The best for their nests

Rudy and Reggie, two of Mickey Paulos' eight birds, enjoy a stand full of toys at the home she also shares with husband, Peter. She spends about four hours a day with the birds. Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver PostIf not for the swings and bungee cords dangling from the ceiling, the room might seem stark.

But spartan rooms — think easy-to-clean concrete and tile floors, and high, flight- friendly ceilings — outfitted with perches and swings are perfect for Colorado parrots Pico, Blue Bell, Goober and other birds like them.

Birds are the third-most-popular pets in the nation, according to The Humane Society of the United States, and their owners happily oblige their avian flights of fancy.

Take, for example, a parrot's penchant for bathing. Julie Weiss Murad obliged Goober with a walk-in shower with four showerheads.

"I never shower alone," says Murad, who has 22 birds of her own and a total of 55 that live at her

Elizabeth home.

Murad is founder and president of the Denver-based Gabriel Foundation, which rescues, rehabilitates and provides sanctuary for birds, as well as education for their owners. She has lived with exotic birds for 40 years.

"My life would be so different if I didn't share my house with them," she says. "They are the best teachers we have."

While their lessons vary from patience — birds can be loud and messy — to appreciation of their majestic coloring, parrots epitomize the experience of living in the moment.

"They teach you to be here now," says Murad, whose flock ranges in age from 18 months to 50 years. "Whatever you put into the relationship, in terms of environment, food and enrichment, you get back."

As for Murad, whose knowledge of parrots — 353 species of them — is encyclopedic, both her investment and return seem legendary.

At her sprawling home, Murad designed a bird room that measures about 2,500 square feet and equipped it with radiant heat, concrete flooring with special drains, air washers that purify and humidify and a steam shower.

Yet it is in the upstairs bathroom that birds with names that include Phoebe and Fuego, Harley, Rio, Novio and Zoey strut their true shower personalities.

"Everybody's got a different style," Murad says. "Cockatoos drink the water, Amazons stick their wings out and sing, flapping like bat birds, and macaws hold their wings up so the water hits the equivalent of their armpits. It's really, really fun," she adds.

These birds, especially in captivity, can live longer than 50 years, depending on breed. Their intelligence is said to be on par with a human toddler's.

As a result, owners are quick to admit that birds can be messy, destructive and quite loud if not entertained, socialized and provided with mental stimulation.

"It's like having a feathered toddler," says Centennial resident Jean Vore, whose 10- year-old cockatiel, Frosty, prefers chewing

on her hiking- boot shoelaces to playing with traditional mirrors and knot toys. "If you don't entertain them, they'll entertain themselves."

Jerry LaBonde, a veterinarian and owner of Homestead Animal Hospital in Centennial, says that because birds are so social, owners should plan to spend at least three hours a day interacting with them.

"They need stimulation, exercise and activity or they get into trouble and start exhibiting behavioral problems like feather picking and screaming," he added.

Add to that: chewing through electrical wires; shredding curtains; gnawing on crown molding; and scratching pieces of furniture, say bird owners who, despite what sound like daunting drawbacks, welcome feathered creatures into their homes in startling numbers.

The key to happy cohabitation is environmental enrichment, says LaBonde, who estimates that 25 percent of his 8,000 clients own birds.

"Having stuff to climb on and things for birds to chew and do keeps destruction at a minimum," he says.

One bird owner who lives in a studio apartment spends her days at home and lets her birds fly around, perch on her, and play on swings. Most important, she gives them jobs around the room — hiding seeds to eat or bark to chew — to provide them with active flight opportunities and to keep their minds stimulated.

"People can set up wonderful environments for birds, whether it's an entire room or a nook or an alcove," Murad adds. Birds also need a quiet space to sleep, up to 11 hours a day, without interruption.

Hilltop resident Mickey Paulos opted for a large bird room for her flock, which she tallies by running down a colorful list of names.

Lories Reggie and Rudy nuzzle Mickey Paulos in her spacious, bird-filled abode in Hilltop. Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post

Paulos spends about four hours a day with her feathered friends and differentiates between "quality time and 'hi, how are you' time."

She and husband Peter recently built a home they call WaterHouse Denver. It has a 900-square-foot bird room that features tranquil green colors and skylights. The cage-lined room has tiled floors and walls, a special ramped shower to wash the cages, a refrigerator, sink, garbage disposal and a special water-filtration system.

"Birds are very messy," Paulos explains. "They like to destroy furniture and make noise. They're very destructive. They'll eat anything they can get their beaks on."

Vore agrees with the mouthy nature of parrots.

"Birds feel their worlds with their tongues and their beaks," says Vore, who has become accustomed to Frosty checking out her jeans while she washes dishes. "I can feel a tiny tug on my pants but she's just feeling it. She's not ripping or shredding it."

While Frosty is content to tentatively tug at material, Hilary Herron's African Gray parrot, Tuttle, prefers to sit atop doors and gnaw the molding. "He will chew up the remotes and electrical cords, too," she adds.

Herron's bird room reduces Tuttle's temptations and allows her birds to be birds, says LaBonde.

"The advantage of bird rooms is that birds can free-fly, which results in happier birds both mentally and physically."

A certain amount of physical separation can also benefits bird owners.

Herron, who owns seven birds, recently moved from Texas and chose her Littleton home because of its 400-square-foot, garden-level walkout basement.

"We turned down houses that were nice but didn't have a great space for the birds," she said. When talking with the agent, "I made it clear that we needed something suitable for them."

Herron's bird room has large windows facing away from the street so passers-by do not upset the birds.

"It also has a door that closes it off from the rest of the house, which allows you to sleep in a bit if you want to," she added. "As much as I love them, it's nice to have our own space."

The Herrons pulled up the carpeting, installed radiant heat and multispectrum lighting, and added a swing and nets for the birds to play on.

Although the birds stay mainly in their designated room, the Herrons also built a flight cage outdoors, an enclosed 12-by-12-foot octagon with a 12-foot roof and double entry. However, they never leave their feathered pets unattended. The household also includes two dogs and a cat, and everyone cohabits nicely, Herron said.

"Usually they get bit once and that's all it takes," Herron says, referring to the cats and dogs. They "leave 'em alone after that."

Regardless, it is always best, experts say, to keep a close watch on dogs, cats and children while birds are present. Although owners describe parrots that nestle under their chins and like to have their tummies tickled, birds, especially exotic birds like parrots and cockatiels, can be unpredictable.

"They're really wild animals when it comes down to it," says Herron. "They're not domesticated at all. They're tame, but they're still wild."

It is that very wild nature that Paulos appreciates.

"They're not needy like dogs and cats," she says. "They're very independent, and I never know what they're thinking."