Liveaboard Pet Parrot?

[captain58sailin]

Okay for the record Betta fighting fish are very social, my wife plays with ours using a chop stick. I have lived with an Amazon Blue, and worked around an African Gray, and witnessed a man with a Cockatoo, trying to get him to come down the rigging after climbing the mast. For me the deal killer is the mess. Sunflower seed shells in the bilge is a no no.

[Irish rambler]

Yep there's a thread on here for gay sailors, they would know about a Cockatoo !

[ShaktiGurl]

We kept an unclipped African Grey living in Kansas City when I was in high school. He went flying around the city constantly talking saying things like "dammit Trish!" ( my mothers name) and "TnT Computer Solutions" ( my step fathers business). My husband also kept an unclipped parrot in FL that would fly to his place of business. Very social( (need lots of time), messy, loud and will chew up anything wood ( like an emtire deck in KC). I would not keep a parrot again but they are fascinating creatures. A boat cat for me if I ever decide to pet-up on board.

[captain58sailin]

As it would happen, the owner of the cockatoo, was headed to Key West for Halloween, and the little rascal climbed and aft stay and was unwilling to come down, no matter how many times he shook the rigging and call his name. I happened to be on the charter boat next door, and went on deck with my .20 ga. shotgun and offered to help him get the bird out of the rigging. Needless to say, he was not amused, I think maybe it might have been bad timing, he was really pissed.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Summitfun

Parrots are social critters............... How about a cat?

How about a parrot and a cat, that might be interesting......................for a while.

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by Irish rambler

Coastlife247, get your self a nice lady, forget about dirty smelly birds( I suppose that depends on the lady ).
After a divorce I lived aboard for 25 years alone( well sometimes) so I know very well how you feel and went through the same soul searching.
Seriously the first consideration is, if you aren't happy with your own company why would you expect anyone else to be happy with you ?.
A nice lady would be very supportive to your cruising life and you would become a loving working team and that my friend is worth it's weight in gold.
Lighten up and get yourself a social life, you don't need to live in a fancy marina or spend a fortune, be nice to people, smile first it usually gets a smile in return.
Parrots are dirty smelly things and nice roasted or bbq'd, you'd be better with a small dog, if you train them well first.
I would recommend a breed called Schipperke, (Belgian barge dog) they are bred to live aboard, friendly and very protective of the master and his family and remarkably good company and they are a magnet for ladies who always stop to admire and pet them.
If you don't think there are ladies out there who would like living on board just look around this website and you'll see some real crackers.
Forget the bird on the wing, go for the real thing.

Look I'm not desperately lonely. My social life is just fine. I go out every weekend. Don't go all Dr. Phil on me... I just want a pet. Not a Betta splendens, not a reptile, and hell no to cats because I'm not sharing my space with an animal that only likes me some of the time. Dogs are great but I'm not willing to go through the puppy phase right now and is rather wait and get a decent sized dog.
You f'ers keep saying parrots thinking a macaw, which is a huge bird and loud. I'm talking about a parrotlet, a bird the size of a parakeet or lovebird, but intelligent because it's a parrot.

[four winds]

You f'ers?.....that's nice.

Maybe check your thread title for the source of the confusion.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

How about a parrot and a cat, that might be interesting......................for a while.

We are packing for a week on the boat, which involves packing the African Grey and the Cat! Bet on the bird, trust me, bet on the bird. We had lories for a few years. You would see the cat chase the bird around a corner, then back they would come with the bird in pursuit. I've never seen anything so fearless as those lories. One got real attached to me. Twice I saw it leap off my shoulder to attack my wife as she walked by.

This African Grey sucker is 32 and may outlive me.

Yeah, and keep 'em away from wood. We give home dog chew toys, which he destroys. I very seen him go through a sheet rock wall in a couple of days. Moulding? Afternoon snack. So the cage needs a few inches clearance, more than you think.

When I swallow the hook I'm getting more birds. But not until.

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by four winds

You f'ers?.....that's nice.

Maybe check your thread title for the source of the confusion.

Lol I'm not mad at y'all. F'ers is a term of endearment for me. I'll substitute jokers.
The confusion is that everyone thinks parrots are macaws. But parakeets, cockatiel, cockatoos, parrotlets, macaws are all parrots. That's why in the opening post I specify parrotlet or cockatiel.

[four winds]

My mom had a cockatiel for many years before she passed. Very smart and a good companion. Extensive vocabulary including singing entire gospel songs.

[brownoarsman]

I had a cockatiel growing up (in a house not a boat) - beautiful birds. We got two as a pair, but the second (male) died shortly after we moved them in. No idea why - looked like a beautiful, healthy bird. The second lived for the next ten years (the original owner wasn't sure how old they were so can't give a lifespan).

The bird was fine living alone; though we handled her a lot and frequently let her fly around the house or watch TV out of the cage with us. Two tips from our experience: try out a bunch of different types of music - classical, country, rock, whatever. Our bird really liked country music, and would be content chirping along with music as her companion while we were out. Second - to prevent the gnawing on wood, put a cuttlefish hanger in the cage and she'll gnaw on that instead.

If you're going to be hanging this cage while underway, don't overfill the feed and water to prevent it splashing out, and clean the cage often and I don't think you will have a problem. Birds drink from a standing pool, rather than a bottle with a spout like rodents, so you may have to deal with spilled water from time to time. Probably no different from living with a dog or cat though.

[captain58sailin]

We had a cat at the same time as the Amazon Blue. This was an outside tough as nails, fights with dogs type of cat, and I watched him sneak up on the bird one time, and as soon as the cat got ready to pounce, the bird spun around and nailed the cat right on the nose! And that as they say was that, bird won the round, and there was no rematch. I was rooting for the cat.

[OutOfControl]

Originally Posted by Coastlife247

Lol I'm not mad at y'all. F'ers is a term of endearment for me. I'll substitute jokers.
The confusion is that everyone thinks parrots are macaws. But parakeets, cockatiel, cockatoos, parrotlets, macaws are all parrots. That's why in the opening post I specify parrotlet or cockatiel.

Coastlife, my wife bought a parrolet with a cage and all the goodies for $10 at a garage sale. The owner had passed away and the family wanted nothing to do with the bird. She lived with us for about 8 years before passing away. The little one loved to be held and liked to cuddle against your neck and give kisses by lightly nibbling on your lip. She was very low maintenance and soft in sound. They would be a good choice.

You also mentioned a small dog but didn't want to deal with the whole "puppy" thing. I can understand your trepidation but maybe you should consider a shelter dog. They are usually well trained and appreciative of your generosity and love.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by chubby

i hear those woman creatures sometimes help with loneliness/companionship thing,,,

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

they are noisy, messy, nasty creatures that are better roasted.

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by OutOfControl

Coastlife, my wife bought a parrolet with a cage and all the goodies for $10 at a garage sale. The owner had passed away and the family wanted nothing to do with the bird. She lived with us for about 8 years before passing away. The little one loved to be held and liked to cuddle against your neck and give kisses by lightly nibbling on your lip. She was very low maintenance and soft in sound. They would be a good choice.

You also mentioned a small dog but didn't want to deal with the whole "puppy" thing. I can understand your trepidation but maybe you should consider a shelter dog. They are usually well trained and appreciative of your generosity and love.

$10, man couldn't beat that. they normally sell for around $50-70 at pet stores.
And my past two dogs have been "rescues" a stray and an adopted. Both Great dogs.