peacock as a indoor pet

I'm glad you think it sounds like a good pet, now let me explain the behaviors I've listed that you think sound good. Bear in mind, Gizmo is only 4 months old and weighs around 6lbs, so he is roughly half his adult size/weight. These things will only get worse the bigger he gets.

Gizmo "stands still" for applying his diaper. - I put stands still in quotes because he will only stand still after a fight, and he screams through most of it. Not pain screams, just really annoyed at me screams... and that's just his baby voice.

He wiggles when I clip his wings but he's learned it's a thing he won't get away from. - He learned this over the course of 4 months during which he panic-flailed and screamed. He still screams when I do it, he just doesn't struggle hard enough to get away or injure himself.

He plays with cat toys - He breaks a lot of cat toys, too, tearing apart the stuffed ones and smashing the plastic ones. He will also "defend" his kills from the cats by attacking them if they get too close.

preens on the toilet seat outside the shower when I shower - He has destroyed the bottoms of 2 shower curtains pecking holes in them trying to eat the water droplets as they slide down and now is banished to the toilet seat instead of the floor. The only way to get him to stay on the toilet is to put a towel there, and it becomes covered in dander/feather sheaths by the end.

chases/plays with the cats - They hate this 98% of the time, except the young stupid cat that isn't all there. He also randomly ambushes them while they are sleeping by jumping on top of them, and we haven't found a way to stop him yet.

Begs for food worse than any dog I've ever met - By begs, I mean he will scream and scream and scream and if you do not placate him with food, he will jump onto your plate, into your bowl, onto your head, into your lap, onto the table where the food is etc to get to the food himself. I started giving him his own bowl of food, but he has figured out his celery/cucumbers/whatever veggie/meat I've given him is not the same as what I am eating. If we shut him into someplace else while we eat, he screams constantly until let out again. He flings food EVERYWHERE.

follows me around the house - This is about the most harmless thing Gizmo does, except when he gets underfoot and trips people.

sits on my lap when he can get away with it (and on my shins or shoulders when he can't get away with my lap) - This was really cute when he weighed less than a pound. Now he weighs 6lbs and most of the time it's obnoxious.

and slept on my chest or hip every night for the first 3 months of his life. - He was not large enough to wear a diaper until he was a little less than 3 months old. Sheets are expensive, and washing them only does so much. It was cute, but not a great idea.

He knows how to shoulder surf like a pro when we visit the pet store - My shoulders/neck/head have permanent scars from teaching him this behavior, and I get new scratches every time he does this.

will let just about anyone pet him if he's on my shoulder/forearm/hands - This one's pretty cool, actually.

and will lay still if I flip him onto his back because when he was tiny and had SUPER SHARP CLAWS that is how I would clip/file the tips. - The reason I had to start clipping/filing his nails in the first place was because I figured out my supervisors were checking on me at work like 6 times a day because they were concerned about the NUMEROUS scratches all over my arms/hands/neck/shoulders/legs/anywhere Gizmo perched in the summer. They were concerned I was *hurting myself* because the scratches were so many, even through clothing. I had to bring in pictures and explain my project before they stopped this behavior.

He "steps back" when I put one hand over him and one hand behind his legs, so that he can sit on my hand to be moved - Again, MANY scratches and a lot of sore spots on my face/arms/shoulders/chest from him flailing his wings out for balance when I lift him... and that's just from BABY wings. Adults peafowl have SO MUCH STRONGER wings, I can't even fathom getting whacked by them on a daily basis. And this isn't even panic or struggle, this is just him gaining balance.

He actively seeks out physical attention by "digging" at my hands if I'm not petting him when he wants to be pet- and I don't mean a nose stroke or a hand over his back... he wants his whole face rubbed down and for me to wiggle my fingers into his feathers and scritch around... he even sometimes lifts a wing for me to rub under it. This is cool, unless I'm doing something else, which is usually the reason I'm not already petting him. He will scream the entire time he is doing this behavior, and if I don't pay attention by the "digging" phase of this tantrum, he will start trying to climb on me/jump on me to get my attention. He has broken my laptop's keyboard once during one of these tantrums.

He knows that when I'm in the kitchen cooking, he will get veggie bits (or unseasoned meat bits, he loves cooked beef crumbles) - He is constantly underfoot in the kitchen, including when I am carrying heavy things, hot things, liquid things, anything. He doesn't jump onto the counters anymore because he made the mistake of jumping onto the stove exactly once while I was cooking breakfast when he was little. He didn't (thank god) injure/burn himself (the burner he landed on was very hot, but not BURNING hot, and the fire on the next burner scared the crap out of him) but he could have.

He knows when I turn off the lights in the main room that it's "bedtime" and will walk into the bedroom, hop onto the bed, and stand by the corner of the bed where his roosting bookshelf is - He will stand there screaming, having a pacing anxiety attack because, I don't know, he thinks we'll forget to put him up there or something.

When I leave the room even for less than a minute, Gizmo has anxiety over it. When I have to leave for work and leave him in his pen, it doesn't matter if there is someone else home; he screams for at least an hour, and has HUGE separation anxiety issues until I get back. My entire house REEKS of bird- not poop, just BIRD, and we have to vacuum a couple times a week just to cut down on the dander. My clothes smell like bird. Every heat lamp we use for perch training raises my electric bill by 50 cents per day. The couch he favors as a perch is (and we knew it was going to be when we got it second hand) a complete lost cause for ever being clean or whole again. He hates the dog, and attacks her whenever he can. He also hates one of my room mates (thankfully not the one that's staying).

Gizmo is only 4 months old, so he still has just his baby voice and already spends so much time SCREAMING. For no good reason, he will sometimes just walk around the house SCREAMING like he just wants all of us to know where he is. I'm not talking cute peacock noises, because he has those to, I'm talking full on "SCREE SCREE SCREE SCREE SCREE" at the top of his little birdy lungs. He's not upset, he's not in pain, he's just talking to us... at 95 decibels. I cannot fathom how much worse it will be when he is an adult.

These are all things I'm prepared to tolerate and handle appropriately.

As for your solution for "pinning" the wings down in a diaper is CRUEL. They use their wings - even clipped - for balance (while walking, while jumping, while landing from jumping), and they need as much access to their feathers as possible in order to preen new feathers and keep the old ones oiled. In order to "pin" their wings, you would effectively have to put the bird into a whole-body sock. This would be so incredibly stressful, not to mention super bad for their feather health.

You asked us for advice on keeping a peacock as an indoor pet, and it sounds like you just don't like the answer/truth? I know you don't want to clip their wings, but you're absolutely putting your own needs before the bird's needs, and if you want to imprint a peafowl and keep it indoors, that's something you just cannot do. The bird and its needs have to come first.
 
This video demonstrate that peafowls with a sound, can fly to me
, i know that they are going to eat, but my baby roo, when i make diferent sounds they come or they stand in her cite. I think peafowls they learn this when they are young, when they will be all grown, i think not going to listen to me a lot, but then I think the wings they will be not abled to fly(because one of my sugestions above)
Thanks

These peafowl are not coming when called like a dog or cat. These peafowl are coming down because there is food, this is a call for feeding time, and they are following the rest of the flock as well. The ONLY time I can get Gizmo to come to me is when I make kissy noises AND have food that he can SEE. Sometimes I can trick him and wiggle my hand like I have food, but not often. The same with my other imprints; they will not come when called.

Ducks and chickens are SO INCREDIBLY different than peas. The behaviors are so completely different, and I feel like you're trying to base your plans on behaviors you have seen in ducks and roos... and the people who have dealt with domestic peafowl are trying to tell you that it's not the same. I've owned ducks and chickens and turkeys and none of them act like peafowl do.
 
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I follow up this discussion now several days, but to say it openly, for me this is a crazy idea and I would never give any egg for such a projects. To be a happy bird peafowl have to run around outside, scratch on the floor have sand bath etc. All these things they will not have indoor. This is for me not appropriate to the species.
 
You think fly it's not a primary need? It's not for me, I don't like see birds without feathers in her wings because they can have freedom, it's very hateful for the birds that.I know that peafowls are not the same as duck, chikens or geese. I don't tell that i have a little site they can live, I had peafowls two years ago and never maked what your bird make, I think it's because I weren't with them all days. They were very quite and funny, and never maked what Gizmo makes. YOU HAVE A MONSTER!!!! I known that you are helping me and advice me about the hazars that i can have in the "trip". I had peachiks with only 10 days, and they never scratched when i'm gone.
I listen all what are you saying to me and what you explain me. I'm learning with your erros. I'm so stubborn but I think, when i will have the peafowls and have problems with flights, I'll cut the primary wings, not all, only the 6-7 first(they can't fly with only the ramining). I only want the better for the birds(i know the better is not going to be indoor pet, but it's better than a caged bird.
Abou the comment of Pfaunefrend, i think it's not necesary comment things like this. If you're not going to sell eggs to people who wants to have an experiment, and a work about this birds indoors, i think it's good and it's your opinion about this, but i don't asked you about eggs and this comments are not well for this threads. This is mi opinion. Yo can say that it's a crazy idea to do, but it's very bad to say that you never going to sell eggs for people like me, I think it spares...I know that indoor they never going to have sand batchs or scratch on the floor, because that i am going to take him for a walk 1-2 hours a day. They are people who have peafowls in cages they never going to leave them, they don't have sand or any other things, only food and water. My birds will be free many hours a day, and the weekends, they will be more time playing, eating on the mount (the garden i have near my home it's like a mount, and a little forest) drink water in the pond and eat grass and insects, overcoat in spring.
Thanks
 
I follow up this discussion now several days, but to say it openly, for me this is a crazy idea and I would never give any egg for such a projects. To be a happy bird peafowl have to run around outside, scratch on the floor have sand bath etc. All these things they will not have indoor. This is for me not appropriate to the species.
I don't know but I think i messaged you and ask you about eggs
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I only want the better for the birds(i know the better is not going to be indoor pet, but it's better than a caged bird.
I mean no offense, but perhaps it isn't such a good idea for you to own peafowl, as you don't seem to be in a situation that is "better for the birds," where they can fly and be safe outdoors. You seem enjoy your other, more appropriate pets; why risk peas by keeping them someplace they do not belong?

Also, in my opinion, Pfauenfreund is certainly correct to comment here that he would not sell eggs to someone who would not take proper care of their peas and who just wants to "have an experiment" with peas. He's only expressing his own feelings about his peas and their eggs.

Finally, I suggest that, since you have come here for advice, you might listen to Kedreeva who has a vast amount of experience doing exactly what you want to do. Her Gizmo is clearly not a "monster," but the result of an outdoor, wild creature spending time in an unnatural environment. Kedreeva has obviously gone to great lengths to have her boy be as happy, healthy, and well adjusted as possible. Please take a moment to really think about the great advice she has kindly taken the time to give you.

Again, I am not saying any of this to cause offense in any way!!
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I certainly know how wonderful peacocks are and how exciting it would be to have one as an indoor pet!
But I only worry about the health and well being of any peas you might get in the future.
 
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If you read all the comments, you have seen that i'm going to do a documentary with this birds like indoor pets, cause all that you saying to me, I think this year I only get the experience, if it's so good to have that birds indoor, I'm going to do the documentary, but if it´s a bad experience (I don't think it will be bad) I'll also make the documentary, but not like indoor pets, i will make it like birds in nature, outdoor.
I know you are telling me all your stories, but let me experience that. Now I'm not going to have 3 or 4 peafowls indoor, I think only will have 1 or 2, when they grow, i take them outdoors if they are not good pets indoors. If they are good pets they will stay with me(only if they are hens, i don't want females cause they are agressive), but if they aren't good pets, I'll give them to someone who is going to take care of them and the next year, do the documentary and the full experience like a mother peahen indoors or outdoors. That's all.
It's a risk? i don't think so, How humans we got here? risking, but that is not a risk, open your minds,open your eyes and look beyond what you can see. I know i have the expeience of a partner who explain me all the things that he do with her peafowl, I only want to have the experience.
We can think what we will want and have our "views", thats about the opinion of the eggs, i know a of us can have a different opinion, some can hurt and other can like.
Now my question is: You don't want me to have a peafowl like an indoor pet?
Thanks
 
I don't think any of us are saying "absolutely don't do this" but we want you to understand what it will be like, so that you don't get in over your head. We also have the best interest of the peafowl in our minds, because we don't want to see anything bad happen to a pea, even accidentally. Gizmo is not a "monster" at all- however, his behavior is likely to be similar behavior to a peafowl you raise indoors as an indoor pet. If you aren't prepared for handling everything I've described (and whatever things I've forgotten) AND whatever particular quirks the pea you raise while having less experience then I'm saying there's a good possibility that maybe it's not a good fit for you to raise a large, wild bird indoors like it's a domesticated house-pet.

I will say that if you are already planning on giving up the peafowl if it doesn't fit your idea of a "good indoor pet" after you've imprinted it, please please please PLEASE don't get a peafowl for indoors. Giving up an imprinted pea to someone else is a horrible experience for the bird, very unfair to them. No one should ever plan to get a living creature "just for the experience" and plan to give it away after. An imprinted bird forms an attachment.

If all you want is to make a documentary about raising a peafowl indoors, have someone else that will keep the bird afterward raise it and work with them on the documentary. That's way better for the bird.

As another note, if you do decide to have one indoors, only have one indoors. If you have more than one, they tend to imprint to one another rather than you, and are much more wild.
 
Don't forget to baby-proof your house... Peas are very curious and are likely to swallow small, shiny objects like coins, jewelry, marbles, rocks, bits of plastic, foam, etc.

-Kathy
 
Ok, I will consider what you tell me to have the experience. All that we took for granted. I'm taking note of everything that you're telling me
A bird with imprinting can't be cared with other person? I never know that imprinted birds can't be with other persons and without her "mother". What they do with the birds was used for documentaries like peuple migrateur or fly away home? I don't think Anna Paquin haves the 16 geese in her home...
Thanks
 

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