Birds of a Feather - A CBS Video

[Spiritbird]

I am reposting this video because it is so so good and there may be a few of you who have not seen it. Comments welcome!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FY9SuP6dAc&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - Birds of a Feather: Parrot Segment from CBS Sunday Morning 6/21/2009[/ame]#!

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Man, 19 years..... It's so terrible when tragedy like that happens.

 

[Von1983]

I am so glad that this has been highlighted. It is not all joy for the whole lifetime you have together and there are indeed so many conditions to their love for you. It is not easy and there are times you could tear your hair out.

People do not think or research enough when they buy a parrot. There is so much to learn and we will never know it all, but it's scary how obviously few people even bother to learn the basics. It seems to be expected that once you've got your cuddly parrot all tame and talking - that's it. Not only that, but if people don't get that in absurdly little amounts of time, it's game over. I'm just thankful it's not that easy for these people to give up their human children everytime they have a tantrum.

I am no expert at all, but I took Cal on knowing she could one day get a behavioural problem/NEED a mate and not want me anymore/change moods with the weather/hormonal/that her needs are greater than even the dogs/that until I was in a position to be with her day in day out, I was not going to go ahead and buy a bird. etc etc etc.

So many things. I agonised! 5 years ago I could have so easily bought "that" sun conure from the pet shop that I fell in love with. I had the money, that's all that matters, right? It'd be ok with a few toys and a bowl of seed. Right?

Back then I knew nothing of parrots at all but I had enough common sense to know it was a ridiculous idea!

Why don't some of THOSE people think before they flash the debit card?

I'm sorry, it just makes me SO cross. People's circumstances change, I appreciate that I REALLY do and noone can fortell the future, but what bugs me is that they never appear to have a back up plan to combat the "what if's". That's if they've even considered it in the first place! Not "what if something happens to me or my finances" neccesarily, but "what if this bird becomes a plucker or isn't happy without me or what if it's a real screamer?" Those are the questions people appear to not give a second thought about - they're too busy buying the prettiest looking cage I expect.

If our pets and Cal ever lose us (it will only be to death I can assure you of that) then they have places to go. I have had the morbid discussions already. If anyone who's promised to take them even so much as thinks the word "rescue centre" I will be back to haunt them!

I'm so sorry I ranted, but I feel so strongly on the way animals and birds are treated by some members of the supposed human race. You only had to look at some of the birds in the shelter in that video to see the type of person I'm referring to.

 

[Spiritbird]

Right On Von.