No matter how cute you think it is, no matter if you claim your cat is the sweetest cat to ever exist, no matter if you say you know your animals…DO NOT MIX PREDATOR AND PREY.
This issue makes me want to bang my head against the wall.
It only takes a second for something to go wrong, even if you are supervising. Your dog might only be playing and bat at, step on, or bite your bird and injure it. Or maybe your cat is having a bad day and swipes at your bird.
Not only is this mix of predator and prey dangerous for size reasons (your dog or cat can easily crush your bird, break a bone, cause internal damage), but dog and cat saliva is dangerous for birds. Even if the bird is not bitten, the bird could ingest the saliva while preening. Let’s say the bird is injured and bleeding…birds bleed out very quickly. If you don’t get to a vet immediately, between the bleeding and bacteria in saliva, your bird likely won’t make it.
There is simply no way to justify letting dogs and cats interact with birds. If nothing has ever happened to you, then you can consider yourself lucky and stop doing it before something does happen.
Part of the reason I’m writing this is because I’m in many bird groups online and constantly people are posting that their bird was killed by their dog/cat…and then a few scrolls down people are posting pictures of the birds next to their dog’s/cat’s mouth.
This is not complicated. Just don’t do it, and it won’t happen.
Today I saw a post of two parakeets directly in front of the mouth of a cat. Once the original poster got backlash, she posted an image of a baby with her birds and captioned it, “OMG THIS MONSTER IS GOING TO KILL MY BIRDS!“
Well…yes. Babies ARE capable of killing your birds. So while I’m at it, YOUNG CHILDREN need to be supervised when around birds. And, if applicable, bird cages should be CHILD PROOFED so toddlers/young children cannot open the cages on their own.
Start with prevention. Don’t wait for something to happen. Learn the dangers and learn from other people’s mistakes or carelessness.
Seriously. We have a super laidback dog. Never shown any real interest in chasing anything or biting at things. But we still keep them well separated. Cause all it takes is one startled snap or jump and we’ve lost a bird.
Don’t gamble with your animals’ lives because the pictures are cute.
I’m here today to talk to you about the most criminally underestimated parrot: the parakeet.
Yes, though they are small, they ARE parrots. You might call them “budgies,” you might call them “budgerigars,” but you should never call them “just.” As in, “just a parakeet.”
Sit down and let this overenthusiastic bird lady tell you a thing: We need to rethink our parakeet perceptions. Not only are these little feathered friends “real parrots,” they need to be treated like such.
Why? Because budgies are smart, sensitive beings who are capable of much more than people give them credit for. For real. Check this out:
A budgie even holds the world record for bird with the largest vocabulary. Seriously!
Of course, not all budgies will do these things, but even one who’s not a talker will be your buddy.
All it takes is a little time, understanding, and research. Even an older, untamed budgie can become a companion. These birds can live for over ten years if given proper care, so get to know them! It’s worth it.
Heck, even if you DON’T want to be too hands on with your parakeet pal, they are still a ton of fun to watch! Budgies are incredibly inquisitive and they can entertain for hours with their antics.
Budgies are great first birds not because they are readily available, cheap, “starter birds.” They are great ANYTIME birds. First bird or millionth bird. Their care is simpler than larger birds, but no less important.
Make bringing home a budgie a big deal. Carefully consider it. Do your research. Get the proper cage, toys, food, materials, everything! Adopt if you can. Treat your budgie right. Make them important, because they are important. No more subpar care.
And if you ever ever EVER hear anyone say anything about them being “just parakeets,” or “dumb,” or “not real parrots,” or “throwaway birds,” or any of the multitude of undeserved misconceptions about these wonderful birds, you MAKE ANGRY BUDGIE NOISES AT THEM.
Flock of Wolfes 