Can your family members handle your birds?

[The Outlaw]

Many of us have quite a few birds and maintain them all by ourselves (myself included). Can your family members actually handle your birds? Can they feed and water them? Go into their cages to clean? Remove birds from a cage?

[Jer]

Hi Outlaw,
Yes, everyone in my family can handle my birds as well as I can. Altho they do get bored with everyone else faster. Or maybe its the other way around. I only have to two congo's tho, and the maximillian pionus. Which by the way is the one that I took because I felt he was in a bad home and he is doing great. Love him to death. We are slowly but surely getting friendly with each other.
Jer

[cfulhage]

My roommate can't get anywhere near Ollie...she fluffs her feathers clear up and makes it known that she's not having any of it! My boyfriend can get her to step up, but only in the evening when she's calm and cuddly, and never from her cage. She's only 5 months old, and he already has a few little scars on his hand. I'm the only one who feeds her and cleans her cage. I honestly dont think she would do anything if someone else were to reach into her cage (not to touch her or pick her up), but both my roommate and my boyfriend are too scared to try it... She has never even attempted to bite me, and in response to the thread a while back, I, as of yet, have no reason to fear her at all.

[FairLight]

Papa (my husband) handles Abbie very well. He can transfer her easily with no bitage or scratchage.
He assists with wing clipping and extracating claws from toys :o) and other emergencies.
However, cage cleaning is my responsibility, along with feeding and other general clean up.
He can feed her and make sure her dishes are full, but actual cooking
and measuring out portions and menu planing are done by me.

I would love to have more Fids, but my health isn't up to it.
I do appreciate how much work a large Parrot can be, even tho it is so very much worth it!! I cannot fathom taking care of 10, but I can imagine the rewards of love and laughter to be gained! :o)
L In C

[Monica]

My birds are mine... I feed them in the morning, clean their cages, bathe them, etc... My budgies and bourkes are 'aviary' birds meaning that they don't get handled frequently, which is fine by them. Casey is the love bug, and Noel is stand offish...

Casey usually only steps up for my mother and I. She probably would as well with my sister...

Now Noel, she is solely my bird. My mother is too afraid of Noel's beak to even want to think about handling her. I do have a friend that would like to have a relationship with Noel however doesn't have the will power to keep on working with her and handling her. He is afraid of being bitten, but it's more misunderstanding from his side than anything else which doesn't help in any bit. So although Noel is solely my bird (as much as she will be, saying that she trusts me only), she has been known to step up for my sister without any problems in the past (as if it were me handling her). My sister is 2 1/2 years older than me and really has never tried to form any type of bond with Noel, however can handle Noel nearly as well as I can....

[volvobirds]

with our gang its a mixed bag. Peaches will step up and go to anyone, and I do mean ANYONE! shes sweet as the day is long. and if she doesn't like the idea of going to you at that time tho, she very politely takes your finger and throws it away from her. shes a very prim and proper lady for a too. Jasper can be a snot at times. I can do most anything to or with him, but he gets selective with the other family members.most of his thing is a "tough bird" act, but he's really a big wuss. thank God he always behaves for the vet. Sylvester does good with all but the youngest who is scared of him. he loves anyone who will take him in the shower with them. Snak is another type of being all together. if he was human, he'd be pulling a life sentence. he does everything on his own terms.

[felisdomesticus]

Scarlett will allow my boyfriend to handle her, feed her, clean her cage with no problems. He lives here too so she's totally used to him.

As for other people, she's hit or miss but getting better over time. She has bitten my cousin and a friend for trying to get her to step up. She actually came down from her boing, walked across the kitchen table, and bit my friend's arm while she was sitting there reading a magazine. Don't know what was up with that.

But when we bring her to my parents house, she's good about letting people pet her feathers. She also walked across the table and up a few peoples arms when she was prospecting for some food. So she's becoming friendlier to everyone.

[Lindy1724]

Miss Scarlett doesn't quite love my boyfriend all that much yet, but then again she doesn't seem to love me all that much yet either! She doesn't lunge at me the way she does at him and she steps up for me just fine (unless she really doesn't want to at that moment in time) but she does still try to bite me but not very hard at all. When others come over, I usually get her out of her cage and then she does okay with others handling her but she still tries the gentle biting, whatever that is about??? But so far, I am the only one that can successfully remove her from her cage. Also, I am the sole person who feeds her, bathes her, and cleans her cage!

[MiniMacMum]

Well..lets see. Out of my 5 severes, my husband can reach in & change food & water bowls without a problem. Except for my pair of severes, they have a pullout tray, otherwise I still think he could reach in there while playing Tug-of-War with the dishes. That's why I bought a pullout tray. They are not tame at all. Were not tame when I got them, but love interaction a lot. Quincy my Cag has a love-hate relationship with my hubby. He will definately go after him most of the time. He can hold one of my severes which is Dudley. Shilo was abused & now doesn't like men. He was a severe that was given back after the people had a baby. But hubby can reach in & change food & water bowls. Riley (severe) is my girl only. But again, my hubby can change food bowls. My hubby has had to take over my bird chores a few times when I was sick & when I had back problems here lately. He is great when I need him to help, well, most of the time. My teens don't mingle much with them anymore. But my daughter can handle Dudley most of the time & Shilo seems to like her, but she is afraid to touch him. My older son, has a way with birds & don't want to admit it. He can handle Dudley & sometimes Quincy. I am the main caretaker & they all love me. Rick also cleans cages when I need him too. Not as good as I do them, but at least he will change papers & do the food & water bowls.

[David S]

No one can handle Tango except for me. He even goes after people changing his food and water bowls. He will, though, step up on a perch for most anyone. Once he's on the perch, whoever has him has about 60 seconds to put him on his play stand.... after that, perch or no, they're fair game!! He's such a daddy's boy!!