By NYPR

Published 12 December  2017

Caged birds are suffering, living alone in tiny cages, and many are never let out of their cage or not for long enough. Caged birds crave the freedom and companionship of other birds, not the cruel reality of forced solitarily confinement for the rest of their very long lives, being locked inside a tiny cage.

Parrots kept in cages all the time, may sleep during the day to help alleviate boredom. While others will begin to self mutilate. First they might start with over preening, then go on to plucking out their feathers and after years of doing this, the birds feathers will not grow back again.

Some parrots go even further and self mutilate their own skin. These birds will then be much harder to re-home in this condition,  and living outside in an aviary or Sanctuary, may not be an option of these birds either.

If your Parrot has already started to feather pluck, for advice please read this link: www.beautyofbirds.com

Please consider building an indoor aviary/ bird room in your home for your birds, and buying a larger double cage. You could join two or three cages together, after removing the inner panels to make a much larger cage.

If you are going to keep a parrot in a cage, you should keep the cage door open as much as possible, a cage should only be used as a safe place where the bird can eat, sleep, play, and whenever it's not safe to leave the bird unattended when you need to go out of the house.

This would apply to all cage birds, not just Parrots, but Budgies, Lovebirds, Canaries and Finches. Please don't keep them shut up in a cage all day. If you let them out, they will return to their cage for food and security, it's where they feel safe. Try to do this on a daily basis, we need to change the way we think about birds being kept in cages.

For more information, Please follow this supporting link: www.thedodo.com

We are not saying here, that you shouldnt have a bird as a pet, but ask you to provide proper care for your birds, according to ALL of our Fostering Rules

You should give them plenty of time out of their cages, as much as possible. We recommend you open the birds cage for 6 hours minimum, or upto 10 Hours each day. You could split this into two separate sessions, once during the day, and then again in the evening, or whatever works best for you. If you do this for your birds, you will be helping them to avoid the many behavioural problems that can arise, if your bird doesn't receive proper care.

If you don't intend building an aviary, or letting your bird out of its cage, but keep the Parrot caged all of the time in a small cage, for the rest of its life, then you shouldnt keep a Parrot as a pet. (This is animal cruelty) Please think seriously about building an aviary for your birds or placing them with a local Sanctuary/bird park in your area.

Something to think about!

Please consider getting another bird(s) to give your pet bird some company, (Especially if it's a parent reared bird), so the bird is never alone when you are not around.

Provide plenty of Interaction with other birds and Entertainment, hanging toys, foraging toys, things to chew, a Cage with a platform, play station, keep more than one bird together. If you do this for your birds they will be less demanding and dependent on you. See more here Parrot Entertainmentent.

If you're the owner of a pet bird, you've probably pondered the possibility of getting it a cage companion. Should you get another bird? That depends on many factors, say the experts. Read more here... www.webvet.com

All pet bird/Parrot species will be much happier in a pair, and for many this is the ideal permanent setup; but some only really thrive with the full interaction of a flock, as they would in the wild.

If a breeder or rehoming charity is offering to sell or re-home a non-tame single bird, (Parent reared bird), you should question their competence - a good seller knows that a single bird will live a very lonely, unhappy, and unfulfilled life.

Often people ask about having various different species of birds living together: Can I have this bird with that bird? Will they be Ok, together?

There aren’t really any set rules on which species can go together, but there are guidelines that can help you in this situation. Please use this link for further information: www.exoticdirect.co.uk

You might of sometimes wondered, will my birds survive if I set them free from their cages? You may of bought birds without realising how guilty It would make you feel watching them sit alone in a cage all day. And after having them for many years, you might feel you want to let them go free. Please read these links for more information on the subject: www.quora.com 

Keeping your pet birds with other birds in an inside Aviary or a Bird room is a better option for some birds. 

See some ideas and example pictures and videos of indoor aviaries and bird rooms below. 

You could keep tame pet birds, with other birds in doors over the winter, in a bird room, and let them out in an outside aviary in the summer months. Make sure you install some high security system, as mentioned below. If you want to house birds in an outside aviary all year round you will need to install some type of bird safe heating to keep them warm. 

Warning 

Do not keep your Parrots outside in the winter, unless you can afford to keep them warm. You will need to keep them in an indoor heated area during the winter months, otherwise they will die when it gets too cold. Especially birds that are missing features from feather plucking. 

Some useful links on this subject:  https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/moving-a-housebird-to-outdoor-aviary.28129/

As mentioned on a previous page some pet owners can be too busy to give their birds the life they deserve. They may also neglect or abandon them at some point in the birds life.

For a bird to be happy it needs a permanent and stable home, preferably with other birds in a natural environment, as possible. 

All birds belong in the wild, and by caging them, we’ve taken away their freedom, that allowed them to be with other birds, and do what they want to do. 

But some pet birds that prefer human companionship, just like they might not cope well being released back into the wild, wouldn’t necessarily be able to adapt well to a life in a Sanctuary with other birds either.

It will depend on each individual bird, and what they need, and if they will accept the company of other birds within a flock with less human interaction, if given the opportunity and the time to adapt and bond with other birds, and letting them choose.

But we shouldn’t decide for them either, based on what we believe or think is right for them, whether that be in someone’s home or a Sanctuary situation.

Bird Aviaries 

You should definitely consider giving your birds the opportunity to live in an aviary/bird room with other birds. This could be an outside flight with an interior area that is heated, or an indoor aviary, even converting a concervatory or an eitire room in the home into a walk in aviary/bird room.

Most caged birds will adapt to change and can live together with other birds, but it will take time to adjust, and accept the company of other birds within a flock, then becoming less dependent on human companionship and interaction.

I believe it's important to give them the opportunity, and allow them to live as freely as possible, not locking them up in a cage.. 

Bird Parks and Sanctuary's 

As our limited number of Sanctuary's become full and overcrowded, it's more important to give priority to the parent reared birds. (Aviary Birds) - being breed and sold as pets.

These birds should be in aviarys, with other birds and not being kept in small cages. So please consider this before rehoming or selling these birds.

We need to put pressure on pet store owners to be more responsible, they need to encourage pet bird owners to build bird aviaries by selling them aviary panels instead of tiny cages.

We need to build more Bird Sanctuary's and Private Aviary's, that are run by people that genuinely care about all these birds that are suffering alone in cages.

Rehoming your birds 

If you are thinking of rehoming your bird and would like more information to explore this as an option for your birds, instead of selling or Rehoming them to live alone in a cage all day for the rest of it's life.

We would be happy to provide you with a list of recommended bird sanctuarys/bird parks in your area, where some will allow you to visit your bird when ever you want. For further information, please Contact Us.

Bridlington Animal Park, North Yorkshire 

Some of our Rescued Birds are now living permanently at Bridlington Animal Park where they will remain for the rest of their lives. There they will learn how to be a bird, have the opportunity to fly around, interact with other birds, volunteers working at the park and the public who regularly visit the park Seven days a week.

Visit: www.bridlingtonanimalpark.co.uk

Let's try to give every Parrot a Cage Free Life.

PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE!

See below Videos, Photos of aviary's and Sanctuary's from around the world.

BuildAnAviary.com - Don't let your pet birds suffer in undersized cages. Discover how to build a full sized aviary that will provide your birds with plenty of space and security to live with other birds." Please visit this link for more details: www.buildanaviary.com/

Aviary Security

You will definitely need some Security for your outdoor aviary. Please go here for advice...

Page added 06/12/2017