Any soapers with birds?

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I'm considering adding a pet bird to the family but I'm concerned about having one around all the scents.

I know I'll have to do away with the scentsy burners and scented candles, thats not a problem but I don't want to give up soap making.

I can always mix the soap outside or on the back porch, at least when the temps aren't in the extreme but how long until I can bring the soap in the house? or would it be better to set up a curing rack in the basement? At least for a few weeks until the scent settles down?

My house is quite small, a batch of soap will heavily scent the whole house, especially for the first few days.
 
Perhaps also contact local bird rescues and your local zoo and ask them if they can recommend a vet for your to speak too. My thought would be to look into what you can do to get a good supply of fresh air into the bird's room. Can the room have a separate window heating/cooling unit?
 
We do have a avian vet but no zoos or rescues. I can call the vet, see what they say.

The bird would either be in the living room or kitchen, I won't banish it away to a empty room to be alone.

Fresh air isn't too much of a problem except in the winter, it gets way too cold to open a window.

I think I'll just soap outside and cure in the basement, not really any other way to keep scents out of the house.
I was really wondering when it would be safe to bring the soaps up stairs since I store cured soap in the bedroom closet.
 
If you've never had a bird before, you need to know: birds are MESSY. They throw their food all over the place, they eliminate wherever they happen to be at the moment and they produce more dust and dander than cats or dogs do. Plus, depending on the species of bird you get, they may have a strong tendency to chew on things, which tends to tear stuff up pretty badly. Those beaks are designed for cracking hard shells. They make short work of wooden furniture. And plastic ware. And decorative bits and bobs. My step-mother breeds some kind of parakeet (pink ones), plus has other birds as pets (including an African Grey that will almost certainly outlive her). She's tried for years to give me a bird, and I won't let her.
 
Yeah, I've had birds in the past. My last one was a sun conure. He was a great bird but loud and messy.
I was thinking about a English budgie if I could find one. Occasionally I see hand raised ones on Craigslist.
I had a little keet years ago who was quite the character and had a extensive vocabulary.
 
My step-mom's African Grey is very chatty, and can imitate her voice and my dad's perfectly. She (the bird, named Annie) also seems to understand names. She calls my dad by my step-mom's nick-name for him. She also whistles for and calls their dog by name, which confuses the poor dog to no end. They've got other birds as well, a pair of lovebirds I think, and my dad has a sun conure (well, more accurately, the sun conure decided my dad was its human). That one doesn't talk, just screeches a lot and tries to bite anyone besides my dad that gets too close.
 
lol, that sounds like a sun conure. They aren't talkative and can be very selective about their people. A large parrot would be awesome but I don't want that kind of a commitment.
I like love birds but I've never seen a nice one and I want something I can hold and interact with. Parrotlets are another that are pretty neat, they sound like a robot when they talk. They can be nasty little beasts though.
 
Annie was given to my step mom when she was still in quills. She has a deformed foot, and the breeder wasn't sure if she would survive to adulthood (maybe had some other health issues going on too? I'm not sure). She did survive, and her foot doesn't even slow her down these days.

If I was in an area where outdoor birds were a reasonable option (I don't have the fencing to discourage coyotes, and it's expensive to install) I'd think about getting peacocks again. I had a pair of those I hand raised years and years ago. The biggest problem I had with them was trying to convince them that they were too big to sit on my shoulders when they got too big to sit on my shoulders.
 
Good for your step mom to take in a rescue, most people won't bother with a less than perfect pet. I love peacocks, they are so pretty. I thought about getting some years ago when I lived in the country but I didn't really have proper housing for them.

I went to the pet store today and picked up a cage along with some toys. Food and more toys have been ordered. Going to look at birds tomorrow with DD. She really wants a bird for herself but can't have one at the moment, she is super excited to help me find a new friend.
 
My step-mom's African Grey is very chatty, and can imitate her voice and my dad's perfectly. She (the bird, named Annie) also seems to understand names. She calls my dad by my step-mom's nick-name for him. She also whistles for and calls their dog by name, which confuses the poor dog to no end. They've got other birds as well, a pair of lovebirds I think, and my dad has a sun conure (well, more accurately, the sun conure decided my dad was its human). That one doesn't talk, just screeches a lot and tries to bite anyone besides my dad that gets too close.


lol growing up in south America we had a parrot who spoke just like my grandmother. My mom did not like her, and the bird would call her name constantly, and my mother would always yell: "mom, I will be right there, mom what do you want, mom why you call me so much!" I swear, if I could see it, the parrot was laughing at her. We kids always looked at each other and said nothing!

On another note, my brother trains hawks and eagles. He has had for years a hawk name Buzz. I painted him a few years back for him.

buzz_by_nirmanakayaart-d22beig.jpg



Do you plan to have your bird on a cage? Can the dust and dander be contained? My dad loves birds, but they were always in cages.
 
Birds are so much smarter than people think. That parrot yelled for your mom because it got a reaction, they like getting reactions. Silly things.

I love raptors, your brother is lucky to get to work with them. Have you ever went out with him while he works one?

I will be keeping my bird in a cage. Unfortunately its the only way to keep a small bird safe, especially in a house with small dogs with high prey drive.
Once I have it tame, there will be plenty of outside the cage play. I plan on making a large playpen in the bedroom so we can go in there and interact without worrying about the dogs.

There is no way to completely control dust and dander. Birds are messy, even small ones make dust and food mess. Using a skirt to contain food mess helps but daily cleaning is the best way to keep dander under control.

Some birds are worse than others. A budgie won't have much dander but cockatiels produce a natural dust that is quite fine and spreads around. Larger parrots toss food and chewed up toys every where.
 
I had two love birds. I got them when they were very young and was able to hand train them. Their names were Pickles & Olive. Unfortunately after having them for several months I found out I was extremely allergic to them. Started breaking out in hives ets. I also had 3 Cockateils. Had to get rid of all the birds.
 
I have been with my brother when he is training them. He has done so for diplomats and stuff. Is really cool. He has such command of them! He is also part of some association that does that. He lives in Florida, he is probably sad because when hurricanes go, he has to let Buzz leave. Last hurricane he showed up a week later in my brother's home, and walked to his cage all by himself. I am so scared about Irma, I hope they all stay safe, including Buzz, since the bird is getting old.

My father loved birds, He always had canaries and whistle and sang with them. He died 11 years ago, and I miss my dad everyday. I loved him so much, and every time I hear birds sing, I think of dad.
 

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