How do we tell the difference between spoiling a pet, and giving a good quality of life?
There are two main components for a captive bird’s quality of life:
- The basics: Food, water, a decently-sized cage, fresh toys, suitable perches, and a clean, safe environment
- Unconditional love: Your understanding, patience, dedication, and empathy
If you’re wondering whether a bird is spoiled, ask if what he has or is being given is really necessary in his life?
Providing a parrot the basics isn’t so basic at all in the eyes of many non-bird people. First of all, I don’t believe in saying that a bird is spoiled (in a negative way) because it has a large cage. Someone once said that about our Senegal, who lives in a cage that is built for a much larger bird, yet has small bar spacing. I feel that no cage is large enough for a creature that is in every way designed to fly dozens of miles each day, so the biggest cage possible is (to me) a necessity. He spends most of his time out, but sometimes I have to go away. Then it really improves his life.
Good diet is also a necessity. It isn’t spoiling your pet to make sure he or she has daily vegetables, pellets, fruits, and treats. To cook for your parrot is not spoiling it. Proper nutrition ensures that your bird is happy and healthy, and it reduces the likelihood of screaming, biting, and plucking. It also plays a huge role in enrichment.
Enrichment is another part of owning parrots that can seem extravagant. A lot of money gets sunk into buying or making toys. Food plays a critical role in keeping a parrot, too, as there are endless ways to present it – and it isn’t cheap to buy the organic stuff they need. And a parrot play gym isn’t overkill, again, because it provides a safe haven for your bird while he’s out of his cage. Nice perches? Once more, a decent perch prevents health issues and brings your bird comfort.
It is possible to go overboard, definitely. Sometimes we can give our birds too much love and squash them in the process. But a parrot suffers if its basic needs aren’t met.
The next time someone says you’re spoiling your parrots, feel free to let them know (gently, of course!) that you’re meeting the complex needs of a very demanding animal. They might not understand, but that’s okay. You’re doing your part.
Sarah Stull is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, a photographer, violist, and violinist who has plans of opening her own avian sanctuary on the east coast of America.
9 comments
Hello, I am the author of, Is the Double Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot the right pet for you? You can find this by entering in Debraw50. They need much, much love and patience. Some people do not know this before getting them as pets or any other parrot for that matter. We love our birds and we do in fact spoil them. But that is alright to do. The Parrots love to be spoiled.
I actually thought this was going to be an article focused on the ways an owner might actually spoil their bird, if that’s even possible. I think it is. My mother seems to respond to the parrots screaming by distracting or appeasing it with food. If I am not mistaken, she is reinforcing or encouraging this bird to scream for anything and everything because it knows this is a powerful way to get immediate attention. And then sometimes she will approach the bird with food, intending it as a gift, but he sometimes does not want it and bites her, as if it just wants her to go away. She has collected a lot of birds so I would not be surprised if it feels like it’s not getting the full attention it deserves.
We do like to give our african grey the best in life But we don’t think we spoil her )( well maybe just a little
I sure do spoil my yellow headed Amazon parrot,,he talks to me, I talk to him, I spent lots of time with him. And I love him. My kids are grown up and out of the house. So I do spoil my bird.I even wrote an article about parrots. You can read it. Just go to,(debraw50) feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.When I was young I always dreamed of owning a beautiful parrot. And now that I have one, I spoil him. He’s my baby.
My African Grey can spek 3 languages. Afrikaans, English and Zulu. Is very affectionate towards me, but does not like my husband’s hands. He sometimes cleans the cage, give water & food, has to be careful where she is in the cage before putting his hand inside. She speaks clearly and learns his sentences quicker than mine. I have one BIG problem, she keeps on plucking her tail feathers. What must I do or not do???? Thanks Loraine from South Africa.
Is it spoiling a bird to cater to your own needs? I am physically disabled and mentally kind of out of it. My bird often accompanies me to open air farmers markets and parks as an emotional support animal (because the ADA sucks) and a special nest by my pillow to sleep with me at night, because she can wake me up from a seizure. Because Im pretty sure she’s spoiled.
Im a proud mom of a sun conure, i dont care what people say!
If love, companionship, entertainment, teaching, learning, doing things together, laughter is spoiling my fids, then bring it on!!!
I love birds and think they are the nicest animals on earth. I will never be sure if we should breed them and keep them in cages. However we do and i decided that since they will be breed and keap in a cage , i may as well have one and give it the best possible life. So i found an unwanted pet, a 1 year old indian ringneck [male]. I took him home , he had a mediam sized cage, i soon replaced the cage with the largest cage i could find on the market in New Zealand. It has a door large enough for me to climb in. He has huge branch perches , all differant sizes, electic guitar with aa batterys, a childs toy lap-top with batterys, a toy box with balls and small mcdonalds toys etc etc. I dont buy him fancy seed , but every day without fail he gets an apple or orange , and twice a week i remove all seed and leave his fruit, a carrot and greens , he has no option but to eat healthy all day while i am at work. He has learned to step up , shake hands, featch toys and drop them at my feet. He hates being handled , but i dont care i still hold him , cuddle him , spread his wings, blow loudly into his chest feathers etc etc. He trusts me so much he never bites , even when i know he hates the cuddles. He comes in the car , and sits on top of the passenger front seat. I remove the headrest and put a big cover over the seat. The longest trip in the car was 12 hours with an overnight stay in a motel. I dont believe its possible to spoil a bird. You can never give to much love and attention.And he NEVER wrote a letter to anyone asking to be created and given life as a caged animal. So if we decided to create life , we should give them nothing but respect and affection. And we must remember a bird can NEVER be bad or do anything wrong. They are what they are and if we have problems with them its because WE are not good enough to cope and handle the very living thing we decided to give life to. His name is WINTER and he is like all birds. Just a lovly fluffy , little living being.
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