# Galahs as pets?



## bonnie.m (Sep 25, 2010)

What would you suggest? To be handled often but kept in an aviry. would you confirm this as a good pet choice?


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## Kristy_07 (Sep 25, 2010)

No.

They're noisy, destructive, and extremely demanding. Imagine having an extremely demanding, psychotic, 3-year old child, that did nothing but eat, poo, scream, and bite you, with the occasional cuddle, but for the next 40 years. There are much nicer parrots out there for pets that are a lot less trouble!


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## cockney red (Sep 25, 2010)

Sorry, dont agree with keeping any birds in an aviary, aviaries are for Reps only


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## Chadleystar (Sep 25, 2010)

It depends on the age of the Galah in question, I had 3 Galahs when I was growing up and they were fantastic. Yes they poop and and carry on but were always very loving as we reared them from chicks. They were only in their enclosures at night so stray cats could not get to them, and they were out all day either on their perch or in the garden or on our sholders. loved them.


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## 1issie (Sep 25, 2010)

We have my grans galah,hates strangers,people making coffees sometimes and she was a wild caught bird and she is tame,bit me a couple of times but very affectionate once they know you.


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## Andie (Sep 25, 2010)

They make great pets if they are handraised and well socialised by an experienced person. PROVIDED YOU HAVE THE TIME FOR HIM! He will want to be part of the 'family' and you will need to set up play areaYou don't need to keep them in an aviary if you would prefer inside. A sizeable cage is required and if you are stingy setting it up and get the wrong sort, the galah will eat it  Aviary or cage, you need lots of toys and things for him to do. Toys to make him think because he is gonna be SMART! 

For better info on birds, I would recommend joining a bird-specific forum. There is one I am a member of that I really like. (In case you can't tell I lOVE birds!) PM me if you want the link.


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## Sock Puppet (Sep 25, 2010)

We had a galah when I was growing up, a great, inquisitive, alert & confident bird. I'd have no probs recommending them as a pet.
They do require some time & attention, but give them that & they're a rewarding bird to have.


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## animallove (Sep 25, 2010)

we used to have a galah and it was a great pet. we had it because it got hit by a car and broke its wing. it was very friendly and the only time it made noise was when you walked past its cage it would talk to you but it didnt skreech and constantly annoy us by making sill noises until we went over to it. i think they are awesome pets, but thats my opinion and it depends on the amount of attention you give it. for instance my brother and i used to always play backyard cricket or kick the footy in the backyard and it was quiet happy to just talk and whistle to us the whole time. good luck what ever you decision is!!


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## Sarah (Sep 25, 2010)

if you want a companion parrot dont put it in an aviary 24/7 it wont stay tame for long, they do have a lot of feather dust so if you are asthmatic for eg they are not a good choice as a pet inside. I know people who have galahs as pets they love them, ,they do spend a lot of time with their birds though.


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## Pythoninfinite (Sep 25, 2010)

Galahs are flocking birds, and pair up for life, which means that they are in the company of others from the time they hatch to the time they die. If you can't give it constant 1 on 1 attention, you doom it to a miserable and lonely life.

I'm with Kristy_07 here... I breed macaws, have lots of experience with parrots, and would NEVER recommend that parrots be kept in isolation at any time. They are social beings - if you are home all day, every day, you may pull it off. If you can't do that, at least get two so they have the company of each other.

Jamie.


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## Kristy_07 (Sep 25, 2010)

Ta, Jamie. I'm only speaking from experience - I fairly recently hand raised a 3 week old galah that had been blown from a nest in a big storm. It loved us to bits, but even when I was home all day, I couldn't give that smart gorgeous little bugger enough time and stimulation. Hence why I say, they are demanding, destructive, noisy, and often frustrated. 

For someone with little experience with the larger parrot species, I wouldn't recommend one.

PS. I kept mine for about 9mths. We loved it to bits, but eventually, knowing I would be going overseas in the near future, I rehomed him with a birdie family that had lots of experience, and were pairing him up with their conure as a friend. Wokka absolutely melted when he met the new owners. I asked them to update me, but unfortunately, haven't heard from them since. I hope he's happy


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## Kayz09 (Sep 25, 2010)

i have a hand raised galah as a pet her name is "CHEEKY" and i have had her for 3 years, she talks alot and is very noisy at times. she has learnt alot of words. she knows all my cats names and says hello to them when they walk past she knows my dogs names and tells them to get round the back. she calls the cats for dinner before we even get a chance 2 its very funny. i do agree that they need ALOT of attention she gets kept in a massive cage if no one is home and then comes out when we are home. i love having her as a pet but like others said they can be demanding. goodluck


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## raaaa (Sep 27, 2010)

They make awesome pets my friend has a few that are breeders but were originaly handraised and the female is absolutely beautiful. biggest sook ever! but they can be verry noisy and demanding, and you are far better off getting a female males turn psychotic when they hit puberty (2-3 years) basicaly in the wild the flock will sort them out and they will find there place in the hierarchy so you will have a feathered ball of anger for 6 months.


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## -Peter (Sep 27, 2010)

I had a galah till my son was born and little Luigi Garibaldi got jealous so I had to find him a new home. Wonderful animal and would have another. He was hand reared and did not have a cage though.


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## Jonno from ERD (Sep 27, 2010)

It is really disappointing when people who don't have any companion bird experience ignore quality advice. I don't have much bird experience at all - I have kept and bred a few species of native parrot and rosella - but I have witnessed just how destructive and tortured neglected companion birds become. Unless you can seriously devote a large portion of each day to interacting with them, do yourself and the bird a favour and don't get one. 

When it's done right, they are absolutely magical pets and share a bond stronger than most other companion animals. When it's done wrong though, you end up with a borderline insane animal doing the same repetitive, stereotypical behaviours similar to what you see under-stimulated elephants doing in captivity.


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## redbellybite (Sep 27, 2010)

We had one given to us years ago ...had him for 5 years ,would let you scratch him and he had limited talking ability...He would have been around 15years old ,one day out in his day cage he became python lunch ,the snake got in but after eating 'C C'(he was called CC and it didnt stand for cute cocky either  ) it couldnt get out...so that was the end of that ,snake had a nice feed and we lost a bird ...we have actually lost several birds to pythons ,so gave up on owning them ...


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