captwest wrote:I have to be very careful when trying to express myself on some of these very polarizing issues. i will try to be brief which means that i may not explain myself well enough and be misunderstood. I hope that dosn't happen because i find this forum to be very fair and tolerate of different views. This is the only forum that has a real mix of members and i'm not attacked for being a breeder. I think that is important because ther's a place for breeders, rehomers and behaviorist/trainers in the best interest /well being of companion birds,
Many of thetrainers/behavoirist need to sound very authorative to add credability to their products, ie; they don't have PhD or Dr. to add to their name., no formal schooling in parrot behavior. I'm not implying that they don't how what they're talking about or that their products are bogus, it's just that to market themselfs this is a necessary practice. The positive reenforcement training sounds appealling to the same public as the rehoming industry/busness caters to and they have alighned themselves together; pay my rehomimg fee for this abused bird and with this fool proof DVD you can a loving companion parrot. But because the breeder is in direct competion with this team the breeders are now scum/the bad guys, don't buy a baby when you can save these abused adults.It's too bad, because there's a place for all three and for the good all companion birds if we could all work together, I hope this isn't to far off topic and apologize if this sounds like a rant or attack on anyone. Peace, Richard
I don't believe that either the breeders nor the sympathetic people who accept rehomes are at fault or to blame. The real culprits are people who are not sufficiently committed buying baby birds and then later changing their mind or realizing it's not their thing. Worse yet, some want to get a different kind of bird to upgrade. Many people get a bird whether baby or rehomed without the experience/knowledge to properly tame/train it. Of course having experience is not necessarily requisite as we all must start some place, however, the desire to learn and acquire experience is without doubt mandatory. The trouble with baby birds is that they are easy/forgiving at first but after the baby stage is over, they are in no less need of taming/training than rehomes with "behavior problems." These neglected or improperly cared for babies become the rehomes.
The real issue comes down to people making permanent homes for birds and educating themselves on proper handling/taming techniques rather than how the birds are acquired. Folks that buy a baby bird and keep it for life are certainly guilty of nothing and nor is the breeder that sold them that bird. Breeders who sell unweened birds or push birds on people that shouldn't be getting them may be a different story.
I'm not talking about rehoming out of necessity here (owner got sick or died, moving to other country, allergies, etc) but rather the majority of cases which are about the novelty wearing off or being unable to handle the birds due to poor training. So captwest, I believe the discussion you started about breeding/rehoming is actually irrelevant and the real focus has to be on uneducated/undedicated owners instead. This is why I created this forum and share videos of my success in hopes that others will catch on and train their birds. Then they can enjoy them and wouldn't dream of rehoming them.