Unwanted parrots at all time high in US - what can we do? What are your thoughts and experiences? I'm especially interested in the situation in Australia, Details, staggering figures: Number of Unwanted Parrots Reaches an All-Time High in the USA | That Bird Blog
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Uwanted Parrot Population soars in US, what can we do?
- Myzomela
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What we need to do is educate the buying public before they buy the birds (usually bought on impulse).
This means both pet shops and breeders need to be educated in this area. Most are not. Anyone can set up birds for breeding (although not everyone is successful), and anyone can open up a shop to sell them, without having to prove they know anything about them. The needs of aviary birds and pet birds are often very different
Therefore I see all the problems- improper wing clipping causing injuries, starving unweaned babies, "bad/unwanted" behaviours being ingrained, then the owners wanting " a cure in a pill" to fix the problem rather than understanding the bird's psychological make-up and its needs.
Many of these birds have very involved needs, particulalrly the larger species, and are not suited to being left on their own during the day when people go to work.
Some of the behavioural trainers/consultants do a great job, but they often see the birds after the problems start.
The information should be given even before the birds are purchased.
One German operation make their clients go through an entire course before they take hold of their new pet.
People come in and choose a certain species of parrot from the young being hand-raised. They then spend some time with the bird as it is being reared. At the same time they are taught about the bird and where it comes from, its social structure, the correct and incorrect ways of dealing and interacting with the bird. This training can take a few months.
By the time they take charge of their new pet they are fully aware of what they are getting into.
Educational DVDs such as Barbara Heidenreich's series including " Parrot Behaviour and Training- An Introduction to Training" and "Understanding Parrot Body Language" should be a must for any potential pet parrot buyer in my opinion.
The problem is not as great here in Australia Frank as it is in the US. Smaller parrots and Eclectus still make up the bulk of the pet bird market, but as the prices of macaws, amazons and African Greys drops they will soon be accessible to more and more people.
I fear that an explosion of unwanted parrots is just around the corner. I hope I am very wrong.
This means both pet shops and breeders need to be educated in this area. Most are not. Anyone can set up birds for breeding (although not everyone is successful), and anyone can open up a shop to sell them, without having to prove they know anything about them. The needs of aviary birds and pet birds are often very different
Therefore I see all the problems- improper wing clipping causing injuries, starving unweaned babies, "bad/unwanted" behaviours being ingrained, then the owners wanting " a cure in a pill" to fix the problem rather than understanding the bird's psychological make-up and its needs.
Many of these birds have very involved needs, particulalrly the larger species, and are not suited to being left on their own during the day when people go to work.
Some of the behavioural trainers/consultants do a great job, but they often see the birds after the problems start.
The information should be given even before the birds are purchased.
One German operation make their clients go through an entire course before they take hold of their new pet.
People come in and choose a certain species of parrot from the young being hand-raised. They then spend some time with the bird as it is being reared. At the same time they are taught about the bird and where it comes from, its social structure, the correct and incorrect ways of dealing and interacting with the bird. This training can take a few months.
By the time they take charge of their new pet they are fully aware of what they are getting into.
Educational DVDs such as Barbara Heidenreich's series including " Parrot Behaviour and Training- An Introduction to Training" and "Understanding Parrot Body Language" should be a must for any potential pet parrot buyer in my opinion.
The problem is not as great here in Australia Frank as it is in the US. Smaller parrots and Eclectus still make up the bulk of the pet bird market, but as the prices of macaws, amazons and African Greys drops they will soon be accessible to more and more people.
I fear that an explosion of unwanted parrots is just around the corner. I hope I am very wrong.
Research; evaluate;observe;act
- findi
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- Posts: 173
- Joined: 29 Jan 2012, 08:44
- Location: United States
Much appreciated, and a great summary, thanks. The German idea is the way to go, but I fear the short attention spans and "immediate gratification" phenomenons are too ingrained here, unfortunately. Odd how so much is known, but is either ignored or just doesn't reach enough people...I see this even with large, expensive species that are rarely bought w/o at least some forethought. Same holds true, here, for reptiles and some of the exotic mammals sold in some states - wallabies, raccoons, skunks, etc.Myzomela wrote:What we need to do is educate the buying public before they buy the birds (usually bought on impulse).
This means both pet shops and breeders need to be educated in this area. Most are not. Anyone can set up birds for breeding (although not everyone is successful), and anyone can open up a shop to sell them, without having to prove they know anything about them. The needs of aviary birds and pet birds are often very different
Therefore I see all the problems- improper wing clipping causing injuries, starving unweaned babies, "bad/unwanted" behaviours being ingrained, then the owners wanting " a cure in a pill" to fix the problem rather than understanding the bird's psychological make-up and its needs.
Many of these birds have very involved needs, particulalrly the larger species, and are not suited to being left on their own during the day when people go to work.
Some of the behavioural trainers/consultants do a great job, but they often see the birds after the problems start.
The information should be given even before the birds are purchased.
One German operation make their clients go through an entire course before they take hold of their new pet.
People come in and choose a certain species of parrot from the young being hand-raised. They then spend some time with the bird as it is being reared. At the same time they are taught about the bird and where it comes from, its social structure, the correct and incorrect ways of dealing and interacting with the bird. This training can take a few months.
By the time they take charge of their new pet they are fully aware of what they are getting into.
Educational DVDs such as Barbara Heidenreich's series including " Parrot Behaviour and Training- An Introduction to Training" and "Understanding Parrot Body Language" should be a must for any potential pet parrot buyer in my opinion.
The problem is not as great here in Australia Frank as it is in the US. Smaller parrots and Eclectus still make up the bulk of the pet bird market, but as the prices of macaws, amazons and African Greys drops they will soon be accessible to more and more people.
I fear that an explosion of unwanted parrots is just around the corner. I hope I am very wrong.
Good luck with all, keep at it, Frank
- spanna
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My local bird store have a policy that if they sell you a bird and you are no longer able to care for it, they will take it back from you and place it permenantly in a large aviary at the store. These birds are not for sale again, as they believe it is too much stress on the bird, and the previous owners and others can come and visit them and give them scratches through the wire. I love that they have this, as it really does show they have an understanding of birds and a true commitment to them.
- findi
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- Joined: 29 Jan 2012, 08:44
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Wow! Wonderful , and, as you say, show a true commitment. that is beyond anything I've run across here in US, thanks for letting me know. I'll pass along the idea to others, best, Frankspanna wrote:My local bird store have a policy that if they sell you a bird and you are no longer able to care for it, they will take it back from you and place it permenantly in a large aviary at the store. These birds are not for sale again, as they believe it is too much stress on the bird, and the previous owners and others can come and visit them and give them scratches through the wire. I love that they have this, as it really does show they have an understanding of birds and a true commitment to them.
- maz
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It definitely still happens here, but fortunately not to the same extent, I think the ideas that people have put forward are great but it really isn't any different to the unwanted cat and dog problem, there are always going to be people that buy on a whim and have no idea what they are getting into. I think the number of cockatoos and galahs that are stuck in aviaries in the backyard that were originally bought as pets is probably really high but we just don't see it. I feel for those birds and have "rescued"(I hate that word) a few over the years. The problem with the larger parrots particularly is the number of years they live. It does worry me that we are seeing an increase in the number of large parrots being sold and hand raised, I can see it getting worse in the not to distant future.
- findi
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- Joined: 29 Jan 2012, 08:44
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hello,maz wrote:It definitely still happens here, but fortunately not to the same extent, I think the ideas that people have put forward are great but it really isn't any different to the unwanted cat and dog problem, there are always going to be people that buy on a whim and have no idea what they are getting into. I think the number of cockatoos and galahs that are stuck in aviaries in the backyard that were originally bought as pets is probably really high but we just don't see it. I feel for those birds and have "rescued"(I hate that word) a few over the years. The problem with the larger parrots particularly is the number of years they live. It does worry me that we are seeing an increase in the number of large parrots being sold and hand raised, I can see it getting worse in the not to distant future.
Good points all, thank you. Unwanted Dog, cat problems tremendous here as well, also Burmese pythons, red eared sliders, spurred tortoises, all of which are also feral in some places. Comes down to misinformation and poor planning, as you said. I see it even with large, expensive parrots that are not bought completely on whim...bad info, no research, etc. Laregr species not as common here in the US as there, but enough to be a real concern.
Best, Frank
- Mortisha
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Agree it is very dependent on better education and hopefully the breeding/selling industry to adopt some sort of gold standard industry code of practice. Not only sticking to good health, husbandry and genetic standards but making a commitment to pre-educate buyers on the need to properly care for their charges.
For starters that parrot ownership means a commitment to be a responsible owner that could last 20years or much much longer. A lot of human relationships don’t last that long, so people have to be really clear about the implications.
Awareness campaigns and information making people aware of the terrible situations unwanted birds are subjected to would hopefully help.
I don't know if there are any rescue centres for parrots in Australia, i'm sure there needs to be though especially when there are stories like this cropping up from time to time. http://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story ... s/?src=rss
For starters that parrot ownership means a commitment to be a responsible owner that could last 20years or much much longer. A lot of human relationships don’t last that long, so people have to be really clear about the implications.
Awareness campaigns and information making people aware of the terrible situations unwanted birds are subjected to would hopefully help.
I don't know if there are any rescue centres for parrots in Australia, i'm sure there needs to be though especially when there are stories like this cropping up from time to time. http://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story ... s/?src=rss
- E Orix
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The situation regarding Pet Parrots in the USA is a major problem BUT the problem goes deaper.
Pet Parrots became in vogue and the desire to keep them spawned a new industry.
Birds and their accessories plus plus etc. then the supply of hand tamed birds became a huge attraction to breeders.
The promotion of this was staggering and I can remember attending an AFA convention and having several heated discussion with
people over their pet Parrots and they were referring to them as their FIDS(feathered kids)One woman had an extremely rare Amazon as a pet that
should have been in a breeding program.
The real problem was that many good breeding facilities working with the rarer species quickly swung over to the mass production
of the attractive pet species and didn't want to know about the true Avicultural ones. I guess with the dollars available you can't blame them to much.
This was evident on basically each of my visits over the years,with the quality and quantity of better collections was lessening,maybe there will be an awakening who knows.
Pet Parrots became in vogue and the desire to keep them spawned a new industry.
Birds and their accessories plus plus etc. then the supply of hand tamed birds became a huge attraction to breeders.
The promotion of this was staggering and I can remember attending an AFA convention and having several heated discussion with
people over their pet Parrots and they were referring to them as their FIDS(feathered kids)One woman had an extremely rare Amazon as a pet that
should have been in a breeding program.
The real problem was that many good breeding facilities working with the rarer species quickly swung over to the mass production
of the attractive pet species and didn't want to know about the true Avicultural ones. I guess with the dollars available you can't blame them to much.
This was evident on basically each of my visits over the years,with the quality and quantity of better collections was lessening,maybe there will be an awakening who knows.
- maz
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- Joined: 15 Aug 2011, 21:51
- Location: highett vic
There are plenty of rescues over here, most of them are pretty busy too and yes they even end up with the rarer species in them, it's sad and the people who run the rescues deserve to be recognised, problem I see is that many of these rescues are currently small time home situations and they could easily be over run. I can see the problems experienced in the US happening here really soon, I see a glut of rescue birds coming in probably the next 5-10 years, prices are dropping on many of the larger parrots (eclectus that were around $1000 5 years ago are now only $5-600 and others also are becoming much more affordable) and I've seen plenty of them offered up as rescue birds....once again I can see the problem escalating as more are bred to meet the market but many are yet to reach the rescue stage, the market is reaching the glut stage and the rescue side can only follow. Have a look on any parrot site and you will see HEAPS of hand tamed birds of all varieties being sold.