Budgies in cages

[aloaring]

I appreciate your point of view julie but in the same line of thinking All dogs, cats horses and fish should be set free to roam the streets as is the natural way. I don't think you realise that budgies have been domesticated for hundreds of years now and the majority of them wouldn't know how to cope with the wild and would have a 0% chance of survival.All my budgies have come froma specialised breeder who loves his birds and will only give them to good homes. i have four budgies that are kept in two large cages and are let out to fly every day so they get their exercise. If we left them out unsupervised they are likely to hurt themselves. I love my budgies and they see me as part of their flock if i let them out outside they would be killed by the local seagulls, crows or cats and that would be irresponsible as they are not wild animals.

 

[plecoperson]

yes julie, you did make me think about how my sister keeps her budgie - it would probably be considered cruel but he doesnt display vices through boredom, such as pulling out his own feathers. I know a cage int the best way to keep a bird. an aviary is possibly the best solution to captive birds. but its not feasible for just one or two budgies. I do agree with you on some aspects Julie, but not all. I agree with Pointy Kitty who owns the best kept budgie I've ever heard of. I regularly see posts about Pickle, how he has learnt a new trick etc, and in every photo i see of him he looks like a very happy, contented, healthy bird who gets a lot of love and attention.

I think this is one issue we should all agree that we dont give our birds the same conditions they have in the wild but we can still give them a good life.

 

[Jess]

I read a post on this forum where a guy wants a monitor lizard as a pet.Get real!!!!

Um... that was me and im not a guy thank you!!!

And as far as "Getting Real", i have kept (and bred) gekos, iguanas and various snakes so i think i know whether or not i would be able to keep a monitor.

Just because you are a Park Ranger or whatever it doesn't make you right. Yes, i agree that in an ideal world all animals would be in their natural habitat and we would all be able to go and watch them there, but does this look like an ideal world to you? I have a lot of animals and I look after them to the best of my abilities and i am sure that they are all very happy. I know a fair bit about birds and i know what a stressed bird looks like. They certainly dont talk, sing and play. If they are just left in a cage im sure they'd get stressed and hate it but i dont think theres anyone who's replied on here who does that.

This forum is friendly, but you have to think about who you're offending before you post. You said your post would make you unpopular so you must have expected this reaction so why are you getting so defensive?

 

[aloaring]

Re- reading what has been said, are you saying that wild budgies should not be kept in cages because in that case i totally agree and i envy the fact that you have seem a flock of budgies in the wild it must be a marvellous site.
But domesticated budgies are another matter and should be kept responsibly within an aviary or large cage. We all understand that our wild life is taken for granted and as a ranger you are on the frontline of protecting our wildlife. I just think the way you phrased your argument was quite insulting for us budgies owners who really care for their birds and aim to give them the best, safest environment possible within a domesticated situation.

 

[endparenthesis]

Yeesh. All of you have the birds' best interest in mind. Why isn't that enough?

 

[Pointy_kitty]

yes julie, you did make me think about how my sister keeps her budgie - it would probably be considered cruel but he doesnt display vices through boredom, such as pulling out his own feathers. I know a cage int the best way to keep a bird. an aviary is possibly the best solution to captive birds. but its not feasible for just one or two budgies. I do agree with you on some aspects Julie, but not all. I agree with Pointy Kitty who owns the best kept budgie I've ever heard of. I regularly see posts about Pickle, how he has learnt a new trick etc, and in every photo i see of him he looks like a very happy, contented, healthy bird who gets a lot of love and attention.

I think this is one issue we should all agree that we dont give our birds the same conditions they have in the wild but we can still give them a good life.

shhhhh )
your embarassing me

seriously i can't take all the credit for pickle, i struck gold when i picked him out
he's just an exceptional bird
the way you talk i'm sure yours will be wonderful to
you sound like your a very good person


jess, its ok,
i was called a guy the other day to
i don't think i talk or act like a guy at all...
but then again, when you are just reading someones typing,
sometimes unless your really look for it or already know,
its next to impossible to guess sex

julie,
your comments obviously struck some people funny,
mainly us budgie owners
maybe when you realized that people felt so stongly, instead of getting upset,
you should enjoy a good debate,
and if you are not the argueing type, then reword it if you believe
we've misinterpretted
to avoid offending people

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Yeesh. All of you have the birds' best interest in mind. Why isn't that enough?

hippy

jk

 

[Julie]

Pointy Kitty,you talk about freedom of speech without name calling and tell me not to insult the forum \members. I'm a member too! and I'm the one whose been called stupid & immature, and told my views are ridiculous, irresponsible unrealistic, and uneducated!!!! ( my version of ridiculous is dressing your animals up in silly hats).I'm stating my honest opinions and while I thought they may not be popular I didn't expect to be called names. Jess,(sorry about the gender confusion) I stand by what I said. Just why do you feel compelled to acquire a monitor ? Go to any quality zoo, or reptile park and see the expensive equipment used to attempt to replicate these animals environments and ask yourself honestly whether you can offer this animal the same quality of care (this includes having trained herpetoligists and vets constantly monitoring the animals?)I think not.
I do not suggest for one minute that you don't love your pets but I don't believe that a reptile is capable of loving you back or that love can be traded for a life in captivity.


"Fetters of gold are still fetters and silken cords still pinch."

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Pointy Kitty,you talk about freedom of speech without name calling and tell me not to insult the forum \members. I'm a member too! and I'm the one whose been called stupid & immature, and told my views are ridiculous, irresponsible unrealistic, and uneducated!!!! ( my version of ridiculous is dressing your animals up in silly hats).I'm stating my honest opinions and while I thought they may not be popular I didn't expect to be called names. Jess,(sorry about the gender confusion) I stand by what I said. Just why do you feel compelled to acquire a monitor ? Go to any quality zoo, or reptile park and see the expensive equipment used to attempt to replicate these animals environments and ask yourself honestly whether you can offer this animal the same quality of care (this includes having trained herpetoligists and vets constantly monitoring the animals?)I think not.
I do not suggest for one minute that you don't love your pets but I don't believe that a reptile is capable of loving you back or that love can be traded for a life in captivity.


"Fetters of gold are still fetters and silken cords still pinch."

maybe i missed something but i did not see name calling at all
an idea can be rediculous, but that does not mean that the person in question is rediculous
if i'm not correct then help me understand
you said the forum was unfriendly and mentioned of how the members are mean if you "do not agree with them"
i see that as pointless babble just looking for a fight

i do not think you are stupid, i do not think you are rediculous, i do not think you are uneducated

but i do expect what you said to come out of someones mouth who is uneducated
and i find the concepts of your arguement rediculous and irresponsibe
i am not insulting you in the least
but i am sorry i do not agree with your logic

 

[Opcn]

Julie I think it was a pretty well mannered debate until you attacked the entire forum based on some 7 or so members. You say no one should cage something with the gift of flight but why is flight so different than swimming or running some critters who can fly adapt rather well to cages (society finches are an excilent example ... they don't feel right without humans) but some animals w/o the gift of flight dont take well to cages (I cant keep a goldfish in a cage ... it would dry out) and monitor lizards are suitable as pets so long as they are given ample excersize and care is taken not to let them hurt anything. As for a budgies in Cages if you play with it enought it will get both the excersize and social interaction it needs.

JMO

 

[The-Wolf]

I was five years old when I got my one and only budgie
he was very happy in his cage, however he used to fly about the house all day and only used the cage as a roost.
Joey died when he was 21 of gout. Yes 21yrs old, he outlived 5 cats and 200+ gerbils.
The average lifespan of a domesticated budgie is 12-15 yrs compared to 7-8 for wild budgies.

Oh and btw Budgerigar is an Aboriginal word that means "good to eat"

Wild
Domestic

 

[aloaring]

Wow danio 20 is a good age, my first budgie lived until he was 18 and he always used to think of himself as leader of the family, thats how much attention he got. I just hope my four current budgies live as long and know they are more than happy in each others company but they are always so noisy when i come home - i think they miss me!!

I beleive that budgies can make a good pet for people who don't want cats but can't keep dogs as they are in work all day. Budiges have lots of personality and in some cases are more intelligent than dogs and are just as fascinationg to watch as a fish tank!!

 

[Paul_MTS]

I can see your point Julie, but as long as the owners do well for them the birds will be kept very happy with toys and attention from the owner.

If my budgie Jack was in the wild he would of died within seconds as he can't fly. He was born in my neighbours aviary about 10 years ago, I used to go next door just to play with him and move him up onto perches, my neighbour then gave him to me and he's been on deaths door a few times but nursed back to health with Glucose.

My other Bird Jill (yes Jack and Jill, how cheesy!!) if a very happy birdy she's very cheeky but with some intense training aorud christmas I can now perch her with no problems.

My budgies used to come out to fly daily for most the afternoon as our last cat didn't bother them, new kitten though and she would love to have diner with them so they come out not so often.

 

[Jess]

Jess,(sorry about the gender confusion) I stand by what I said. Just why do you feel compelled to acquire a monitor ? Go to any quality zoo, or reptile park and see the expensive equipment used to attempt to replicate these animals environments and ask yourself honestly whether you can offer this animal the same quality of care (this includes having trained herpetoligists and vets constantly monitoring the animals?)I think not.
I do not suggest for one minute that you don't love your pets but I don't believe that a reptile is capable of loving you back or that love can be traded for a life in captivity.


"Fetters of gold are still fetters and silken cords still pinch."

Im assuming you've never owned any reptiles? They make wonerful pets with lovely characters. I cant say whether mine 'loved' me, but the Iguana in particular was VERY tame and would follow me around.

If you had read the post about the monitor properly you would have seen that i was simply considering the idea. They are something that i have always wanted and if i felt i was able to give it a good quality of life (which right now i probably wouldnt be able to do) i would buy one.

Whenever i buy any animals, from my fish to my horse, I always make sure i am able to accomodate all of their specific needs. Luckily, i am in a position to be able to look after all of my animals and give them the best life i think they would be able to have. I am a member of a Parrot Rescue charity and seeing some of the birds they have, and the ways in which they are neglected is very upsetting. I am hoping to foster a Cockatoo soon who has been horrifically neglected and now, as a result of this, has quite severe deformities and illnesses.
So, obviously i understand and agree with you about being able to look after the animals you buy. There are far too many people out there who will buy a bird (or any animal) and keep it in a cage 24/7, with a bad diet and no human contact. This is not how these birds were meant to be kept and will eventually kill them... And im not exaggerating there!!

However, i dont think anyone on here would ever dream of treating any of their animals like that, especially their birds which as you can see from the pictures posted are very much loved!!

A lot of us aren't able to see these birds in their natural habitats so we do our best to keep them in the best way we are able to. If we all seemed defensive it was probably because you're post seemed critical of how we keep our birds when i, and im sure many others, spend a lot of time, money and attention on our birds to make them happy.

Jess

 

[plecoperson]

Thanks PK )

Julie, I agree with you 101% about the reptile thing.

I have 3+ years of experienceof keeping reptiles and the conditions were far from ideal. the college i was at just use the reptiles as an attraction - we were discouraged from handling them, they frequently got sick, they had substandard food, their equipment frequently broke and wasnt replced for a week, and these animals were on a animal care course.

Im talking about two bearded dragons, a chamelon, two snakes, two leopard geckos. there was also a tiny tarantula until it died. My point is, these people clearly didnt know what a reptile needs. there is no licensing in place for smaller reptiles. there should be.

with this course i once went to the premises of a major reptile supplier and saw a huge lizard, must have been about 6 foot long or even bigger, it might have been a moniter. the cage was tiny and made of concrete and old rotted wood with a tray of stagnant water at the bottom - my opinion is that animals like this shouldnt be held in "domestic" captivity at all - i.e a home setting., only zoos etc should be allowed big lizards like this and for conservation. they belong in the wild!!!! but smaller lizards such as geckos can be cared for reasonably well in a home setting if people know what theyre doing., Im not saying anoyone doesnt.

and its just the same with birds - we can expect the budgie to manage well in a home environment with a knowledgeable and caring owner but an eagle (or suchlike) is clearly a wild animal.

off topic, i know.