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Why are parrots given up

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Why are parrots given up

Postby Pajarita » Mon May 09, 2016 10:22 am

I found this article to hit the nail right on the head but I think that I would change the order of the reasons - what do you think? Do you agree with the order or, if you don't, how would you change it? Would you add something to the list?

http://www.birdchannel.com/understand-t ... en-up.aspx
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Re: Why are parrots given up

Postby ~Karen » Mon May 09, 2016 7:08 pm

I would move BEHAVIOR right to the top of their list. Next comes TIME and ATTENTION, because of bad behavior it becomes not as enjoyable to spend time with a bird that bites and screams.

MY LIST, would have as #1 - LACK of EDUCATION.

People need to know how much work, life style change, patience, space, time and money it takes to keep a parrot. IMO chances are slim and none that those that go into this blindly will stay in it for the long haul once they find out what it takes.
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Re: Why are parrots given up

Postby Navre » Tue May 10, 2016 1:20 am

Many just seem to outlive their owners ability to care for them. We see a lot from elderly people who are going into elderly housing, assisted living, or nursing homes, who can't take the birds with them. We also see a fair amount from owners who die.
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Re: Why are parrots given up

Postby Pajarita » Tue May 10, 2016 10:31 am

Yes, I agree with the lack of education been number one. But I think that it's not so much that people that decide to get a parrot don't do any research, I think it's more that they overestimate their capacity for maintaining the degree of enthusiasm and attention it needs for years and years. And, this kind of ties to John's comment. There are lots of old people who get birds because they think it would be easier than a dog or a cat and, eventually, the bird outlives their capacity to care for it but there are also lots and lots and lots of young people whose birds outlive the period of time they can sustain the degree of attention a bird needs (only young people usually put them for sale in CL or sell it/give it privately to somebody they know). Anybody can keep the enthusiasm required to devote 4 hours of every single day for a couple of years but, eventually, the novelty wears off and they spend less and less time with the bird. The neglect and the fact that the bird is now a sexually mature adult and, most likely, hormonal all the time is what creates the 'bad behaviors'. Humans were not programmed to 'raise' their young (a parrot been like a small child that never grows up) for 20 or 30 years... we simply stop producing the 'bonding' hormones and the interest wanes.
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Re: Why are parrots given up

Postby Vmax3000 » Mon Jun 06, 2016 12:38 am

I read the article and it reminded me of the pbs documentary called Parrot Confidential. I have to say Gus came to us because of a baby being born into someone's family. He's been the apple of my eye for almost two years now. Recently, we adopted Max from his breeder. He's been quite nippy, which is normal for him (being that he's a baby bird...and I can be a dense primate :roll: ) and this has caused me to reflect on some of the things the young family told me when I contacted them about Gus. The thing in the article that I would print onto billboards, if I could, is that behavior problems are people related, not the bird's problem. I think that goes for most species of companion animals.
Thanks for sharing the link, Pajarita!
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Re: Why are parrots given up

Postby Pajarita » Mon Jun 06, 2016 10:19 am

Oh, indeed! Animals don't have any behavioral problems on their own, it's us, humans, who create them! I never buy a baby of anything, I either adopt or rescue adults (well, with the exception of some kittens born to feral mothers which I took in so they would not end up feral and dead within a few years) and I usually try to take the ones that other people would find difficult (the 'unadoptable' ones) and in every single case you can easily identify what was the mistake they made by the aberrant behavior the animal is displaying. Well, maybe I should say that this works all the time with mammals but it's harder with parrots. With them, sometimes you can't really pinpoint any one thing but that's because they are so hard to keep happy.
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Re: Why are parrots given up

Postby shiraartain » Tue Jun 07, 2016 7:08 pm

I agree with capacity to care, and think it can extend outside of age to include physical abilities to include allergies. My family has no history of allergies, so we were all shocked when the twin became allergic to our tiel.

The thing is people with cat/dog allergies that take on the animals know they're allergic and are prepared for that commitment going in as well as the financial risk and moeny which will be spent on their own care in addition to the bird's. With birds, you could be completely healthy and end up with an allergy after some time.

I'm guessing noise/birds not meeting social media expectations is also a factor. I know I'm sensitive to noise and so checked bird vocalizations as part of my process in selecting a parrot, but I'm guessing many people don't plan for it. Also our neighbors are very patient to have not filed any noise complaints despite the occasional bird cacophonies that erupt from our house and can be heard from their gardens.
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Re: Why are parrots given up

Postby Chantilly » Tue Jun 07, 2016 10:23 pm

I think no1. is that a lot of people just dont realise what they are signing up for, the bird as Paj and Karen said becomes sexually mature and the owners dont no how to deal with that aggression, more problems are created and the owners give up on trying. That and old age, a lot of birds are surrendered because of old age, the bird either outliving the person or the person becoming unable to care for the bird.
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