Parrots are the 3rd most popular companion animal in the U.S, yet they are not domesticated pets, they are wild animals.
Unlike the dog, who has been genetically altered by selective breeding over centuries to co-exist with humans, your parrot�s parents or grandparents were free birds flying over rainforest or savannah, searching for food, fighting, mating, and dying in the wild. Intelligent? Yes. Loving? Yes. Compliant and cooperative? Not necessarily.
This is the main reason that most pet parrots are abused, neglected or abandoned. They are wild creatures forced into domesticity, and as such need special considerations such as diet, living conditions, and the correct, loving training. Becoming a guardian to one of these magnificent, wild creatures is not for everyone. Studies have proven that parrots have the intellect and emotional development of a human toddler - a perpetual child that needs our care and guidance to be happy, healthy, and stay out of harm�s way.
When a new parrot owner�s untrained idea of what a well-trained parrot should be comes into conflict with the reality of a �toddler with feathers�, the parrot usually loses and is possibly ignored, abused, or abandoned. This is not the fault of the owner or the parrot. It is a lack of the proper education in avian training and care.
At Companion Bird Club our focus is preventative education to protect both birds and bird owners. We want prospective bird guardians to know what they are taking on BEFORE they obtain a parrot. We want to break the cycle of parrots passing through the hands of numerous uneducated and disappointed owners until they are so emotionally damaged that they can never be a happy, loving companion. We want to educate our club members and the general public in the compassionate and humane care and training of pet parrots to put an end to the flood of unwanted parrots we see today.
Most of all, we want the public to remember this: Buying or adopting a parrot is not the same as buying a new lamp. You cannot buy or adopt one and put it in the cage and forget it. They need love, training, and attention, just like a child. Owning one can be the most rewarding experience of your life and you may never find another non-human companion that is their equal, but please educate yourself as much as you can about this new family member before you bring them home to share your life. |
