pratt@blaze.rutgers.edu (Lorien Y. Pratt) (04/30/91)
Mikki Barry writes: > >> Hyacinth: +Mellow,+Intelligent,+Puppy dog like temperment, >> -Price > >The other - to a hyacinth is that they CHEW like crazy and CAN eat your house. >Another important thing to consider is that they are highly endangered, and >keeping one for a pet rather than breeding him/her may create many people who >will push you to breed your "child", thus losing many of the pet qualities you >desire in a bird. There are more hyacinths in captivity than there are in the >wild. I am very interested in this idea, because I'm a bird watcher, intrigued by the idea of owning a bird of my own, but full of guilt at the thought of contributing to the unhappiness of an animal that is meant to fly cooped up in my home. Because of this, I've never really considered birds as pets. But here's what seems like a sound reason that might offset this issue. Say I get a hyacinth Macaw (from a breeder of course) at some point in my life (it would be at least a year from now). Say I have a house with a great big cage, like Mikki recommends, and I get a second Macaw and have a hand at breeding them, and raising their babies. I keep one baby as a pet (hand feed it and all) and sell off the babies from the adults. Am I now a captive breeding program for an endangered species, and am I thereby contributing to the long-term viability of this magnificent bird? If so, I think that this fact could offset any fears I have (unfounded?) of the birds being ``unhappy'' outside of their natural environments. Even if all this is possible, I'd still have some questions though: o Are there other birds whose extinction might be avoided by people keeping them as pets? Any North American species? (what about licenses)? o Are there any efforts to re-release these kinds of birds back into the wild? o How hard is it to breed birds/how much of a commitment am I talking about? Obviously, this is very long-term fantasizing, as I've never really seriously considered the idea, but I'd like to hear any thoughts any of you (especially Mikki) might have. --Lori -- ------------------------------------------------------------------- L. Y. Pratt Computer Science Department pratt@paul.rutgers.edu Rutgers University Hill Center (908) 932-4634 (Hill Center office) New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA (908) 846-4766 (home)
ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry) (05/01/91)
In article <Apr.29.14.43.06.1991.6672@blaze.rutgers.edu>, pratt@blaze.rutgers.edu (Lorien Y. Pratt) writes: > I am very interested in this idea, because I'm a bird watcher, > intrigued by the idea of owning a bird of my own, but full of guilt at > the thought of contributing to the unhappiness of an animal that is > meant to fly cooped up in my home. Because of this, I've never really > considered birds as pets. But here's what seems like a sound reason > that might offset this issue. My firm belief is that the only unhappy bird is a wild caught bird who had spent time flying free and was captured, stuffed in a crate where half of his cratemates died, then stuffed in a small cage in quarantine, then to a pet shop, then from home to home because people didn't realize what they were getting. > > Say I get a hyacinth Macaw (from a breeder of course) at some point in > my life (it would be at least a year from now). Say I have a house > with a great big cage, like Mikki recommends, and I get a second Macaw > and have a hand at breeding them, and raising their babies. I keep one > baby as a pet (hand feed it and all) and sell off the babies from the > adults. Am I now a captive breeding program for an endangered species, > and am I thereby contributing to the long-term viability of this > magnificent bird? If so, I think that this fact could offset any fears > I have (unfounded?) of the birds being ``unhappy'' outside of their > natural environments. Well, if it were that easy, they wouldn't be endangered. Seriously! Breeding birds is very unlike breeding cats and dogs. It is very very difficult. But, ok, let's suppose you were successful and your birds had young. Here's your dilema. If you take the chicks to hand feed, they will be suitable for the pet trade and will hopefully save a wild bird from being caught and caged. The baby will know you as its parent and will want love and affection. If released, he will eventually fly to a human for food, etc. If you let the parents raise the bird, it could then be used as a breeder later (totally unafraid of humans most likely) or it could possible be released into the wild when the habitat is stabilized. One of my big reasons for breeding birds is that I am keeping wild birds out of the pet trade. I am also trying to perpetuate endangered species. This is very rewarding to me. > Even if all this is possible, I'd still have some questions though: > > o Are there other birds whose extinction might be avoided by people keeping > them as pets? Any North American species? (what about licenses)? North American birds cannot be kept to be bred except under very special circumstances and yes, licenses are usually required. > o Are there any efforts to re-release these kinds of birds back into the wild? A few effort are underway to release parrots. For example, there is a program for the release of Military Macaws. > o How hard is it to breed birds/how much of a commitment am I talking > about? See above. Lots of hard work. Lots of heartbreak. Lots of money to give them what they need. I would not recommend it lightly.
stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter) (05/02/91)
In article <Apr.29.14.43.06.1991.6672@blaze.rutgers.edu> pratt@blaze.rutgers.edu (Lorien Y. Pratt) writes: >Say I get a hyacinth Macaw (from a breeder of course) at some point in >my life (it would be at least a year from now). Say I have a house >with a great big cage, like Mikki recommends, and I get a second Macaw >and have a hand at breeding them, and raising their babies. I keep one >baby as a pet (hand feed it and all) and sell off the babies from the >adults. Am I now a captive breeding program for an endangered species, >and am I thereby contributing to the long-term viability of this >magnificent bird? If so, I think that this fact could offset any fears >I have (unfounded?) of the birds being ``unhappy'' outside of their >natural environments. Basically, you would indeed be contributing in a very positive way. If you consider that the habitat destruction (as well as poaching pressures) is going to see these birds disappear from the wild, then until we can re-establish their environment, captive programmes are the only solution. Given that these animals are desired by people as pets (and do make good pets), it seems reasonable to releave zoos of the burden of maintaining these species. >Even if all this is possible, I'd still have some questions though: >o Are there other birds whose extinction might be avoided by people keeping > them as pets? Any North American species? (what about licenses)? Leaving aside North American species, there are many birds other than psitticines which are endangered. However, other than finches, there is virtually no pet-market (which makes non-zoo captive breeding programmes viable). Also, many of these birds are extremely difficult to breed and really require the expertise available at a zoo (or a lifetime of dedication). >o Are there any efforts to re-release these kinds of birds back into the wild? The problem of course is where to release them. I think that if countries like Costa Rica can 'save their rainforest', then they could be sent back. Unless native populations have dwindled to almost nothing they would repopulate. >o How hard is it to breed birds/how much of a commitment am I talking > about? I'll avoid the obvious stuff (food,sanitation,space,noise) and get to some meatier issues. Breeding is part science/part art. Two birds thrust together will not necessarily be a good pair. We have a pair of B&Gs that hatched 3 of 4 eggs and fed all 3 babies for 3 weeks. This is not the norm for captive macaws, BUT these birds were in a zoo where they picked each others as mates. The success of a pair really depends on how well they like each other. Keep in mind that these are intelligent animals who have preferences. Few people have the resources to do selective breeding (where the birds choose their own mates) with large parrots. So you must prepare yourself for many failures. Also, you must provide the birds with environment that they need. Most like quiet, but some like noise. Some pairs need the stimulation of other birds; some do not. Temperature, light, humidity, food variety are often key players in triggering breeding and hitting the combination for one pair may not do anything for the pair sitting beside them. Lastly, you must consider the risks. Large parrots are expensive, and you must be able to accept the possibility that one of the birds may become unsuitable for breeding (illness, bad habits like kills mate, sterile, etc) and that your purchase may never yield anything. Most breeders work their way up to large parrots or are wealthy enough to buy more than one pair (if need be) (I wish I was in the latter category rather than the former). hope this helps Stewart -- Stewart Winter Cognos Incorporated S-mail: P.O. Box 9707 VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830 FAX: (613) 738-0002 3755 Riverside Drive UUCP: stewartw%cognos.uucp@ccs.carleton.ca Ottawa, Ontario The bird of the day is .... Illiger's Macaw CANADA K1G 3Z4