“No bird was born to live in a cage.”
“We never can offer them the quality of life they have in the wild.”
“An astounding 75% of parrots living in captivity in the United States are living in less than suitable living conditions and it has been estimated that the average parrot will have 5-10 homes in the first 7 years of its life.”
First and foremost, all birds that are sold in pet stores—for sale online or through the Internet and are caged–are either captive-bred or captured in the wild. Wild-caught birds are likely illegal and are smuggled and forcibly removed from their native environment. If birds are not wild, they are captive-bred, and both are condemned to being kept in cages their entire lives. Birds are meant to fly, remember?
Life in captivity is a total death sentence for birds, whether it is from the stress of confinement, the stress of too small a cage, unnatural noises and temperatures, lack of freedom to fly and express bird behaviors, loneliness, improper environment or poor nutrition and sanitation. Birds are meant to fly, to be free, to express bird behaviors any time, and to be with their families and species in the wild. Confinement causes anxiety for birds, they get frustrated, upset, bored, lonely, and can have serious mood swings. They “lose it” from deep frustration. Captivity can cause them to express abnormal behavior patterns, like repetitive behavior where they swing back and forth, shifting from one foot to another. Another common sign of deep frustration in captivity is plucking their own feathers out leaving them feather-less, amongst other aggressive behaviors.
“The stress that captive parrots are under is immense. We house them in cages, we cut their wings, we don’t allow them to be with their own species—you can imagine the stress we put on these animals. Clipped wings and cages guarantee a sedentary life. Heart disease is all too common now. When people ask what the right size cage is for Macaws—there is NO right size cage. It is the sky, it’s infinite.” ~ Parrot Confidential, the documentary
Kidnapping and Stealing Birds from the Wild
Cockatoos, macaws, parrots, and amazons—are beautiful, intelligent, and have formidable language skills, that unfortunately for them, have jeopardized their well-being and fate and made them a target for the underground, illegal and domestic bird industry. These wild birds are not designed to be domesticated, and captivity is very destructive for them physically, emotionally, and mentally. Their intense need to bond, maintain complex emotional lives, and with their ability to reach ages of up to 80 or 90 years, complicate the equation further. Sooner or later, many owners conclude that they have taken on a much more difficult challenge than they can handle, and then turn to already overcrowded shelters and sanctuaries for help.
The stress these captive birds experience smuggled from the wild to become domesticated, is immense. We house them in cages, we cut their wings, we don’t allow them to be with their own species—you can imagine the stress we put on these animals. Clipped wings and cages guarantee a sedentary life. Heart disease is extremely common now. Not to mention anxiety, misery, frustration, and unhappiness.
In 1992, the U.S. banned the importation of wild birds, but there is a black market and illegal trade in wild birds. Taking birds and animals from their natural habitat means enormous stress for the them; they are removed from their families and bird community, removed from all that they know and love and is native to them, it endangers individual animals and jeopardizes entire bird populations and ecosystems. Often, certain species’ populations will plummet as a result of smuggling these birds into the U.S. or Europe. When the bird is captured or kidnapped from the wild, before being shipped, they are often force-fed, have their wings clipped, their beaks taped shut, and are crammed into every imaginable portable material in order to fly them to their destination. Birds often die – die from shock, anxiety, stress, poor hydration, and heart failure, many birds just don’t make it. Sometimes whole shipments of birds will die.
Fact: Nearly 1/3 of wild birds are endangered today.
“Parrots do not belong in cages. If only more people understood their life in the wild and their true nature and basic needs, I believe they would think again before buying a parrot. For then they would understand the enormous demands that would be made on their time if they wanted to give their bird a satisfying life — that is, as satisfying as it could ever be in captivity.” ~ Jane Goodall
“It’s been estimated that over 70 percent of parrots that were transported from the wild—died.” ~ Parrot Confidential documentary
Captive-Bred Birds are Bird-Breeding Mills
Captive-bred birds are essentially from bird-breeding mills, very similar to puppy mills. Bird-breeding mills have very similar characteristics and conditions—where hundreds of birds are kept caged, row after row. These cages are not designed with the birds’ welfare in mind at all, they are simply designed to maximize profit and minimize space. They are cruel and inhumane -– since birds are meant to fly. The cages are often completely barren, devoid of any objects, toys, or enrichment for birds to climb on, play with, and behave normally. Isolating birds in these small cages is stressful for them, as they are social, smart and playful animals.
Like puppy mills, birds are encouraged to reproduce as quickly as possible for sellers to increase their profits. It’s all greed-driven for pet stores and sellers. They do this by taking away the eggs or hatchlings from their parents to get them to reproduce again. The baby birds are then reared by humans, not birds, and sold to pet stores while they are far too young, and are handled by inexperienced staff people. Most pet store employees know nothing about bird welfare and care, and these baby birds often starve to death, develop infections, and drown. Birds that are hand-reared by humans are known to develop many nervous, anxious problems such as aggression and feather-plucking.
Typical Types of Birds for Sale
Macaw, parrots, cockatiels, parakeets or budgies, canaries, finches, conures, and lovebirds.
Remember: Always Adopt, Don’t Shop. Rescue Don’t Buy.
Signs You Should Not Get a Pet Bird
(Source: PetMD.com)
- You have little time to spend with a bird.
- You live in an apartment or condo, with nearby neighbors.
- You travel often.
- You don’t like a mess.
- You have young children.
- You don’t have funds for a pet, they are expensive.
- You are allergic to feathers or feather dander.
- You don’t want a long-term commitment (birds live between 20-40 years)
- You don’t have the time, finances, space, or lifestyle to support a bird for 40 years.
Reasons Why You Should Not Own a Pet Bird
1. Birds Can and Will Bite You
2. Birds Can be Very Messy
3. Birds Can Live for a Very Long Time
4. Pet Birds Can Be Very Loud
5. Birds Need Lots of Attention
8 Signs You Should Not Get a Pet Bird
Ten Reasons You Should Not Get a Parrot
(Source: VIE Magazine)
- Reason #1: Parrots are noisy.
- Reason #2: Parrots are wild animals.
- Reason #3: Parrots live forever—almost.
- Reason #4: Parrots are messy.
- Reason #5: Parrots are needy.
- Reason #6: Parrots are emotional.
- Reason #7: Parrots are smart.
- Reason #8: Parrots are destructive.
What You Can Do to Help
- Never Purchase a Bird – From a pet store or a chain like PETCO or PetSmart, which propagates and supports the illegal capture of birds from the wild in Mexico, Central and South America, Africa or Indonesia – or the breeding of wild birds. Both are cruel.
- Never Breed Birds – That further adds to the overpopulation of available birds that are homeless, in rescue centers or are euthanized due to too many domestic birds available and not enough homes.
- Adopt a Bird – If you want to adopt a bird, adopt one from a rescue center or sanctuary. Never buy a bird.
- Become Educated About Wild Birds – Understand the needs of birds, their life span, how to enrich birds’ lives by helping them in the wild and in your own backyard.
- Watch Birds in the Wild to Appreciate Them – Enjoy birds in their natural setting by watching them where they belong—in nature, free and wild. Photograph them, film them, but leave them alone and respect them. That is where they deserve to be.
- Watch the documentary film, Parrot Confidential – Excellent film about parrot owners, rescuers, breeders, sanctuary owners, and biologists, all about owning parrots.
- Teach Kids to Respect Birds and Animals – Great article on how to teach your children to respect birds and animals in their natural habitat.
Learn More About Why Birds Are A Bad Idea as Pets
The Problem With Pet Shop Birds, Three Birds and a Cloud
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Own a Pet Bird, by The Spruce Pets
The Ethics of Keeping Pet Birds: Is it Cruel to Keep a Bird in a Cage?, by PetHelpful
10 Reasons You Shouldn’t Get a Parrot, by VIE Magazine
Why You Should Not Buy A Pet Bird, by One Green Planet
If you Adopt, Here’s How to Take Care of a Pet Domestic Bird
Birds have specific needs, like other species. If you adopt or rescue a bird, please consider the following basic needs your bird will have. Different species have different needs, become knowledgeable about your bird species specific needs. This is only a basic list:
- Buy a large enough cage – The cage should be ample room for your bird to fly, jump, climb, walk and perch in different places.
- Let your bird out of the cage everyday – For a minimum of two hours per day, let your bird out of its cage. This will vary depending on the species, but to keep your bird mentally and physically healthy, birds need to be free to roam your home, some say at all times. Larger birds will need more hours out of their cage. Make sure you have removed any household hazards that could injure your bird, look before you sit down, consider where you walk – and be careful with any cats and dogs, if you have other pets, consider putting your bird in another part of your home to avoid any mishap and keep them safe.
- Keep your cage clean every day – Remove and replace all the papers in the cage every day. Once a week, spot clean the entire cage, perches, branches, etc. Then once a month, remove everything to completely clean and disinfect or sanitize with non-fragranced soap and water, and give it a good wipe down. If your bird is messy, then do this bi-weekly.
- Provide enough toys – Make sure your bird has ample and appropriate safe toys for the species, to keep him engaged, stimulated, and happy. These should be available always. Make sure the toys provided do not present a hazard in any way.
- Watch out for stress and anxiety in your bird – If you see plucking feathers, screaming, rocking, or other signs that your bird may be feeling nervous, anxious and stressed—try to find the cause. Did you move? Did a family member move out? Is there more noise than usual? Did you get a pet? Did your schedule change? These can all be causes. If you cannot determine on your own, then take your bird to the vet for a routine checkup to rule out physical and medical causes.
- Provide a healthy, appropriate diet – Do your research to educate yourself on what the optimum diet is for the particular species of bird you have. Typically it will be some combination of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, seeds or pellets. But to balance out the seeds or pellets be sure to add fruits and veggies, including: Romaine lettuce, kale, watercress, spinach, carrots, carrot tops, sweet potato (cooked), broccoli, peas, green beans, pumpkin, zucchini, bell peppers, corn, apples, mango, papaya, pineapple, banana, blueberries, and raspberries are all good. These are the most common bird-safe fruits and veggies. Always check with your avian veterinarian.
- Play and interact with your bird – Some species don’t require much “human time.” But parrots, doves, and larger birds will require it. Talk to them, play games with them, give them affection while you watch TV or talk on the phone. You can just be near them more often too while you are working from home, or on the computer. Get a second bird if your time is limited.
LESSONS TO LEARN
Lesson #1: First and foremost, never buy wild-caught birds.
No bird should be taken from its natural environment, away from its family and flock, to go live in a cage and captivity, so someone can just look at them. Capturing a healthy bird from his natural environment is akin to stealing and kidnapping against his will. It causes the bird enormous stress, misery, suffering and adds to the decline of the wild bird population. Also, do not support pet shops or sellers that are involved in this illegal bird trade. There are already captive-birds that need to be adopted, re-homed and rescued.
Lesson #2: Never buy a captive-bred bird from a pet store, the Internet, any seller.
Lesson #3: ONLY ADOPT or RESCUE a bird from a sanctuary, or rescue group.
Lesson #4: Never let a captive bird go, to survive in the wild
Birds that have been raised in captivity for the pet trade, should never be released to the wild. They don’t know how to be wild birds, and don’t have the skills necessary to survive the weather, finding food, recognizing predators, or all the other dangers birds can face. If you release a domestic bird, you are sentencing him to death. Is that fair or right? No. And many pet birds have already bonded with humans, and would experience severe anxiety and grief over being abandoned. Instead, if you can no longer take care of your bird, you will need to find him a new home.
The stress that captive parrots are under is immense. We house them in cages, we cut their wings, we don’t allow them to be with their own species—you can imagine the stress we put on these animals. Clipped wings and cages guarantee a sedentary life. Heart disease is all too common now.
