Yep. Having a bird without the need of a cage is the dream of many bird owners. To have a close relationship with your bird, you must make them trust you and love you. Unfortunately, I was never able to achieve this level of birdie relationship. I will work on that for sure the next time I get another pet bird!
I have had a few birds when I was younger. None at this moment. Might try again in the future. Having a close relationship with your pet bird is definitely more fun than just have a (regular) relationship.
Most bird owners don't have this level of close relationship with their pet bird. They would just keep the birds in the cages. Besides feeding and cleaning, there is not much to it.
That is a lot of interactions between the owner and the bird in this video. I am definitely very jealous.
That was a pretty amazing video! Very cute, but I'd be afraid of just letting my parrots fly outside without restrictions though. One never knows about what an animal is thinking. It could fly away at any time, and then you've just lost your friend and investment (parrots aren't cheap!). I wouldn't take any chances like that. And what if a predator caught them? Nope, I wouldn't risk it!
We bought a harnesh & leash for our Eclectus a couple years ago. We tried to get him used to it, but then gave up about midway through the training. We're not dedicated enough to stick with much of anything, I guess! Maybe we'll work on it again this summer and try to get him outside with us. It would be fun to take him to a park or even shopping.
If the bird is attached to you, then it will not try to fly off. You should get the clue from how the bird act inside your home. It can be tested with let the bird out of the cage but all the windows and doors are closed. If the bird wants to escape, the it would be wondering around in front of the window quite often. If the bird is attached to you, then you will be the center of attention. It requires you to develop a close relationship with the bird first. As I learned from other bird owners, it is easier to get the bird attached to you if you just get one bird instead of two. Sure a single bird might look lonely, but they'd just become attached to each other if there are two of them. You need to have just one bird, and spend a lot of time and attention with it.
I will work on that for sure the next time I get another pet bird!
