Hi, and i have questions!

[flyinglove]

i just joined, mostly because i have some questions (and no bird yet).

i have little to no experience with birds, but am thinking of adopting one. maybe a cocateil or a conure, but would consider other types. i also know that parakeets/budgies are really cute and entertaining, so that is also an option, though i think maybe i want one that is a bit bigger and longer lived.

i am 40 years old, live with my husband and best friend, 4 cats and 2 dogs. all of these pets but one dog are rescues. i looked into irish wolfhound rescues in my area but could not find one at the time, so i purchased a pet-quality pup from a reputable breeder. i paid a small fortune for him, and then he turned out to have some giant breed specific health conditions which i have put about $4,000 into correcting. i don't say this to brag, but to show that i am dedicated to my animals and willing to go the distance for them.

i would really like a bird from a rescue. i understand that the captive breeding of birds is not such a kind process and i don't want to support it any more than i want to support puppy mills. i also know that a bird from a rescue will be more likely to have issues and need special attention. however, i have found from working with rescue groups for dogs that the rescue is usually very good about providing support and assitance, and i would guess this would be true of any good bird rescue as well.

so, here are some questions:

1. what sort of medium sized bird would be best for an inexperienced bird adopter?

2. how hard is it to find a vet with avian experience?

3. how large, on average, does a cage need to be for a medium sized bird? (the bird would be out of the cage probably 8-10 hours a day due to our varying work schedule, i just need to know so that the bird can be as comfortable as possible when caged)

4. my dogs are very large, but very well trained and controlled. i'm not worried about them. but what about the cats? can birds and cats get along? if the answer is no, i can work with that through very careful supervision and closing the cat out of the main "bird room".

5. does anyone know of any reputable bird rescues in south-central indiana, usa?

any other info anyone has to offer would be much appreciated. the last thing i want to do is adopt a bird and then find out that i made the wrong choice. that would just put the bird in a bad situation and break my heart, so i am trying to get information to make an informed decision.

thanks so much!

flyinglove

[catschair]

Great that you are considering a re-home! My flock are almost all "used" birds and they are great.