Do you cage your birds?

I remember when I was 8 or 9, my dad had bought a beautiful baby parrot to keep as pet. But somehow I didn't like the idea of keeping a bird in the cage, and so after about a month, we took it to me grand mom's place in the countryside, and set it free.

To this day I can't stand seeing birds in cages. How do you keep your pet birds?

I have had some parakeets when I was a kid. Yes, they were in the cages.

You have to understand that most pet birds are pets for generations. They require human care to provide them with food, shelter, and security in order to survive. If you release this kind of pet birds into the wild, the chance is they won't even survive on their own.

On the other hand, there are indeed small number of wild caught birds on the pet bird market. While these wild caught birds are certainly better off in the wild, if you release them into the wrong habitat, they'd still die because they are at the wrong place. For example, if you release some South American Amazon wild birds in Asia, the chance is they won't even find their usual food, and they probably won't even adapt to the local weather. They also have absolutely no idea about the local predators.

In most cases, releasing pet birds into the wild will result in dead birds. Please do not do it unless it is wild caught local birds.

Yes, I do cage my lovebird. This is because there are simply to many dangers leaving him outside or flying around the house. We have fans, vents, candles, air fresheners and other things that he shouldn't be exposed to. I feel that keeping him in the cage is the best way to keep him safe and happy. He has plenty of food, water and toys. He chirps happily all day and loves it in there.

I also clip my bird's wings, as he has had them clipped all his life and doesn't know how to fly. When he tries, and has his flight feathers, he spirals down and I'm so afraid he would get hurt.

PLEASE do not set your birds free! Pet birds CANNOT survive in the wild. They lack the survival skills that their predecessors have developed over many years. They will die most certainly. If you don't like the idea of a cage, how about an aviary? You can set it up outside and there's plenty of room for your bird to fly and have fun. I personally could not do this as I don't have a backyard, but it is a great option for handy people who want the best for their birds.

(09-06-2013, 12:01 PM)A0130 Wrote: I also clip my bird's wings, as he has had them clipped all his life and doesn't know how to fly. When he tries, and has his flight feathers, he spirals down and I'm so afraid he would get hurt.

I'm sorry, but I find this very hard to accept! I might be on the wrong end here, but I feel birds should not be turned into pets to begin with. It's well and good if you can set up an aviary for them and allow them to fly about. But clipping their wings and putting them in cages, it's unacceptable. I've had a friend who did the same with her giant parrot. It pained me to see her shuffle around in the cage, and mind you, it was a big cage. Birds are meant to be flying about, that's what they stand for (barring a few, which could be kept as pets I suppose). Just as setting them free in the wrong habitat is bad for them, I feel taking them away from their natural habitat and putting them up with toys is as bad.

I really apologize for sounding so harsh. This is a little too touchy a topic.

(09-08-2013, 01:41 AM)Eudora13 Wrote: I'm sorry, but I find this very hard to accept! I might be on the wrong end here, but I feel birds should not be turned into pets to begin with. It's well and good if you can set up an aviary for them and allow them to fly about. But clipping their wings and putting them in cages, it's unacceptable. I've had a friend who did the same with her giant parrot. It pained me to see her shuffle around in the cage, and mind you, it was a big cage. Birds are meant to be flying about, that's what they stand for (barring a few, which could be kept as pets I suppose). Just as setting them free in the wrong habitat is bad for them, I feel taking them away from their natural habitat and putting them up with toys is as bad.

I really apologize for sounding so harsh. This is a little too touchy a topic.

I have to say that whether you like it or not, it is already a fact that many birds are pets of humans for many generations. Nobody can change this fact. What's done is already done. Whether it is ethical to make their ancestors pets is irrelevant here. They have lost their ability to survive on their own many generations ago.

"Birds are meant to be flying about"... I can't understand you. Would you say "cats and dogs are meant to be running about"? It just like when people "release" a dog or a cat, it is actually unethical to do that because these pets are unable to fend for themselves. You release them, you are dooming them to death. You are not "freeing" them by any means, you are in fact abandoning them. Abandoning is the right word to use.



It's like if we "release" a human into a complete wildness away from any other humans. Can this human survive on his/her own without interaction with other humans? I very much doubt most humans can even survive that despite the fact we consider ourselves as the smartest. We simply do not have the ability to live on our own without the society around us any more.

(09-13-2013, 11:33 PM)Ram Wrote: "Birds are meant to be flying about"... I can't understand you. Would you say "cats and dogs are meant to be running about"? It just like when people "release" a dog or a cat, it is actually unethical to do that because these pets are unable to fend for themselves. You release them, you are dooming them to death. You are not "freeing" them by any means, you are in fact abandoning them. Abandoning is the right word to use.

You've got me entirely wrong. When you keep a dog or a cat at home, do you put them on chains and keep them tied to a place? They do walk and run about, don't they? You even take them out for walks. If caging a tiger is seen as "animal cruelty", why isn't it the same for birds? As human beings, are you kept bound within limited boundaries?

See, I have two squirrels, they are meant to be in the open. But having rescued and raised them indoors, I know releasing them would put their lives in danger. So we've kept them but we haven't caged them. They are allowed to roam freely about the house, their movement isn't restricted. Instead we take the pains to keep the windows closed as much as we can for their safety.

Similarly if one is going to pet birds, it shouldn't be just for one's happiness and enjoyment. Since you love your pets, you have to think about them too. Why not get an aviary? If you have no provision for that, I'm sorry. You shouldn't consider a bird then. I know I can't change the past, but I can do something about it now, right

Interestingly, the kinds of birds we have kept cannot be really aptly described as pets since they are chicken though to us, view are pets. We usually keep a small family of about five and we get to know them individually so they double up as pets. Its much harder not to cage wild birds since they will revel in the new found freedom if you happen to release them and they might never come back. Interestingly, I have seen a family in an urban centre who have hundreds of doves as pets yet there isn't a single cage. The birds have been conditioned to be going to his home for feeding on broadcast grains and I doubt they fear him. The most sensible thing to do is to create an area by enclosing it with wire mesh after securing or scouting for the conditions necessary for their natural existence and then release them into the large space. You should provide supplementary food as well as water and occasional cleaning to avoid infections.