I find myself wondering just what the heck Im gonna do when I get too old to care for my fids. My babies are young, and I hope they have many years to live. With that being said, theres no doubt in my mind they will out live me. Besides the discussion of willing your fids, lets discuss what you will do when your say 70. Especially those of you with large long lived fids. Can you imagine cleaning macaw cages at 70!? I cant imagine cleaning my 4 everyday past 50! And thats not too far away! Do you think you will downsize your flocks as you get older?

I work with seniors & a lot of my Home Decor clients are seniors who are making the hard but necessary downsizing into a condo or a smaller home.

When you get to be around 70 you are more fragile - most people. Now is the time to make sure you look after yourself physically & learn to be more laid back about all sorts of stuff. It is very important.

One of my students is in her early 70's & has asked me to be her backup for her Sennie [aged 15]. She loves that bird a lot - i am not looking forward to the day when she says i have to take her [although Percy is great] - it worries me as it will be a hard thing to do.

I was recently offered a young bird - a great bird but turned it down because i am no spring chicken. The person has kept the bird even tho i tried to find it another good home. Giving up your bird is very hard & finding the right person is equally difficult.

Susan has just gone thru that one recently with her Macaw. Luckily the bird is nearby & with someone they know.

I did, it wasn't a pretty sight!

I have a little experience with the over 50 thing. It's not too bad!

I won't re-home until I absolutely have to. I figure I can always hire help if need be.

What if you cant HIRE help though. This is a hard thing to think about, but could be worth it for those thinking about taking high maintenance birds at an older age.

Ive seen an older couple where I shop who have a lot of birds already. They were there visiting weening babies. 1 being a Hy, another was a Harley, plus a yellow collared macaw and an ekkie. When I say older, I mean more than 60 years old doing this!

You know there are a lot of older people on one of the other forums that I am on. And on one hand I think it's awesome they have a companion but can't help but hope there is someone to take their babies should anything happen to them. A lot of them with "baby" birds too that may outlive them. They are little but little birds can live 20+ years.

I'm 26 and constantly worry about what would happen to my birds if something happened to me, as well as my other animals. I don't think anyone wants to think about their bird outliving them but most people with Macaws and such, it's a given.

One thing that you can do is register with a local Avian Vet. Talk to them about what could be done if you suddenly weren't around. Make a reference to that arrangement in a written will.

it's a VERY good question, leigh. one i don't think many people think about as much as they should. if ivy outlives me, i will be entrusting the gabriel foundation (or a sanctuary like it) with ivy's care. this would also go into effect if i live to the point where i am unable to care for myself. i am going to look into starting a trust fund for her shortly. i am 27 right now, so i hope i still have many many more happy years with ivy!

I've already told my boys that my granddaughter "Emily" will inherit Ruby. Of course at 16 and 21 there is no rush for them to comply - yet! lol

A very good thing for all of us to ponder, for sure. Being on the back side of 50, I've been giving it some thought, and haven't come up with much of a plan yet. There just aren't many bird people up around here at all. I worry a lot about short term care for them should something happen to me. It's one thing if I have to make arrangements over time, I'd like to think that something could be worked out with some of you guys in that regard, but what happens if I land in the hospital tomorrow and have to stay a while? Currently my roommate could take care of them, but he's in his seventies. There are no avian vets within hundreds of miles of me, I have few neighbors, no family close by, and wouldn't really trust any of them with my birds. It is a worry, for sure.