Birds as pets

[luciedove]

Above all remember this -- a pet store is a place of business where the owner of the store earns his living and supports himself and maybe even supports his family with money from the store. He counts on you to buy. His primary interest in operating the store is paying the rent and his bills. The welfare of the animals is secondary or he may only see the animals as merchandise like cars, furniture or appliances. I'm sure you have gone in many a store where the salesperson or owner tried to sell you something, maybe even haggling a little on the price to give you a better deal. They never let you know the negatives or downside about the merchandise they sell. This is the same kind of deal here.

It is up to you to do the homework about the "merchandise" sold in pet stores and examine the reasons why you want or think you need it. You should take this purchase very seriously.

Things to consider are:

1. Is the merchandise suitable for yourself or your family -- for instance if you have allergies, the merchandise may cause you to experience severe discomfort and medical bills as you wheeze, sneeze, have a runny nose or worse. Cockatoos, doves and cockatiels are not good choices if anyone in your household suffers from allergies. Cats are not a good choice either, especially the long haired ones.

2. Is the merchandise healthy? Today the chances of buying a sick or diseased bird are something to seriously consider as there are more and more sick birds being unknowingly sold in pet stores. Protect your investment and do not buy a sick or diseased bird. Get a bill of health signed by a vet. Some avian diseases can make people deadly ill or may even be fatal.

3. Do you have money to take care of your purchase. A car needs insurance, repairs and gas. The same for your bird merchandise -- they need a very large cage, or else there is a possibility of even more screaming and plucking, the right foods, fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. Do you have money for a vet? Check into the cost of vets today. You may be surprised at how much they charge, many times going into the thousands of dollars. What about toys and other incidentals such as play gyms, carrying cases, etc. Then there are bird sitters to pay when you go away.

4. Noise is a big consideration, especially if you live in an apartment building with finicky neighbors or neighbors that don't like you. They may use noise as an excuse to complain about you. Certain birds scream more than others, like conures, lovebirds and macaws. Even parakeets have been known to be the source of a neighbor's complaint. In the wild birds call to each other at sunrise and sunset, especially during mating season.

5. Do you have the time to take care of a demanding creature like a bird, or a dog that needs to be walked three times a day in rain or shine. Birds demand lots of attention or else they will scream and pluck and who wants a plucked, bald bird, especially if you will be paying much money to the shopkeeper. Remember once you buy the merchandise, many shop owners will not give you a refund.

5. Birds and other animals all make a big mess. There is no way to get around it. Do you like to clean or will you or the wife endure a messy home. Birds are notorious for throwing seeds and other food out of their cage inviting insects, cockroaches and rodents. There will be lots of extra cleaning for you to do.

6. There is a need for many birds and other animals to chew, so many will destroy your furniture. Remember, if you do not allow them to chew, they will scream and pluck even more than usual. They will release their frustration onto themselves by screaming for attention or because they feel sick and plucking their skin and feathers, sadly.....

7. If you have expectations of a talking and singing bird or one who does tricks, know that the majority of birds never talk, learn to do any tricks or sing. Even canaries do not all sing. Breeders and storekeepers will never tell you as this is inside information they keep to themselves and do not share. Your bird may be a deadbeat and just sit in the cage doing nothing but taking up space and your money.

8. Birds can be dangerous so if you have small children, this is a no no. Birds may bite down very hard; their beaks were designed for cracking open hard nuts in the jungles. Even parakeets and cockatiels have been known to bite. Do you want something in your home that has the potential to do harm to you or your family?

9. Inconvenience, and this is something generally overlooked. Is your lifestyle such that you just hop in your car on the spur of the moment for a long weekend out of town or an impromptu vacation to visit friends or family. No more. You will now need to plan your every move ahead of time as these birds cannot be left alone. After all would you like to be left in a cage with no way out most of the time. Water gets slimy, food goes rancid and bird is lonely and bored. In the wild they are always in a flock and are busy. Plucking and screaming will occur.

10. You must consider that you can no longer wear cologne, perfume, use Teflon pans, air fresheners, toxic cleaning products, etc. Birds have a very sensitive respiratory system and these items can kill your bird or else make him very very sick.

Do you know that the majority of information found on the Internet in favor of keeping birds as pets, companions or housemates is written by breeders, pet store owners or others whose source of income is birds? These are the people that have a vested economic interest in getting you to buy. They count on your hard earned money to pay their bills.

Do your homework by reading about parrots in the wild and you will learn about their unique behavior and you will learn the true nature of birds. The way to learn about birds is to visit sites which do not have any financial or other interest in keeping birds as pets. Certain animal rights sites (and I'm not recommending any) will give you accurate information. By researching and doing homework, it will save you much money, time, and heartache down the road. Before you buy a car or purchase a home, I'm sure you check everything out -- do the same with buying a bird or other animal.

If you have diligently done your homework and you and the members of your household have decided to buy a bird or other animal, wait a week or at least a few days and do not buy impulsively. Most things bought on an impulse do not work out.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you have made the decision to share your life and home with a bird or other animal, I wish you the best of luck with your new purchase.


Source:Learn About Petstores - Online Community Discussion

[habs71]

Birds as pets

Well I'm taking issue with the title of your thread/post.

In our household (and I think every person on the BB) our Sydney is NOT a pet. He is a much loved, intregal part of our family.

I see a vast difference in a animal as a pet or a family member. If a person wants a "pet"..buy a rock! JMHO

Skip

[2horse]

When the first bird first enters a home it is a pet. Later it becomes a family member wearing a feather suit. It is only after enjoying a bird that we realize exactly how unique they are, quite different to a dog or cat. It is far better to know that they are more like human children, but never grow up beyond 3 years old and certainly don't get married and move out after 20 years.