Can someone explain please?

[Mike B]

Originally Posted by irlgirl

sorry just curious why you would think aussies dont keep toos. we have people that breed them here as well as keep them as pets aswell as galahs.

Nothing other than. I/We in the US have heard they are mostly pests, and crop destroyers. Thinking along those lines. I would think that there wouldn't be many as pets. That's all, that's why.

Mike

[irlgirl]

yeah some people consider them pests like farmers ect but there is a fair few people that keep them as pets. But then again some people have pet kangaroos as well. and a too blends in well with the noise they make because the neighbours are mostly used to the noise the wild ones make.

[Mike B]

Originally Posted by irlgirl

yeah some people consider them pests like farmers ect but there is a fair few people that keep them as pets. But then again some people have pet kangaroos as well. and a too blends in well with the noise they make because the neighbours are mostly used to the noise the wild ones make.

I can't imagine the niose a wild flock of M2s could make OMG.

Mike

[kikibird]

I also read the thread previously, there were a lot of un called for nasty posts( I have been lurking).

I will first start by commenting on the parrot situation in Ireland. Parrots in Ireland and especially breeders are a rare thing and like the poster of the other thread stated a lot of birds are imported. In the case of the ladies friend wanting to breed, go for it. There very few, if any at all, parrot rescues in Ireland so the need is not there to adopt. Provided this lady has the expertise, which was claimed she does, then I see no reason why a local person with knowledge that she can pass on with her hand reared parrots can not breed. As was stated it is a lot easier and safer to have this lady breed compared to importing and having baby parrots fly hundreds of miles with the possibility of them maybe dying on the way and then becoming more stressed out by sitting in a pet shop and fondled over and then trying to adjust to a new home.

I also say that is this lady is retired and wants to pursue her passion now that she has the time and wants to make her life and those of other people a little happier with the help of a pet parrot then go for it.

I realise my statement hear may sound a little contradictory as I have just purchase my new Alexandrine from breeder in on the other side of the country and he had to be flown over to me. But I went with a breeder that I could trust and has been so very helpful and done the absolute utmost for me, I wont go to in depth.

I can understand the furstration of American parrot owners. There are a lot of breeders out there that ARE just in it for the money and to be honest I think that there is too many in America. America is also greatly placed for wild caught birds from South America to be illegaly brought in to the country and sold off, and there is a lot of that too.

IMO parrots in America are to easy to obtain, they are in every pet shop, there is a breeder in evey suburb. As has been stated people need to be educated. I believe that before you walk in to buy a parrot you should be asked a series of questions about the Husbandry of parrots and if you can not answer them then you go home, with out your parrot, and do resarch first, or at least something along these lines. And I think that this should be LAW, not only in America but all countries and for all soughts of animals. It is just to easy to impulse buy without a question being asked by the breeder or store or the seller of a wild caught parrot, because they just want the sale, and then this leads to the bird being placed up for adoption.

I had no idea that parrot adoptions even existed prior to purchasing my first parrot, had I have known this was an option I might have considered it. But the education was not there for me to take this option. Granted there are not as many rescues here in Aus as there is over there, but they are here.

Here in Australia however things are a great deal different. I feel that we are rather educated especially breeders because we have our own native parrot populations. We have very strict rules regarding importation and deportation, we are a very isolated country which means we do not have the diseases here that americans have and we are in the process of implementing even more stringent rules. I believe that this makes us as aviculturists in Australia more aware and educated because of the vulnerabilities that we could become exposed to.

I believe that breeders here are very different from that in America and I have no qualms about purchasing a parrot from a breeder. There are the select few that are only in for the big bucks, but majority that I have seen and spoken to have been very helpful and have gone out of there way to help and educate me. I would not purchase from a pet store as I believe that pet stores are wrong, majority any way.

Take the breeder that I have just purchase my Alexandrine from. He went out of his way and still is to try and give me information that will help me with the gaining of Artemis's trust, he educated me, although I already knew, about behaviours and bad foods, he constantly sent me photos of Artemis's progress and best of all he went completely out of his way to drive Artemis 7 hours to the main Adelaide airport because he did not want him to get more stressed out than he was by having to change planes and drove 7 hours back home again.

Every country is different. America is just a lot worse than majority because everything is so easy to obtain and no education is given prior. Not very many people know that parrot rescues are out there but they know that breeders and pet stores are so they will always turn to the breeder or pet store.
Not all breeders are bad, majority are good, however some breeders and majority pet stores need to change their attitude towards the sale of birds and other animals and think of what is right for the bird.

I mean breeders have been doing the right thing by the bird while it was being hatched and reared and also for its parents so why not think about the right thing when it comes to educating the new owner.

Like I said every country is different and we need to take this into account as we are not all from america.

Oh and quite a lot of people keep toos, weather it be white or black. But the way I see it when it comes to toos is you can see them in their most beautiful form here, flying free in the wild so why keep them.

If this makes no sense let me know. I have rambled on and it is quite late, I am very tired.

Cheers guys.

[irlgirl]

the whole point to the other thread was lost, but I can see where the thread started because I would want to keep the babies that I was helping to hand raise as well.




And mike b if it wasnt so early in the morning that the sulfur cresteds made so much racket I would film them for you but im not a fan of getting up that early, but the noise is something that you just get used to. The mozzies annoy me more.

[Lynjupiter]

Originally Posted by Mike B

In the US you have PETA, and HSUS touting huge numbers of homeless birds. Yes, there are birds that need to be rehomed. Not like their #'s state though.
Mike

Unless you work in rescue I don't think you have any idea. I would bet their # are pretty accurate.

We are a very small rescue not well known yet, just opened the building this summer. But our rescue is filled and we have a long waiting list of birds needing homes. In fact we added nine birds to the list this week. Amazons, macaws, greys, ect.
It is very sad.
Lynda

[Mike B]

Originally Posted by Lynjupiter

Unless you work in rescue I don't think you have any idea. I would bet their # are pretty accurate.

We are a very small rescue not well known yet, just opened the building this summer. But our rescue is filled and we have a long waiting list of birds needing homes. In fact we added nine birds to the list this week. Amazons, macaws, greys, ect.
It is very sad.
Lynda

Lynda, I used to be Dir. of ops for Knapptime rescue in Mi. So I do have some sort of clue. Yes, the #'s are large, and getting larger. Still not anywhere near what the AR groups would like to have people believe though.

Mike

[Ty&Lucy]

I know that this topic has been discussed here many times. I have adopted both of my parrots. I do not condemn the breeders, nor the rescues. This is just an example ... I just went to www.petfinder.com and searched birds. This was the list I got: Breed/Pets in Breed: African Grey 19; Amazon 77; Budgie/Budgerigar 61; Caique 1; Canary 12; Chicken 97; Cockatiel 207; Cockatoo 94; Conure 88; Dove 45; Duck 74; Eclectus 11; Emu 1; Finch 12; Goose 26; Guinea fowl 3; Lory/Lorikeet 6; Lovebird 34; Macaw 34; Parakeet (Other) 89; Parrot (Other) 63; Parrotlet 4; Pheasant 5; Pigeon 7; Pionus 2; Poicephalus/Senegal 14; Quaker Parakeet 31; Ringneck/Psittacula 19; Rosella 2; Softbill (Other) 1;
Total: 30 breeds -- The number following the name is the number available for adoption. Sobering when you see just the number that one site lists. Just my thoughts! Pam

[FeathersNFur8]

There is one here in MIchigan that became a rescue. Got enough birds closed his rescue, and is now breeding. Yes, fact.

... and you hear about more everyday in the US. The rescues that need rescuing themselves! Birds are thought to be living the dream, in their sanctuary, basking in the sun, when in fact so many have been taken in that their care is reduced to the bare minimum.

[Irish]

The US may have its ups and downs when it comes to breeders, husbandry and the education that potential new "owners" get when it comes time to take their bird of choice home. We have good, strict laws regarding importation of Cites listed birds. What we also have is availability of a variety of different parrot species. I like that. In another country, having my dream bird (hyacinth macaw) may well have been an impossibility either because there are few or no breeders there, or the cost is so prohibitive that no one short of a Sheik could afford one. Breeders have their place. Not everyone wants to adopt an older bird with "issues". Prospective purchasers of breeders' birds should do their homework, and make sure their bird is coming from a clean, disease-free, reputable breeder. If the slimeballs out there who only breed for the money couldn't sell their birds 'cause everyone bought their babies from a GOOD breeder, they would soon be out of business. Same with puppy millers, etc.

Too bad that's not likely to happen.