Who owns a parrot?

Show em off here please!

A wee while back my partner and I acquired an Amazon Parrot named Jeremy! He had pretty much been an ornament for around 20 years so is shy and we aren't able to handle him. He is coming out of his shell though and enjoys sitting in the window of our new home.

So advice and tips are welcome

I used to have a cockatoo, those white ones with the yellow on the head and tail. I bought her from a pet shop many years ago, she was bald on her chest and I only bought her coz I couldn't stand to see the way she sat there half bald, and it took me a while to save up for her I can tell ya, but she did let me have her half price in the end!

I left her in a busy part of my flat so she could get used to people coming and going, and Dave built her a long pole walkway that he put up on top of her cage, so she could come in and out as she pleased, but she was sooooo nervy if you went to walk past her, she'd scramble to the furthest part away from you.

After weeks and weeks, of sheer and utter patience, I could eventually put my hand up to her and she'd rest her little head in the palm of my hand and spread her wings over it (how cute is that!). To watch her eating a piece of corn on the cob was quite fascinating, not to mention a banana, the way she'd peel it first! She used to sit on my shoulder and preen my hair for me whilst I ate my dinner, and then come down and share some of it lol! I miss her terribly, coz I gave her away when we moved here, (not enough room for her big cage back then and I felt so sorry for her having to keep moving her from room to room) to a bird sanctuary, where she still lives in the lap of luxury with all her friends and he's bred from her and offered me one of her babies but I declined.

I think those Amazons are really "one person" parrots, coz my friend had one and it adored her husband but hated her she couldn't get near it!

I sooooo want another one, especially as we're moving and I have a conservatory up there, but Dave has said no, he hates seeing birds behind bars I might try and change his mind by suggesting her builds her a big outdoor aviary, then I can have her indoors when he's not there!

Enjoy, they really are the most intelligent of creatures, and she'll probably outlive you!

I've got two african greys George and Ollie, George arrived as a baby at 13 weeks and Ollie was a rehome at about 2 and a half years old. They live together in the biggest double cage available and also have a jungle gym in the conservatory. They talk from the minute I uncover them till they go to bed at night and are very quick at picking up new phrases etc. not always the ones I'd like but hey, they are funny. George isn't particularly gentle, he likes to bite, the little b*gger. Ollie is very gentle and loving unless she gets spooked and then she will take a chunk out of ya. They both sit on me, especially on my head and like to wrap my hair around themselves. they also act like tarzan and try to swing off my hair. They come when called, step up when told to and also go to bed when told to, so no chasing around the conservatory when I want to go out. They are also trained to poop in the same spot everytime cos I don't like making work for myself. I also have two cockatiels that I rehomed just because they're such happy cheerful sounding birds, always chirping away but they do have different out of cage time to the greys for their own safety cos they like to dive bomb the greys and torment them, the greys have to have the top of their cage covered when the little uns are out and about.

Now that's what I call a serious parrot cage, hmmmmm, didn't know you could get cages as posh as that, I'm on a mission now!!!

We had an african grey when I was a toddler, I remember how he used to say norty things when mum left him out the front to watch the passers by! They're the best talkers aren't they. Mine didn't talk, she just liked a lot of fuss. She bit me once when she fell down into our basement and I went down to retrieve her, and considering I'd seen her crack through a brazil nut, I think she bit me pretty gently on my finger! She didn't like being picked up, but would happily sit on me. She used to go to bed when asked too, she'd just climb down and get back into her cage. Oh I really must get another one.

Being bitten isn't funny even when George does it just to liven you up, he doesn't like to be ignored so it's more a nip than a bite but it blimmin hurts. George has taken to chewing everything lately, he's turned his hardwood perch to splinters, his toys are being destroyed on a daily basis so I have to keep making new ones. Ollie prefers to destroy the sisal perches by shredding them to bits so we end up with what looks like a shredded wheat on the bottom of the cage.

I don't have a parrot, but a friend has an African Grey. I walk her dog for her, and also have to uncover her (the parrot) and feed her. I did have pics of her, but will need to have a look and see if I still have them.

Trouble how do you train them to poop in the same place?? Your birds are very lucky having that big cage and fun room to play in!

I was thinking the same. My dad used to have a cockatoo (or cockateil?) and it shat all over the place. There were 'things' crawling in his carpets but he didn't seem to notice them. I was petrified of putting my young daughter down on the floor in his house at the time.

I do love large exotic birds and would love to have one here (weather is great for them) but puzzle about the 'housetraining' bit. Am only good at housetraining kids and dogs!

perseverance, mainly as soon as they come out they go up high on their ropes so I tell them to poo and waited with newspaper to catch it, better that than going on my head or shoulders. Once they knew what it meant I introduced a tall stand with a poo catcher which is basically a tray mounted under the perch, covered in newspaper and as soon as they go I whip the paper away and bin it. So much better than getting s*** on, I don't care how lucky it's meant to be . They are clever little sods and it only took a few days to teach, Same as not chewing the blinds, no one could believe the blinds survived but I just chased them away every time they went near them and they soon learnt it wasn't worth the hassle, just as well really cos they would have turned them to matchsticks.

Long John Silver?