I lurk here quite often but hardly post (mostly because I don't have a lot to say
), I saw this thread a while ago and decided not to post but since it's been resurrected I'll drop in my $0.02. With regards to the OP and things that can scare off new members.. at times there's a very large amount of soapboxing that occurs on this forum. I don't mean people being blunt (though being blunt to people on a forum is often not helpful, especially if they're entirely new to parrots -providing neutral explanations is often much better and much more educational), but I've seen posts here that essentially say "if you don't do it this way, you're a terrible person and have no business owning a parrot." There's a specific post I'm thinking of right now from a prominent member (no, I won't point it out, don't ask) that uses the majority of those words in that order in relation to the topic being discussed, and IMO was a completely inappropriate response. That's an extreme example but there is a lot of "if it's not done the way I do it, it's wrong" on this forum.One thing I discovered over my 2+ years of research before getting a parrot is that there is a lot of contradicting information out there. And sometimes more than one approach, method, or whathaveyou is correct. We all know ourselves and our birds are individuals and what works for some won't work for others. When a member asks about something that really isn't bad being immediately told "No, you're completely wrong and how could you even think that?", it's a good way to make them go and seek information else ware. The immediate assumption is that the person is doing something wrong because it isn't done the exact way the respondent would do it or thinks it should be done. That doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong, won't work, or is harmful to the parrots. Take a step back and think "Hey, is that actually a valid <method/food/schedule/time/habitat/whatever>?"
Anyway, like I said, just my $0.02 from a lurker.
