Arguments for why it is acceptable to keep parrots as pets

[Michael]

In the midst of a discussion with a vegetarian, cat owning, hypocrite, I was forced to voice my position as to why it is acceptable to own parrots as pets. This person was implying that it's alright to own cats/dogs but not parrots. I would like to provide some of my arguments here for anyone that faces such opposition in the future:

1) What do they have to gain from being pets?

They get to live a low stress life and feed on a rich diet that they could never dream of eating in the wild. Also they are safe from predation and other wild threats. They have the potential to peacefully live their span of life to its fullest.

Furthermore many species are equally or more abundant in captivity as in the wild so from a species perspective they are doing quite well and guarantees the furtherance of the species.

2) Other house pets have been domesticated

Most parrots nowadays are one or several generations removed from the wild. So while they may not be enough generations removed for domestication to occur, non of the wild learned behavior exists in captive parrots.

Parrots are on their way to domestication. Everyone has to start somewhere. However, a variety of color mutations (breeds) of parrots are already forming in many species including Budgerigars, Cockatiels, and Ring Necked Parakeets.

3) Most cats/dogs couldn't survive on their own

Well nor would captive parrots. Neither our climate, habitat, or vegetation would be suitable for sustaining them. More importantly without learning basic survival skills at a young age and without a flock to join, their chances of surviving here outside of being a pet are virtually non-existent.

*All of my arguments assume well cared for pets in good homes. I cannot speak for all owners but I do my best by creating sites like this forum to help educate all owners of these wonderful creatures.

So what are your arguments for why it is acceptable for parrots to be kept as pets?

[Brittanyv326]

Agreeing with all of your points, I do have to argue that in being a good pet owner, you do have to recognize that no matter the life that we can give parrots in captivity, it will still not be as good as it would be in the wild. Parrots fly for miles in the wide open skies in the wild daily, with more variety and stimulation than we could ever offer. It is unfair to a parrot for it to be kept as a pet, but with the benefits aforementioned it is made justifiable and morally acceptable.

I could make the cat/dog argument, but I'm sure someone else will cover it.

[Michael]

I don't think I agree with you. Parrots in the wild fly for many miles a day out of necessity rather than enjoyment. They have to fly that far to get to where the food is. If they could have food magically fall into a food bowl in the wild I'm sure they wouldn't fly for it either. By watching my two flighted parrots, I can tell you that they are lazy bastards and don't fly very much on their own. Jean Pattison would concur with me that her flighted wild caughts in outdoor aviaries hardly fly at all either.

Now before anyone calls me a hypocrite (as I've used a similar argument for why parrots should be kept flighted), let me explain the difference. I think that parrots need the ability to fly at will both for mental and physical well being. However, the amount of flight to feel happy doesn't have to be those many miles. My parrots spend hours a day out of the cages when they have the potential to fly whenever they want and they'll make only several flights max (unless I'm training them) because that's all they need. The rest of the flying is to earn food similar to the wild. This is why I believe that training, foraging, and flight are necessary components of "well cared for pets in good homes." However, I don't think our parrots are any less happy than wild parrots because they fly shorter distances. If anything, the wild ones would probably be envious of our pets that can just sit around and eat yummy food and fly the minimum that is merely for fun.

[bmsweb]

Michael the only reason you have a parrot is purely for you own entertainment Period! You are in no way doing it any favors no matter what spin you put on it. Then again if you're happy living under your self created illusion then so be it.

What Brittany has said is 100% correct.

[Nathaniel]

Keeping pets should not be about entertainment only. A true pet parent learns behaviors about their pet. As they learn these, it becomes easier to raise and breed pets in a captive enviorment, thus reducing the strain on the wild population. Michael has demonstrated his observations into keeping parrots. He has developed techniques for handling, training and improving the life of captive parrots. While it seems like he is doing it for his entertainment, you cannot deny that he has help many parrot owners on the right track. He talks about how he wishes to help captive parots with bad owners almost every day.
Based on what I have seen, he truely cares about his pets wellbeing and is not keeping his birds for selfish reasons such as entertainment or money.

[a.susz]

to each his own, i think owning a pet, not breeders, of any kind from lizards to horses would be for entertainment, why else would you slave to care for something that poops so much and you have to feed it 3 times a day??

unless you are going to own 2 animals for breeding and relocation, NOT for the pet trade(this even means breeding birds from home and selling to your neighbor--its still the pet trade!), can you say you are trying to help the species. you can only claim this if you are in a program that is truly going to never interact with the babies and eventually have them fend for themselves in their natural environment.

i dont care who you are, when you get a pet, its for fun, i will admit my self, i stare at my birds for hours sometimes just enjoying the silly things they do, watching how they eat, or how they interact with a new toy. and yes its fun

[bmsweb]

As they learn these, it becomes easier to raise and breed pets in a captive enviorment, thus reducing the strain on the wild population

So Michael purchased Truman from a breeder to reduce the strain on the wild populations! Man this just keeps getting better and better LOL

[Nathaniel]

Yes, it is the little things that each of use do that add up to a greater feat. I have very little experience with birds, so from keeping and breeding fish for well over a decade. I can say that if enough people take the time to record their experience, then it adds up to a greater resource for improving the lifes of out pets. Fish, for instance, are hardwired to looking for food(as with most other animals) so a fish that is fed twice a day becomes "Friendlier" to the point of being trainable. This is the basis of all greater civilization. Man started just like these other animals, then we found easier ways of finding food, same with dogs and cats. Man has found that if we control their everyday activities they become good companions, but that does not mean we "Slave" them to do our bidding. Do you whip your bird everytime it behaves badly? (If so, then you can die in a hole) But no, we reward them for behaving desirably. All and all we get what we want, and they get what they want(Food).

[TheNzJessie]

i agree completely that parrots are far better off in the wild any animal has developed a way to get away from predators for birds its flight for lions its strength for cheetahs its speed but because of humans we are cutting down trees and turning there homes into farmlands and cities so the humans feel its there duty to catch these birds (and other animals) to breed them and keep the species going. put your self in ur birds situation i know what i would prefer.....

the bird has developed flight for 2 reasons. reaching a destination for food and escaping from predators. a captive bird doesn't face either of these so basically even if your bird is flighted your still taking away its REASON for flying.....

[Kim S]

A breeder I know has told me this a couple of times, I havent seen it on my own, but I cant help believing him.
He breeds large parrots, and parrots that are indangered. Hyacinths, palmcockatoos, other black cockatoos, ect. A lot of these breeding parrots are wildcaught.

He had a couple of parrots (cant remember which) in a big aviary with loads of flying space and a heated indoor part. He also had chickens in the same aviary. After a while, his parrots started to loose the ability to fly. They stopped flying. They just climbed the mesh if they wanted to get up or down, and walked over the ground to wherever they were headed.
It took him a couple of weeks to find out why but when he figured it out, he couldnt believe it. To allow the chickens to leave the indoor area he made an opening at groundlevel, underneath the opening where the parrots fly through. The parrots stopped using the 'parrotdoor' and started using the 'chickendoor'.
To test his theory, he closed the chickendoor, and voila. The parrots started flying again.

I agree with Michael. If parrots dont have to fly they wont. Remember that flying takes up a lot of energy, so why use it of you dont have to? This is evolution. This is how flightless birds evolved. They didnt need to fly.
But, on the other hand, I agree that the birds we do own are still wired for flying. So in my opinion, they should be given the ability to fly.

But I thought this was a discussion about why it is acceptable to keep parrots as pets. There is a whole section about wether or not birds should be flighted, so go and make use of it!