Do you think it is cruel to keep birds in cages?

Question

I think it is a primitive, hideous practice that should be made illegal. Open the door and what does it try to do? It obviously knows where it wants to be.

"I knew we would get the usual nonsense of "but they cant survive in the wild". The question was, was it cruel, so just because they cant survive in the wild doesnt stop it from being cruel. thats as stupid as saying its OK to breed babies and raise them as sex slaves because they couldnt survive on their own. You dont breed something into captivety in the first place.
Animals dont feel? So your dog getting all excited is what?

It was never suggested that birds should be freed, thats your assumption. It was wether it is cruel, and one clue is the fact that birds head for the bird cage door, therefore they have knowledge of where they want to be; they know its a door, they know its an escape, they know its freedom. If birds can find their way round the world then they know where they are and how to get there and back, just ask any homing pigeon.
There are no excuses whatsoever for keeping birds locked in cages. Would you like to be kept in a cage all your life just so the human race wont become exctinct?
When a bird heads for the door of a bird cage, it isnt lost.
Stop breeding; its that simple.

bottom line is that if birds liked being where they are, then you wouldnt need a cage.

Answer 1

It is 100% cruel

Answer 2

Birds In Cages

Answer 3

Domestically bred birds have no knowledge of the wild and wouldn't even begin to know how to survive in the wild. Parrots are "Altricial", meaning they are born helpless and must learn everything from their parents.
The practice of poaching wild birds is illegal in the United States and many other countries, due to the passing of the CITES ( Convention For the International Trade of Endangered Species) Treaty in about 1992.
They should NOT be taken from the wild, but hand raised birds from Breeders have very little chance of surviving in the wild.
Hand raised birds are for the pet trade.
Personally, I don't much care for breeding parrots unless all the unwanted parrots are adopted, but then again, I feel that way about human children too. There are so many children that need homes, just like parrots.
That is why out of the 7 birds I care for, 6 were adopted, or rescued.
You cannot teach a captive raised bird how to survive in the wild. So it is up to us to look after them. Whatever you tame, you are forever responsible for.
Should breeding be stopped?
There are lots of breeders that are domestically breeding endangered species of birds attempting to preserve the species, so it's a tricky question. If some of these people weren't breeding Hyacinth and Blue throat Macaws we might well have two more extinct species that go the way of the now extinct Carolina Parakeet.
So, like I said, it's a tricky question.

*****************
You are not understanding that I am agreeing with you. To a degree.

A further comment:
As I stated before, My point was this:
I don't necessarily agree with breeding either. In your first statement, you never made your point clear regarding breeding. You never used the word "breeding". The implication was that all birds shouild be returned to the wild, and that is impossible.
And just because birds fly out of the house due to irresponsible husbandry practices, doesn't mean a bird "wants" to fly away.
That's as stupid as saying that a child who gets lost, "wants" to run away from their parents.
Let my clarify my statement:
I don't necessarily agree with captive breeding programs.
But what is...is.
We are responsible for what we tame. Now that it is here, we must take responsibility for what we have done. I do not breed birds. I do not buy birds that have been bred. I work as a volunteer in an attempt to place birds that have been abandoned, abused, relinquished, neglected or are unwanted.
Part of my responsibility is educating those that are still in the dark about what an incredible challenge taking care of a parrot is.
Most of my time is spent talking people OUT of getting a parrot if I don't think they are up to it. and if they do want one, I try and get them to adopt one that needs a home.
You are correct in so many ways:
People don't understand that parrots are cognitive, intuitive and very, very aware of their own existance and relationship to the world. They don't just "exist". They are thinking, intelligent and feeling creatures. You must have respect for them, and their place in the world.
In the meantime, parrot rescue organizations are making attempts to stop wild parrot poaching, and the loss of their wild habitat, while trying to place those birds already without the ability to be returned to the wild.
We can't undo what has been done. But we can try and correct the situation and do what we can to change people's attitudes. It can be accomplished through educational programs and forums such as this.
Thank you for bringing up such a controversial and poignant subject.

Answer 4

I agree, I think it's cruel to put any creature in a cage. Unfortunately, we have domesticated these animals and even though it is still their natural instinct to run or fly away, they will die if they do so, because they have never learned to survive in the wild. So it's the lesser of two evils, they are at least better off in a loving and caring environment.

Answer 5

It depends on what type of cage... but conventional "cages" are usually too small for the species that most people put in them.

My goffins have "macaw size" cages: 66 inches tall by 48 inches wide by 36 inches deep.

They also have their own room/my office with a "parrot playstand". I put food out wherever and they forage for it. They have windows to look out of, the radio is always on....

I wouldn't consider keeping them full time in their cages. They are intelligent animals and like to explore too much.

For smaller or less tame birds, I would probably create a free flight aviary out of a room or outdoors, out of approprait and safe materials.

I do strongly believe, that considering that even cockatiels should live 25-30 years, that our paradigms of bird keeping need to change. I've seen alot change even since getting my first goffins in early 2000. Back then, the concept of "abundance weaning" (or letting the baby parrot wean itsself) had just come out. Boo didn't get off baby food until he was over a year old. If I was the breeder, I would NOT have sold him before he was 6 months old (he was still eating ONLY baby bird food until that age- luckily I listened to my gut instead of cruelly forcing him to eat adult bird food).

Atleast as far as anything from a cockatiel on up-- birds are life companion animals, and not traditional "pets". Both my birds will go to strangers, and I feel confident taking them to the beach (they stay ON me and do not attempt to fly). People just don't realize how time consuming and sometimes emotionally drianing building this type of bond is! It is much more like having a special needs child than having a dog or other "pet"!!!!

Just like cows- birds shouldn't be forced to spend their life in a small enclosure (I'm all for free-range chickens, grass fed cattle, etcetera).

PS: As far as breeding... I am on the fence. I agree with breeding for conservation goals and ideals... but do not believe in breeding the larger species to be sold in pet stores (I won't get further on my soapbox now). I will probably let my goffins breed a clutch, if they ever feel like it, becuase I would like to try naturally co-parenting with them (more ideas here)-- but can't imagine that I would be able to give the babies up to anyone who didn't share my pretty codependent/spiritual/whacko philosophies :-)

Answer 6

some birda are better off in cages .. they do not know how to take care of themselves .. no trees for them to nest and so on
well besides some birds do not live in some areas like parrots .. anyway I find it cruel too but then I have a feeling if they are being taken good care of then why not!?

Answer 7

Birds do not belong in cages. But that's just a personal opinion

Answer 8

Maybe it knows where it wants to go, but what will it find when it gets there? Will it find food? Will it find shelter? Will it be able to defend itself against cats, people, hawks, eagles and such? Will it be able to withstand climate changes? Will it reproduce and become a nuisance? More importantly, does it belong there?

There is environmental damage that is caused to a non-native, domesticated bird when you introduce it into the wild, native population, and that IS illegal.

Answer 9

Wild caught birds yes, Domestic bred birds no.

Answer 10

Well, as a owner, treat it good and birds wouldn't want to leave their home.

But, as a owner, in order to ensure it wouldn't fly around and mess up things, it is the best to put it in its cage.

A good owner wouldn't want a naughty bird to fly away from its cage and lost its way to be back home.

Answer 11

If you have to keep it in a cage to keep it from getting away from you, it's not a pet, it's a captive animal. When it's prevented from doing what it was made to do, say, fly, then what you have is a mistreated captive animal.