AnimalAffinity wrote:Yes we have and I decided to do it and I think my birds would rather have a short life doing what they were born to than a long one stuck in a house or cage, if it came to that. That's not what I'm trying to ask here anyway
It doesn't have to be either/or. They are not Achilles, you know... There are other options than risking their dying scared and alone or living 'stuck' in a cage or house. For one thing, when you give them the freedom to fly around in a house, unless you live in a tiny Manhattan studio, there is plenty of room for them to exercise (you should see mine flying from the first floor to the attic, navigating the staircases and making U turns in flight). Parrots are not migratory or birds of prey so their 'territory' is relatively small and limited only by the amount of food they can find in it. They are not prone to 'expand' the geographical area they are born to (and this is one of the reasons why global warming will kill more tropical and subtropical species than the ones from temperate climate). If they can feed within a radius of 10 ft, they will gladly stay in the small area and won't even dream of flying a single foot outside of it. Flight is great exercise but it can be given without risking their lives.