Definitely no birds. Love them but they are meant to fly and you can't fly in a little square :( . An empty birdcage is an interesting decorative item though.

I find birdcages make interesting planter stands; but birds should be free to fly wherever they choose.

As much as I love all animals, I will have to make do with our two cats, micro-dog and the various lizards, snakes, birds, gators, bobcats, and other critters that live in our area. We don't feed any of the wildlife here on the Sun Coast of Florida, because it can make them aggressive (yes, even small birds), and dependent. Given the mild climate, food is plentiful year round. I can't give a bird the commitment, including cleaning and socialization.

I have 4 birdcages and 5 birds (3 cockatiels and two parrots) and they absolutely fly wherever they want. Just like raising children takes time and effort, though, so does having any sort of pet.

But birds are especially hard pets though so if you are not prepared to have 4 year old children for the next 20-50 years do not get birds. They are way too intelligent to be left in cages like a lot of people do.

Yes, I just adopted a Parrot, and have the bird cage in the living room.

No birds or bird cages.

We have six dogs and a chicken in the house. The chicken is a hen named Argo. She comes inside to sleep...has breakfast and goes out to be with the other free range chickens here on our farm... then she comes back inside at night.

I have a Jardine's parrot named Joey. He was four months old when I got him, and he is now 17. His birdcage is in the living room. He is more important to me than decorating. He is very affectionate, and out of his cage most of the time. Yes, he is messy but that's okay. When he falls asleep cuddled up to my neck, it's all worth it.

I love birds, but outside in nature or in a zoo. I have no interest in birds for pets and never have. If they sang or chirped in the house? It would drive me nuts. I'm not a fan of birdcages/bird houses for decorating, but I love hummingbirds. We have 2 feeders. I also have a metal decorative candle lantern that has laser-cut birds on it and a small glass jewelry box with a hummingbird on it. I also have a sentimental, delicate, hand-made, hummingbird window ornament. It's filigree, and made out of very thin, coloured, translucent shells with a gold, wire frame. That's it.

I do not have birds nor will I ever have any. We had parakeets when I was growing up and I hate cleaning those cages. Besides, I'm not sure how well they would do with three cats in the house!

@Bev "I tawt I taw a puddy tat. I, did, I did! I did tee a puddy tat! :-)

I can't possibly say no thanks hard enough. They are too loud, too smelly, and too much unrewarded hard work. Also, I can't imagine that an animal used to soaring about the wide open spaces of the world is the least bit happy when they are cooped up in a cage with their wings clipped. :( No thanks.

when i was a girl, my stepfather had a friend who was in the bird trade, raised and sold birds to individuals. He gave us a pair of tame beebee parrots. mother insisted that they have a large roll around cage for outside - we lived in FL. everyday they went out into the cage under a big maple, they were given fresh fruit and a light shower, at least once a day. at night they came in for safety.

If you are not aware, FL is a big bird smuggling area, with the banana boats etc. If a ship is warned that they will be inspected they will release the birds they are bringing in. so there are many wild flocks of birds from mid florida on south. one day another bebe appeared, long story short, we had 5 new ones. the youngest male, had nearly all his feathers removed. he was placed in the original cage in my room. no clipping or anything. every afternoon i let him out, fed him fruit etc. he taught himself to land on my shoulder, would eat out of my hand, turn the pages on my text books and was learning to talk when it was decided the man should have them all back. he never went to the bathroom anywhere but in his cage. he was never loud, and surely never more smelly than a human. i won't even cover the topic of wasted hard work. all i know is that i got triple fold the love an attn i gave.

Mr. hart that bird was very sweet never tried to fly out of my room, though he could have. so i think that before you make such decisions, you should keep your mind open. I am glad you have none, so they could not suffer cruelty by someone not understanding.

how adorable.

Argo is a House Chicken. She lives indoor/outdoor (her choice). She comes inside to lay her egg every day...and sometimes she comes in to sleep at night.... or hang out with me (and dogs) in the early morning when i'm drinking coffee. I always have a big bowl of food ready for her. (this photo when she was just a couple of months old)

@eightpondfarm--that chicken sitting on the stuffed toys is too cute! I'm a sucker for farm animals (outside ;-) and drive my husband crazy because I'd love to move and have sheep, goats, rabbits, horses, donkeys, llamas, dogs, cats, ducks, a koi pond, and 1 or 2 chickens. We live in the country, but acreage is extremely expensive here. If we ever win the lotto, I'm setting up the petting zoo I never had as a child, lol.

i been pushin for everyone getting chickens where i live.

@Have fun--hey, sounds like Vancouver! Are we neighbours? A lot of people were trying to get them in the city. Not sure of the outcome though.

no, small town DE. i was told not to lose hope more people are interested. these small towns especially down here where you have perdue farms and allen and a couple others. they don't want to be called country anymore, though the chickens start 2 miles from me and there is a plant 2 blocks away, and one of the owners of allen lives around the corner. but I just think that if i can get a little garden going in hay bales and a few chickens for eggs. my diet is set for life. I of course will eat other things, but that would really see you through when needed.

Birds need to be free! Not stuck in a cage anywhere.

I'm allergic to eggs , but I still want a chicken. I worry though we have so many predator birds here. I've had parakeets I had to give them up when I got sick, they were quite literally making me crazy with the noise. Never have more than one Keet. I had a Cockatiel but she ( I think ) passed from old age. She was around twenty . My friend gave her up when she couldn't train her. Love birds don't really have the room for one now. Kathryn, none of them were clipped, they had free flight in the house. The Tiel was potty trained to go back to her cage.

i just don't think it matters roll, it happens all the time here, you get an appreciation thread and people come in just to say they hate it. apparently there is not enough rain in the world.

I get that. I don't understand why some people feel they need to comment on a subject that doesn't interest them. If it's not your thing skip it.

HF, to be fair, one of the choices in the poll is "Other-Tell Us below."

That is what Kathryn did.

ok, i will be, but i don't really feel they were. if the comments are all positive, why bother commenting negative? and worse indicating those that like birds are damaging them?

It always amazes me what a twist a conversation can take. I choose to live with birds & would love to see how others have accommodated the cages-big cages.

I like bird cage elements in certain rooms with a shabby chic design.

However, I have two amazons, and the massive floor to ceiling cage and their living requirements are quite the contrary. Their room is more like a "rain forest".

Oh Robin I would love to see pictures.

We had a cockatiel for many years. She adored my husband and died in his hands. He mourned her for a long time. She knew the sound of his car and would hear him coming home before I did and welcomed him with a happy song that was just for him.

She was supposed to have been our daughter's bird and I hand raised her, but she loved my husband.

After her death my daughter's budgies were upgraded into the huge cage and they too have gone. We left the big cage empty for a long time, but one day dh put it in the attic and said that he did not want another bird.

A home is a lonelier place without a bird.

I do have some decorative bird cages up in those empty spaces on top of armoires

And I have some in my antique booth, but they don't sell well for some reason.

When I lived in NJ, I had bird baths for the birds. But in NC, that encourages the snakes to eat the birds

I don't have either, but I love the look of birdcages!

Apparently, from reading the comments here, you are either a bird person or not. And for anyone to say they are too much "unrewarded" work is a bit like saying you hate black licorice but you've never actually tried it.

To have something calling out to you before you even get in the house at night because they can't wait to see you is far from unrewarding.

Dc...totally agree with you. My parrots know when I pull in the driveway before my dogs do. Is it hard to decorate my living w/ two huge bird cages? yes which is why I originally asked for suggestions from others who have birds.

Joey is a great companion, although he can be stubborn. I can't imagine life without him.

I have four small parrots - two I bought as weaned babies 14 and 15 yrs ago (maroon belly conure, caique) and two I "rescued" from craigslist (nanday and green cheek conures).

I do not believe parrots should be kept as pets. They are truly wild animals. They are not evolved to live in homes. They should be in the wild, flying with their mates, dealing with the challenges and mental stimulation of navigating the wild and predators...not locked in a cage, left alone for hours or days on end. I dont think most humans can give them what they need - the constant social interaction of a flock or mate provides.

I try to vary my birds' life as much as I can. I feel so guilty for keeping them as pets (although they would die if let free), that I bought large custom stainless steel cages - 4 fix 2.5 ft. They also sleep in night cages. They have cages in the dining/great room for eating on also. They have perches in the bathroom.

These animals are highly intelligent and need variation in their lives from the monotony of the cage. They can be very affectionate and all of my birds crave being touched. If I was wealthy I would work to get a bill passed to limit breeding and to set minimum cage limits. In some countries, the minimum cage size for a parakeet is 2.5 feet wide. The minimum for a macaw is 8x8 ft. I feel like we are living in the dark ages of animal welfare in the US.

I am renovating a midcentury modern home and I am doing it with the parrots in mind. Their cages are in a bird room for now, but it is too small for all four to get a view out the window. I have paid an architect to design a separate bird room for them, air conditioned, heated, and shaded, but with walls of glass. These animals are so smart, so affectionate, and so long lived that I owe them the best life that I can.

As a side note, my two rescues are extremely sweet and mindful. They have never bitten me. I was told that the nanday is mean, but even with the broken wing she came with, she is not. She will snuggle up next to me, laying her side, sucking on her foot. My little green cheek came to me in a cage the size of a shoebox. He was severely malnourished and was missing most of his feathers (they have mostly grown back). Both of these birds just light up my day. They seem happy and I am so glad I found them. If you ever do consider a bird, think about a rescue or rehome!

Your birds are very cute. Joey is affectionate too. I love when he cuddles up against my shoulder and goes to sleep.

He is out of his cage most of the day, although he does go in and out for food and water.

Cacocobird - Your Joey is beautiful!!! It's amazing how affectionate they are.

yes, I have 3 parrots, but it is sure not "beautiful" I would sure like some hints to make bird keeping more aesthetically pleasing, the reality is not these lovely old cages, it is modern, powder coated or stainless, they poop everywhere and fling fruit around... very hard core. I am thinking of designing a concrete kitchen to accommodate them.

@rockybird Bravo for taking care of the rescues! A brilliant way to get close to these creatures and give them a second chance. I totally agree that these beautiful creatures should not be pets. Those rescue birds are lucky they found you!

I can't bear the thought of keeping birds in small cages, although a built-in aviary is a different matter. Or letting them fly/flutter freely around your home. But, I do pull this cage out every October for Halloween:

Birds should be free in nature. No problem with birds art work except to cages.

I'm allergic to feathers so no birds here, although I used to have pet chickens as a child. My parents wouldn't have ever let me bring them in the house though. I like all the pictures posted here!

I had a rescued regent parrot until she passed away last year. She was a really sweet bird and I miss her quite a lot. I refuse to purchase a bird though. If another rescue falls into my lap I'll have another.