Friends Of Feathers Bird Rescue And Sanctuary

WHAT TO CONSIDER:

With hundreds of birds to choose from, how is the first-time bird owner ever to make a decision? There are six main considerations that may greatly narrow the field.

The first and most important consideration is your Expectation. What do you expect out of a bird? What is your motivation for buying a bird? How is it going to improve your life, and how committed are you to taking good care of the bird? If you possess the time, energy and love to give to a fascinating companion and are truly interested in the magic that birds can bring to your life, then you are probably a good candidate for bird ownership.

Otherwise, beware! Many birds require far more attention and care than some prospective owners at first realize. Please don’t buy a bird (or any animal) on a whim or as some sort of ego-extension. They are not decoration pieces. The thrill wears off and you are stuck with the pet — and worse, the pet is stuck with you! Moreover, many bird species are extremely long-lived. In acquiring certain parrot species, you are entering into not a 10-20 year commitment, but possibly a 50-year plus commitment!

The second thing to consider is your Living Conditions. If you live in an apartment, with other people, with children or with other pets (including other birds), you will need to carefully consider how a bird is going to affect your total situation. Are you home enough to care for a pet that needs such attention? Are you prepared to deal with the mess that many birds make? Do you travel often? Some birds may not be compatible with your style of living.

The third consideration is your own Personality. Some birds are quiet, unobtrusive and hardly noticeable as household entities. But others are loud, boisterous, rowdy and rule a home as if they are lords of the manor. Most birds require lots of love and patience in order to gently win their confidence and teach them be good family members. Some birds will end up dominating a very unhappy owner. Get a bird that is not going to clash with your essential nature.

Your fourth consideration is the Source of your bird. From where and whom are you buying your pet? Try to buy directly from a breeder, or at least from a pet shop that specializes in birds. Look carefully at how the birds are housed and handled, and be wary of dirty places and handlers who don’t show their birds respect and love. Inspect the bird physically, and look for one that has clear eyes and nostrils, nice shiny feathers, an alert expression, no noticeable defects and one that is not overly aggressive or seems desperate to flee. Always insist on a guarantee that you can take the bird to your veterinarian for a complete health checkup and return it for a full refund if it is diseased or otherwise seriously flawed.

Try to buy a very young hand-fed bird, preferably a just-weaned youngster. Do not take on the responsibility of hand-feeding yourself unless you are very experienced. An inexperienced hand-feeder can easily kill the bird. Be wary of taking on an older bird, and don’t buy a bird you suspect was wild-caught or imported; these do not make the best pets.

You must also carefully consider the Financial Investment you are making in this pet. Not just the initial purchase, which, of course, can be very significant, but also the on-going cost of proper pet care — cage, toys, food, inevitable vet bills, pet-sitting, etc. All of this can add up to a considerable continuing expense. It’s only worth it, of course, if you are in love with this pet.

One word of caution: DO NOT look for “a bargain” when buying your bird. Comparison shop, yes, but beware of the “too-good-to-be-true” price. That “bargain” will likely cost you dearly in the long run.

Finally, it is important to note the growing concern amongst the bird-keeping community for the welfare of “only birds”. Almost all pet-quality birds are species that are “flock birds,” living in large social groups in the wild. It can be cruel to keep them as solitary avian members of a family which can spend only a few hours per day truly interacting with them, while leaving them alone for hours upon hours, day after day. So if you want to be a bird-keeper, please make plans to have more than one.

Probably more than any other type of pet, birds — especially many parrots — get passed from owner to owner. This is a great shame, can psychologically damage the bird, and could be easily avoided if each prospective owner simply used a little common sense before taking on such a responsibility.

That said, however, if you find yourself with a bird that you cannot care for, cannot handle, or plain just don’t like... it then becomes your grave responsibility to atone for your mistake by finding the bird a more suitable owner. In an unhappy living environment, a bird can literally “go crazy” of boredom, loneliness or abuse. These birds are prime candidates for such neuroses as feather plucking and/or constant screaming. The bird would be best placed in a rescue to find a new home.

Unfortunately, birds are like most pets... they cannot choose their human companions. Humans choose them. The least we can do is choose very carefully. Whatever you do, read as much as you can about the type of bird that you are thinking of acquiring. Talk to people who own — or better yet breed and raise — your kind of bird. Then prepare to be enchanted by your brand new family member. There is nothing like a pet bird !!!

http://www.fosterparrots.com/npsslideshow.swf