Be careful who you point the finger at

[Christinenc2000]

Sorry kinda ticked off about a few post I have seen . People are quick to see one picture and place judgement on the owner. It is not always as simple as seeing a picture and then jumping on the poor mistreated bird ban wagon. Yes I know there are a lot out there but there are also people being misjudged .

Thumbs up to any person who obtains a bird and realizes they can not handle / tame / take care of it and re-homes it. The alternative is heartbreaking .

One woman posted a video of her Mac on a forum. The bird did not have many feathers. The video showed him on a training stand doing tricks of placing rings on a stick she attached to the stand.

In the back you could see the birds cage . There were very few toys in it. Lots of perches but few toys. Let me tell you they jumped all over her . Telling her what a sad person she was not providing the bird toys . That she should re-home the bird. One even called her a evil human being. One researched her FB and said they would call the animal rescue. She sat back and watched herself being attacked. I know because she message me after I sent her a instant message asking if she was going to stand up for herself. She said all in good time.

I had seen this bird many time and spoke thru inst chat with the owner when I first got BB. So I knew who she was. She has her own Youtube station. The reason there are not many toys in the cage is because the Bird does not stay in it but maybe 30 min a week . He has free roam of her home . She is a retired widow . This Bird is her child. There are dozens of video's showing how much he improved . She rescued him years ago. He was a plucker. The previous owner held onto him to long her children would tease the bird. She finally turned him over to her but the damage was done. He will never regrow the feathers.

So before passing judgement and posting Oh that poor baby. read the full story. Research . Ask Direct questions. Never pass judgement . Help . Friendship can go a long way to helping educate people and help them understand .

I lucked up and found this Forum . If not for this I doubt I would post for help for fear of being attacked like I see happen to others. That is the sin. Attack the owner so they will not ask for help again. Sad just sad

Sorry had to rant some . I don't get mad often but damn this pissed me off

 

[Kiwibird]

It's never right to judge without knowing the full story. There are so many birds who have been rescued or perhaps have a medical condition who are bald and will never refeather, but are loved and well cared for. They are all individuals, some aren't interested in toys and a cage full would be a waste of money. That has no bearing on whether the bird is happy or not. My moms GCA actually went bald on his head and neck due to a medical condition 30+ years ago. He's a sweetheart who is adored by everyone, is out all day, has a lifelong "mate" he's strongly bonded with and is perfectly content despite looking like he got hit by the ugly bus. You never know.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I'm so glad (and thankful) you were comfortable enough to rant here, Christine!! :heart:

How about I continue....ranting a tad bit? :54:

Plucked and/or mutilated birds are NO LESS deserving than those who leave their feathers alone. Just because they may not have that 'perfect' look doesn't mean they are any less capable of loving someone.

It irks me when folks get pluckers and convince themselves they can nip that behavior in the bud, or that the bird will be fully feathered in no time flat, even after they were told there could be follicle damage. I'm not saying that it's not possible, because it certainly is - BUT, there are enough cases where despite the new owner's best efforts the behavior will either continue or resurface.

No, that does not make the new parront or the bird a failure.

 

[Terry57]

Christine, I could not agree more! It seems some of the FB groups are sooo bad for that.
I have several pluckers, and while I would give anything to change that behaviour, sadly most are still pluckers. Does this mean I love them any less? That I am a bad parront because they still pluck? I know how much I love them, and that they have been vetted and found healthy. I know that those of us with pluckers rejoice in every new feather, and mourn the loss of that feather when we find it on the bottom of the cage.
These guys deserve love, and give love just like my fully feathered ones, and I hold a special place in my heart for them.
I wish I knew why some people find the need to be so judgemental to others, and I am glad you were there for your friend who was attacked.

 

[Mimsy01]

The toy/cage judgement thing really is silly sometimes.

I've seen it a bunch on you tube. Many times it's because they saw a sleep cage in the background..or just an empty cage cause the owner was cleaning it, it's an old cage they havent' taken down yet.. ect ect. Different countries have different access to things such as caging. Some folks are new to birds and may of missed some info, or originally gotten bad info..like the inherited a bird that they assumed was in a good cage/environment/food ect.

When I got Foo her cage would of looked like abuse. For a gcc it was HUGE, however to start with there were NO toys and hardly any perches. she basically wanted a bare cage with a dowel perch and some sunflower seeds. She was TERRIFIED of everything new when we got her. The first few years we had her, was a very slow introduction to new food, perches and toys. it probably took 3 years just to get her to shred some paper.

People seem to forget how long birds live. Most of them have seen several homes. The current owner can be dealing with all kinds of behavior/health issues that they had no cause in. Of course there is always that jerk that doesn't like what an other person does because it's not exactly the same as the way they do it.

Anyways, I was happy to join your rant. Educating and asking questions in a respectful manner will probably help the bird out far more than bashing on them.

 

[Allee]

I think we are all guilty of being quick to judge sometimes.

Forgive me while I stray from the direction of the initial rant for just a moment. I have the utmost respect for everyone who chooses to help a bird in serious crises, it's a long term commitment and not for the faint of heart.

Absolutely, the pluckers and the mutilators require an extra special personality to be their guardians, some are lucky enough to find them. I also commend the owners who make the selfless decision to find a better situation for a bird they love but see their own limitations.

In the heat of the moment, we see those ads that reach out of the screen and slap us. The knee jerk reaction is usually, I could do better. The next thought is often, what have 'they' done to that bird. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a photo of a nude Too and wanted to buy it and send the unfortunate creature to live with Scott and his flock of lucky Toos. Go ahead, smack me, Scott! I deserve it.

The problem is complex. For some people, I think the rescue lights go off in their brain and they believe they could help or at least make the bird better than it is. Maybe true sometimes, but I believe in many cases it may be better to, 'First, do no harm'. What some of these poor birds go through being passed from one well-meaning rescue artist to the next, not to mention the hoarders and flippers, it's beyond inhumane.

I'm sorry for the rant. I only wish I had the solution.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Awesome post, and terrific rant, Allee. If I could 'thank' it 100 times, I would! Loved every single word of it!

Time for some soul searching, and here it is: I'm often the first one to jump down someone's throat when they sign up and post a picture of their bird in a cage that I (personally) find highly inappropriate. I say something, and it often doesn't come across as 'nice'. I've come to realize that we have MANY members from different countries. Heck! We have members from all over the world!

Many don't have access to cages the way we do. I MUST stop myself, and truly look at the bigger picture.

 

[Christinenc2000]

Wendy you have such a good heart. I will confess i added to your reputation once and in the comment it said......... A little rough around the edges but very big heart and cares. You always counter post if what you say is taken wrong.

I might be looking at it wrong but I always thought it was me that needed to be trained not BB. Hell he knows how to be a parrot. lol I just need to instill the confidence in myself to teach him how to get along with me. Kinda simple but it works for us.

The ones that get me are the people that do not read threads They read outstanding comments . YOU SUCK comment will be posted and they jump right in.

Does not take big balls to sit behind a computer and tell people they suck. Takes a lot to reach out and help both the Human and Parrot . You can't help one without helping the other. <-- True story

 

[savannah78754]

I'm so glad you made this post because I agree! If a bird looks mistreated, that is not always the case.. I have heard many stories of a bird owners being attacked like you say for things they don't do or things people misinterpret..

If you are on a forum for your bird.. chances are you truly care enough to show him off because he is like your child.. nobody comes on a parrot forum because they hate their bird.. they have a good heart and want what's best!

 

[Anansi]

Wow. Excellent thread, Christine. And wonderful posts from most everyone. A necessary read.

This parrot forum is many things. A virtual gathering place for friends. A place to show off one's parrot. A place to vent when the heart gets full.

But one of it's most important functions is as a place of learning. A resource. People often come here hoping to learn. Some come here thinking they know all the answers, only to find that there's so much that they didn't understand about raising a bird.

But neither the parrot being mistreated (if indeed that is the current case. As several posts have already mentioned, we shouldn't be quick to judge on that front) nor the parront needing to be educated benefits when said parront posts and is instantly mauled.

We must all strive to be better than that. Thank you, Christine, for kickstarting this conversation.

 

[FreedomAndForgiven]

I had something like that happen to me also. It was a picture of me holding a blue throated macaw at a bird store/breeder. In the background was a bunch of sleeper caged like over 20 of them. People jumped on me, amd how could I go to a place like that. They're only sleeper cages, amd they had toys and food, but the birds were in there only to sleep they didn't stay locked up all day. It wasn't on these forums, and people on here are pretty cool. I've never had a person be disrespectful to me here.

 

[Kalel]

Wonderful post and I agree...attacking anyone will not help them take better care of their bird if it scares them off. Even if someone is doing wrong, I guess it's better to take the gentle approach if our goal is to help them. Persuasion is better than force

 

[Scott]

What a fantastic thread, Christine, a reality check for all involved with social media, particularly in the realm of sentient beings totally dependent on the benevolence of humans. Life can be far from the idealized notion we have or wish it to be. It is also a wonderful testament to the special magic that is Parrot Forums, a terrific mix of members and moderators!

 

[Scott]

I can't tell you how many times I've seen a photo of a nude Too and wanted to buy it and send the unfortunate creature to live with Scott and his flock of lucky Toos. Go ahead, smack me, Scott! I deserve it.

No smacking Allee, only heaps of adoration!! Something I have vowed to accomplish post-retirement is to address the issue of cast-off parrots. Most every animal has a constituency of caring folks, sadly avians seem to garner too little of their share.

 

[chris-md]

It irks me when folks get pluckers and convince themselves they can nip that behavior in the bud, or that the bird will be fully feathered in no time flat, even after they were told there could be follicle damage. I'm not saying that it's not possible, because it certainly is - BUT, there are enough cases where despite the new owner's best efforts the behavior will either continue or resurface.

No, that does not make the new parront or the bird a failure.

Wendy I know you always come from a good place so I'm likely misunderstandin something. But why would someone thinking they can fix the plucking irk you? I fall squarely in that category, and because I have that conviction with Parker (still do) it's caused Parker to get the best home he has had and ever Will have, with the best care possible. That drive to correct the problem should be viewed as a positive, not a negative.

 

[Anansi]

It irks me when folks get pluckers and convince themselves they can nip that behavior in the bud, or that the bird will be fully feathered in no time flat, even after they were told there could be follicle damage. I'm not saying that it's not possible, because it certainly is - BUT, there are enough cases where despite the new owner's best efforts the behavior will either continue or resurface.

No, that does not make the new parront or the bird a failure.

Wendy I know you always come from a good place so I'm likely misunderstandin something. But why would someone thinking they can fix the plucking irk you? I fall squarely in that category, and because I have that conviction with Parker (still do) it's caused Parker to get the best home he has had and ever Will have, with the best care possible. That drive to correct the problem should be viewed as a positive, not a negative.

Yeah, Chris. You're definitely misreading her, here. She doesn't have an issue with people who have a drive to do all they can to get a plucker past the issues that lead to the behavior. That's commendable. It's the people who take in a rehome with an air of judgement about them, so very certain that they can just swoop in and immediately reverse the issue.

Why? Two reasons spring to mind. First, people like that often jump to premature conclusions about the care provided by the previous home when, in truth, they don't necessarily know what led to the behavior in the first place... or even if the issue originated in that home.

Second, people who "know" that they can easily turn things around often burn out tragically fast when the problem doesn't turn out to be as simple as originally believed, adding to the rehoming statistic rather than helping the bird that they took in.

It's a beautiful thing when someone knowingly takes on a plucker, fully cognizant of the daunting nature of the task and yet determined to give the bird a better life. But when a person cavalierly walks in and passes judgement on others who own pluckers, those who know how complex a behavior it is tend to find the over-simplification a bit irksome. You know what I mean?

 

[JerseyWendy]

It irks me when folks get pluckers and convince themselves they can nip that behavior in the bud, or that the bird will be fully feathered in no time flat, even after they were told there could be follicle damage. I'm not saying that it's not possible, because it certainly is - BUT, there are enough cases where despite the new owner's best efforts the behavior will either continue or resurface.

No, that does not make the new parront or the bird a failure.

Wendy I know you always come from a good place so I'm likely misunderstandin something. But why would someone thinking they can fix the plucking irk you? I fall squarely in that category, and because I have that conviction with Parker (still do) it's caused Parker to get the best home he has had and ever Will have, with the best care possible. That drive to correct the problem should be viewed as a positive, not a negative.

Stephen explained it so beautifully, thank you so much, My Rock!

Yes, Chris, you misunderstood.

Chris, IMO you are absolutely going above and beyond with Parker. You continue to brainstorm, come up with phenomenal ideas, stop short of nothing. You continue to demonstrate your drive on how to improve Parker's behavior, Chris, and that IS very much a positive thing!!

I can't tell you the amount of folks who hop on the forum, screeching in excitement that they JUST 'rescued' a naked bird, ...and I explained the rest in my previous post, how they behave, and how they don't even want to hear about the possibility that their brand new family member 'may' remain naked.

Oh, and we've also seen the flipside here. Suddenly a bird starts plucking. We (forum members) try and work with them. We've even seen posts where folks say they can't 'deal' that their beloved bird starting plucking

 

[chris-md]

Elegantly put! I do understand what you're saying, and I get that it can be a bit frustrating

 

[plumsmum2005]

It irks me when folks get pluckers and convince themselves they can nip that behavior in the bud, or that the bird will be fully feathered in no time flat, even after they were told there could be follicle damage. I'm not saying that it's not possible, because it certainly is - BUT, there are enough cases where despite the new owner's best efforts the behavior will either continue or resurface.

No, that does not make the new parront or the bird a failure.

Wendy I know you always come from a good place so I'm likely misunderstandin something. But why would someone thinking they can fix the plucking irk you? I fall squarely in that category, and because I have that conviction with Parker (still do) it's caused Parker to get the best home he has had and ever Will have, with the best care possible. That drive to correct the problem should be viewed as a positive, not a negative.

Stephen explained it so beautifully, thank you so much, My Rock!

Yes, Chris, you misunderstood.

Chris, IMO you are absolutely going above and beyond with Parker. You continue to brainstorm, come up with phenomenal ideas, stop short of nothing. You continue to demonstrate your drive on how to improve Parker's behavior, Chris, and that IS very much a positive thing!!

I can't tell you the amount of folks who hop on the forum, screeching in excitement that they JUST 'rescued' a naked bird, ...and I explained the rest in my previous post, how they behave, and how they don't even want to hear about the possibility that their brand new family member 'may' remain naked.

Oh, and we've also seen the flipside here. Suddenly a bird starts plucking. We (forum members) try and work with them. We've even seen posts where folks say they can't 'deal' that their beloved bird starting plucking

Another brilliant post Wendy et al , definitely not keen on the ones that pop up, put their pants on over their tights and think they can fix the world either. To hear a bird ripping out it's own feathers is like having your heart ripped out, feeling so helpless is completely distressing.

 

[Allee]

I know the point of this thread is to view every situation with an open mind and a positive attitude, not to judge too harshly or too quickly. Unfortunately, there is a flipside to this particular coin. The reality is, there are monsters out there and the pluckers often get handed off, cast aside, exploited for monetary gain, wind up in a hoarding situation, you name it. When you've worked with a damaged or plucking bird or birds, you can't help but understand how difficult it is to change ingrained behaviors and improve a bird's plucking problems. You tend to put some blame on the previous owners, not neccesarily with malice or lack of understanding, but with anger all the same.

I think everyone with knowledge or personal experience with a plucker automatically applauds anyone brave and selfless enough to take on the commitment. It's hard not to predict the outcome when a starry eyed new parront voices plans to FIX the bird and expects it to happen sooner rather than later. People lucky enough to love a plucker, knows that plucking is only one aspect of the bird's personality. There is often no quick solution, only caring for a special needs bird for as long as it takes, or forever.

Just like with any aspect of bird care there are many ways to approach the same problem. Personally, I would never consider a collar, anti-phsycotic drugs or hormone blockers for my plucker. I've discussed every possible treatment with her vet and together we've chosen a path for her individual situation. I don't want to be judged for my decisions and I don't judge others for making the best possible decisions for their own birds and individual circumstances. Sharing new ideas, understanding and empathy for birds and owners is the important thing.