Isabelle6060
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Just working on changing a city law.
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Yeah, people can have parrots.
The city council's primary concern is that unwanted domestic rabbits would be released into the wild/city (which is pretty much a death sentence unless a person finds and rescues them), and the rabbit population would get out of hand. They are also concerned about them eating people's gardens.
Just out of curiosity, do you know how long birds typically live for? What do people generally do that is bad for parrots?
Also, I think people should actually research about a pet before they decide to buy one. Few people actually know how to (and are willing to) properly care for a pet rabbit, too.
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Yes, they really need to look into it more before they get an animal.
So... Birds have varying lifespans. Finches can live up to ten years, budgies (more commonly just called parakeets, but that term is incorrect) can live up to fifteen years, and then as the parrot gets bigger, they live for longer. (Finches aren't parrots, but budgies are.) Macaws can live up to 100 years. Even birds like cockatiels can live for thirty.
There are a lot of mistakes that people make when it comes to bird care, especially with parrots. These problems are even more prevalent which small birds, which are pretty cheap. Birds like budgies, parrotlets, lovebirds, cockatiels, and conures are very frequently bought and then neglected for their entire lives. I have a budgie, and so this issue is super important to me.
Spoilered for length.
SpoilerMany times birds are kept in cages that are too small. The minimum size for a budgies is a cage with a base of 18" by 18", but I personally think that's too small, and that a flight cage is the only size that is actually suitable, especially if you don't let the bird out too often. Another mistake that people make is not letting the bird out or not interacting with it properly. Budgies need a minimum of two hours out of their cage every day, but if there is only one bird, they need even more, as budgies are super social. Kaladin (my budgie) is out of his cage practically whenever I'm home. And when interacting with them, you can't just force them to do things. You have to go at the bird's speed when it comes to teaching them to trust you and doing tricks. Another super common mistake is diet. Many bird just eat seeds for their entire lives. Seeds are super fatty, and so can very quickly lead to fatty liver disease, which can kill a bird. Birds need a balanced diet of good pellets (Kaladin is on TOPs), seeds, and fresh veggies. The last thing I'll mention is toys. Parrots need tons and tons of toys. Things that they can shred and climb on and forage for treats in. Without these, their beak can grow super long, they can get bored, and it can cause other issues like that. Boredom can also lead to feather plucking, which isn't good.
Parrots are very complex, and I have put more research into parrot ownership than was probably necessary, but after my first two budgies died, I got super nervous and so did a lot of frantic research. It's hard to find reliable places to get info on small parrot care, since a lot of the time people ignore issues like diet and cage size. But if you're looking for some good resources, I'd suggest the YouTube channel FlockTalk. She has a parrotlet and a green cheeked conure, and is very knowledgeable about birds, and provides a lot of good information. You can also check out Avian Avenue, a forum for parrot owners. There are some very experienced people on there as well.
Let me know if you have any questions!
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Thanks for the info! My family has a lovebird, Joey. Admittedly, I voted to keep him without knowing anything about birds about 6 years ago. Learning about how many drastic mistakes rabbit owners make plus your previous post has made me think that it is about time I learned how to properly take care of Joey.
Also, do you have any tips for helping dogs not eat birds? Roxy, my mom's poodle, has tried multiple times to eat Joey, so we always have to closely supervise Joey when we do let him out (which I will admit is not often). I could just lock the dogs up for a couple of hours though.
What ratio of pellets, seeds, and veggies is a good balanced diet? Honestly, I didn't even know birds could eat vegetables before your post.
I'll have to look into FlockTalk soon. Thanks again!