by Crazy Bird Lady » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:26 pm
Im sure they would appreciate it if i did not smoke at all too. I have no children, so my flock are my babies, and i want to be able to give them the best.
Im not trying to excuse or justify myself for smoking, all i can say is that i have never struggled with anything as much as being addicted to nicotine. I am determined to stop smoking, i just need to keep practicing quitting until i get it right.
I do think that if people smoke they should be responsible for what they are doing, and do their best to prevent any problems other people/creatures may experience - for me especially, disposing of ciggarette butts safely is really important - so many smokers dont care about their butts, and i have seen more than one wild bird try to eat a butt. that makes me so angry.
I really enjoy having access to avian forums and websites where i am continually able to update my bird knowledge and connect with people who have so much experience and great ideas to share. I never would have known about teflon etc without coming online.
Sadly, most people whp own birds keep them as ornaments, and have incredibly little consideration for their bird at all - they just feed them seed and leave them with a mirror toy, on plastic perches, with old dirty water and no free flight abilities. This is really evident on youtube, but also i think that generally people have little regard for birds - they think that because a cockatiel is so cheap, its not worht taking to the vet...
I get called "crazy bird lady" by lots of my friends, because they know how much time and effort i put into caring for my birds, and learning about them. i think what i am doing is the responsible thing to do - and im not claiming that i am a perfect birds owner - im sure there is lots i have to learn, and things i could do better.... but at least im open to it... On the one hand i like being called "crazy bird lady" but i also think that it also goes to show that if people see someone being dedicated to their bird, when the norm is to do just the absolute basics, that you get labelled "crazy" or "excessive". it annoys me that it is somewhat of a joke to see my birds as more than mere property.
parrots arent mere ornaments, and they're hardly "just a pet" they are intelligent and emotional creatures who want our companionship. As a bird owner, its a pleasure to make my parrots lives as happy, enriched and healthy as possible