Annoying moos in Fakebook group asking about young brats and pet birds.

Um, okay. I'm fucking flabbergasted how sensitive and stupid breeders really are. I belong to some conure Fakebook group. One idiot moo was asking how long she should allow her five year old son to play with their eleven week old pet conure.

I casually, and politely mentioned, that I don't really recommend conures as pets for small children, as these birds are easily overstimulated and will bite. I also mentioned that the two shouldn't play unsupervised.

Cue the fucking MOOS mooing about what wonderful pets conures make for young kids! I didn't even write anything rude, just my experience of living with one of these little guys for the last ten fucking years. Frankly, I'm concerned about the bird. Breeders LOVE to get pet birds for their kids, and when the poor thing is harassed and bothered by the kid until bitten, it will either be neglected, abused, or rehomed.

I can't stand breeders. They think that animals are just objects or toys that their kids can play with. They don't consider the feelings of the animal at all. When the bird tries to defend itself, it gets punished for it.

I didn't join a conure group to worship fucking breeders and their ill behaved hellspawn. I joined because I love conures, and I want to learn more about them. So far, the only thing I'm learning is that BREEDERS SUCK HARDER than I ever thought they did.

If a five year old kid tried to play with my conure, he'd be missing some eyes and fingers. Conner dislikes kids as much as I do. I wouldn't so much as allow a kid to go near his cage, because they frighten him so much. It may not be true of other conures, however, they are more sensitive and intelligent than people like to think.

Breeders really are the assholes of the fucking planet. GAH!

ETA: I just ripped moos a new one and left the group. I told them that animals aren't playthings for their children, and that an eleven week old baby bird is far too delicate to be played with by a child. Fuck them and their selfish behavior!

Oh boy. Who in their right mind would allow an unsupervised child near any pet, let alone a tiny bird?
I've seen toddlers abuse cats and dogs, tease them and pull on their hair. Of course the moo and duh are MIA until
brat starts crying because the pet defended itself and fought back. Kids of all ages need to be supervised if they are around pets because way too many kids are either too dumb to realize they are hurting the pet or are insensitive to the pet's boundaries.
This just smacks of lazy parents who don't want to take care of a dog so they buy a low maintenance bird for their brat to avoid the daily walks. And lazy parents sure aren't going to supervise the brats and watch out for the bird. And the poor bird is going to be stressed out all the time.
If parents want birds around then they can buy a hummingbird or bird feeder and put it near a big window and let their kids watch the birds feed. The birds have an escape route in case they become stressed.

Exotics in general don't make good pets for brats. Well, no pets are good pets for brats if you ask me, but especially not something like a bird or a rabbit. Prey animals are more skittish by nature and have to be handled with a lot more care, which as we all know, kids aren't good at doing. They're much more likely to bite in response to being manhandled and the usual breeder response is to smack the poor thing around, have it put down, or throw it outside instead of punishing their kid for being cruel to the poor thing.

Birds require more specialized (and expensive) care than a cat or dog, plus they need special vet care too and exotic vets aren't as easy to find. And it requires a lot more effort on the part of the parent to teach their children how to properly handle the animals too, and we all know that's an effort practically no breeder is willing to put forth because breeders are useless.

Doesn't help that breeders generally see pets as nothing more than playthings for their brats to keep their kids from bothering them all the time. They never teach their kids how to properly interact with animals or to treat them gently because they are living things, and then when the pet gets sick of the kid's shit and bites, scratches or growls at them, the breeder takes it out on the pet. If I had to guess, a breeder who wants to buy their kid a bird wants is just doing it so they can stand out in their mommy social circle as the edgy, cool parent who bought their kid something more exciting than a boring old dog or cat.

Birds aren't low maintenance animals. Parrots in general are needy, loud, require attention and stimulation, not to mention they're messy as hell. People think that because it's a pretty bird in a cage, it'll just sit there and look good. They don't consider the time and attention these misunderstood creatures require.

If the bird isn't fed a careful diet, exercised, supervised, given love and attention for several hours a day, it will develop psychological and behavioral problems. Feather plucking, screaming, pacing and biting are just a few to name. It is really a sad situation. As Cambion mentioned above, Avian vets are hard to find, and they are much more expensive. Ignorant people buy these birds and aren't willing to put forth the effort and money they require. As a result, exotic bird rescue societies are popping up all over the place. Many of the birds can't be rehomed, because they're so psychologically damaged. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

I just deactivated my facebook page because it's full of idiots. I just got another schtick of shit in there about some loaf born with no brain, yet according to the stupid article, the kid is healthy and happy....yeah. Okay. It's a vegetable. I didn't bother responding.

I just want to apologize to Freya, because I just went back and read what I wrote, and it may have sounded a bit over-the-top. I guess it's frustrating for me, because I've been a bird guardian my whole life, and I know what it takes to raise a happy, healthy pet.

Leah is doing a whole lot better lately, too. She's put on more weight, she's much more physically active, and she's playful and starting to trust my husband and I a lot more. I let her forage around on the floor which seems to be her favorite activity. She was getting a bit bitchy with me for awhile, because I wouldn't let her do it for fear she would be stepped on. I didn't realize that cockatiels are foraging birds. Now I have to watch my step wherever I walk, because she blends in with the carpet so well.

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mumofsixbirds
I just want to apologize to Freya, because I just went back and read what I wrote, and it may have sounded a bit over-the-top. I guess it's frustrating for me, because I've been a bird guardian my whole life, and I know what it takes to raise a happy, healthy pet.

Apologize for what mumofsixbirds? I don't think these parents know what they are doing at all and I doubt they do any research whatsoever before adopting a bird. I feel bad for the birds. I wish they'd just buy a hummingbird feeder and make their own (non-junk food) nectar and not try to handle the birds. I have beautiful blue birds and finches in my yard and the blue birds will sometime fly close to my window when they know I'm around and they want a treat. I probably shouldn't do so but every couple of weeks I give them nuts.

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mumofsixbirds
Birds aren't low maintenance animals. Parrots in general are needy, loud, require attention and stimulation, not to mention they're messy as hell. People think that because it's a pretty bird in a cage, it'll just sit there and look good. They don't consider the time and attention these misunderstood creatures require.

If the bird isn't fed a careful diet, exercised, supervised, given love and attention for several hours a day, it will develop psychological and behavioral problems. Feather plucking, screaming, pacing and biting are just a few to name. It is really a sad situation. As Cambion mentioned above, Avian vets are hard to find, and they are much more expensive. Ignorant people buy these birds and aren't willing to put forth the effort and money they require. As a result, exotic bird rescue societies are popping up all over the place. Many of the birds can't be rehomed, because they're so psychologically damaged. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

There is just no way that most parents are going to dedicate this kind of time to a pet. Maybe a bird lover or two with lots of experience will do so but most parents, no way. And you are definitely right about exotics and there being few vets.

I know someone who had ponies (which he admitted he couldn't afford) and was complaining about a sudden unexpected vet bill. And I'm thinking, if you have an exotic you really have to have a way at any time to pay an unexpected vet bill which could be more than a thousand dollars. And the vet told him to not wait or the condition could be fatal and there he was trying to figure out how to pay for it or if he should put the pony down. He mentioned this to me and I said you need to make an appointment NOW and leave work if need be to save the pony's life. Made me angry for the pet who was suffering and deserved to have a pet carer who could afford to keep him healthy. Then after the pony had the treatment his diet had to be changed and there was more whining about the cost of the pony's diet. Poor pony. And cue lots of whining about all the expenses. Sigh.

Thanks for understanding, Freya. I thought it may have sounded like I was upset with you, but I totally get what you were trying to say. I'm just trying to stop the spread of misinformation about these magnificent animals. When I went back and read my comment, I thought it was entirely possible that the whole thing could have been misconstrued.