Cairn with medium parrot?

[Guest dazy293]

I have a medium sized parrot. We let him out on top his cage and on countertops often. He often jumps/flies onto the floor. Will a Cairn terrier kill it? We found a Cairn terrier at a local shelter who will be up for adoption soon if no owners claim it. But I have to look out for my parrot too. He flaps around a lot when something scares him. This could catch they eye of a dog if he's on the ground. Any experience or advice? Thanks. dazy293@hotmail.com

[CathyAnn]

Welcome!

And, bless your heart for considering a Cairn!

Unfortunately, Cairn terriers are probably not the best choice to trust with a bird. I have two Cairn's and my youngest killed several in our yard last summer. He is very, very quick and there would have been absolutely no way for me to stop him.

Is there any way that you could just have the bird out in a separate room when necessary?

I am sure others will be along soon with more advice.....good luck with your decision.

Cathy

[sbudd]

I have two parrots in my make-up room that is closed off unless I'm in there. When I first adopted my cairn, I took him to my parents house where he promptly tried to attack the caged bird in the dining area. When I took him home, I got a baby gate to put up in that room so that he could get used to seeing the birds. I took him in a couple of times and held him up to the cage. Now, when I'm in there drying my hair, I leave the door open. He doesn't pay any attention to them other than to occasionally look at them when they flutter their wings. I wouldn't, however, trust him to not attack if they were on the floor. Just too tempting for him!

[Carolinasmom]

I wouldn't trust them unsupervised. My parents have a cairn along with a ring neck turtle dove. Several years ago, my parents let the bird out of his cage as they did quite a bit. Not long after, the dog walks in carrying the bird in her mouth. They had her drop it and it was limp. It had a large rip in its breast but thanks to me and my DH, who found a weekend vet who treated birds, along with the over $100 bill my parents paid for an overnight vet stay, the bird recovered fully.

Cairns are bred to hunt vermin but you never know what they'll do.

[Guest dazy293]

Thanks for your replies. Based on what I've heard, I can't adopt the cairn. If something ever happened to the parrot , I would be to blame. I love my bird! It would only take a second for me to walk away and forget he's outside his cage. I'll have to go with a different breed. Thanks for all your advice!