To the others who answer the bird questions out there...?

Question

I'm working on an idea to try to incorporate a policy amongst breeders and pet stores who buy from breeders to require people who wish to purchase large parrots to A) Take a class on nutrition, cage information (toy placement, toys, size, etc) and most importantly behavior. and B) To require that each purchase includes a one year membership to an exotic bird club that would put them in contact with others who have parrots and that could help them as problems arrise.

My question to you is what do you think this idea, and if you were to play devil's advocate, what would your problem with this idea be?

I also wanted to say that this in no way, shape or form would involve the government. What I'm proposing would be sort of a "pact" if you will, between breeders and pet stores.

It would help the birds that come out of some of the weaker pet stores that give the exotic bird trade such a bad reputation, and it would further ensure that as the birds are purchased, that they get a better shot at making that first place their forever home.

With the person that said that we shouldn't force them into an Exotic Parrot club...

I agree that we can't force participation, but what we can do is force them to pay for the dues with the price of the bird, and then still continue to arm them with information. Say the person doesn't want to go to meetings. Fine...but they'll still get the newsletters monthly, they'll have access to the websites, the forums, and still be able to get help locally if they do run into trouble. If they have all the tools available to them, then if they do have to give up their parrots, it will be all on them. They can no longer say "Well, so and so didn't teach me this." and "I had no help! I didn't know WHO to call!"

This would put behaviorists, nutritionists and all sorts of experts right at their fingertips. And, then too, we can moniter the advice that they are being given. Some of the advice that gets handed out to these people is atrocious. We can get them the right info!

Answer 1

Hi there. This is a great idea but enforcement will be difficult. There are many bird forums that are free already.People may not show up for the class or read any literature. About 20% of American adults are illiterate.It's like you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.Most pet stores and some breeders are in it for the money. Some people treat birds like ornaments. There are so many people on this system that don't have the skills to look up information or even to call an avian vet to ask a question. Tony Blair just banned the importation of exotic birds into England. Perhaps, he's got the right idea. Have a great day and yes, your ideas are great ones.

Answer 2

I think it is a wonderful idea to require that NOVICE owners take a parrot behavioral class and a parrot care class. However, it is also the responsibility of the person selling the bird to try an educate and not just sell their birds to anyone! If a person comes in and asks "how much is that there blue and yeller bird?" You would hope that the person selling the bird would be caring and wise enough to have a chat with this person first. I think that before a person should be allowed to buy a bird it should be more of an adoption process:
day 1-meet the store ownder/breeder...discuss the species behaviors, nutrition, care, and needs. Meet the bird for about 1 hour.
day 2-1 week later...come in and spend an hour or 2 with the bird.
day 3-1 week later...bring the children in the home to meet the bird if there are any and spend an hour or so.
An adoption application should be required...a questionaire with general questions to test the knowledge of the person about the species they are hoping to buy. IMO, if a person has taken 3 weeks to visit and interact with the bird they will have also done quite a bit of research. If they hadn't I would wonder why? Also, make sure that they have an avian vet reserved for their new bird and it should be required that they take their bird to the vet within 3 days...just like shelters require that you take a dog to be spayed/nuetered. Then the dealer should require that the novice owner enroll in a class to learn how to deal with their behaviors and basic care/needs of the bird. As for joining an exotic bird club, I wouldn't require that. some people would not enjoy being forced to be social with other people. I am one of them! I would not want to attend meetings with a bunch of strangers and be required to interact with people I do not choose to be involved with on my very own. besides the fact that just because a person is in an exotic bird club does not mean that they are educated about birds.

Answer 3

That's a really good idea. It would help a lot with the birds not becoming abandoned or unwanted because people would know more about how to care for them and solve any problems that may come up. What would be even better though, would be to require people to take the classes BEFORE getting a bird so they can decide if being a bird owner is something they really want to do for the rest of their lives.

Would you mind posting this in /r/BIRDit on Reddit? We have a lot of parrot lovers and conservation supporters in the group who would love to read this post.

Answer 4

Considering the cost of large birds I'd think that most folks would already have at least *some* knowledge of what's required to care for them.

I've got Zebra finches and that's where I'd see your suggestions be most useful! The cheaper birds are where I'd see the abuse taking place since even a good book could equal the cost of the birds. My breeder made sure I knew the basics of care and provided web links to sites with information for future questions that arise when they're unavailable.

Is mis-treatment of large expensive birds really all that common? I'm not all that familiar with those birds but I regularly see problems with the small cheap birds amongst the mega-box retailers and even smaller independent stores where they should know better.

Answer 5

I think it's a great idea! It would prevent a lot of problems for birds and people, and would make the pet-owning experience much more rewarding for most.
My concern might be that the cost would be exorbitant. But then, big parrots and their accessories are expensive already, and buyers should be willing to invest in their ability to have a better pet.
The plan might be useful for some non-parrots as well.
Maybe there could also be a free or cheap introductory class for people considering buying one of these birds.

Answer 6

It's a great idea
BUT
The problem is enforcement. Pet stores are only interested in profit. They mostly don't care about the animal after it's left their care.
Start the clubs and groups. Start your educational classes. Work of mouth and plain common sense will have people coming to them.
I live in Northern California, there is a bird rescue group that already does classes and clubs. Maybe you could contact them. They're in Marin County. Hold on, I'll get the exact name and address.

Mickaboo Cockatiel Rescue
PO Box 1631



Pacifica CA 94044
Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

It's in Pacifica, not Marin county, sorry. They do all birds, this is just the first info I could find.

Answer 7

Pet stores would not participate in this. Most of them are out for the sole purpose of making money. If they were selling a bird to someone and that someone found out about the class they would have to take, many of them wouldn't buy the bird. This is a wonderful thing, because we want them to love their new family member and know how to take care of them. The problem is that it would cut back on sells for the pet stores. I'm not talking locally owned stores either. I'm talking about the stores that are more worried about the cash profit they made that week!

Answer 8

That's a really good idea. Most people don;t research parrots before getting them and don't realize the vast psychological needs they have. But most pet stores probally don't care. They jsut see it as a sale, a pretty big one at that. There is a really good pet store in champaign IL (haven't been there for a while so don't know if it still exists) that sold parrots. They required prospective owners to come and spend time with the birds for a certain amount, before they sold them.

Answer 9

It could be done. Look @ the Humane Society. They require dogs and cats to be spayed and neutered and to buy pet licenses. I'm not sure about all HS, but I think as a general rule they are all about the same. Personally, I don't like things crammed down my throat. But, in regards to animals, I wouldn't object. Some people need to be educated on animal care, ect. In my opinion due to the higher cost of larger parrots people tend to be able to care for them properly.

Answer 10

sounds good to me and the birds