Bird people--Help

[vesta111]

We have a parakeet we bought 5-6 years ago and have no idea of its age at the time.

Nice little bird, has sat in its cage and cheeped away happily for years.    Today when Hubby cleaned its cage I took a good look as the bird was 8 feet in the air for protection from the Maine Coon Cats.

This is not good, my bird is really small, and I wonder if it is ill, old or whatever.

Never had a chance to actually see much as it was so high up and had to go on tip toe to fill food Bowl and water.

So now I face  divorce over the bird, I want to allow it to fly free in the home, enter the cage for food and water but to spend the last days of its life as a bird.  If the bird dies tonight I will feel guilt that the bird never had a chance to be free. 

Hubby says the cats will catch and eat him, -----My thinking is if the bird is going to die anyway, why not give it a few actual days of life as a bird and if the cats then get him,  then what is the problem, to die in a cage today or fly about as a bird and have a few days of happiness.

Much of his goes back to when my Dad was dieing, why when he was given a few weeks to live could he not have salt on his food, we were forbidden to give him a cigarette or a healthy rum and coke.

Why is it that people on their death beds are deprived of the things they like the most.???? 

My little bird has never to my knowledge been free of a cage, why not allow the bird even an hour of using its wings to fly about .

So I have taped the cage door open, if the bird wants to leave he can.

I will have to turn off the ceiling fans so the little dude won't get chopped up,what a mess.

Who would have thought the question  of a caged bird would cause Hubby and I to have our first fight in 20 years, more to find  under the argument about  the the bird I fear----This may have opened the gate to 20 years of frustration we both feel.

Meanwhile the cage door is open, if my bird wants to be free, then I will cheer and give him Gods Speed.
 

[Big Don]

Good God, you're a loon.

[Mike220]

Good God, you're a loon.

I see what you did there... 

[Eupher]

We have a parakeet we bought 5-6 years ago and have no idea of its age at the time.

Nice little bird, has sat in its cage and cheeped away happily for years.    Today when Hubby cleaned its cage I took a good look as the bird was 8 feet in the air for protection from the Maine Coon Cats.

This is not good, my bird is really small, and I wonder if it is ill, old or whatever.

Never had a chance to actually see much as it was so high up and had to go on tip toe to fill food Bowl and water.

So now I face  divorce over the bird, I want to allow it to fly free in the home, enter the cage for food and water but to spend the last days of its life as a bird.  If the bird dies tonight I will feel guilt that the bird never had a chance to be free. 

Hubby says the cats will catch and eat him, -----My thinking is if the bird is going to die anyway, why not give it a few actual days of life as a bird and if the cats then get him,  then what is the problem, to die in a cage today or fly about as a bird and have a few days of happiness.

Much of his goes back to when my Dad was dieing, why when he was given a few weeks to live could he not have salt on his food, we were forbidden to give him a cigarette or a healthy rum and coke.

Why is it that people on their death beds are deprived of the things they like the most.???? 

My little bird has never to my knowledge been free of a cage, why not allow the bird even an hour of using its wings to fly about .

So I have taped the cage door open, if the bird wants to leave he can.

I will have to turn off the ceiling fans so the little dude won't get chopped up,what a mess.

Who would have thought the question  of a caged bird would cause Hubby and I to have our first fight in 20 years, more to find  under the argument about  the the bird I fear----This may have opened the gate to 20 years of frustration we both feel.

Meanwhile the cage door is open, if my bird wants to be free, then I will cheer and give him Gods Speed.
 

I'm a bird guy, and to echo what Big Don said, you're a loon.

But here's why:

If your "parakeet" (and chances are it's not a parakeet at all, it's a budgerigar, or "budgie") has been living in a cage its entire life because you have cats, WTF are you DOING?

Do you not understand that birds are social animals and have a "flock" to which it belongs? You relegate the bird to a ******* cage for its entire life with little or no contact with people (its flock) and you think the bird is "happy?"

Some things just don't mix -- birds and cats. Sometimes you can train a dog to leave the bird alone, but not always. But cats? Forget it.

Vesta, if you had half an ounce of cognitive power you'd find the bird a home in which it can have some kind of life outside of its cage.

You leave the cage door taped open, you're going to find a puff of feather and maybe a leg and a cat with gas.

Get a clue, vesta. And hurry up about it.

Bitchslapped for being a ****ing idiot.

[vesta111]

I'm a bird guy, and to echo what Big Don said, you're a loon.

But here's why:

If your "parakeet" (and chances are it's not a parakeet at all, it's a budgerigar, or "budgie") has been living in a cage its entire life because you have cats, WTF are you DOING?

Do you not understand that birds are social animals and have a "flock" to which it belongs? You relegate the bird to a ******* cage for its entire life with little or no contact with people (its flock) and you think the bird is "happy?"

Some things just don't mix -- birds and cats. Sometimes you can train a dog to leave the bird alone, but not always. But cats? Forget it.

Vesta, if you had half an ounce of cognitive power you'd find the bird a home in which it can have some kind of life outside of its cage.

You leave the cage door taped open, you're going to find a puff of feather and maybe a leg and a cat with gas.

Get a clue, vesta. And hurry up about it.

Bitchslapped for being a ****ing idiot.

Eupher, My bird is in the mid center of the house, he can see everything that goes on in livingroom, dining room and a large part of the kitchen. Next to him is another cage with some kind of Canary twice his size and they talk back and forth all day. They fight if placed in the same cage so we gave them their own homes next to each other for championship.

 I keep them out of the kitchen area as I was told the fumes of a hot non stick pan is poison to them.

I have owned 2 Conures half moon that lived with cage door open, cut flight feather on one side and both dived bombed my cats,sat on my shoulder and preened my hair.  However, these little guys are a different species of bird so we did what we could to make cage life comfortable for them.

Both spend a good part of the day sitting next to the side of their cages yakking it up, and both cages are large enough for them to spread their wings.

Neither are in solitary confinement like a human in jail, they have toys, each other and the company of humans 18/7.   

 My problem was the worry about the smallest one and should I give him some freedom if he is about to kick the bucket anyway.

Sort of like taking grandpa to for fill his last wish to ride a roller coaster, or sky dive.         

Eupher, I treat my pets according to their needs and hope for the best.  My cats are house bound, the house itself is a  kind of large cage never outside. However when rodents get under the house they have the time of their life being what they are Hunter Killers. 

  So what is wrong with giving a bird freedom to fly for once and the only time in their life?????

The bird knows the layout of the house, it knows where it's cage is, I am not going to turn it loose  outside for hawks to eat or no way to get home.

Was that you Eupher I saw outside a pet store picketing because the birds for sale are in cages ???

Free the Finches and Canary's!!!!!! 






     

[BEG]

The reason I am awake at 2:22 am is because of these damn song birds in our trees. Right now I want all birds to die...now.

[Eupher]

Eupher, My bird is in the mid center of the house, he can see everything that goes on in livingroom, dining room and a large part of the kitchen. Next to him is another cage with some kind of Canary twice his size and they talk back and forth all day. They fight if placed in the same cage so we gave them their own homes next to each other for championship.

Congratulations. Maybe you're learning something.

I keep them out of the kitchen area as I was told the fumes of a hot non stick pan is poison to them.

Wrong. The fumes of a non-stick pan heated to over 475 deg. F. can be fatal.

I have owned 2 Conures half moon that lived with cage door open, cut flight feather on one side and both dived bombed my cats,sat on my shoulder and preened my hair.  However, these little guys are a different species of bird so we did what we could to make cage life comfortable for them.

Who told you to cut flight feathers on one side only? Do you realize how stupid that is for the bird? Instead of the bird either being able to fly with intact flight feathers (my personal preference, though every situation is different) or having 3 flight feathers on both sides cut (thereby allowing the bird to float to the floor), you're going to cut one side only? That's like trying to walk with only one leg. You tend to go in circles.

Both spend a good part of the day sitting next to the side of their cages yakking it up, and both cages are large enough for them to spread their wings.

Neither are in solitary confinement like a human in jail, they have toys, each other and the company of humans 18/7.    

That's good. They are social animals and need contact with their flock, whether human or avian. There may be hope for you yet.

My problem was the worry about the smallest one and should I give him some freedom if he is about to kick the bucket anyway.

Sort of like taking grandpa to for fill his last wish to ride a roller coaster, or sky dive.        

Eupher, I treat my pets according to their needs and hope for the best.  My cats are house bound, the house itself is a  kind of large cage never outside. However when rodents get under the house they have the time of their life being what they are Hunter Killers.  

  So what is wrong with giving a bird freedom to fly for once and the only time in their life?????

Your problem is, you're treating the bird like he's a human. He's not. Here's a news flash for you, vesta -- the bird is a bird. You are trying to infuse a new behavior, a new situation to the bird when he does not expect it. He's going to be leery and fearful. He's not going to react like your grandpa on his deathbed when he says he wants to sky dive.  

You said absolutely nothing about the other birds in your house in your OP. As I am not a mind reader, I could not have known about that.

You asked for help -- I offered it. Leave the bird alone. Do not let the bird out of his cage unless you're directly supervising and the cats are kept out of the room. Otherwise, the bird becomes dinner.

[vesta111]

Congratulations. Maybe you're learning something.

Wrong. The fumes of a non-stick pan heated to over 475 deg. F. can be fatal.

Who told you to cut flight feathers on one side only? Do you realize how stupid that is for the bird? Instead of the bird either being able to fly with intact flight feathers (my personal preference, though every situation is different) or having 3 flight feathers on both sides cut (thereby allowing the bird to float to the floor), you're going to cut one side only? That's like trying to walk with only one leg. You tend to go in circles.

That's good. They are social animals and need contact with their flock, whether human or avian. There may be hope for you yet.

Your problem is, you're treating the bird like he's a human. He's not. Here's a news flash for you, vesta -- the bird is a bird. You are trying to infuse a new behavior, a new situation to the bird when he does not expect it. He's going to be leery and fearful. He's not going to react like your grandpa on his deathbed when he says he wants to sky dive.  

You said absolutely nothing about the other birds in your house in your OP. As I am not a mind reader, I could not have known about that.

You asked for help -- I offered it. Leave the bird alone. Do not let the bird out of his cage unless you're directly supervising and the cats are kept out of the room. Otherwise, the bird becomes dinner.

You said absolutely nothing about the other birds in your house in your OP. As I am not a mind reader, I could not have known about that. [/quote]

Here is the rub, Eupher, you asked no questions about the living conditions of the bird other then being caged.

This is why I asked for help and ideas, I wished to have you an others ask questions and give me some ideas on what I should do for a bird.

No Eupher I did not go into detail of living conditions of the bird, my thought was if the bird was on its last leg what would be the thing to do.---let it die in it's cage or allow it to fly free in the house for its last hour on earth.

My bird is scared to come out of its cage, the only safe life it has known.  What is best for the bird, to allow it to die in its safe zone or force it out to a freedom it may not want? 

 

 

[Eupher]

Here is the rub, Eupher, you asked no questions about the living conditions of the bird other then being caged.

Let me get this straight. You ask for help, and it's up to me to ask YOU questions about your bird? Are you insane? Wait -- don't answer that.

This is why I asked for help and ideas, I wished to have you an others ask questions and give me some ideas on what I should do for a bird.

I provided you ideas and information. My suggestion is to leave the bird in the cage since he's not known anything but that place. Stop treating the bird like a human. He ain't your grandpa going for a last ride on the roller coaster. If that somehow offends your sense of right and wrong insofar as the bird is concerned, go ahead and let him out. But do him, you, and the cats a favor by keeping the cats out of the room while you actively supervise. Don't go to the computer and put in another nonsensical post on CC while leaving the door open -- you'll be without a bird and the cat will have to burp. And there might be an errant feather floating around.

No Eupher I did not go into detail of living conditions of the bird, my thought was if the bird was on its last leg what would be the thing to do.---let it die in it's cage or allow it to fly free in the house for its last hour on earth.

My bird is scared to come out of its cage, the only safe life it has known.  What is best for the bird, to allow it to die in its safe zone or force it out to a freedom it may not want? 

Read what you've written just above and come to your own answer. If the bird is too frightened to come out of its cage, but you're trying to force it to do so, you're doing nothing but trying to make yourself feel good at the expense of the bird.

Wake up, vesta. Smell the coffee.

Bitchslapped for being an idiot. Again.

[/quote]