Arguments for why it is acceptable to keep parrots as pets

[Azure Hanyo]

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.

I agree. We do not do these animals any favors by keeping them captive. We keep them to be companions, yes, to care for them and enjoy them... But really if no one had domesticated the birds to begin with, I sure as heck wouldn't want to take one from its natural habitat. Would you? It kind of makes me sad in a way that they have been captive-bred, but happy too because I love my feathered buddies. Cats and dogs are completely different than birds and were domesticated for entirely different reasons... Cats were domesticated to control rodents; dogs for hunting and farm work.

You think someone wants to tie a tiny little yoke to my caique and have him plow an herb garden? No. Birds ARE NOT "working" animals. They offer us NOTHING but companionship and neat tricks and we offer them nothing but a nice house and tons of food. Falconers may disagree... But that is a falcon. Not a parrot.

[Michael]

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.

I am not talking about the reasons we want to own them. Someone challenged me by saying what's in it for the bird and I explained that there are many advantages for them. I'm not implying it is better than living in the wild, however, I am saying that it is still a good life no less.

[Rrrma]

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??

Um... I don't consider my 7yo to be entertaining

I think part of it is our natural instinct to parent things, and I've noticed a lot of people who chose not to have kids, chose to have lifelong pets instead.


I personally am not fond of the pet trade. 99% of all the animals that have ever been in my care(in the umpteen years I've cared for animals) are rescues/rehomes. We even had an animal rescue for 15 years that took in anything from wild injured birds to turtles to strays and abuse cases.(I live in a very small community, so there was surprisingly low demand for a rescue. Now we have a humane society that took over where we left off. That we volunteer at when capable). The other 1% were usually bought from a petstore where it seemed like their survival was in question.

I wish more people would take second hand pets instead of buying a newbie, but people want what they want and they consider rehomes to be broken.

I am not talking about the reasons we want to own them. Someone challenged me by saying what's in it for the bird and I explained that there are many advantages for them. I'm not implying it is better than living in the wild, however, I am saying that it is still a good life no less.

Assuming the caregiver actually gives a ratsass for the wellbeing of their bird, it is going to have a few perks. The people on this forum are only a very very very small percentile of actual owners, and sadly the majority of actual owners don't care for them properly.

[Michael]

Are you suggesting no one should have pets since many owners are incapable or uncaring?

[Rue]

...
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. ....

Parrots, while not domesticated to do 'work', have been kept as pets since people started keeping pets. Parrots were primarily a status symbol in the beginning. So, yes, I agree, parrots as pets are for our own entertainment. But I don't think there's anything wrong with that (if done right).

But I don't think having a low stress life and a rich diet is good thing...for any animal. We have evolved to survive stress/famine, and when that is taken away from us we turn that unused energy/potential into various neuroses.

Just think of the abuse the animals and people can survive! As sad as it is, it's also amazing in scope. We all need a purpose in life. Dogs and cats serve that purpose better...because they are fully domesticated...parrots not so well. If you remove their purpose...what do they have left? Same with people...why do so many men (not women) die shortly after they retire? They have no stress and rich food...they die because their purpose in life is gone...the need to support the family...

I try and give my birds enough 'out' time to entertain them. I try and let them run out of food for a while (never so they starve...just so they wonder)...I let them fly (if they want to...the Amazon doesn't want to) and I try and keep things a little unpredictable...because that's 'real' life...

[Rrrma]

I've had the same kind of thoughts about children

It is such a cruel world we live in. I hate to know there are so many in need, but being overlooked for something shiny and new.

I have to think that in modern times, keeping pets is actually better in some cases than them being wild. We are ruining the earth, destroying their natural habitat. Where else do they have to go? How else do we preserve the species? I have hope that one day we will rebuild what we have damaged and repopulate the areas with native species.

I'm not anti-pet ownership. I just wish more thought went into it than does(but I feel the same way towards everything. I wish people thought more about long term consequences than they do.)

[Michael]

I try and give my birds enough 'out' time to entertain them. I try and let them run out of food for a while (never so they starve...just so they wonder)...I let them fly (if they want to...the Amazon doesn't want to) and I try and keep things a little unpredictable...because that's 'real' life...

Well these are elements of enrichment. These aren't advantages of living at home but a component of the "good parrot care" that is a fundamental requisite. I don't just let my parrots run out of food, I make them work for it (training) and believe me they enjoy working for it. Unlike parrots in the wild, however, our parrots can satiate their hunger quickly/easily so they are left with a lot of free time on their beaks. If we provide them stuff to do, they can do a heck of a lot more play and things wild parrots don't get to do as much of because they are busy working on feeding in the first place.

Would anyone complain about earning their same salary in a 3 hour work day rather than normal hours and then getting to enjoy the rest of the day off doing what you enjoy?

[Rrrma]

Would anyone complain about earning their same salary in a 3 hour work day rather than normal hours and then getting to enjoy the rest of the day off doing what you enjoy?

Yes, some people would. As odd as that might sound.

[Rue]

I agree with Rrrma...most people would rather have a reasonably busy day...

We need stress and unpredictability to function well. Not so much that we can't cope, but enough to keep us on our toes...

Your trick training is excellent. It gives the birds a purpose. You're providing an element of stress (learning curve), reward (treat). But for those of us who aren't into trick training, we need to find other ways to provide enrichment...

Just providing is NOT enough. Even my dogs...who live on an acerage and can run to their heart content...love going for leashed walks with me...I think it provides them with a sense of the pack going out on a hunt...

[notscaredtodance]

Ideally, the world would be like pandora, from the movie avatar, and people and animals could have respectful bonds with each other, rather than domestication.

But the world isn't perfect, and since parrots have already been domesticated, there's no turning back now. The same goes for many other exotic animals. And dogs are just WAY too domesticated to survive in the wild. Cats would probably do okay.


It's absolutely not acceptable to keep an animal that wants to be in a flock of 20 to 100 birds, as a single companion bird. I'd say THAT stresses them out more than having to fly miles for food in the wild.