Parrot Registration

[4HAND]

Horses and dogs have breed associations which keep track of lineage,age, and how many times the animal has changed owners.It's also a great way to track genetic problems.An animal that is registered is usually considered more valuable because they are "papered".I wonder why this is not so with parrots?
Tena

[Nazir's]

I wondered that too but with me being involved in dogs, breed clubs, and the AKC-- I go back and forth with this one. One part of me says that this should be done in birds and that there should be some sort of standard that aims towards preservation and better-ness. While the other half of me says, I just wish that people would do right and educate themselves so that the general public never feels a need for such organizations, registrations, standards, rules, terms, and regulations.

Good topic!

[birdsnreps]

i know a few breeders that keep excellent records of which baby comes from which parents, etc. its not all that neccessary whenyou are breeding the more common parrots, but it is very neccessary when you breed the rare stuff, where genetic diversity is critical to having a self sustaining captive population wtih the best possible genetic diversity to ensure the survival of a species. it just depends on what you are trying to breed, i think :)

[Nazir's]

Sometimes a registry is used for more than just breeding/genetic. Such as in dogs, the breeder records and studies are much different than what's provided to the new owner.

For instance, I wouldn't want to buy from an avian breeder that has had several known registered cases of PBDF and Polyoma. However, where can the buyer obtain that information from? It's not often that breeders are routinely testing their pairs and providing these certificates and recognized documents as proof to the prospective buyer. Therefore, how is this proof being provided? When involving parrots/birds, the buyer has had to rely greatly on word of mouth and un-built trust, as there’s a lack of proof that can be provided. I know of no such registries that allow this information to the public, breeders, or prospective buyers.

Should a recognized code/standard be enforced, places like Avian Biotech International could at least list known cases and regional areas. By doing so, there would be available information out there to help and assist breeders with breeding and prospective buyers with research and their purchases. At least we’d know that studies are being conducted, calculated and readily available-- percentages could be provided.
Just as with eye disorders, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Patella Luxation, Hip Dysplasia, and Epilepsy in dogs registered with the OFA and/or the CERF.

[4HAND]

I was thinking that it would be nice to have papers on re-homed birds so there is a paper trail of previous owners and age.
Tena

[Macaaaw]

My birds all have a long and extensive paper trail. In fact, that paper trail all but fills a very large trash can every week. lol

[Nazir's]

lol...

[ConureFan]

Originally Posted by Nazir's

While the other half of me says, I just wish that people would do right and educate themselves so that the general public never feels a need for such organizations, registrations, standards, rules, terms, and regulations.

Good topic!

Its good to be optimistic...but it is a reality that most people will not bother to educate themselves about even the mose general bird care and nutrition information, let alone anything deeper than that. I know a lot of bird owners, and very few of them take real care of their birds. All I can do is to try to educate them without being preachy or overbearing...but its hard to believe that these folks who think seeds are a perfectly fine diet for a parrot would bother to proactively educate themselves about illnesses, etc. before a problem occurs. I'm not trying to bring everyone down (though thinking about it, I kind of got depressed, myself!)...I just wanted to make the point that it would be good if there were registries and better standards that could be enforced - because the way things are, those things are necessary.

[Monica]

Parrots are just birds... they eat seeds, live in cages, have perches... what more could they need?

Sweden and Australia seem to be the best places when it comes to parrot keeping... since they actually have laws regarding keeping and breeding of birds... I know many would not like the idea of a set standard being made (i.e. how you should care for your birds), but at the same time, there's so many out there that DON'T know how! We've talked about laws for keeping birds in the past... although I'm not sure where the threads are now...

There's a lot of organizations for birds and about birds... The AFA, International Conures, etc... however, I really haven't heard much about the keeping of them as pets... and how they should be kept...

I honestly wouldn't mind more laws on pet keeping... as what we have now is simply not enough... although there are people out there who think we shouldn't have laws at all...