Should i release my parrots?

[djven]

hello everyone! i am really concerned about all the animals and try my best to release wild animals if i see that someone keeps them for pets but what about my 15 cockatiels and 2 budgies? i really love them and take care of them the best way i can, every time they have to go to the vet we travel for 6 hours by car because the best avian vet i could find lives in another city! And we do this journey as many times as we have to. You see.. i'm trying to do my best for them, i have them for over 6 years and they are my family but a thought crossed my mind.. what if they could have a better life ? Maybe i could set them free to a rescue centre or something like that...
They are happy with me.. from what i see everyday and i leave them fly free inside the room everyday but does it really compares with freedom?

p.s. not all of my birds can be released, two females of them cannot fly, so i'm going to keep two pairs.

thank you in advance, i'm just asking for your opinion, i'm not trying to get rid of them or of the responsibility to take care of them.

 

[kc_y0]

By release, you don't mean into the wild do you? Because they will die in the wild.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Welcome to the forum.

Whew! I must admit, when I read the title of your question, it kind of sent chills down my spine because for a moment I was worried you were actually considering setting your birds free in the WILD. Which, of course, you must never do.

It sounds like you might be a bit overwhelmed. Properly taking care of 15 cockatiels and 2 budgies is by no means an easy task. So HATS OFF TO YOU for doing it. AND for taking them to a good avian vet when needed. BRAVO!!

Have you perhaps considered rehoming some of them? It doesn't have to be to a rescue or sanctuary, but I bet there are people near you who would LOVE to be the guardian of a cockatiel or two.

All I would ask you to do is carefully screen potential new owners/guardians. Ask them questions. Many of them, to ensure they know what they are getting into, and that they know how to PROPERLY care for them.

How do you have all these birds set up? In indivicual cages? Do some share cages? If you could, please take some pictures. All of us here love looking at birdies.

 

[djven]

thank you all for replying so fast, of course i would never set them free in the wild LOL!
and i wouldn't ever give them to someone else.. never.. i keep them all in a large cage from stainless steel that was a cage by order, i tried to seperate them because some people advised me to do so but they stopped eating or drinking water! and the avian vet told me to let them stay together, they are families, we do training so everything is fine.. i'm giving them the best i can, and i love them as much as you love your parrots, i don't think that i could find any other person to love them and know them as much as i do. i don't want to get rid of them i just want them to have the best, they give me so much love and strength to go on everyday, but am i giving them what they deserve? no matter how hard i try... nothing compares to freedom...before many years one of my parrots used to get out of his cage very often and i couldn't find out how, but he never left out of the window.. the same happened with his son once, he stepped out to the balcony and then came inside the home and started flying and showing of his wings to me.. lol..
the point is that i love them, i adore them and want the best for them... and you guys know so many things...
i'm sorry if i waste your time.. thank you again all!

 

[kc_y0]

You are right, that nothing compares to the freedom that wild birds get. But your birds don't know that life, and it really does sound like you are giving them the best of domestic life that they can get! I always think to myself these same things about my bird, and sometimes I feel sad that she is not flying in the wild with a flock. But then I think we are the only flock that she has ever known, and she loves us, and we give her the best life we can, just like you are with your babies.

 

[mtdoramike]

Like the old saying says "If you have never had it, you will not miss it". So if your birds are hand raised and not wild caught birds, they won't miss the freedom of being in the wild per-say. But I'm sure their insticts tell them that the life we provide for them isn't exactly right.

Rehome some of them.

 

[momto3]

I think that you shouldn't feel too guilty about the lack of "being free" for your birds. They have been raised in captivity and it sounds like you are giving them the best life that you can. "Free" isn't necessarily a good thing. I just had this discussion with my mother-in-law who insists that we let our pet rabbit roam free because it is spending its life in a cage. "Freedom" for this rabbit would probably mean an awful death by predation. I guess it would go out in a blaze of glory, but would it prefer years of healthy living in a cage to one day outside? It is tough to have caged animals that are meant to be "free" in the wild, but if you care for them, give them the proper nutrition, medical care and attention that they need then I personally have no issue with it. Cudos to you for taking such good care of your flock!!!

 

[henpecked]

"Being Free" is no bed of roses. Life in the wild is hard and cruel. As bad a parronts as we are , our pet birds live longer as pets than wild birds do. Having them happy and healthy is the best of any world in my opinion. I keep a flock of tiels in an outside aviary, they are some of the happiest birds i know of.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

Do NOT Choose! You already own them so take care of them. Bird sanctuary's can only house so many birds and they are for birds that have been abused or birds that cannot be placed in a home for whatever reason, etc. They are not for birds that have a perfectly good home already and are getting proper care. Keep them and continue to take good care of them. Sorry if I sound harsh but it sounds to me like you are feeling guilty for having these birds. Do not feel guilty, just take good care of them.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

and try my best to release wild animals if i see that someone keeps them for pets

What types of pets are we talking about here? Like a snake that someone went out and captured and kept for a week? Or animals that they've had for years that they love.

Also that's a lot of birds to take care of, are you able to afford to give them all pellets and fresh produce? You can always teach your friends to take care of them and maybe they can take a pair or just one. This way you will still get to see your buddy and also know that you personally trained the person who got them.

I had a young cockatiel I tamed that I loved very much but he needed more attention then I could give him and was also too loud for my siblings so I gave him to one of my best friend. Although her care isn't as perfect as I would like she loves him very much and I love when I get to see him.

 

[henpecked]

I can relate to that.

 

[Birdlover11]

My parants are always saying let my budgies free, I always tell them they will die if I let them go. I finally convinced my mom. Then my grandma just came a week ago, she said let them go and then me and her started arguing and then my mom came in to back me up ( moms are always they're to back you up ) she said they arnt wild caught they are breeded in captivity and finally she understood. She didn't get my dad convinced but at least somebody understands lol. I know your not letting the go but here are some reasons not to.

1. They do not know how to get they own food, it's always in a bowl in front of them

2. Predators. For a bird that has been safe in a house since it was born it doesnt know what to stay away from.

3. Climate. Most of our birds are from Australia and south america, it never snows they're . For exotic birds the lowest they could stand alive is 50 degrees

 

[Thingamagigs]

This just baffles me.

None of us as humans are "free" so why do we place such a high value on animals being "free". We trust our governments to take care of our interests... and our society to keep us safe... its the same thing with our pets. Your pet will NEVER be happy in the wild. They make attempts to escape because it is instinct. Not because they long for freedom. Their birdy brains tell them they want to fly... they don't think ahead... and generally once they have given in to their immediate desire to FLLLLLYYYYY and that desire is fullfilled they realise they are without their "flock" and the safety of their home. They would return, if they knew how.

Being a wild animal is terrifying, sure you can do what you want when you want assuming predators arent about... but you also have to be looking over your shoulder constantly.

Shelter, free food and the FREEDOM to never actually have to watch out for predators is the most freedom any animal will ever experience. If you give your parrot everything it needs... food, water, shelter, company and room to play and fly... then it is by far better than being wild! Wild does not = free! Its just a different kind of living in which every moment could be your last.

Would you really rather be alone... naked... living in a forest without the comforts of home? You would be "free"... wouldn't that be better?
You would have to hunt your own food, try not to eat anything poisonous, try to scrape together some sort of shelter, you'd have no medical assistance, no comfort of a super market or a nice comfy bed... but hey, no one would be there to tell you what to do or where to be Doesn't it sound like a bag of fun! No... no it doesn't. Thats what you would be turning an animal out to. And just like a human accustomed to living a domestic life, their lifespan would most likely be a matter of days.

I wish I could shake sense into every human being that believes every single animal is better off being wild. For this insane theory of "freedom".

 

[Mare Miller]

My umbrella cockatoo flys free. He was not born to the wild, nor is he wild. He is a large bird that enjoys his freedom. I live in central California, in the hills, lots of room. There are no indigenous flocks of cockatoos for him to hang with, so this is a concern. He is actually grounded, at the moment, because the hawks are migrating through our territory.

Amigo has no issue with temps between 27-110 degrees F. This is a U2, though, not a cockatiel or budgie, are they that more different in terms of temp?

 

[Mare Miller]

YIKES!! Thingamagigs, are you for real!? Yes, some of us humans are free, I'm feeling sorry for you that you don't feel that way. Our government sucks and I don't trust them, one bit. Besides that, birds are not born domesticated. They are not feeling domesticated even after twelve years in a home with you, sorry, sad but true.

Being free is way more better, than being imprisoned. Whether it be in our own lives or in a cage.

 

[MonicaMc]

Mare, yes and no in regards to temps... it all depends on what the birds have been accustomed to. If they aren't used to drastically cold/hot temps, then a change in temperature could kill them. If they have time to adjust, they may very well do fine!


djven, do you have the capability to add an out-door aviary for your birds? Maybe attach it to the current room they live in and have the entrance/exist to the aviary be through the window, with an additional door outside for cleaning and such? And the out-door cage should have a 'safety' catch on it... unless you have a back porch/veranda/etc that you could convert into an aviary of sorts?


For examples...
Gallery

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

My umbrella cockatoo flys free. He was not born to the wild, nor is he wild. He is a large bird that enjoys his freedom. I live in central California, in the hills, lots of room. There are no indigenous flocks of cockatoos for him to hang with, so this is a concern. He is actually grounded, at the moment, because the hawks are migrating through our territory.

Amigo has no issue with temps between 27-110 degrees F. This is a U2, though, not a cockatiel or budgie, are they that more different in terms of temp?

Not much help here with trying to encourage this young person to properly take care of their pet bird. Please consider the audience before you speak.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

YIKES!! Thingamagigs, are you for real!? Yes, some of us humans are free, I'm feeling sorry for you that you don't feel that way. Our government sucks and I don't trust them, one bit. Besides that, birds are not born domesticated. They are not feeling domesticated even after twelve years in a home with you, sorry, sad but true.

Being free is way more better, than being imprisoned. Whether it be in our own lives or in a cage.

Birds bred in captivity no nothing about freedom or what it means to fly free. They have no idea what they are missing. This discussion comes down to a young person trying to decide whether or not to give their birds away to a bird sanctuary or not. The OP thinks their bird would be happier if it had more room to fly. The answer is NO. They would very likely go through depression from missing the OP. Besides, giving them to a Sanctuary is not the purpose of the Sanctuary! People adopt/purchase birds, so they should take care of them unless they simply are not able and in that case they should find someone else who can. Not a Sanctuary!

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

Mare, yes and no in regards to temps... it all depends on what the birds have been accustomed to. If they aren't used to drastically cold/hot temps, then a change in temperature could kill them. If they have time to adjust, they may very well do fine!


djven, do you have the capability to add an out-door aviary for your birds? Maybe attach it to the current room they live in and have the entrance/exist to the aviary be through the window, with an additional door outside for cleaning and such? And the out-door cage should have a 'safety' catch on it... unless you have a back porch/veranda/etc that you could convert into an aviary of sorts?


For examples...
Gallery

This is correct!

 

[Remy]

A few weeks ago I got a macaw that had escaped (or been let go, I'm not sure). He landed on somebody's shoulder in a park. His feathers were ungroomed, and his beak was all jagged and had grown funny. I got him after he'd been back in captivity for a week. Now his feathers are nice and groomed again, and his beak is smoothing out. I think that he landed on a stranger's shoulder (he was pretty shy with strangers) because he was having a lot of trouble in the wild, and was desperate for help because he didn't know how to survive in the wild.

It sounds like you are taking good care of your birds. If you want more freedom for them, perhaps you could have a whole room for them to fly around, and/or add an outdoor aviary like somebody else mentioned.

With my last bird I often thought he'd be happier if he were born in the wild, where he could fly around and be crazy 24/7. He didn't have any instinct for predator birds though, so I doubt he would have had many other survival skills. One time, as an experiment, I brought him over to the house of a friend who rescues handicapped raptors. She brought a great horned owl (tethered) in to the room, just a few feet from Puck. Puck didn't even acknowledge the predator a few feet from him (I believe they are predators in his native land also). The owl ignored him too, though.

I think your birds will be better off kept in captivity, since they have been raised that way.