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If you had to chose another pet...

Josie

Josie

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If you had to chose another pet to join the household what would it be?
 
For me it would be a cat, we had three, (my wife was a cat person as well as dogs). Pets need to interact with the family and apart from a few birds theirs only really cats and dogs that live inside that do.
 
Guinea Pigs! I adore them and have had several and used to breed them. All I have now is my Betta fish and Rabbits, though, since focusing on dogs and hoping to move to a new, larger place soon....to make room for more animals again. ;)
 
I love guinea pigs to @thedogsbeforetime - I've always had guinea pigs growing up until very recently. I love how they all squeak when they here you coming
 
A donkey. Though they'd have to live outside unless someone's found a way of housetraining them.
 
probably a cat but if i was able to and if i had time a Shetland Pony love them!!!
 
well if it couldn't be another dog I would love to have a goat.. I love goats they are just so comical..
Sometimes we visit them at the local park and I'm sure Murphy thinks the little black and white ones are related to him.
 
Rabbits! They're so cute! Plus I know Roxy would get used to it, she did share a room with one when she was younger. I do love African Grey Parrots but they live so long, I would feel bad when I die before it :(
 
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I've had
- snakes of various native & exotic species;
many i caught myself, kept for the summer, & released where i'd caught them in autumn.
- box-turtles
- Betta splendens
- parrots [2 spp of Amazon, an umbrella cockatoo, an African timneh]
- cockatiels & parakeets
- cats
- dogs
- Guinea pigs
- rabbits [Am B&T, Neth dwarf, Dutch]
- ferrets

On the farm, i had:
- ponies, horses, ducks, geese, chickens, sheep, calves reared for beef
- various wildlings who were injured, ill, or orphaned & too young to fend for themselves.

The pets all lived indoors; the livestock were in barns at night, or by choice to loaf, & went to pasture.
The wild critters were in the house, but safely confined - not roaming about. // I've raised & released robins, jays, a cardinal, grackles, starlings, sparrow hawks, a redtailed hawk, a screech owl, & mourning doves; i once helped rear 2 crows, but both died in a bizarre accident; it was very upsetting. :(
I FAILED to keep an injured adult cedar waxwing alive, & 4 chimney-swifts, nestlings, also faded & died - insectivores are notoriously difficult to rear or nurse.

I think i'd like to try a silky chicken - they lack contour feathers & are downy all over; they're very sociable & outgoing. I loved my banty hens, & silkies are about the same dainty size.

- terry

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Jack-Russell-Lover said:
I do love African Grey Parrots but they live so long, I would feel bad when I die before it :(
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We have an African grey called Basil. I was going to get OH a cockatiel but someone turned up at our house one Sunday morning and asked us to take her parrot , he had bitten her BF and he threatened to kill the bird. Basil arrived looking like a plucked chicken in a very small cage. His recovery took a while but with the right food, good light and lots of time he has made good progress.. We know he wil outlive us but we have made provision for him in our testament.
Basil.jpg
 
Mad Murphy said:
We have an African grey called Basil. I was going to get OH a cockatiel but someone turned up at our house one Sunday morning and asked us to take her parrot , he had bitten her BF and he threatened to kill the bird. Basil arrived looking like a plucked chicken in a very small cage. His recovery took a while but with the right food, good light and lots of time he has made good progress.. We know he wil outlive us but we have made provision for him in our testament.View attachment 111975243
Click to expand...
He is super cute :)
 
I always remember my college lecturer telling me that parrots fall in love with the opposite sex. She had two female African Greys that she did everything for but they only tolerated her. However, the minute they saw her husband it was true love and they would cuddle into his neck and not let anyone else close!
 
I read recently that something like 85% of parrots are given up for rehoming within the first year or so:eek:
 
JudyN said:
I read recently that something like 85% of parrots are given up for rehoming within the first year or so:eek:
Click to expand...

yes Basil had had two homes before he came here. The first owner locked him in a utility room and left him locked up all day , no wonder he was wild when the second owner got him. He hardly speaks but thats ok we have a set of whistles and calls that we all understand and he is very clean.
We have a set routine so that as we get up his door is opened, its open all day and only closes if we both go out. He has play stands so that he can go all over the house and in summer the garden doors are opened so that he has natural sunlight. (We have a safe netted space just outside)
I think one reason they get re-homed so much is the sheer expense and work involved.. That cage cost me nearly €600 and thats a few years ago. He costs more to feed each month that Murphy.
His cage is cleaned daily and he has a full spectrum light to give him 'sunshine 'even in winter. his climbing frame is made of safe natural wood and he has various perches of different sizes so that his feet get exercise too.
Then there is the love thing .. If you're a jealous person a grey is not for you he coos and gives OH presents but he has bitten me badly for getting too near, his beak is as sharp as a razor and he can crack walnuts so its a mean bite. Respect is a word used a lot round here! Basil is another reason we were careful when choosing a dog, obviously as the resident pet Basil came first. We knew he could get along with dogs because we had 3 when he first arrived but we didn't want a rescue dog that might jump at him ..Murphy is used to Basil and has a healthy respect but even so we never leave them alone together just in case.
DSCN3814.JPG
 
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