I feel like this is illegal. Do you?

[Anna]

It can also be very dangerous for a bird to be loose in a car. What happens if the driver has to brake hard? Or if the bird gets caught under a pedal or something... Personally, I would never transport a bird (outdoors or in the car) without a harness or a cage.

[viki]

well i know michael wudnt do anything stupid, and i know kili is always very well behaved, but i still think for owners who are not as good and have less well behaved parrots, their should be a law. What if something scared the bird and he/she wud try fly and flutter around distracting the driver. In micheal and Kilis situation im not thinking about them personally, but about what other, stupid people might do

[coral]

i think parrots arnt a common house hold pet at least not where i live at least not as common as cats or dogs. so there arnt any laws i know of that pretain to them. if people cant control their pet they should be put in a carrier but if the parrot is well behaved then theres no problem.

[Aloysius]

I think that it would not be safe for a big bird (like a full-sized macaw or cockatoo) to be loose in the car, or tiny ones like budgies or parrotlets, but with medium sized ones (Quakers, Senegals, small Greys etc.) it might be okay if it is reasonably well behaved.

[Shelby]

well i know michael wudnt do anything stupid, and i know kili is always very well behaved, but i still think for owners who are not as good and have less well behaved parrots, their should be a law.

Laws involving pets should apply to everybody or nobody, imo, because if not there are too many loopholes for the rotten people to take advantage of.

As far as parrots in stores, my mom told me a cute experience of hers in Florida a few years ago on a business trip: (keep the location in mind, and the fact that there are parrots everywhere there.)

Mom was in a store with some colleagues and she kept hearing this little squeak, much like the squeaker in dog toys. She thought that some little kid was trying to be annoying. After looking around, she saw a little girl maybe 8 years old with a toy parrot on her shoulder and she seemed to be reaching up and making it squeak every little while. When my mom got closer, she realized it was a REAL parrot! It would nibble her ear for attention and the girl would pet it and it would squeak happily.

My mom mentioned to the girl's parents how she'd never seen somebody bring a pet bird out in public before and they said that she had gotten a little parrot a few years ago but it escaped out a window and she was devastated. Then, a little while later, she was playing in a park and suddenly went over to a nearby bush, reached into it, and pulled out that little parrot! They said the parrot has stayed with her ever since and it goes everywhere she does: school, the store, a friend's house, and nobody cares. It even sleeps on the corner of her bed! It is quite tame and friendly to everybody and they guess that it was either somebody's escaped pet or a wild bird that was around people enough (and possibly fed/handled) so now it likes being with people.

[pfinarffle]

I've taken our Sennie around in one of those cage backpack deals. No one complained. But I suppose if the store/restaurant/etc specifically says "no pets allowed" then it's "no pets allowed." I wouldn't let PeeWee out on my shoulder for a couple reasons:
1. He's flighted now.
2. There are tons of hawks/falcons and other birds of prey here in Maryland. It'd only be a matter of time before he was picked off my shoulder.

[Aloysius]

would a hawk or falcon seriously do that?

[liz]

A sreach owl slamed into the sunroom window 3 times trying to get my tiels.

A red tailed hawk ripped the back off my Chick Chick while she was playing by the back steps. She wa too heavy for him to pick up but he did a lot of damage to her.

[viki]

omg liz thats so scarey and sad...