Dear Parrots magazine,
The way forward
I should like to comment on two items in issue 205 of Parrots Magazine. First, I feel congratulations are in order to Brighton & Hove City Council for adopting the measures put forward by the Animal Protection Agency (APA) to discourage impulse buying of animals (but parrots in particular) as outlined on page 8 of that issue. Personally I should like to see a voluntary scheme taken up by every breeder and pet shop whereby every potential parrot purchaser has to put down a substantial (but fully refundable) deposit on a bird and then have to wait three days before taking the bird home. This would enforce a ‘thinking time’ for the buyer to fully appreciate what they are taking on. Also that time could be usefully used to purchase a suitable cage, perches, toys, etc, and possibly find a suitable vet. Further I would like all breeders and pet shops to provide a comprehensive (and I mean comprehensive) fact sheet to every buyer about their parrot, how long the bird may be expected to live, how much it will cost them to feed and insure, how much noise can this parrot make, all those things that a first time parrot owner, in particular, may not be aware of. I don’t believe these measures would put off a serious buyer and many reputable shops already go some way to doing this, but wouldn’t it be nice if everybody in the trade put the birds before their profit lines?
Read more: The way forward
Dear Parrots magazine,
So concerned
Fantastic to now have a date for Think Parrots 2015, 21st June will be another chance to meet old and new birdie people, and at a great location.
With reference to news item “Noisy birds must go!” (issue 203), Peter Hammond, whose hobby is a collection of around 200 parrots (nearly 500 according to neighbours), has not only upset his neighbours, but the whole village where he resides. Reading this, I had a few thoughts, hence why I have put pen to paper.
Read more: So concerned
Dear Parrots magazine,
House training?
The number one negative comment I hear from non-bird owners for disliking pet birds is that “birds are dirty”. What they mean is that most pet birds, when outside their cage, defecate on the furniture, floor or even people. These people say that their dogs notify them that they have to go outside, when they have to relieve themselves. In other words, their dogs are ‘house broken’.
Read more: House training?
Dear Parrots magazine,
Misunderstanding?
I read Jim Hayward Jnr’s article in Parrots magazine issue 204, January 2015, with interest. Mr Hayward has named me directly as the inspiration for his article and I feel that he has misinterpreted my original letter, which was a plea for readers and contributors to “live and let live” on the subject of feeding. Here I wish to clarify a few points and make an observation of my own.
Read more: Misunderstanding?
Dear Parrots magazine,
Searching for Pepper
I hope you will print my letter, as I feel it’s the last chance I have of tracing Pepper.
Read more: Searching for Pepper
Dear Parrots magazine,
Dummy Eggs
I have an issue with one of the responses in your queries' section. It has to do with the replacement of real eggs with 'dummy eggs' of a pair of Scarlet Macaws. The response was that nothing should be done, and just let the birds keep breaking their eggs until they mature. Well, I disagree. While I have never bred Macaws, I have bred Caiques, and can speak about egg breaking by this species.
Read more: Dummy Eggs
