How messy are parrots?

[Quails1]

Just like with my previous threads I've started on the mess factor of doves/pigeons compared to gamebirds and waterfowl, just how messy are parrots? Now that I know doves and pigeons are cleaner than ducks and chickens, for this time, what about parrots (in general)? I do know psittacines are pretty intelligent birds, yet are they any cleaner or filthier than pigeons, chickens, and ducks?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[User395221]

Depends what parrot.... They come in different sizes, and different types have different diets, so different poo.

For example, here in australia, lorikeets have really messy poo. They have a fruit diet and their poo is "squirty". Other seed eaters (like budgies) have little "plop" poos. Large parrots tend to live separately (or in a bonded pair if you want to breed) so they don't make the sort of mess a large flock would. My pink and grey doesn't make much mess at all. As a powder bird, she does shed powder. Not an issue outside, but her room inside gets "powdered" and needs vacuuming.

 

[JaeG]

They make more mess with the seed husks that get blown around when they flap their wings than the amount of poop they produce, but as potato chip said, some are projectile poopers such as conures. Larger parrots require a lot of entertainment in the form of toys they can destroy, so that can be messy too.

 

[Abriana]

They get bird dust everywhere

 

[User395221]

Larger parrots require a lot of entertainment in the form of toys they can destroy, so that can be messy too.

My budgies also get eucalyptus branches in their aviary and they strip those. The "wood chips" didn't spring to mind as mess, because it's pretty easy to clean up but yes, there's that.

(Apart from the budgies who just love their seed too much for me to take it off them) I feed my birds crumble. Also, they eat in a box feeder which hangs on the outside of their cage, so all mess is confined, so I don't get a lot of "husk mess". But that's certainly something to consider, for sure. They can rival the chooks in the "let's scoop it all out and only eat some of what we're scooping". (is there ANY bird who doesn't make a huge mess at dinner? )

 

[Chickassan]

Birds are messy period. I've had budgies, finches, cockatiels, diamond doves, starlings, blue jays and chickens and all were messy. Alot of mine were special needs but i don't think that effected messiness. All birds are messy just as water is wet.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

All birds are messy. Don't get a bird if you can't handle the mess. You're going to have feathers, food, toy pieces, feather dust, etc etc everywhere from a parrot.

I have an african grey. He's a mess. Love him to death though. You have to do pretty much daily cleaning up if you have a parrot.

 

[CSAchook]

This sounds like a question for @Parront ! If I remember correctly, her parrot is potty trained...

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

Parrots are definitely messy. The poop isn't the main problem, the real issue is that they throw around and waste a lot of food. I had an African Grey for over 10 years. The biggest mess he made was throwing his fruit and veg around and splattering it on the wall. They are quite destructive and will destroy furniture and drywall if they get their beak on it, making an incredible mess. Also, as others have mentioned, they create a lot of dust and feathers. Greys are the worst for dust, even their bills look dusty.

Mess is not the biggest issue with parrots, that would be noise. A medium sized parrot like a Grey or an Amazon can make noise up to 120 db which is enough to cause hearing damage in humans. Even budgies can be loud. I have a big cage with six of them in my living room, and there are times each day when I can't hear the phone, TV or doorbell because they're all singing and screeching together. Noise is what they do, there's no way to train them not to do it like you can (in theory) train a yappy dog. The noise level is unbelievable until you hear it yourself. Larger parrots such as cockatoos and macaws are considerably louder than the smaller ones. Even smaller parrots like conures and caiques are very loud. Often the noise causes their owners to neglect them (I found my African grey in a dirty cage in someone's garage), which causes them to scream even louder out of loneliness or boredom. The noise is the #1 reason most parrots go through at least 3 homes in their lifetimes. Many species can live from 80 - 100+ years. If you get one of those, you need to provide for them in your will in case they outlive you.

 

[User395221]

The noise level is unbelievable until you hear it yourself. Larger parrots such as cockatoos and macaws are considerably louder than the smaller ones. Even smaller parrots like conures and caiques are very loud.

also, consider the pitch of it, if you are looking to get a bird. My galah "calls" which means she hangs by her feet and flaps and yells her head off (she doesn't do it often, usually, she's very quiet), but even at her loudest, I don't find the pitch of her voice unpleasant. I went to the feed place one day and they have sun conures in there, and I just wanted to get away from them ASAP, their squawking was very unpleasant to me. I have budgies, weiros (cockatiels) and my galah and I find all of their "singing voices" pleasant, even if the volume is up. Some other birds would not be for me, I wouldn't like to hear them.

My box feeder "thingy" is a godsend when it comes to the "messy eating" quality. It really is brilliant at confining all the mess.