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MBS (Multiple Bird Syndrome) AKA Just one more...

haleybethg

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I'm currently wanting to add a third to the flock. July will be one year that I've been into birds. I also have two dogs.

Things that are stopping me:

1. I suspect we will start a family in the next couple of years. Although green cheeks aren't loud, they do require time and attention!
2. When we rescued Sam it caused a lot of stress for my first bird, which in turn caused a lot of stress for me! I don't want my current flock to have to go through that again.
3. My current two do not get along, but each has a person. Sam is my husband's & Gilly is mine. In a perfect world Gilly would enjoy a second greenie, but so far we are 0/1 for bird friends and that would mean the new bird would not have a person to hang out with.
4. There's so many birds I want, I realistically CAN'T have them all, especially longer lived species, so thinking about my lifespan really puts things into perspective.

In our current house, 2 is probably our max. Three if children weren't a future possibility. Now, when we go to build a house with my very own bird room...all bets are off!
 

Gimby

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There a a few reasons :

It wouldn't be fair my flock to add another (they'd have to share me even more than they do amongst each other. That won't go over well. Sharing isn't in any of their vocabularies).
Cost - Toys, toys, toys, swings, perches, food, vet visits - My purse can't take any more!:broke:

Cleanliness - I work in the dental field besides effective patient care & education we practice cleanliness. It takes a lot of time, daily, not only cleaning cages or spot cleaning, perches, bowls but keeping my house and birds spotless, literally. Yes, I have issues w/ cleanliness & smell, but at any given time, please come into my home.

Space - It is hard enough to tastefully design a home with the number of cages and java trees I currently have.

Time - is split between my birds out time & myself. My parrots are deeply embedded in my life (For goodness sakes, I have a fire escape/tornado plan to grab ea bird w/ ea bird carry case which is ALWAYS in reach of ea cage), but to stop from becoming "crazy bird lady" I need a night or two out to. Every body needs a breather.
 

Sylvi_

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I'm at my maximum, I believe, with my 3.
They're all young, so it's helpful to think of how long I'll be having these 3 whenever I'm tempted to add anything.
I'll always feel that need to help and rescue any animal in need, so it's important I focus on the fact that I have my hands full with my little 'hoard'. :D

Add on my 2 dogs who require quite a bit of attention, 2 cats who are anything but independent and my hamster - it's a busy house with the bird cages, hamster tank and litter boxes maintenance; plus walking both the pups every day.

It just wouldn't be fair to my three to add another so I'm at my limit. :)
 

Percy&Ivan

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I'm at my limit with one right now!
They are expensive and I praise you who have many macaws and pay for all their toys!
 

Animallover03

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I'm at my limit with one right now!
They are expensive and I praise you who have many macaws and pay for all their toys!
Same here- and I agree!
As much as I wish Grumbles wasn't a single bird- I don't have enough money or time right now.
 

Lwalker

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I would love more but recognize two is my limit. I could not afford to have more right now and my sister, who watches them if I have to go away for work (twice a year) has said I pressed my luck enough already when I got #2, :bored:

LOL! I know she really loves them :p!
 

webchirp

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I have figured things out for myself at least. Fostering! Each year I think about adding to the flock (noticed the pattern cause I am somewhat smart...hmm, perhaps not). However, having these fosters has left me with no time to worry about the next baby in the flock. And I admit, getting more involved with rescue brings many babies to my door that need help. But an FYI, if you feel the urge for another baby, check with your local rescue to become a foster. There is nothing wrong with becoming a foster failure and there is nothing more heart warming than finding a fabulous home for a wonderful birdie in need that you have helped along the way.
 

finchly

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I am from a family of hoarders and try to watch out for hoarding tendencies. I do *pretty well* with my house, not stashing things (my aunt saves every single piece of cardboard including drink trays, for example). My mother has every piece of clothing she ever purchased, which is a LOT. My weakness is pets.

One friend sees it as "you are an animal lover." Another said "You're an all-or-nothing kind of person." :rolleyes:

But the truth is when something becomes emotionally out of whack I acquire another pet. I was divorced in the 90s and had 23 pets at the time. Only one was a bird. And 3 very young children!!!

Right now I have 3 dogs, and put tons of time and energy into acquiring #3... if I'd had any inkling how prey driven/energetic/strong/stubborn she'd be, I would not have gotten her. She is 8 months old and not housebroken yet and is right this moment in 'jail' for continuous barking. At nothing. But the victory in this one is that I did think, and talk bout it before getting her.

I have about 30 birds, mostly finches and down from 100 -- both numbers give or take. What happened to me was back in the summer I was totally healthy one minute (well except a couple chronic illnesses) and the next minute staring death in the face...it turned out to be incorrect so all I've had to deal with is the frozen shoulder...but that is painful enough. And during that time I realized if I was having surgery with a minimum 12 weeks' recovery it wasn't fair to ask hubby to care for all these pets, which are mine. So I called a friend and asked if he'd like to have a few zebra finches. He took 4 or 6, and called back and said he totally loved them and could he have more?

I said you'd be doing me a huge favor if you would take them all, so he did. I lectured him first on MBS. :rofl:

It is way easier to clean cages right now, I have 10 cages. 3 of those are baby finches so they will move along. I have 3 tiels, a p'let, and a parrot. Reality has hit and I see that I could cut my finch numbers in half, should I need to. The larger 5 fids all need time and/or training, so by the time I walk dogs, interact with fids, make fresh chop, and so on it has been at least 3 hours and often 4. I leave the tiels loose in the bird room all day and they're happy to sit on me for a bit in the afternoon before returning to their cage for a snack. They can no longer roam the house and visit us in the home office due to dog #3.

I have 2 or 3 species on my wish but they may just stay that, a wish. If I could back up and start over I would probably stick with one tiel or two at the most ... hubby does love the tiels and with 2 we could give them enough attention. This is my rational self talking. Hoarder self is likely to come up with a new fid any moment. Another pionus, or an English budgie....
 

Dartman

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I usually have one bird at a time. When I got Nerd bird in 78 he came as a package with his brother I named Ferd. The shop gave me a deal to take both as they loved each other and they didn't want to break them up. Ferd died from something a few years in and Nerd and I grieved and he bonded to me and became my best bud for another 30 years or so. I HAVE taken in wild rescues that needed help but I TRY to stay to the one critter now. I raised a baby house finch female we rescued from a crow and she bonded too and Nerd was kinda sad for the year and a half he had to share me. We also rescued a teenaged pigeon and eventually rehomed him to a nice lady with chickens for him to hang out with. I wont turn down a critter in need as long as it wont directly hurt Dobby but I try to not look for them as we have enough on our plate now chasing him around and trying to keep up with our house and pay all the bills.
If you have the room, time, and money, more power to you but I think most folks should limit the critters they have to be fare to themselves and the critter. Unfortunately we lost poor Lurch(escaped:() and so I was given Dobby after Momazon offered and I gave it some short thought as he was a Maxi too and we had everything we needed to care for him already and know what they need.
 

dwright27

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Tanya, I commend you for recognizing that you hit a point where there were just too many and knew you had to "downsize" for your health and the health of the birds. Unfortunately, a lot of people never realize this until animal services is called and the birds are seized. As Terry just said, if you have the room, time, and money, go for it. The problem is that there are very few people out there who can actually handle a huge number of birds, I think. I know that I sure couldn't! Mind you, I don't even have ONE yet. :)
 

msplantladi

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I so relate to what you are saying Tanya...I too am a all or nothing kind of gal and really have to keep myself in check...it helped when we down sized our house situation-there is just no more room, PERIOD! NONE! :)
 

finchly

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..it helped when we down sized our house situation-there is just no more room, PERIOD! NONE! :)
Interesting! We are talking of moving to a condo. I would give up the bird room (and more finches, probably only keeping the Oak Creek aviary with finches, plus of course the bigger guys). I've wondered how I would handle that, not being able to just set up a new cage on a whim and buy canaries or something.
 

alshgs

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We are definitely at our limit with our 3. Tuki and Rio get along great and for that I am grateful, as well as Rio is the main one who requires my attention, Tuki could care less, but Rio loves to be with me all the time. I haven't introduced Diego yet, but hopefully in the next week or two I can. I'm also at my limit with dogs (they are my weakness and I currently have 5) but a few of them are getting up in age and while I don't like to think about it, once they pass on, I want to keep my dogs to 2 and my birds at 3. We are financially stable, in a house that we own and plan on adding to in the next 2 years. We are both young but we already have kids and won't be having anymore. We are set....currently. Thankfully I have several people to look after my animals when we go on vacation as I am very picky about that. And if there comes a vet visit where we are not able to pay for, I do have several family members that help. Should I have added another bird? No. But me and my husband talked it over, discussed everything (before each of our birds) and decided she would be best with us. Of course time and space and money will always be an issue, but thankfully we know that the biggest bird that is on our wish list is a cherry head conure. I stick to the smaller ones. I'm grateful that we are where we are, even though I know that could change at any moment.
 

Debbie

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Yes, it is hard for those of us who love animals to rein ourselves in....As I'm getting older (60) I know that I have to think more with my brain instead of my heart when it comes to animals...I have 2 dogs now...1 10 yrs, 1 almost 7, I'm telling myself now that this will be my last 2 dog group...and I will need to go down to 1 dog after these two...My birds...I have 7, 2 of those are finches...The finches are young, a bit over a year. When they go I don't think I will get anymore of them. My Quaker is 17 yrs old. He will be my last Quaker. My conure is still young, 2 years so I hope I still have him for a long time. I have 2 budgies, 1 Cockatiel. I don't know if I can give up having them...they are my favorite birds....I have thought off and on about starting up an aquarium...but even those cost money to maintain, and work, so I have been able to talk myself out of doing that. I have a siamese fighting fish....and I am telling myself again that he will be my last one. I am glad I have had the animals that I have had, they have left me with may wonderful memories...but I also know I need to be a responsible pet person. So it makes me sad in away to think about fewer pets in my future, but on the flip side I have been very blessed with a lot of wonderful animals over the years...
 

Big Badeepie

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Time and health for me. I've always kept a rule; For every bird I have I must have at least 2 hours in a waking day to spend with them, with the only exception being the ones that can come out together and don't mind sharing daddy time. I have held that self imposed rule with every animal in my life, not just birds but, these days, I'm pretty much exclusively a bird person. May, in the future, end up with a service dog but that'd prolly be the only not bird for me.
 

Penny Lane

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This response mayyy be a few years late, and it may be unneeded, but I felt like posting my 2¢ anyways. There's a few reasons that I know in my heart, I can't get another bird right now.

An obvious one and one that a lot of others have said as well, is concern for my current fids. I have a cockatiel and 2 budgies. As it is, the budgies aren't too much of a problem to take care of. They're hand tamed and come out everyday to chill with me or my sister or to just walk around on the couch. But my Quavo on the other hand...he's a needy boy, to say the least. He, like many birds, demands attention. His needs are very specific, and he's very serious about them being met in the correct way, lol.

I'm very wrapped up in taking care of him the way I know he needs to be, and the way he wants to be. He's my #1 concern and I do everything for him! So if I did get another bird, I would be very worried about how HE would react, especially since it would be another tiel. Would he hate the bird and fight it? Would he be so jealous and so unhappy that he'd completely turn on me? In my opinion, it's not worth the risk. I have harmony with my pets right now and it's not worth risking creating waves.

The other concerns are more "minor" but still an immediate thought.
1. There are NO local bird rescues, so it would have to be bought, which isn't the most morally comforting idea.
2. Space. I believe any pet that anybody gets should be taken care of to the highest degree possible, and if you can't meet their minimum requirements, do not get it. As it stands, I don't have room for another cage for the theoretical bird.
And 3. Is expense of course. Birds are expensive, and any money that goes towards a new bird, is money that could be spent on the guys I already have.

Just a few thoughts.
 

VictoryCC124

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I started reading this thread because the title defined me. In my head, I know I need to reign it in and stop at 5 birds. But my heart just wants to help give a loving a safe, loving home to those being neglected/abused. I dream of having a Parrot Rescue, but my current house is much too small.
We started with Jewel, a 1 yr old Blue Headed Pionus, who I purchased and had shipped to me. She looked terrible upon arrival. Severely damaged flight feathers and broken tail. Poor feather coloring due to poor diet. She caught sight of a dowel across the room and I thought her head was going to burst, she had such a panic attack. I was so upset! The vet thought it was likely that she'd never be able to fly due to the extent of the damage she had. I confronted the store in which I bought her from and they refund the cost of her. I could've sent her back as well, but there was no way I was going to send this poor girl back to the hell she came from.
Jewel and I had a rocky road to begin with, with her being our first bird and the rough beginning she in life. She scared everyone away with her biting, except me, I wasn't giving up. Her and I became friends after awhile. Then we brought Charlie, the Yellow sided Green Cheek, home with hopes that they could be friends. Jewel instantly hated Charlie, but at the same moment her and I created a strong, solid bond with complete trust in each other. It was the most amazing thing! It felt so wonderful, and it still does. My bond with my bird isn't anything I can explain well in words. It's not like anything I've ever had with a previous pet.
THAT feeling has become the addiction for me. That awesome feeling of saving a bird and building a bond with them. We now have Baby (CAG, 5 yo), Leo (White Capped Pionus, 1 yo), and Zora (BFA, 4 or 9 yo?). Baby ended up very neglected for almost year before we adopted her. Leo was purchased, but we found out upon his arrival that he was actually neglected & abused due to previously being sick and no one realizing/addressing his illness, which turned into him starving & having terrible behavior that resulted in the abuse & neglect. Poor guy. Zora came from a very unhealthy environment, which caused her a bacteria infection, left her in a cage 24/7 and caused her to become aggressive.
None of my birds are currently buddies. And yet, I find myself constantly looking for a bird in need...
Which is why I'm on this thread. It's not about time for me, as I'm home all day. It's not really about money either, so it makes it harder to stop. Reading your stories on this thread has helped me come to terms with the fact that I can't take on anymore birds and still be fair to my current flock. It's mostly about space in my house. I have to keep them far enough away from each other to prevent disaster. It's so hard, cuz I always want to help!!
 

NandayLover

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I have 29 parrots. When I tell people this they imagine macaws, cockatoos, amazons, etc. and are stunned. Family members are especially shocked. They see me as an animal hoarder at first, I'm sure. They don't know how I have time for them all or have the money to take care of them.

I don't have macaws, Amazon, or cockatoos. My biggest bird is a Nanday Conure, then I have 4 smaller Conures. My other 24 birds mostly consist of Budgies and Lovebirds. 9 Lovebirds and 11 Budgies. Of those 11 Budgies 3 are pets. And of those 9 Lovebirds 2 are pets. The rest live in large flight cages and do not get handled. Then I include these in the 29, my sister's Cockatiel and Mulga parrot. My mom's Bourke's and Linnie. My older sister owns 2 of the said pet budgies, the other is my mom's.

I am at my limit with my 5 Conures, I was at my limit with 3. I need to learn to say no. I tell myself I don't need more and yet I always think "one more can't hurt". I haven't wanted to say this because I haven't been sure it's true but reading some of these comments have made me realise I need to say it so here goes... My Sun Conure is my 5th and FINAL Conure!!
 

Riptide Queen

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Oh geez, for me, I guess my limit would be about 6 birds, as I have 5 at the moment and NB used to be the 6th. It's really hard to try and not to adopt because I know that I only have time for only 6 birds at the moment, but I also want to give my home to a bird who deserve a soft place to land on as well hhhh. That being said it's also cost as well as space. Luckily my three budgies share one flight cage and melon has her own and Pipsqueak has his own too.
 
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