How to convince my mom to let my budgie out for more than an hour?

[Talkbudgie]

My 7 week old budgie, Skype, loves interaction, perches and out of cage time, but my mom has strictly told me that I can only take him out for no more than hour every day. His cage isn't that big and he isn't very interested in toys, what he loves doing is sitting on my shoulder while I do homework and flying circles around his cage, but my mom doesn't want him out because she thinks he'll spread diseases.
She's convinced that birds don't need to come out of their cage and that an hour will suffice. She's also completely sure that our totally healthy birds are some disease-carrying creatures that will ensure that every member of our family falls sick to diseases they don't even have. How can I persuade her to let my budgie out for longer?

 

[Talkbudgie]

PS - She won't listen to arguments such as 'How would you like it to be stuck in a cage for most of your life,' or 'Budgies will get bored all alone in their cages'. She wants solid scientific research and proper reasons. I know this is a lot to ask for but I'm desperate, Skype paces up and down in front of the door so he can get out all the time and I hate to see him so sad!

 

[clarousel]

I don't know if this would help but have you asked her why she thinks your budgie would spread diseases? And what sort of diseases is she referring to? My mum threw the same thing at me and did not want Preeno in the house because she thinks birds are unsanitary.

I don't know if there are articles that show that birds are in fact very clean creatures. If your bird isn't kept in unhygienic or overcrowded conditions and is healthy, I don't think there is any reason to worry about it carrying diseases. Perhaps dander and dried poop could be an issue but that is easily fixed.

It's hard to give advice not knowing what your mum is like, but perhaps you could 'bargain' a little - ask for 1.5h and show that you can have your budgie out responsibly, especially if cleanliness is one if her concerns. Then maybe slowly increase the amount of time.

Sorry if this doesn't give you an immediate solution. I know how difficult it is and hope you manage to convince her!

 

[macawpower58]

First thing I'd do is start a savings for a larger cage.
Your mom may never change her idea, and it's better for your bird if he has to stay caged.
If you mom likes scientific facts, prepare a report on the amount of space and area a wild budgie utilizes on a daily basis.
How far they fly, the amount of searching for food, etc...
Make sure you prove responsible ownership by keeping the cage spotless, and doing other things mom likes.
Earn the right to ask for more time with your bird.
It's up to you to provide the best life for you bird, no matter if caged or not.
Devise entertaining toys, foraging in the cage so your bird has things to do.
It's not a great situation, but you must do what you can to make the best of it, and hopefully in time win (not argue) your mom over.
I'm just guessing that 'diseases' is an easy excuse to keep the bird mess to a minimum.
Once she sees that no one is catching these bird illnesses, that excuse will fade over time.
Earn her trust in your dedication to proper care and behavior as a bird owner.

 

[Khizz]

My mum has always considered animals as "dirty" and is horrified that I let them out "where they can spread their poo everywhere"

Fortunately I don't live with her! But could you possibly get a full vet check and prove that they are disease free? That would also be a great opportunity to talk to the vet and prove her wrong.

 

[Olliebirb]

Does Skype only stay in your room? Would she notice if you kept him out without her permission? Why'd she let you get him in the first place if she thought he was dirty and diseased? If you put sheets down he'll only poop on the sheets and then it's easy to clean. Also she's probably reading articles about breeder's lung and the dangers of small children eating the bird poop. Articles only talk about the bad things that happen and never really about the good

 

[Lady Jane]

You may not be able to change her mind about this. I would ask the boss to consider one hour out of cage in am and 1 hour out of cage in pm. So rather than imposing minimums like "A budgie should get at least 30 minutes a day of out of cage time, a conure should spend an hour outside of the cage, an African grey should get at least 3 hours of out of cage time, and a cockatoo needs to spend all day with you," you should put far more focus on the quality of time the parrot spends outside the cage instead.

 

[macawpower58]

That's a good idea Dianne.
I'd also not 'sneak' time, especially if mom is unsure, or afraid of birds for some reason. Many folk panic with birds flying about.
Sneaking will lose her trust and respect for you.
Go the long/hard route.

I know if my daughters had brought home a snake, I'd be like "Never let it out!"
Over time, if they didn't scare me, maybe educated me, treated it well and responsibly, I'd slowly grant more freedom for it.
If I found they were allowing it out without permission, I'd be frantic it'd get away, and climb into my bed at night!

This is all on you.

 

[Jisoo]

Maybe tell your mother to let you clean everything or let him out in your room. Like @Lady Jane said, the quality is better than quantity. If i were a bird I would rather spend time with my mother, training him and talking to him for 10 mins than sitting on a play stand with clipped wings. you'll need at least a 30in by 20 in by 30in flight cage in order to satisfy your birds needs. I would always recommend larger then that.

my parents usually don't like my birds flying around in the house because they chew on the fan (a whole corner of the fan was chewed off) and blinds. They do understand though that birds need exercise, they are usually let out for 2 hours minimum. they also know that i'll be teaching the birds that chewing on furniture is not okay.

I think your mom needs to know more about birds and their well being.

 

[Jisoo]

birds don't spread diseases unless they are proven to be sick with a certain disease. usually only poultry get diseases because of unhealthy and dirty living areas.

 

[Shezbug]

I don’t understand what makes her think that if they’re diseased the only way they’ll spread it to family (which is so unlikely that I think your chance of being eaten by a shark is higher) is by being out if the cage and flying for more than an hour.
It sounds more like a made up excuse to back up her wants rather than an honest belief if you ask me. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude but it honestly sounds like a ridiculous thing to base her argument on.
Nearly all of us here have our birds out flying freely for hours and hours on a daily basis and I believe if you did a count at how many of us have caught a zoonotic disease from our birds you would likely come up with the number 0.

 

[Lori D Pert]

@Shezbug is being diplomatic. Your mother is wrong. Period. Bird diseases are rarely passed to humans and they need to have a multitude of birds in a less that hygenic area to do so. Budgies are domesticated birds. Unless you travelled to the Outback in Australia (and even then) the chances of a birdborne disease being transmitted to a human is almost nil. They ARE social birds however. They need contact..if not from their own kind then from humans. An hour a day is not sufficient. They bond, they love, they get lonely. Research this and show it to Mom. Would she only interact with a puppy for 1 hour a day? A cat? Why are birds any different? Sorry but I have rescued too many birds who have spent most of their lives alone due to these false beliefs. Show this to Mom.

 

[JLcribber]

You could lock your mom in the bathroom for 23 hours out of 24. Then ask her again.

 

[Mybluebird]

I suspect the real issue is cleanliness. Wipe up any poop outside the cage immediately. Keep the cage clean. Vacuum or sweep up feathers and seed hulls a couple times a day. I think once your mom sees that you are keeping things clean, she'll relent and allow more out of cage time.

 

[Lori D Pert]

If it is about cleanliness then a budgie is much less allergenic than a cat or a short haired dog. Their poops vaccum up easily. My daughter who has a chocolate lab would trade me any day for Sam. Tell Mom to get over it but do clean your room often. You don't want to give her ammunition.

 

[Lady Jane]

Since @Talkbudgie has not responded any more are we wasting our suggestions?

 

[Shezbug]

Since @Talkbudgie has not responded any more are we wasting our suggestions?

I don’t think so. I think it’s more to do with the time.

 

[Jisoo]

ps to all new bird owners if you are a kid please make sure that your parents are okay with the bird, the poop feathers etc. before you purchase a bird. i know it's tempting to buy a bird but i would resist the urge to if your parents aren't okay with it. it usually doesn't work out and ends up resulting in situations like this

 

[Jisoo]

 

[clarousel]

I suspect the real issue is cleanliness. Wipe up any poop outside the cage immediately. Keep the cage clean. Vacuum or sweep up feathers and seed hulls a couple times a day. I think once your mom sees that you are keeping things clean, she'll relent and allow more out of cage time.

I agree it could be just this. A lot of people see birds as dirty creatures although I don't get why... their poops are so much smaller and not stinky like other animals' as well I'd clean bird poop over dog poop any day.