Totally random

[MobileJay]

So I was thinking about something...can one own a flamingo? I don't know why I thought about it but then thought it would be cool to have one just hanging around the house. Are they illegal to own? I have looked on yahoo and google and can not find anything about it. Anyway, like the title says, TOTALLY RANDOM I know but any info would be appreciated. Thanks guys. Oh and please don't think of me differently because of this question LOL.

[BlueLibby04]

haha.. makes me curious.

[JonP]

I'm sure there are some laws on owning such a bird, but how are you going to keep it there? It will either fly away, a dog or someone will kill it. You will have to keep it caged up all the time. I thought about getting me a Toucan or a Hyacinth Macaw, just can't make up my mind which one I want.

[BearValley]

I don't claim to know much about anything, but oddly, I do know a little about this. I don't know about the laws or the legality of owning or keeping them but I do know what it takes to keep them.

I'm an architect and I've done a lot of work for the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park. A few years ago we redesigned the flamingo exhibit at the entry to the San Diego Zoo. The keepers and curators worked with us and told us how much space and how deep the water should be and stuff like that.

It comes down to keeping predators out (could be difficult), keeping the birds in (not too difficult), giving the birds plenty of room so that they don't feel pressured or stressed from people (about 50 feet between you and them), lots of water that's 6-12 inches deep (if I remember right), a HUGE filtration system - REALLY HUGE or dump and fill every three days, a nesting island with special soil mix and irrigation below to make it just the right kind of muddy...

After all of that, I don't think that they do well in solitary confinement...I might be wrong but I'm thinking that they need a big flock or as it is properly known - a flamboyance of flamingos.