Smallish birds vs big birds

[Tinta]

Are smaller birds easier to keep comparatively to their larger counterparts?
I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

No matter how much space or how many toys, etc. you have...it would be more/go farther with a smaller bird, wouldn't it? Their minimums are more easily met then those required of larger birds.

So what is the appeal of a large bird? (U2s, B&Gs, etc.)
What makes you want one/drove you to get one?

Does anyone here have both Small poi-CAG size and very large birds and can maybe tell me the differences in caring for them you have found over time?

 

[Princessbella]

I think the appeal is that the larger birds are more interactive than the smaller ones and they are more like children than pets. But they also need a parront that is able to give them the time, space, and attention they need as well as the toys. And since they are bigger, that means bigger toys, mess, and vet bills. I have only had tiels. For me, they are the perfect birds. Bella does not need as much interaction, she plays with toys but does not destroy them as fast as other birds (although she does have a fascination with the tags on the toys) and with the amount of attention I can give her, is a happy little bird. The sad part about the big birds is that people who see them on youtube see only the good side of a big bird and get one without researching what needs to be done to take care of it.

 

[JLcribber]

There is no comparison between looking after a budgie/cockatiel/parrotlet/lovebird etc and looking after a large Macaw/Amazon/Cockatoo. It's not even in the same league. You can't possibly understand this unless you've been there.

Small birds live in a much smaller world. Both mentally and physically. As you said they're needs are much more easily met.

So what is the appeal of a large bird? (U2s, B&Gs, etc.)

Propaganda. Brainwashing. Cute youtube videos. Naivety. Self indulgence. Impulse buying. Lack of information (leaving out the bad stuff) all pushed by the pet industry/stores.

You can look at it this way. Say you were to have a child and soon thereafter you learn your child is handicapped. It will still grow up and become an adult but it will never progress beyond the mental age of 4-5. "YOU" are going to be the center of the universe for this child for the rest of your life simply because this child requires it and you "committed" to having that child. He is yours.

Welcome to large parrot ownership.

 

[cassiesdad]

What makes you want one/drove you to get one?

My story...We had owned "small" birds for many years. In 2005, I became disabled and had a lot more time on my hands. Because of this, I began to want to "go up the food chain"- as I described it then- and get a "larger" bird. The result was Cassie, an LSC, who we bought from an older couple who lived about 35 miles away.
As John has said...naive..yes...self-indulgent...most definitely. I learned to care for Cassie through trial and error...and believe me, I made a lot of mistakes. Caring for a finches, budgies, tiels, etc, really didn't compare to a Cockatoo. I learned that the hard way, for sure.

You can look at it this way. Say you were to have a child and soon thereafter you learn your child is handicapped. It will still grow up and become an adult but it will never progress beyond the mental age of 4-5. "YOU" are going to be the center of the universe for this child for the rest of your life simply because this child requires it and you "committed" to having that child. He is yours.

Welcome to large parrot ownership.

I always tell a story much like this when we visit schools. It drives home the point EXACTLY...so very well put, John.

The sad part about the big birds is that people who see them on youtube see only the good side of a big bird and get one without researching what needs to be done to take care of it.

This is why you will never see a video of Milton doing the cute things he does on youtube and other social media...the complete picture isn't there...that's just the way I feel...

 

[Princessbella]

There is no comparison between looking after a budgie/cockatiel/parrotlet/lovebird etc and looking after a large Macaw/Amazon/Cockatoo. It's not even in the same league. You can't possibly understand this unless you've been there.

Small birds live in a much smaller world. Both mentally and physically. As you said they're needs are much more easily met.

Propaganda. Brainwashing. Cute youtube videos. Naivety. Self indulgence. Impulse buying. Lack of information (leaving out the bad stuff) all pushed by the pet industry/stores.

You can look at it this way. Say you were to have a child and soon thereafter you learn your child is handicapped. It will still grow up and become an adult but it will never progress beyond the mental age of 4-5. "YOU" are going to be the center of the universe for this child for the rest of your life simply because this child requires it and you "committed" to having that child. He is yours.

Welcome to large parrot ownership.

You are much more eloquent in saying exactly what I wanted to say. I am so glad that there are people like you in this world.

 

[Bird_lover6]

Big birds are cool. Impressive. An appeal to vanity. No one's impressed with my senegal, although they think she's cute, adorable, says a few words, and does much the same thing a big bird does.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to persuade people from large bird ownership. Most people are not like the exceptional bird owners we have on this forum, and even if we are great folks with the best of intentions, most of us are just not equipped emotionally or financially, and don't have the space to be large parrot owners. And it just cracks me up when people say stuff like "They can't be more difficult than taking care of a dog. What's the difference between pooper scooping the yard and cleaning a cage?"

 

[Macaw Lover]

I say watch this video about Macaws, then you decide if that is too much bird who cuddles up with you, just wanting to be loved on.

Forgot the link

Video - Best Macaw Movie | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Calpurnia]

I didn't realize I was a "small bird person" until we adopted our ekkie. Like everyone else has mentioned there is NO WAY you can understand how different their care is until you're living with it 24/7.

I volunteered for a zoo for over 4 years. At one point I was volunteering so many hours a week (basically calling it a full time job) that they bumped me into an open intern position so I could earn a tiny bit of stipend money. I spent 1/4 of my time there caring for the education animals and large parrots (macaws, toos, zons). Having handled, fed, and cleaned up after these birds for so long I thought I knew what it would be like to live with one.

What I didn't realize is I had completely taken for granted my ability to "walk away" at the end of the day. Sure I had to listen to the toos scream for 2-3 hours but that was not a good taste into what the reality of bringing a large bird into your home can be. I also completely took for granted the fact that these relatively well-behaved birds were only this way because they lived in huge outdoor aviaries, with at least one same-species companion, and spent half of their time out on exhibit in front of hundreds of people for enrichment. I then naively thought that because I could provide a good life to my small/medium sized birds that I could easily accommodate a larger one. Of course I was drawn to the idea of a greater intelligence and a "deeper connection". All it was was a larger cage and some more toys right?

In the end it was made very clear that a large bird is not compatible with our current (and future) lifestyle. We don't have the space for an indoor aviary or dedicated bird room (and probably won't for years). Ellie made it extremely clear that this was something she needed to be happy, healthy, and stimulated. I was constantly reminded how much more complex her mind was compared to our small birds. I can easily go an entire day without "trying" to socialize my p'let or aracari. Their cages are proportionally so much bigger so they are more easily entertained by their environment. They definitely are less needy and will happily fly around the house or sit and chirp/sing for hours. Our male p'let and budgies especially seem to find chattering to themselves immensely entertaining. With Ellie, there was no such thing as "down time". If she was happy to sit and preen after a bath for an hour that was a good day. Puzzles were nothing; foraging took longer for me to assemble than for her to destroy. I realized the commitment necessary to give her the awesome lifestyle she deserved was limited by my time and financial resources. There is the possibility that we were just handed a very difficult bird from the start (she was also incredibly hormonal and disinterested in one-on-one interactions). Maybe there's the possibility that if she had been raised differently she would be more managable? But if even a quarter of large birds have similar (or greater!) needs, then I'm happy to admit I'm not cut out for the job. Maybe not until I've spent a decade finding a more stable life.

I will never stop envying the people with large birds (especially macaws). And I think that's a problem. It's so easy to see the cute pictures and hear about their "puppy-like" attitudes and think, I just KNOW I can do that. It really doesn't help that people are constantly telling me p'lets or budgies aren't "real parrots" (or that anything other than your iconic grey/amazon/macaw/too "isn't a real bird"). Sure they aren't going to be matching any 3 year olds at counting or reasoning tasks but that's probably a good thing. AA especially has given me so much respect for the large bird owners. Just seeing their bird spaces, and how much time and effort they put into these animals is humbling.

 

[truste]

Can someone be more specific about what the dramatically greater demands of a big bird are, or share some war stories?

(I'm not doubting what you guys are saying. I'm just curious and trying to conceptualize it)

 

[JLcribber]

This is why you will never see a video of Milton doing the cute things he does on youtube and other social media...the complete picture isn't there...that's just the way I feel...

I always wondered about that. Now I get it.

What I didn't realize is I had completely taken for granted my ability to "walk away" at the end of the day.

This is such a critical statement. The absolute hardest part of ownership.

 

[Macawnutz]

Can someone be more specific about what the dramatically greater demands of a big bird are, or share some war stories?

(I'm not doubting what you guys are saying. I'm just curious and trying to conceptualize it)

I have no small birds, what's your story like? What's a typical small bird day consist of?

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

You spend two hours cleaning the cage while your parrot is out on the play gym making a mess you will have to spend two hours cleaning after you get done interacting with your bird for at least two hours so she can feel loved and be entertained. In a job taking care of parrots, like at the zoo, you have put in your eight hours and you go home where you can have your supper, put your feet up and watch TV. But owning the birds and having them at your home means they are there with you, making noise and interacting with you as you cook supper, clean the house and watch TV. I had 14 small birds (budgies to Senegal size). Then I had one African Grey Parrot; not real big, about crow size, but with the mind of a twelve or fourteen year old person. Emily CAG needed enrichment each night after I got home, needed at least two hours out of his cage and interacting with me. Wasn't too bad, then.

THEN: I inherited two Yellow Naped Amazon Parrots, one 29 years old, the other 26 years old. Precie and Pedro were mourning the loss of their owner, were confused and emotionally needy and no one they knew lived here in my home. Precie wasn't too bad to give emotional support and keep entertained. However, Pedro had been hooked on the person who died and missed them extremely much. Would only interact with that person. He was angry at the entire world because the person he loved had gone away and I was there instead...

Get the idea????

 

[aooratrix]

My smallest bird is Morgan, my DYA. I didn't choose her; she chose me, and I was smart enough to recognize a good thing when I saw it. I admire some of the smaller birds, especially some of the greencheek mutations and red or platinum suns, but I'm a fairly big guy and am simply more comfortable with bigger birds. I am always afraid of somehow hurting a smaller bird. And there's something about macaws that just puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Ditto to what Matthew said. Little birds scare me. And just for the record, I think the little guys are just as intelligent as the big guys.

 

[Bird_lover6]

Can someone be more specific about what the dramatically greater demands of a big bird are, or share some war stories?

(I'm not doubting what you guys are saying. I'm just curious and trying to conceptualize it)

Loud. Loud. Loud. Money. Money. Money. Space. Space. Space.

BIG BEAKS.

Destruction.

Lots of cleaning.

And more money.

 

[alshgs]

The biggest bird I've ever had in my care is an African grey. That's the size I'm most comfortable with. But my favorite birds are any of the conure species

 

[JLcribber]

The biggest difference is how much of "your" time, effort and "space" is required to give the bird what it needs. Space being the most important thing IMO. If they don't get what they need, the problems they develop because of how intelligent/emotional they are takes them to whole new level. This level of commitment needs to be maintained for life. For a small bird that may be 10-20 years. For a big parrot it's for the rest of "your" life.

 

[JLcribber]

Ditto to what Matthew said. Little birds scare me. And just for the record, I think the little guys are just as intelligent as the big guys.

Says the woman who's birds "beaks" are bigger than an entire small bird.

Hal is almost 4 inches long. When I think of you and Hal it makes melaugh. The little spitfire would keep you just a hopping. He's 100% giant parrot on the inside (and flies like a barn swallow).

 

[cassiesdad]

Physical size is one thing...a very important thing....BUT....some of the biggest birds I've ever experienced are budgies and lovebirds. Their size comes from a most important place...the heart...

 

[iamwhoiam]

I don't have large 'toos (have the smaller ones) or macaws. My largest bird is my YNA and my smallest my house sparrow. My other birds range in size between the two. My smaller birds have huge personalities and all of my birds are intelligent, whether large or small. My Dusky conure is the messiest and my red-bellied parrot Scully goes through wooden toys much faster than any of my larger birds. I've even given him toys meant for larger sized birds and he takes them down whereas toys seem to last a long time with my 'toos and Amazons.
Of course my smaller birds can't crack walnuts and they don't do as much damage when they bite (hmmm....that depends on how fast they release).