand/handle them.[/quote]


There is no way to divide time between a baby unless the baby is asleep. Not when theyre under a year.

 

[Kiwibird08]

I've actually spent time thinking about this as we do plan on having kids in the next few years. How do people handle it when they have 2 or more children? Do they ignore or give the older one up to focus on the new one? I don't think so. Kiwi comes on his portable perch while I fold laundry, do dishes, prep food (before anythings cooking of course), cleaning, cleaning out the car ext... He has his toys on his stand and is just happy to be nearby. He gets to eat at the table to (though we eat very healthy, may not work if your family eats lots of fast food or something) and loves coming in the shower. He's kind of like having a toddler anyways, only any future kids will grow up while he'll stay the same mentally, so it'll just get easier with time. I personally see no reason when we have kids why he wouldn't be able to be around while changing diapers or bathing the baby or whatever too. Why not? Most parrots just want to be with their 'flock'. There were constantly parrots around when I was growing up! Usually on t-perches or sitting up on a door/shower curtain rod/top cabinets ect.. and out of the way. They probably liked another small thing that made a whole lot of noise around I have memories of lining the zons up with my stuffed toys in my room and playing "teacher" with them, and they just ate up the attention. They'd come and steal my legos and any toy they could fly off with to chew up too though (the naughty things ) Another thing I've thought about is when you take a baby/kids for a walk or to the park, pack him up in his backpack and bring both! Fun for everyone I guess we're lucky we got Kiwi years before we were ready for kids and have had the opportunity to socialize him, work on his confidence/acceptance of change and teach independent play so he's a laid back bird now.

 

[Gen120]

[quote"Gen120, post: 2112741, member: 22"]I don't have kids yet, but do want them eventually so curious to see the responses. I would say, if you divide the time between your birds & baby then it should be okay. I would also say I/my siblings & I have always been raised with animals & my parents never "gave up" animals because we were born, we coexisted with them. I plan to do the same with my kids. I will probably have my parrots in a separate room like I do now, when I have kids- that way so they are separate so no biting can occur etc. That is, until they are old enough to understand/handle them.

There is no way to divide time between a baby unless the baby is asleep. Not when theyre under a year. [/quote]

okay lol! that's what I thought! I will come to you for advice then when I have kids in the future lol!

 

[Mrcrowley]

I thought parrots were children?? Only worse.

You are correct Fid's we have

 

[Bokkapooh]

okay lol! that's what I thought! I will come to you for advice then when I have kids in the future lol!

For me. We share time. Or we wait until she's asleep.

It's a work in progress.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

Some children are special needs and that in itself can present many challenges, especially for a mom that works full time and has more than one child.

For me personally, I'm glad that my kids were older when we got our fids. My son (high functioning autism) was a challenge, to say the least, especially during the toddler years. Plus both kids have ADHD and anxiety.

The fids adore the kids. They're such an integral part of our family, as are our yorkie and elderly cat.

 

[Gen120]

Some children are special needs and that in itself can present many challenges, especially for a mom that works full time and has more than one child.

For me personally, I'm glad that my kids were older when we got our fids. My son (high functioning autism) was a challenge, to say the least, especially during the toddler years. Plus both kids have ADHD and anxiety.

Totally agree.. and seriously???!!!!!!!! I DO TOO!! I have Aspergers as well, is that what your son has? I also have anxiety etc. I know we PM'd a long time ago but I am not sure if that ever came up?

 

[faeryphoebe1]

Yes, he does! Now that he's a teenager (and still VERY hyper, lol) the challenges are quite different, but at least he can talk now and he can empathize with others (human and non-humans, too) and understands consequences.

He went through speech therapy but didn't talk until he was 4.

That's also when he was placed on a sleep medication because he would only sleep maybe 3 hours at night.

I'd have to stay up with him to supervise him whenever he was awake (hyper + fearless is not a good mix in regard to safety, plus a lack of being able to process the meaning of consequences). Those were some very tough years.

Edit: I find it amazing that our fids don't mind how hyper and loud he is. They fly right to him for attention and scritches.

 

[Gen120]

Yes, he does! Now that he's a teenager (and still VERY hyper, lol) the challenges are quite different, but at least he can talk now and he can empathize with others (human and non-humans, too) and understands consequences.

He went through speech therapy but didn't talk until he was 4.

That's also when he was placed on a sleep medication because he would only sleep maybe 3 hours at night.

I'd have to stay up with him to supervise him whenever he was awake (hyper + fearless is not a good mix in regard to safety, plus a lack of being able to process the meaning of consequences). Those were some very tough years.

Edit: I find it amazing that our fids don't mind how hyper and loud he is. They fly right to him for attention and scritches.

I didn't talk until I was almost 3 if I remember right.. I didn't actually make ANY sound as a baby, no crying etc- just nothing. Was supposed to be born on July 6th- was born march 23rd. wow- that must have been hard. Yeah, same- I find it awesome that my birds don't mind me being repetitive/OCD etc. PM me when you get a chance.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

I didn't talk until I was almost 3 if I remember right.. I didn't actually make ANY sound as a baby, no crying etc- just nothing. Was supposed to be born on July 6th- was born march 23rd. wow- that must have been hard. Yeah, same- I find it awesome that my birds don't mind me being repetitive/OCD etc. PM me when you get a chance.

Lol, yeah I also have terrible OCD that my parrots have to put up with. I'm mostly quiet though, but my son is always so loud. The birdies seem to mind less than I do!