Best Buds

[AlexAndCarmen]

I don't know about everyone else, but we are waiting for a retraction of this statement and an apology for the discriminative comments made against disabled people. If this was just an off comment, an apology would be forthcoming. We are thinking of taking these matters further with the moderators.

We have since researched other comments made by this person on this forum and come to the conclusion that she is of bad character, often trolling.

So Synirr, face your ignorace and have a positive change of mind and lets have more positve constructive posts in the future.

Thanks

 

[LouiseRat]

Dont split them up look they are so cute and good together bestest buddies shouldn't be split its just mean!
Please?! (On behalf of your animals happiness and such like) (",)

i second that , they look so happy

 

[demonmagus]

We have since researched other comments made by this person on this forum and come to the conclusion that she is of bad character, often trolling.


Thanks

Synirr, a troller? where?

 

[Neal]

I do agree with you AlexAndCarmen, but when Synirr said this comment I think she meant that her cat isn't the brightest of cats, and I certainly don't think she was saying this to offend anyone, but if you feel offended then obviously I think she should change it to a more appropriate sentence or delete it all together.

Neal

 

[Synirr]

Oi, who knew a thread about cute animals playing together would go downhill so quickly?

First off, I am truly sorry if I offended anyone, I didn't mean anything by it. It was just a silly flippant comparison I made without thinking. I didn't mean to put disabled people down AT ALL, one of my mother's coworkers has a daughter with Down syndrome and she is one of the most wonderful people I've ever met. I have a lot of respect for people who live with disabilities, it always amazes me how much they are capable of and how they always seem to go above and beyond what everyone seems to think their limitations are -- I've learned to never underestimate anyone. I also have a lot of respect for those with disabled family members, I know from Penny's mother that it takes a lot of patience, but I imagine the joy you get in return makes it worth every second. What I really meant to convey was that Jinx is a wonderful, loving and affectionate cat, she just has trouble learning new things. Like I said, it's not that I don't love her, the real point is that I have her best interests in mind by planning to leave her behind. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't find her annoying, but I do care about her. Every "mean" thing I've said about her in this thread is the kind of joking thing the whole family says about her around here... it's always with a smile and a laugh, there's no malice in it. I'll delete that comment if it'll make everyone happy, but seriously, it was not made out of hate or ignorance.

AlexAndCarmen, I appreciate you speaking up, but do try to give me a chance to explain myself, won't you? I've been on this forum long enough and have enough posts that if I were a troll, I think the mods would have caught onto it by now. Give them a little credit, ya know? No hard feelings?

Yeh, but it's terribly cruel.

Sorry, but in my opinion - keeping birds as pets is totally wrong.

You will probably tell me that your birds are 'happy' and well looked after. But at the end of the day, birds shouldn't be kept in cages. It's just wrong.

And keeping a cat alongside having birds? You stated that your cats have learned to leave them alone while your watching, but what about when your not? Poor birds.

Paul.

I'm aware of that opinion, but I do not agree with it. Besides, when you face facts, what other option is there for my birds? They can't survive in the wild since they were captive bred and raised by humans... what do you want me to do? Let them go to die? Euthanize them?
I won't tell you my birds are happy because they never answer me when I ask P), but they DO get the best care a human can give, and get several hours out of their cage to fly around every day. The male chooses not to fly though, he wants to sit on my shoulder the whole time and romance me . I also provide enrichment activities for them, like hidden treats, new toys, and I am training the male to do tricks. I'd work with the female too, but she's not at all interested, and I'm not going to try to force her.
They are safe from the cats inside their cage; the bars are far too small for the cats to reach through, and the birds have no fear of cats since they were raised around them.

I wonder if you are also against keeping fish in tanks? There has been some research to suggest that some species might have intelligence that rivals that of birds. How cruel it would be, then, to keep them in such tiny tanks when they are meant to swim free.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

To be honest I'm not surprised.. You keep caged birds and a cat?

Uh, yeah? It's not terribly uncommon or anything

Yeh, but it's terribly cruel.

Sorry, but in my opinion - keeping birds as pets is totally wrong.

You will probably tell me that your birds are 'happy' and well looked after. But at the end of the day, birds shouldn't be kept in cages. It's just wrong.

no one keeping a plec in a 40g should spout off about how keeping caged birds is "wrong".

 

[aloaring]

no one keeping a plec in a 40g should spout off about how keeping caged birds is "wrong".

More importantly he also keeps one penguin in his 40 gallon

But seriously completely agree with synnirs comment that if hes against keeping birds in cages i then he must be against keeping fish in tanks! The majority of small parrots, budgies and canaries are captive bred and usually hand reared and a responsible owner like myself or synnir will make sure our birds have lovely large cages, plenty food, water and entertainment and let them out to fly on a regular basis. And such birds actually form a bond with their owner much like cats and dogs do. My own budgie, on his own accord will fly to me and sit on my shoulder for hours. whnerever i'm home his cage is open and hes goes in and out as he pleases. If an animal is healthy, well cared for and loved how can this be cruel. Keeping a bird in a cage is equal to keeping your dog in the house- its for their own safety.

 

[Synirr]

So true aloaring, captive birds that are given the attention they need and deserve will consider you a member of their flock, and solitary birds will sometimes even see you as a mate (like my Petri, who was solitary for a few months while I searched for a female). I ended up spending twice as much for the female as I did for Petri, but I'm a strong believer that birds shouldn't be kept alone if it's possible for you to get them a companion; they are incredibly social, after all. I had enough trouble finding a female at all, so I wasn't about to be picky when it came to the price.

Here are my birds, Petri and Joule, playing around on my desk. Joule looking a little scruffy as she was molting

Petri looking cute and innocent (he's actually really territorial and stubborn, the little devil. That's why I think his previous owner gave him to my LPS)

Lookin' in his toy box

You have NO idea how long it took me to get him to let me do this. He used to bite the pee out of you if you got your hands close, unless you were offering a finger for him to step up on. He's still quick to nip fingers, but he's a ton better. He only has a problem with hands, he loves to give kisses and be nuzzled

This is Joule, lookin' sleek now . She is the exact opposite of Petri. She's actually less tame than he is because she has always had another bird with her, but she is able to be handled and is the sweetest thing in the world. She wouldn't dare bite you hard like Petri does, she is very gentle.

 

[PaulEbs]

To be fair the only knowledge I have of 'pet' birds is the ones I've seen in pet shops, all distressed and fluttering about the place. I can't judge the actual keeping and handling of birds, I have just always thought it's a bit wrong to keep something that flies in cage.

But your birds do seem quite happy, and the fact you give them mental stimulation must keep them well.

As for my fish, without knowing the circumstances my tank's stocking does look wrong. But let me explain, the plec is a mystery - we never bought him, although after buying several plants from the local FS [who keep planty of commons all over the place], we spotted a tiny plec. I have a good knowledge of these huge creatures, as I took a foot long common from my dad's 30 gallon, and gave it a better home with a member on this forum who could acomodate it. I have a home lined up for this plec too, so all is under control.

The penguin tetra was a bunch of 6, which my dad bought for his 30 gallon seven years ago. This is the last penguin to survive old age, and I have no doubt he hasn't got long. He is perfectly healthy, and seems to think he's a phantom tetra - so we'll just carry on letting him think that.


And of course I don't think keeping fish in tanks is cruel - otherwise I wouldn't carry on the hobby. Although obviously you have to draw the line at some point. I've never agreed with larger fish being kept in small tanks, or rare fish being caught for our pleasure, but with common & smaller species of fish I recon it's all good.

Sorry for 'spouting' about caged birds - was just my opinion, and your birds look sweet synirr.

Paul.

 

[Synirr]

You're right about birds in pet shops Paul, absolutely, but it's unfair to judge the whole idea of owning birds based on that. A lot of people keep them in cages that are too small and don't allow them out either, and that's also not a good situation. Birds require a lot of research and a lot of time and attention. I find that my birds really don't like to fly all that much when they are out of the cage anyway, unlike the parakeets I had at one time. They usually prefer to walk if they can. Joule will flutter around and explore a bit, but all Petri wants to do is sit on my shoulder and explore around on my desk. He will fly off if something startles him or if he loses his balance as I walk around, but as soon as he lands he calls to me and will fly back the moment I answer . He also follows me... if I try to leave he and Joule on their playstand while I go get something in another room, Petri will be on my shoulder before I'm even 6 feet away, haha. As you can see in the pics, I do not clip my birds' wings. Joule came with hers clipped, but you can see in the most recent photo that they have grown back after her molt