Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpwala!hpavla!przybyls
From: przybyls@hpavla.HP.COM (Tom Przybylski)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Contributions from Exotic Bird owners.
Message-ID: <5280002@hpavla.HP.COM>
Date: 4 Oct 89 13:18:14 GMT
References: <7995@cloud9.Stratus.COM>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Avondale Division
Lines: 31

> We have a few cockatiels sharing our flat.
> They have full run of the place, and are never in a cage.
> If they wish, they can play with us, sleep on a knee, or ride on a shoulder.

> Some parts of the flat are theirs excusively,
> for sleeping, eating and breeding.
> They lead bird-like lives, except that they have no predators,
> and their jungle is small.

> :: WCaplinger@teknowledge.com

     I find this intriguing.  I would love to give my pet cockatiel, Annie,
more freedom, but I find that I must keep a very close watch on her when
she is out of the cage.  It seems that you would have to go *way beyond*
childproofing a house to let a bird run/fly free when your not around.
The things I worry about would be stuff like not having hazardous house
plants, her chewing on line cords, falling in toilets, her eating books,
etc.  I would also worry about stepping on her (she is always around my   
feet and follows me from room to room) or that she might get outside when
I enter or leave or answer the door.  

     How do you handle things like that?  What about the mess issue?  I 
don't mind the feather and seed mess around the cage and the few droppings
when she is out, but it would seem to be a lot more severe mess if the
bird was out of the cage all of the time even if they pick out one corner
to call "home".

     Maybe I worry too much?

- Tom Przybylski
przybyls@hpavla.HP.COM