Bird Bands and Introduction

[Gemmy]

Hi everyone,
My name is Denise Antler and I'm from Canada. I belong to the Budgerigar and Foreign Bird Society (BFBS) and the Aviculture Advancement Council of Canada (AACC). Both clubs are very much for banding pet and breeder birds as well we are also fighting stupid bylaws on all 3 levels of governement who are either trying to restrict or simply ban ownership outright. The latest one was this past September when the town of Milton, Ontario, tried to restrict the number of birds to 2 regardless of size. We educated the councillors who then threw down the restrictions. Heck! One councillor thought we let parrots go like we let homing pigeons go. Had to correct him! lol. :eusa_wall

To read more about it, you can go to http://www.bfbsbirdclub.org , click on the articles button on the left, then bylaws in the list.

On top of all this, I wonder if anyone has any old bands that they are planning on throwing in the garbage. Please don't as I'd love to have them. I'm working on making jewelry incorporating the bands. As I sell them, I tell the buyers what the bands are for and how important they are.

My website (which is still under construction) is at http://www.artfulantler.com and I've got more previews at http://www.bfbsbirdclub.org/preview.html

You can email me at either email addresses are found on the websites or at antler3795 @ rogers.com (remove spaces around the @ sign).

Thank you.

--Denise

[Lisa B]

welcome aboard...and cleaver Idea you have wiht the band...

[AbbeyNMommy]

Hi Denise

Funny how I came to your post today as recently I have been wondering why my Abbey does not have a band.

Most of the budgies I see do have one. Abbey came without one?

Abbey N Mommy

[Gemmy]

Hi,

Unfortunately, Abbey's breeder does not believe in banding, I would guess. That's a true shame. I'm not sure where you're from but in Canada, it's a good idea to band them because, through the Avicultural Advancement Council of Canada, all bands can be traced easily. In fact, that's how I traced one of my cockatiel's breeder. I found out that the breeder belonged to a nearby bird club. It's also unfortunate that because Abbey's older, you can't band her now. She would have had to be about 1 week old to have been banded.

It's extremely important to band birds when they're the bigger types because should there ever be a bylaw or anything like that which bans wild caught birds, how are you going to prove that your bird is not wild caught? I'm sorry if I'm preaching it's just that through the AACC and the Budgerigar and Foreign Bird Society (I belong to both clubs), we've been fighting these bylaws for about 5 years now where the first one fought was in Toronto. If you want to read more about it, you can go to http://www.bfbsbirdclub.org click on articles and then on bylaws. It's a good read.

--Denise

Originally Posted by AbbeyNMommy

Hi Denise

Funny how I came to your post today as recently I have been wondering why my Abbey does not have a band.

Most of the budgies I see do have one. Abbey came without one?

Abbey N Mommy

[AbbeyNMommy]

Thanks for the info.
I wish Abbey had one!
All my other budgies did.
I live about 20 minutes east of Toronto and I bought Abbey in Bowmanville.


AbbeyNMommy

[Gemmy]

Hey, we're not far from each other, then. I'm in Brampton but I'm a member of the BFBS as mentioned in the first post. We're going to the All about Pets on the 25th, 26th and 27th. I would normally be there all 3 days but I'm doing my first craft show on the 25th. Cross your fingers for me. I'm so freaking nervous.

--Denise

[AbbeyNMommy]

Hi
Wow! We are practically neigbours :eusa_clap
Now, Do not be nervous :eusa_naug

You will do just fine.

Abbey N Mommy

[John McLellan]

I actually play IN a band, so I thought that someone was having fun with "bird bands," not actual bands on their legs. Yeah, yeah, I'm THAT guy...oof.

My lovebird, Indy, doesn't have a band. I keep his wings clipped and he's basically a permanent fixture on my shoulder around the house. I've never worried about him getting lost, so I've never banded him. I figure he'll be my shoulder bird until he dies, so I guess I've never thought about banding him. I'm not too concerned with it, but on this thread peole really believe in it pretty strongly. Should I worry about it? I'd just like to hear some folk's opinions, that's all. Thanks!

[Gemmy]

Hi John,

Lol. Sorry I gave you the wrong first impression. Oops! :icon_mrgr

I understand that there are two sides of the fence when it comes to banding. Some people are worried that the bands can get caught in something and cause the bird to break its leg or something. Even vets will take them off and, unfortunately, without asking the owner.

For me, it's not really a matter whether you lose your bird or not, although it's still a very good way to find the breeder should you accidentally lose your bird but there are other reasons as well.

With so many animal activists out there, and PETA isn't the only group, you have to really be concerned about your feathered ones. Bands are the only way to prove that your bird(s) were bred in captivity (dreadful word) rather than wild caught. Unfortunately, they will stop at nothing to try to ban bird ownership. Just over 5 years ago, the activists groups in Toronto almost succeeded in banning birds because when a new bylaw or an old one is coming up for review, they have to put a notice in all the newspapers. I can't say about the Toronto Star but the notice that was posted in the Toronto Sun wasn't really a notice. It was a one inch article that spoke mostly about dogs and cats but the last lines were banning exotic animals.

There's also the fact that it can prove the age of the bird. If you were going to try to pass your bird as a one-year-old but it was actually 20, how can someone prove it unless the bird was banded. Same goes for people who adopt birds from someone else. "Oh, we had Tweety for 10 years but who knows how long the previous owners had him/her for?"

And finally, not as important to the pet owner than to the exhibitionist (no, no, not the guy with the trench coat! but the one who shows birds at annual shows), birds entered must have bands in order to qualify. I'm not sure if that's the rule in the States or anywhere else as well, but it is in Canada.

--Denise
PS. I'm really sorry if I sound preachy. That's the last thing I want to do. I guess you can say that I am passionate about the whole thing. :icon_mrgr

Originally Posted by John McLellan

I actually play IN a band, so I thought that someone was having fun with "bird bands," not actual bands on their legs. Yeah, yeah, I'm THAT guy...oof.

My lovebird, Indy, doesn't have a band. I keep his wings clipped and he's basically a permanent fixture on my shoulder around the house. I've never worried about him getting lost, so I've never banded him. I figure he'll be my shoulder bird until he dies, so I guess I've never thought about banding him. I'm not too concerned with it, but on this thread peole really believe in it pretty strongly. Should I worry about it? I'd just like to hear some folk's opinions, that's all. Thanks!

[Gemmy]

Hey Abbey's Mommy, I guess we are neighbours. My hubby and I will stop in at Tim's 5th wheel truck stop whenever we're on our way to his mother who lives in the Ottawa Valley.

Thanks for the encouragement as well. I got a huge surprise yesterday. One of my neighbours who is also a good friend invited me over to her place so we could work on the jewelry in peace. We did it yesterday and today and we're going to do it tomorrow as well. I think I gave her the jewelry making bug. lol. Why not? It's really therapeutic as well. She seems to enjoy it and I get the benefit of having more product on my table at the show. It's not too shabby either that her hubby is making me a stand. Whoo hoo! lol.