Do you have a 2nd hand bird? Do you know anyone who has taken one (or more) in? Tell us about your experiences. Would you take in another one?

I've got one. He is a Congo African Grey Parrot and he had a few homes before he came to live with us. He will never be a cuddly bird like my handfed CAG Jewel, but he's a great bird to have.

I've put up an article Second Hand Bird. Please read it & let me know what you think. Maybe I'll be able to put some replies in another article.

Yes, most of my flock are 2nd (or 3rd or 4th or even 5th!) hand birds. All 5 of my lovebirds fit into that category, 1 of them my daughter has tamed and kept for her special pet, the rest we have in a large flight cage where all their needs are met (and then some!) and they'll live out their lives happily here.

My CAG is also a 2nd-hand bird, we got him (he's really a hen) a year ago when he was 4. His former owner obviously doted on him because he's very cuddly and sweet and gentle. In fact he insists upon LOTS of cuddle time.

My Meyer's parrot is now 4 years old. I'm his 5th home, and he was a year old when I bought him. He's my cuddliest bird. Within 2 days he had bonded strongly to me, and is still my most special little pal out of all the birds. He's totally sweet and wonderful with me, and will do anything for me...although he's definitely a one-person bird.

Both of my cockatiels are rehomed birds. Spiky - the hen - is totally social and lovable and gentle. Pokey came to us at the age of 8, strongly bonded to his mirrors and completely cagebound. He's now 22 and has mellowed somewhat but is still not a "people bird" although I do bring him out of his cage to spend time on the floor of the playstand every day.

I would have to say that from my perspective rehomed birds can be really rewarding and - forgive the anthromorphosism - appreciative of what they have in a new home.

Wow, a 22 year old cockateil?? I didn't realize they got that old! I've always had parakeets and they don't tend to last past age 9 or 10 for me. I've always gotten them as babies. The 3 I have now were hand raise and I got them at 6 weeks.

I don't think I'd mind getting a pre-owned bird but I have to admit, these guys are awfully cute when they're tiny <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Well, I just got another 2nd hand bird yesterday. He is a little Green Cheek Conure and is very sweet. His previous owner is suffering from severe headaches and the noise from this little bird was too much for him. My daughter & Griffin are getting along great and this may become her bird.

Lisa - a 22 yr old cockatiel is certainly a senior citizen, but there still could be several years left for that guy. We just had someone as a speaker at our club & he has a cockatiel that is 37 years old. The average lifespan for a Cockatiel would be approximately 15 years.

Budgies on the other hand do not have as long for lifespan. The average for a Budgie is approximately 8 yrs, but it is not unusual for one to live for 15 yrs.

Wow, 37 years old?? That's old enough that you could get one as a young child and then have your grandchildren playing with it!! Amazing.

I think parakeets are succeptible to something at around 8-10 right? So either they tend to die then or live through that and then die at the "normal age"? I think I read that on your site, I don't remember what the thing was that tends to kill them, though. Our oldest just turned 5 and the other 2 are around 4 so they have a few years to go before we hit that point.

What I have personally found with budgies is that either they die in the first two years or they go on to live to around 12. The average lifespan is approximately 8 years which takes all the early deaths into account as well as the ones that live into the teens. With what we know now about the proper diets for our companion birds, I think we'll start hearing more about senior citizen budgies as many early deaths are diet related.

Mavis how is that greencheek doing? Still in the honeymoon period before he lets his "true colors" show? <G>

Griffin the little green cheek conure is doing great. He has made some of the noise that his previous owners were unable to take, but a bit of attention has managed to stop it each time. My daughter has decided that he won't be spending the nights in her room any longer though because she doesn't want to get up quite as early as Griffin does. Thats not a problem because the cage that he came with can be his night cage and then he can go back upstairs in a bit larger cage for the day.

Birds are able to form new bonds quite easily. Most 2nd, 3rd....hand birds do just fine.
I have several used birds having come to me at different ages, ranging from 1 yr up to 17 years. None have shown any great distress with a new home.
Gay

PS. Just have to say.........OMG! It posted! I have tried to get here so many times and it never worked. Finally, something went right.

I'm glad it finally worked for you Gay and you're right - the birds do adjust quite well to new homes and new people. You're not getting a "baby" when you bring home a 2nd or 3rd hand bird, but you will get a new companion.

I got my CAG, Bey, when he was about 4� years old. His previous owner had had him sinc he was 6 monhts old. When he'd been here a year, I asked him one day about his previous owner, and named the other birds he used to live with. He listened very intently as I talked about what I knew of his former home. Then I put him to bed. The next morning, there were feathers all around his cage, and his chest feathers were really ratty and torn. That's the only time he's ever done that, and I haven't brought up his former home again. I don't know if it's grief (although I always hesitate to apply human emotion to animals) or unpleasant memories or what, but there was certainly a negative response to our "discussion" <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> .

True stories about the intelligence of these birds never ceases to amaze me. Thats amazing!

I guess I had a second hand bird -- or he became one.
A looooong time ago, my husband and I found a pigeon in the yard, with infection in both eyes. So we grabbed the bird, went to the pet store and got medication, and nursed him back to health. (At least, that was the plan) We got rid of the infection, but he was blind, so he became ours.We nwmed him Woodstock. I would make sure he got to his food and water everyday. He was with us for a long time, but we had a very small house and when I got pregnant, Woodstock's room became the nursery. Woodstock went to live with a friend of ours and lived happily with him.
<img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Isn't that amazing. I've heard that pigeons can be terrific pets, but I've never really had much to do with them (other than watching them fly). It was lucky for that bird that he landed in your yard when he needed help.