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Post by julianna on Jan 5, 2016 12:45:37 GMT -5
Aaron... if you want I have lots of pictures of Oscars' past houses that he built. I could send them if you think they might help. They sure are amazing nests.
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Post by wsteinhoff on Jan 5, 2016 12:59:47 GMT -5
I don't feel guilty about keeping my birds. They've all been given a better life than they would have had in the wild. If they were wild caught I'd feel differently. Casey was born in the wild but he was raised by my hands at only a few days old since before he had feathers or his eyes were even open. His nest was found on the ground torn to pieces and he ended up imprinting on me so he has no way of knowing how to survive in the wild. Bishop was rescued after having been in 4 different bad families. Skye was born from a breeder pair that refused to care for her and raised by me since she was less than a week old. All my birds are rescues or born and raised in captivity so therefore they have a better and longer life than they'd have had so what's to feel guilty about.
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Post by beccilouise on Jan 5, 2016 14:29:32 GMT -5
Thank you all for your thoughts. Maybe you are right. By bringing Byron home, providing him with a huge cage and thousands of toys, lots of good quality food and a home where he is loved, understood and cared for, I have not done him a disservice. In fact, I may well have saved him from ending up in a home where he was misunderstood and poorly treated as a result. I suppose it's the same with anything that involves responsibility: any animal and even having children, there are always going to be people who do not understand the responsibility they are taking on and cause the creature or person in their care immense trauma and damage. All we can do is be aware, educate and make sure the little ones in our care have the best lives possible. Byron will have a wonderful life for as long as he lives it. He will come places with me on the occasions I perform outside of the South East and his home life will be full of love, good food and entertainment. That is nothing to feel guilty about. I think I am the sort of person who is always acutely aware of the morals in my choices and wants to do the best for any living thing I have contact with. I believe very strongly in respect for all creatures and people and that is, perhaps, why I'm a poet and why I do so much work in the community. But I guess punishing myself for loving a little bird and wanting to do the best for him is silly and unproductive.
It occurred to me as well that this documentary in no way showcased the many parrots who do actually thrive in their human flocks, and are well understood. I completely get that they were trying to express the difficulties faced by the species, but perhaps they did many avian keepers and parrot parents a disservice by presenting so many owners as cruel, heartless and ignorant when, actually, so many of us are not!
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Post by aaron on Jan 5, 2016 15:20:21 GMT -5
Beccilouise, I definitely agree with your final assessment. You're doing a wonderful thing for Byron-- we all are for all of our birds, and we should definitely be proud of that.
I think in a lot of cases, documentaries like that one are very careful not to illustrate the good side of parrot ownership because of how alluring it is. It's so easy to make it look so glamorous when you see a well behaved bird being cute and fun and sweet... without showing the noise, and the biting, and the hormones, and the mess-- all of the the things that turn impulse purchases into abandoned parrots.
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Post by aaron on Jan 5, 2016 15:21:40 GMT -5
Aaron... if you want I have lots of pictures of Oscars' past houses that he built. I could send them if you think they might help. They sure are amazing nests. That'd be great! I don't know for sure that we'll use them but I'd love to see them, and if my wife does end up doing this, they will surely be a great help. Thanks!! I already sent you my email address, right? |
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Post by wsteinhoff on Jan 5, 2016 15:53:16 GMT -5
Aaron... if you want I have lots of pictures of Oscars' past houses that he built. I could send them if you think they might help. They sure are amazing nests. That'd be great! I don't know for sure that we'll use them but I'd love to see them, and if my wife does end up doing this, they will surely be a great help. Thanks!! I already sent you my email address, right? If you haven't seen them there are also a few videos on YouTube of a quaker named Sparky building his huge wooden nest that he spent several years building. |
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Post by aaron on Jan 5, 2016 19:32:04 GMT -5
That's right! I had forgotten about Sparky, but I have seen those before. That would definitely be worthwhile as well. Thanks!
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