Captive bred weaker than wild

[Pajarita]

The article is not about parrots but about monarch butterflies but it adds to the HUGE amount of scientific evidence we have that captive-bred is ALWAYS weaker than their wild counterparts. Breeders of undomesticated species for the pet trade do not admit to this (they argue they are 'saving' species from extinction) but they know of it, and that's the reason why they have always preferred using wild-caughts as breeding stock.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-ne ... E1MzI0MwS2

[Navre]

I wonder if parent-raised vs hand-raised is a factor, also?

Also, do pairs that are able to select their own mates from a large flock have healthier offspring than pairs that had few, or only one choice of a mate?

[Pajarita]

As usual, there are not studies but, in my personal opinion and going by what I have read and observed, I would say that parent-raised birds are much better-adjusted than hand-fed (they not only know for a fact they are birds and what species they are but they are also much more self-assured and assertive than hand-fed ones) BUT if the parents are kept in an environment very similar to their natural habitat and their feed is closer to their ecological diet (as in birds kept in flocks in zoos in the same country where the species lives and fed, as much as possible, the same food that their wild counterparts get), I would also say they would be healthier AND stronger - not anywhere near what a wild one would be but more than 'regular' pet parrots.

As to choosing a mate from a captive flock to just getting a mate... I don't think that would make a big difference. It will make a difference to the parents because being able to choose their own mate would ensure a deeper bond between the parents - that's for sure. But, when it comes to the babies and although it might make a teeny, tiny difference, it would never be enough to begin to compare to natural selection because in captivity, even weak babies survive while, in the wild, they would not (as well as the ones that manage to make it to adulthood but are not the healthiest and strongest) so we are talking of a flock made out of individuals that are already weak to begin with. Don't forget that parrots bred for the pet trade are the offspring of parrots bred for the pet trade that are, in turn, also offspring of parrots bred for the pet trade that were born of parrots bred for the pet trade... I mean, we are talking generations of copies made out of copies made out of copies that, in almost all cases, were bred too young (macaws bred before they are 6 years old and as young as 1.5 years of age - the equivalent of an 8 or 9 year old child!) and too often (two and three clutches a year if not more - Sheesh, the little ones like lovebirds, budgies, plets, etc are often bred all year round) and have produced and will continue to produce weak babies all their lives. And that's why the projects that breed parrots to be released back to their natural habitat out of ex-pet ones takes such a long time - it's not only that they need to teach the babies survival skills that the wild parents would have taught them (and that's no easy feat!), it's that most of them are not strong enough to make it even when they learn the skills because of inferior DNA.