hybrid poll & thoughts

[feathermum]

hey all, I would like to know what you think of Hybrids. I have come across many view points, & some are very strange to me, like ; "Only in the Macaw family is it ok." & "The Sunday conure should be it's own species" & of course the " OMG, I would love to mix blank & blank!!! see what the babbies look like!!" and the worst statement i'v ever herd " All Hybrid birds should be killed"


so I thought this would be an interesting poll to see where you all stand.I personaly don't think it's a good thing. yes some hybrids are very beautiful & make great pets,but Parrot are disappearing in the wild, more becoming endangerd or closer to extingtion every yr.
Another line of thought is what if it's a nautral pairing? I met a breeder who lets her birds pick their mates, sets an even # out in a large aviary, 2 different speices & once a picked a . They were bonded and have had all healthy clutches. what if this occurs in the wild?

[pennyandrocky]

if it happens in the wild i'm fine with it i have seen some beautiful hybrids. i'm against breeding any birds while there are so many in rescues needing homes.

[Rebellious]

I think hybrids (especially the Camelot macaw and Catalina) are beautiful but they mess with the gene pool and for me, it's okay if a hybrid pops up once in a while. But if you're breeding them constantly then...no.

[Cedardave]

I think if were talking pets...which I believe we are, there really shouldnt be any issue.Along with other macaws(greenwing,military,blue and gold) i have a beautiful pair of Calicos.And yes they are a breeding(non related)pair.If you talk of weekening a gene pool, than the question becomes how many of our pet birds are being released into the wild.to weaken the population.Since we are talking about pets...I believe it is no differant than selecting any pet...if you are morally opposed dont buy it.I will however tell you that many of the hybreds,in birds and other animals, often have traits that are the best of both worlds.Im not trying to change anyones opinion...that of course is yours alone...but for those that are undecided...keep an open mind ...all creatures share our earth regardless of their origins...they are here because they can be...

[Polarn]

as cedardave stated there are few of our pets that gets released and few of our pets that could actually raise chicks that could be released.

I am not sure how I feel about Hybrids before I was pretty much all against it but lately I've figured there is a lot of other things in our pets that screws up their ability to help reproduction in the wild. One thing I do think is a factor in causing problems with the ideal thought of keeping a solid genepool in captivity, in household pets. is handfeeding. A handfed bird quite often has problems raising their own chicks, wich means you would have to handfeed them, ending up in a mad spiral where thouse chicks too wouldn't be the best option for release in the wild. Another problem is to actually find an acceptable mate and successfully produce offspring, without imprinting the offspring too much on humans. Yes there are great preservation programs out there and they all start somewhere. But as Cedardave stated most of our birds wouldn't be suitable candidates for such programs.

Another thing is geographical location, for instance affrican birds owned by americans... the logistics of getting the birds or their offspring across the atlantic for a preservation program would be extremely costly and probably quite stressful. Same goes for a lot of things, shipping gallahs from the states or Europe to australia (I know that was a stupid example since the Galahs are considered pests...) But yeah dunno how I feel but I wouldnt consider htbrids a major problem tbh

[KC Cameron]

It is my limited experience hybrids Macaws tend to be more temperamental as adults. I also understand Ekkies that are hybrids can have issues and are not as attractive. I personally would be more wary of a hybrid as they reach maturity.

The only reasons I know about on why to mix types are 1) beauty in Macaws, or 2) Not having an appropriate mate. If the true reason is #2, I would stay a way from that breeder! If the reason is #1, I would rather adopt an older bird with a proven track record.

To me, breeders who hybridize generally do it to for economic reasons, not for health or personality. That alone makes a hybrid less attractive to me. That being said, some of the hybrid Macaws are very beautiful.

I don't think the "gene pool" theory holds water for MOST PET species, but their rarity should be taken into account as well.

As for taking on the best traits of both parents, they can easily take on the worse traits of both parents too. Also being a hybrid means you can't expect certain behaviors/health problems that you can with a pure bred.

I would love to have someone prove me wrong!

[dingdong]

Yes there are great preservation programs out there and they all start somewhere. But as Cedardave stated most of our birds wouldn't be suitable candidates for such programs.

A handfed bird quite often has problems raising their own chicks, wich means you would have to handfeed them, ending up in a mad spiral where thouse chicks too wouldn't be the best option for release in the wild. Another problem is to actually find an acceptable mate and successfully produce offspring, without imprinting the offspring too much on humans.

I am not sure how I feel about Hybrids before I was pretty much all against it but lately I've figured there is a lot of other things in our pets that screws up their ability to help reproduction in the wild. One thing I do think is a factor in causing problems with the ideal thought of keeping a solid genepool in captivity, in household pets. is handfeeding.

[KC Cameron]

Why get a hybrid? Is there any reason than looks???

1) Do we really want to endorse coloring as a main reason to choose a bird?

2) Certian parrots have certian traits. Hybridization can toss much of that knowledge out the door - especially if the new owner does not realize it is a hybrid.

3) It has been reported that some hybrids are more "quirky" behavior as adults, some have muted coloring.

4) Once hybrid, any decendents can never be pure (should some unknown reason present itself).

5) Small breeders who do not have a large selection of a species or sub-species will hybridize instead of finding the same sub-species mate . . . which often ends up as breeding for money first. Is this the breeder we want breeding our parrots?

6) Large breeders who hybridize often do so for more original coloring, not behavior or health. Is this what we want to promote?

7) A very similar mind-set of hybedization is the mind set to interbreed syblings and relitives to get unusual coloring . . . there is a reason it isn't legal to marry your sibling or parent! Is this in the best interest of the parrots?

8) We already have too many parrots bred - too many being abused. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO MAKE PARROTS MORE PHYSICALLY ATTRACTIVE AS PETS . . . it encourages potential parrot owners to buy a parrot for the wrong reasons.

9) As humans, we have different "races". Biologically, "race" does not exist. It only exists as culture, location and skin color and is NOT a scientific term. The difference, biologically, between the "races" is extreemly small. Cross-breeding between "races" is FAR different than cross-breeding between sub-species which is what we are talking about with parrots. [I am stating this only because I have heard parrot owners compare hybrids as similar to a mixed race couple's child - it is NOT the same!]

[Cedardave]

Many of you have vaid and valuable points.We have and breed...and sell The offspring from a beautiful pair of calicos.Not only are they capable parents, but their offspring are in fact the best of both worlds.....proven over time.We do not have a breed to repopulate the planet.We are in Canada....there arent and wild parrots of any kind flying around.That being said ,we have strict guidelines as to who may buy our birds as well as a clause stating if you become unable to look after the bird you buy from us it is to be returned to us.Bird rescues have enough to do.As i said before...im not looking to change anyones point of view...just give my perspective.Most people by pets for personality and appearance.If a hybred from a reputable breeder floats your boat, than I see nothing wrong with that.I do need to add,that I am opposed to the hybredization of any bird with the intent of wild release.The populations in the wild struggle enough without having additional competition from a "new" kid on the block.

[Cherman23]

I don't understand all the fuss about hydrids. If it was a dog, there would be no problem. That is how new breeds come about. Everyone holds the AKC papers in high regards when they go to purchase a dog. Yet any new breed aka hydrid can get sanctioned by AKC if the new breed (hybrid) can mate with another hybrid and produce the same results consistently. Humans have been creating new dog breeds to accommodate size, color,and appearance for centuries. I don't breed either but in my opinion, the only TRUE hybrid is trying cross a bird with say... a turtle.