Considering a Galah worried about holidays

[brayark]

Hi I recently lost my Amazon and have been researching birds and am considering a galah but am wondering if holidays would be to much time away for these birds my Amazon never seem to have a problem.
My mother in-laws feed him every morning and put radio on .she poped in a couple of times a day and would spend a little time with him and he learnt to say hurry up from her but she isn't into flying birds so couldn't let him out .
We only go away for a week at a time .
Since these are more active birds do I need to rule this bird out as I keep seeing it said. They need at lest 3 hours a day out of there cages

 

[Zara]

@Tanya @zoo mom

 

[tka]

You can look for a good parrot boarding service. The one I use even has an outside aviary so Leia can enjoy some sun. It's expensive but I like the peace of mind knowing that Leia is getting good out-of-cage time and is with people who know how to care for her.

 

[zoo mom]

Russell sometimes goes 2-3 days with only a few minutes out each day. Also we have a friend come in who takes care of our pets when we are on a holiday. We have been gone as long as 3 weeks and I think it was harder on me then on him.

 

[brayark]

What size cage does Russell have and do you find him any less predictable than your other birds and would you recommend the galah for a only bird that can be friendly to me and my wife and others who visit I know my mother-in-law would of liked to have a better relationship with my Amazon.

 

[zoo mom]

Russell has a 42 x 42 A&E corner cage. The 2 back panels are 42 inches then 3 side that are 22 inches. He is a sweet, ornery booger but more unpredictable not really. He also loves both my husband and I but of course I can't promise others would be the same.

 

[brayark]

Thanks for the information just been hearing some of these birds are bitting people with out any warning I was hopping it was down to poor management and not the type of birds

 

[Tanya]

Rhubarb can be nippy but she has never surprised me by a bite. In fact I think there's only ever been three or four real bites the entire seven years we've had her. When she does bite though, wow do they sting.

Rhubarb had a lot of reinforcement very early in her life that we were listening to her body language and a warning from her (narrowed eyes, a foot tap, a lowered head with beak out and feathers slicked, or any other sign of frustration) would be respected by us backing off. So she gives plenty of warning before she bites.

My main concern would be the time alone. Galahs are extremely gregarious, living in flocks of hundreds of individuals. Rhu is most at home when she is in the middle of a loud, chaotic swirl of activity. Being by herself for long periods of time seems to be kind of a psychological torture for her and she has a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms to try to deal with it.

If you're planning to regularly leave a Galah alone for a week at a time on a regular basis, either get a bonded pair that can have the company of one another or consider a pet that lives a more solitary life most of the time. If it is for only a single week once a year, that may be managed by having someone come and housesit for you so there is someone home regularly at least part of the day. Having a Galah that is human-bonded but is stuck at home in a cage without human much contact for many days in a row is at higher risk for developing a self-destructive habits.

 

[brayark]

Thanks for the response I only have 1 or 2 weeks a year away and I always had people popping in to visit my Amazon on these occasions .
I work shifts so I'm either at home in the morning or get home by 3 so can spend time with my bird every day and I only do 4 day week my wife was working only 2 days a week but don't know what's going to happen with her job as she works in currency exchange and on fallow at the moment .
So if all goes well it's rare fore one of us not to be home for a large part of the day . It was mainly the need to fly every day I was worried about as my bird vister wouldn't be able to let out but would be happy chatting and giving scratches if the bird wanted them