To think a parrot shouldn't be a pet?

[Burnt0utMum]

Just seen a man on a bike outside the corner shop sat with a beautiful parrot on his shoulder. It had a cable attached to its leg so it can't fly away. He was smoking so it was breathing it all in, which makes it worse but it still didn't sit right with me even ignoring that. Part of me thinks these are wild animals that should be left to be wild and allowed to fly free, but then I'm asking myself if it's really that much different to a typical domestic pet like a cat or a dog. AIBU to think a parrot shouldn't be a pet?

Agreed

Whilst I don’t agree with chaining the parrots foot as if you’re a pirate and smoking near them I do not agree that you shouldn’t keep birds as pets. I’ve got 2 budgies that are very spoiled and we let them fly around a couple of rooms (windows and doors shut) at least 10 hours per day. I wouldn’t smoke near them. Well me and DH do not smoke anyway.
Dogs and cats are only domesticated because that’s how people have made them become. Even still, freak accidents and injuries happen.

You are not being unreasonable for thinking the way this parrot has been treated is wrong. I agree with you there 100%

Something with a 70+ year lifespan shouldn’t be a pet. A pet shouldn’t be something other people inherit for 20 years after you die.

Parrots and tortoises live far too long to be pets. I think it’s unethical, however much I like the animals.

I'm really not sure that a bird the size of the parrot I saw could adequately fly inside a house as there just wouldn't be enough room for it.

I don’t really agree with pets full stop. Cats and dogs are ok because it’s not like they can roam wild. Any other pet is owned for the benefit of the human, not to the animal.

I have had lots of pets, just never bought them ‘new’- I had an ex meat farm rabbit, a budgie when my next door neighbour died… I wouldn’t have pets now. feeding the birds and squirrels is good enough.

I feel sad for parrots.

I agree OP.
I also feel sorry for horses that are pets, lugging a human around on its back for the fun of its owner. The fact that you have to “break” a horse in to ride it says it all.

We abuse a hell of a lot if animals. I agree with you op.

I have had several parrots over the years and have one now. Are you in the UK? If so, most parrots you meet will have been bred in the UK. It is not possible now for parrots to be imported from abroad by pet dealers. If we let these ones go in the wild, even if mine could be taken to the environment his wild ancestors inhabited (west africa), they would die. He was born in Essex. My parrot's cage is opened first thing in the morning and he is free to fly around all day (he does a circuit once or twice a day), sit on the top of the cage or wander around his "room" any time he likes. He pops in there for a snooze now and then and goes in for the night about 9.30 pm. He is a very happy bird and sings and chats and calls out about passers by or approaching visitors he can see out of the window to let me know . If he wants to, he sits on my shoulder for a chat or a snuggle and to watch telly.

I agree about the smoking though. My parrot came to me via a rescue. Previous (very nice owners) were chain smokers. My bird was sludgy brown in colour and his feathers a bit slimy. After I had him a month or two, he turned out to be green, orange, yellow and two shades of grey as his new feathers came through and the tarry ones dropped out. He had to share a room with another parrot at the rescue and he did not like it at all. He likes being the only parrot.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting we let all captive parrots free.

just stop breeding them.

@mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork Which species?

Parrots usually live in flocks of hundreds to thousands of individuals, many species firm lifelong pair bonds, and many have the same level of intelligence as a human child.

Captive parrots are hand-reared to stop them becoming aggressive (hand reading is scientifically shown to increase significant behaviour problems, psychosis and self-mutilation), caged for long periods of time with no choice or control, restricted from being to experience proper flight, often fed inappropriate diets and not provided with UV lamps (they’re tropical animals and require UV to stay healthy) and kept in relative social isolation (no a human family is not a flock). Most species should live around 50 years or so, this is rare in the pet population.

if you think an average intelligent 3 year old child would be happy in a cage for 8-12 hours a day with limited exercise and no human social contact then you likely have no qualms keeping a parrot that way.

keeping a solitary parrot caged/in a home doesn’t come close to meeting even the basic behavioural or social needs of these birds.

Sadly, this parrot wasn't really "wild" in the sense that you may mean. It was probably born in captivity, hand reared and wouldn't survive more than a few days in its native habitat.

On the other hand it has probably formed its exclusive bond with its owner, however negligent a custodian he may be. The smoking and chaining is awful.

I don't like the idea of them as pets because I just think how often they're probably rehomed after people die/get bored of them. They have such a long lifespan that I worry it happens to them over and over again. It's bad enough when it happens once to a dog or cat, but for animals that live 60+ years? How many homes do many of them end up in?

Would like to know as well as don't know of any that colour from west africa

Yes, I wouldn't expect this particular parrot to survive if it was to suddenly be set free but my question is the more general ethics of parrots as pets. Why are they being bred in this way just so people can show off a pretty animal on their shoulder? Why can't we be content with admiring the already wild ones in their natural habitat and have more focus on conservation efforts that allow them to live and behave naturally?

Of course they shouldn't, but if they are being kept I'd prefer to see them uncaged.

The smoking is definitely not ok.

The chaining I can see is necessary - it’s unlikely it would fly away of it’s own accord but it could do if it got startled. A parrot is not like a hawk or falcon, it will quickly get disorientated and get lost. It’s for it’s own safety.

I don’t think they make the greatest pets though I agree. They are extremely intelligent and I doubt most people who keep them are really meeting their needs. Again the smoking is very bad - but sitting on your owners shoulder taking in the sights, keeping your busy brain stimulated beats sitting in a cage by a long mile I suppose.

@FurAndFeathers
He is a Senegal parrot. Previously I had an African Grey for many years. I am not sure why why you think parrots need uv lamps. Have you spoken to any avian vets? In fact, if you leave a bird in direct sunlight with no recourse to shade, it will die very quickly. My parrot lives in a sunny room by the window but always has a shaded area he can go to. He gets loads of uv from natural light. Most well cared for pet birds get vitamin supplements in their diet too. I have had dealings with many hugely experienced parrot carers and spoken to avian vets - none of whom have used or recommended uv lamps for their birds, not even the Americans, some of whom "free fly" their birds and some even put "parrot diapers"on them (!)

Of course, some are not cared for properly because of unscrupulous traders and gumtree rehomers, who don't care or perhaps don't know how to meet birds' dietary, emotional, etc care needs and don't educate prospective owners but you can say that about cats, dogs, gerbils, any pets really. There are a lot of responsible owners with happy healthy birds but no-one notices. Maybe you think no-one should have companion pets at all, though?

Friend of mine has one. Talk about intensive! It's clever, scheming, territorial, beautiful. But just creates a mess. Has a huge cage but has a kitchen to fly around in as well. Prefer them to be wild.

@mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork

I am an avian vet.
Mike Stanford published work on UV supplementation to prevent and address hypocalcaemia and nutritional hyperparathyroidism in African grey parrots over 15 years ago. Here’s a link to a summary of some of that work avianmedicine.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/05_calcium.pdf

the need for UVB supplementation in tropical parrot species is well established in the research and clinical literature and supported by their natural ecology. So I return your question to you, why do you think they don’t need it ?

it’s worth noting that UVB doesn’t travel through windows and the UK doesn’t get the appropriate wavelength of natural UV for much of the year anyway as our latitude is significantly different to Central Africa. This is why your sunny window is essentially useless and UV supplementation is required.

here are guidelines for providing adequate UVB, they’re Co-authored by Francis Baines who is the global expert on UV provision.

psittacine.org/files/Lighting-UV.pdf

I can see you’ve not addressed any of my other points, but simply ignored them or tried to dismiss them and me.
I guess that’s easier than attempting to have an informed discussion, but I hope that even if you aren’t willing to engage with my evidence-based points on a public forum, you will at least read the resources I’ve linked to in an effort to learn and improve the health of your solitary bird, even if you cannot meet his social or environmental needs.

YANBU. but my elderly DM has a parrot she's had for 30 years. Eventually he'll come to me. I'm not happy about that but what choice do I have?

My parrot lives in a sunny room by the window but always has a shaded area he can go to. He gets loads of uv from natural light.

Does that count? Not sure what the UV is for, is it like for vitamin d as humans need it? Because you can’t absorb it via windows, people do need to go outside for that.

I was supposed to inherit the family tortoise…. he was 70.

unfortunately he passed to my mum first. there is no family tortoise anymore.

No it does not uv does not travel through glass

You talk some rubbish out of interest are you in the UK as the chain is certainly not ok parrots legs are not as strong as a hawks if it took off it's a broken leg

Problem is , for many animal's in the wild, it will be law of the jungle, and survival of the fittest,