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Necrotizer F posted:I knew all that, I was just trying to ascertain the costs involved in doing it. That said, I think you're right. I'd have to put in four to six foot high chain link fencing all around the yard. I'd also have to trim back or just remove a couple of trees that would potentially allow cats or other predators access to the yard. I'd need to get and maintain a wading pool. Plus even though I live in a suburban area, there are at least patches off wooded, undeveloped land so we sometimes get hawks and other predatory birds. Ducks, especially small call ducks would be highly vulnerable to them and it's not like I can fence off the sky. Plus I work full time so most days I'd be away from the ducks a good 8-10 hours. So, yeah, it's probably best for me to let my potential ducks get adopted my people willing and able to do what's best for them. Which I am not. You could always get some nice indoor birds that can pretend to be ducks!  
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Oct 15, 2019 07:48
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Captain Log posted:You could always get some nice indoor birds that can pretend to be ducks! How feasible is bird ownership if you live alone and work full-time? I'd definitely like to consider getting a cockatiel or a conure at some point, but I worry that even with out of cage time in the morning and night plus weekends that wouldn't be enough interaction for a hypothetical bird. I'm assuming a cockatiel would fare better than a conure but does anyone have any thoughts about how doable/horrible an idea it would be for me to even consider getting a bird at this point? If it makes any difference I have had a cockatiel before, so I'm not a complete novice and I know I could do the morning/night out of cage time.
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Oct 15, 2019 08:05
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Whitlam posted:How feasible is bird ownership if you live alone and work full-time? I'd definitely like to consider getting a cockatiel or a conure at some point, but I worry that even with out of cage time in the morning and night plus weekends that wouldn't be enough interaction for a hypothetical bird. I'm assuming a cockatiel would fare better than a conure but does anyone have any thoughts about how doable/horrible an idea it would be for me to even consider getting a bird at this point? If it makes any difference I have had a cockatiel before, so I'm not a complete novice and I know I could do the morning/night out of cage time. That's my real sticking point as well. It'd take time and effort, but I could put in a fence and pool, take out the trees and even put together some kind of coop/shelter to let them bed down and be protected from predators. But I'd still gone 9-10 hours during the day five out of seven days, and sleeping another 7-9 hours at night. Plus I've seen some videos of ducklings. They are adorable but seem to need a lot of attention. I remember one little guy freaking out when his owner was gone for literally a minute.
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Oct 15, 2019 08:15
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Necrotizer F posted:I recently got into the show, Ducktales which led me to videos like this which have infected me with a desire to get a duck (really two ducks for their mental health). Ducks are super messy, that's the biggest hurdle to duck ownership. Not only do they need water to be able to submerge their heads in they will dunk food and poop in that water. My mum's outdoor ducks have an old bathtub to swim around in and that needs to be emptied every few days to clear out the festering sludge at the bottom.
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Oct 15, 2019 10:17
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We live in a community that has a lake, downhill from our house and on the other side of a patch of forest. My wife has entertained ideas of buying ducks and letting them roam back and forth between the lake and a food source at the house. I think that that would end badly unless the goal is to feed the local predators.
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Oct 15, 2019 14:33
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All set to go spend the day at my sister's house for the THIRD spray. Yay.  The upside is all this is that I've worried about "what if I have to leave in an emergency and Ozzy won't step up" but it turns out he's pretty good about stepping up in a pinch if he can see what's going on and what I'm trying to do and he can't do it himself. Rest of the time? No. He refuses. No touch.
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Oct 15, 2019 15:59
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I really love watching ducks eat peas.
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Oct 15, 2019 20:35
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Tsaedje posted:Ducks are super messy, that's the biggest hurdle to duck ownership. Not only do they need water to be able to submerge their heads in they will dunk food and poop in that water. My mum's outdoor ducks have an old bathtub to swim around in and that needs to be emptied every few days to clear out the festering sludge at the bottom. I now unironically thank you for killing what remained of my "pet duckies" dream with your "fecal slurry" nightmare. Yeah, no way could I handle that. Any pet I get needs to be something fairly self-sufficient that also won't destroy or befoul my home. So, I'm going to love duckies. Other people's duckies. Just like I love other people's kitties, doggies and toddler children (which are basically pets that can sort of talk). Everyone fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Oct 15, 2019 |
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Oct 15, 2019 21:38
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Whitlam posted:How feasible is bird ownership if you live alone and work full-time? I'd definitely like to consider getting a cockatiel or a conure at some point, but I worry that even with out of cage time in the morning and night plus weekends that wouldn't be enough interaction for a hypothetical bird. I'm assuming a cockatiel would fare better than a conure but does anyone have any thoughts about how doable/horrible an idea it would be for me to even consider getting a bird at this point? If it makes any difference I have had a cockatiel before, so I'm not a complete novice and I know I could do the morning/night out of cage time. I had birds most of my adult life and lived alone. Cockatiels can remain hand tame and friendly with a person working full time. I honestly find them to be pretty "forgiving" of occasionally not optimal work schedules. But, my flock has always been happiest when I live in a busy home. With a cockatiel, I think it's feasible IF you give them a ton of love and out of the cage time when you are home. Serra gets the TV left on for her when the house is empty and clearly just sleeps and plays when she is alone. She doesn't panic when we are leaving or arriving. Parakeets? I'd get two and not expect tame birds. My semi-tame parakeet became completely untamed when I worked and lived alone. Conures? I'll let some of the many conure owners weigh in on that. Again, I think a cockatiel can work. But you would be correct to take a good, long look at your living situation first. If you land in the hospital, who comes and rescues the birds? That exact scenario happened to me in Kansas, with no friends or family in the state. I still hate myself for allowing that to happen and count my lucky stars my flock was OK when I got home. That situation, which I allowed by not having a back up coworker with a set of my keys, could have killed my birds. It was my fault, emergency illness or not. Don't put yourself or you birds in that situation. Cockatiels can also easily live past twenty years. They bond to their owner and shouldn't get shuffled off for any reason. Make sure you're ready for one hell of a commitment. If you are, I bet you'll find it to be incredibly rewards. Cockatiels are the absolute best. This is Serra today, with her head upside down for maximum scritches. Yes, she has to nibble on my finger while this happens. 
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Oct 15, 2019 22:47
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Look at these soggy buffoons  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkXo1gbPjAQ
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Oct 15, 2019 22:48
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Captain Log posted:Good advice Thanks for the effort post. With Weary (the weiro) we used to leave the radio on all day, and he seemed pretty happy with that. At least, he never displayed any signs of distress like plucking or even hostility. He was a happy little potato. But I was in primary school then, so he was alone for like, six hours a day, as opposed to a full work day. I have bird-friendly family and friends who would be able to take a hypothetical bird in if I needed it (Australians don't tend to move around as much as Americans, I guess partly because we don't have as many places to move to), so I don't think that would be a problem. Or at least, I don't think it would be an immediate, insurmountable issue. Responsible pet ownership is knowing when you're not in a position to have one, and I know I'm not right now, but in a couple of months it might not be out of the question. Thanks to everyone for all the stories and pictures of your birds, on behalf of the "I can only live vicariously through y'all for now" club.
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Oct 16, 2019 00:09
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I would recommend against a conure, personally, if they have to be alone most of the day. Mochi joined our home when I was working from home, but he's definitely cranky and offended these days with my partner and I working near opposite schedules and someone only being home and awake with him from 5-10. Maybe you could consider adopting a bird who already lived in a home where they're already used to it?
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Oct 16, 2019 01:45
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Tendai posted:Look at these soggy buffoons New Zealand is truly a blessed place
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Oct 16, 2019 02:03
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I side with the advice that a conure-type parrot isn't well-suited to an owner that works full-time and lives alone. However, over my years with Sinbad, there have been periods where we've lived like that. It helps a lot to do things like setting up his cage where he has a view of the world outside, I think.
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Oct 16, 2019 02:10
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subpar anachronism posted:I would recommend against a conure, personally, if they have to be alone most of the day. Mochi joined our home when I was working from home, but he's definitely cranky and offended these days with my partner and I working near opposite schedules and someone only being home and awake with him from 5-10. Maybe you could consider adopting a bird who already lived in a home where they're already used to it? Agreed. I worked full time with Ama as an only bird for a long time. In the past I may have naively said he was fine, but he is noticeably happier with Charlie around. More so than I might have guessed.
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Oct 16, 2019 02:37
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I didn't see this mentioned so I am sorry if I am repeating anything, but it's a good idea before you get a bird to locate your nearest avian vet. Most normal vets don't do birds and the ones that do don't generally have a very good handle on what their care is and the variety of problems that comes with the sheer breadth of birds that are kept as pets. It's good to have the number of one before purchase or adoption not only so they can give your new friend(s) a check up but also just in case something happens. It's never fun to think about but your bird companion will have a much higher chance to survive if you have a game plan when poo poo hits the fan. Since you won't have someone to ask "hey does (bird) look different to you today?" having a vet's phone number can be a good opinion, especially if they aren't a shithead. Some vets even will facetime now, just to get a general idea if it looks like a problem the animal should be brought in for or not.
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Oct 16, 2019 03:43
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Yeah you're absolutely right, and the good news is a vet is something I've considered. The even better news is that as it turns out, there's a specialist avian and exotic vet in my suburb. I liked them on Facebook a while ago, because even if it's an evil, corrupting force in the world, at least my wall can have cute pictures on it.
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Oct 16, 2019 04:22
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If you want to see, many ducks. http://www.shwpark.com/
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Oct 16, 2019 05:52
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Jack Forge posted:If you want to see, many ducks. http://www.shwpark.com/ I want to feed flamingos.
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Oct 16, 2019 06:10
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I had an infusion last Friday and I’m really feeling the side effects today. Feels like a low grade flu and it always happens about five to seven days later. Serra, who normally is impossible to contain due to her juvenile need to constantly explore, has come out to spend some time with me. She has sat with me for over TWO HOURS without trying to run away or cause trouble. I love birbs so drat much. What did we do to deserve such sweet little doofuses in our lives? Share your stories of birds being the best.
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Oct 16, 2019 22:55
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I just came back from a psych appointment where I was talking about this, oddly. If I cry, my birds come and sing to me in an attempt to cheer me up. If they're in bed when I'm crying, then they call to me from under the sheet. When I've been genuinely sick, they hang out with me quietly. When I'm just feeling too sad to get out of bed, they fuss until I do. They always know. I feel like my posting in this thread alone should make it unsurprising that I have a psych. Ha.
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Oct 16, 2019 23:14
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Captain Log posted:I had an infusion last Friday and I’m really feeling the side effects today. Feels like a low grade flu and it always happens about five to seven days later. taco was sitting on my partners shoulder once, so I pointed at my partner and made a kissing noise and taco leaned over and poked my partner with her beak and made a kissing noise
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Oct 17, 2019 04:50
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Cythereal posted:Get a parrot, train it to attack JWs and Mormons.
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Oct 17, 2019 06:23
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GoldStandardConure posted:taco was sitting on my partners shoulder once, so I pointed at my partner and made a kissing noise and taco leaned over and poked my partner with her beak and made a kissing noise Awhh! 
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Oct 17, 2019 06:59
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Pookie tends to sit quietly with me anyway, so noticing that she's being particularly good when I'm sick is hard, but I do remember many years ago, when my long-lost cockatiel Looloo spent all day with me when I had measles - I was lying in bed with my head propped up on pillows and she spent the whole time snuggled in right beside my nose. It was extremely comforting edit: Jose Oquendo posted:At night, if I'm up late and need a snack, when I'm in the kitchen, my grey imitates the microwave *beep beep beep * *whiiiirrrrr (the noise of the microwave operating) and then the pop hiss of a soda can opening. There's a group of noises that seem to be universally appealing to greys - microwave beeps and phone boops are definitely among them. Pookie's never done sending and receiving texts. Pookah fucked around with this message at 08:47 on Oct 17, 2019 |
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Oct 17, 2019 08:45
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Captain Log posted:I had an infusion last Friday and I’m really feeling the side effects today. Feels like a low grade flu and it always happens about five to seven days later. oh i've mentioned before about my two being so empathetic to me when I am upset  I recently lost my uncle to a sudden alcoholic death. One sec he said he was going in for treatment and within a week he was gone due to alcohol induced dementia and various organ failures. Needless to say, I was crushed...absolutely shattered. He wasn't that much older than me, and he was my only uncle, so we were close.Of course, I was alone at home when I got the news and sat at my desk and cried. Not the pretty tears, like some people can pull off...but the ugly crying. My Cricket and Trevor were out of their cages and actually tolerating each other with an uneasy truce as they ate their treats on top of their cages, but they both stopped and looked at me when I started crying. Cricket came scrambling over as fast as she could and started kissing my cheeks and preening my hair, whispering "I love you baby, its ok dont worry" over and over. Trevor sat behind me for a moment or two, then threw himself into the air like a massive oversized bumblebee and managed to land on my lap, crawled up onto my other shoulder and started kissing me saying "Dont worry its ok....kiss kiss...its ok, good job baby....whos a sweet bird...its ok" in his little grumbly voice. They normally cannot sit with me together on my shoulders without trying to argue, but this time they sat there nicely, kissing me and telling me sweet things til i was able to stop crying. They stayed with me most of the day, occasionally snuggling with me and kissing me and saying the same things to me. These two mean the world to me....and it almost brings me to tears thinking of how much they were trying to make me feel better by saying the things I tell them when they are scared or upset. They understand so much more than people think
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Oct 17, 2019 15:37
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Captain Log posted:I had an infusion last Friday and I’m really feeling the side effects today. Feels like a low grade flu and it always happens about five to seven days later. When I was a little girl, my tiny white budgie Miracle (so named because he was such a good bird) was hanging out with me on my shoulder. I was sick with the flu and crying a little, so he gently gave me a kiss on the cheek to cheer me up.
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Oct 17, 2019 15:42
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I have told people sometimes that there's different types of intelligence, and while maybe my tiels aren't the best when it comes to problem solving or figuring out the mystery of the mirror, their emotional intelligence is very high, because a social creature needs to be in tune with the emotions of those around them.
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Oct 17, 2019 15:54
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My previous budgie loved it when I cried because he loved the taste of tears for real.
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Oct 17, 2019 16:07
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Disco Salmon posted:oh i've mentioned before about my two being so empathetic to me when I am upset Birds are too good. This story is adorable.
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Oct 17, 2019 16:18
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Rotten Cookies posted:Birds are too good. This story is adorable. This times a billion.
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Oct 17, 2019 21:03
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you all have very, very, very good birds.
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Oct 17, 2019 22:51
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This can't go un-crossposted
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Oct 17, 2019 22:55
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good boys watching the outside world 
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Oct 17, 2019 23:51
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https://twitter.com/41Strange/status/1184902927254609920
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Oct 18, 2019 04:17
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My favourite thing about that pic is that there's a pretty good chance that cockatoo is still alive today, making people's ears bleed 61 years later.
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Oct 18, 2019 05:34
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:good boys watching the outside world And plotting together to get snacks from you. Charlie's the muscle, Ama's the brains.
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Oct 18, 2019 05:50
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So I've been looking through various You-tube pet videos and found this thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-3z-TjnqB4 That's pretty horrifying and also children can be assholes. One thing I've learned is that since rabbits are prey animals, getting lifted off the ground triggers their "OMG I'm gonna die!" instinct because of "Death from above." However, videos of ducks, especially ducklings show them to be pretty much cool with being lifted, cuddled while held off the ground, etc. And there where plenty of videos featuring baby birds getting carried off to be eaten, usually by other birds (crows, seagulls and one particularly evil/hungry woodpecker that carried off four of six baby robins (two fled the nest to an uncertain but likely equally awful fate)). So, why don't ducklings and the like freak out over being picked up the way rabbits do?
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Oct 18, 2019 07:20
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Tsaedje posted:This can't go un-crossposted What's the sparkling adoring anime eyes emoji? A friend of mine visiting once said "Sinbad's almost always making noise." I didn't even notice but I was kind of staggered to think it would bother anyone. He is almost perpetually chirping or something but screams aside I think it's all cute.
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Oct 18, 2019 19:36
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SuperKlaus posted:What's the sparkling adoring anime eyes emoji?  ?
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