What are the most common animals in your country?

[Ayxan0]

What are the most common pets and animals in your country?

[Huma0]

@Ted307 

That is very sad to hear about those neglected birds. I suppose some people get them thinking they are just supposed to sit there and look pretty and don't need attention and interaction. Also, the term 'bird brained' is clearly misleading! 

I have never owned a bird but I can tell you that my cats definitely have at least as much intelligence as young human children and Pinot is especially smart. She is incredibly manipulative but gets away with it because she is pretty and she knows it. Right now, she is working on me because she wants something... I swear, 5 year olds are not as good at getting what they want.

[Ted307]

@Huma0 

They do know how to pull our strings! Parrots are at least as smart as cats! But cats are not as verbal. When I drop something, Dylan says, "OOOHHH"! just the way I do.

[Huma0]

@Ted307 

That's very funny. OOOHHH!

Pinot is as vocal as a parrot. I just have no idea what she's trying to say... but she trying to tell me something. I would love to know what.

I would also love to know what she is saying when she chatters at birds. Probably, it's just, "I am going to eat you. No, really. I am," but what if it's something else entirely? The mind boggles...

[Ted307]

Dylan's most popular words are about getting treats or attention. If she is in her cage while I have gone out, when I get home she says, "Come here"! When the phone rings she says, "Hello", not at other times. She makes the microwave beep when I'm making dinner, because I go in there when the the goes off. She wants me to come to her, not the microwave!

[Huma0]

@Ted307 

It sounds like Dylan knows what she wants! That's so smart RE the microwave beep. Does she ever throw temper tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants? I've seen some funny YouTube videos of that and was discussing it with @Kate867 on another thread.

[Ted307]

@Huma0 

Oh Yeah! One time the little girl next-door, who adores Dylan, was eating chips in front of Dylan. But, it is bad for parrots to eat too many chips, so she tried to give Dylan a parrot treat instead. The first time, Dylan just threw the treat away, and the second time too. The third time the not desired treat was offered instead of a chip, Dylan bit her kid friend. I am to blame for not realizing how mad Dylan was getting, she had given 2 warnings! Child is now much more respectful of Dylan's beak and is afraid to give any treats. It was just a nip in the world of parrots, Dylan can crack almond shells with her beak, but very painful to the kid finger tip. 😞

When the microwave beep does not bring the desired result, Dylan will escalate to the Smoke Detector sound, very painful to Ted's hearing. She knows, she says, "Dylan" then the loud alert sound. Then she gets attention, Ted yells at her. What does Ted yell? "Dylan"!

[Huma0]

@Ted307 

Oh dear, poor kid. I guess that is a lesson learnt the hard way...

Smoke detector sound?! Oh no. I think that would be too much for me. Poor Ted.

[Ted307]

@Huma0 

Sounds are a parrot specialty. I tell her "NO' and shut the door, calmly. Then give her about 5 minutes of alone time, and go back and be with her. Do a little simple training, like "Come Here" so she has to do something good for my attention.

African Greys are expert at emotions! They love when people get mad and yell, that is a reward to them. Kids will be bad to get attention, too. If that negative attention is all they get they learn to live like that. You can tell which environment the parrots (and children) have had by their vocabulary. I would never have a Grey that had a large vocabulary of swear words!

Every parrot lover has a bite story. Learning occurs! Kid still loves Dylan, but has respect for the beak. I would never let Dylan ride on my shoulder, like some do. Just asking for trouble. Parrots are only a generation or at most, two, from being wild in the Congo. They will survive like any wild thing! It is like keeping an Ocelot as a pet, compared to a kitty like yours!

[Huma0]

@Ted307 

Ah, but even with a kitty like mine, these things can occur occasionally. I was always proud to say that my cats never bite or scratch, and generally they don't. However, Grigio did once scratch my friend's child who was teasing him with a piece of cheese (Grigio is very greedy). It wasn't a bad scratch, but the poor child screamed blue murder. My friend just said, "Well, he has to learn these things," which might seem harsh but I can say hand on heart that she is an amazing mother and her two boys are both so beautifully brought up. The cat wasn't trying to scratch the child. It was just trying to get that piece of cheese! They have a wild side too.

If African Greys have the mental age of small children, it makes absolute sense to train them/bring them up, with the same principles. 

[Lorena676]

Buenos Aires, Argentina: more than 70% is Dog and Cats.
Florida USA: gets wild... snakes, spiders, alligators... as pets, yes!