Sunny is a three-year-old male lovebird. Sunny lived at a nursing home where he spent every waking moment against a wall, in a corner, without a window in sight. He had a mate who died. He began plucking his feat...hers out until he was bloody.
When a friend of AEAR learned about the bird she asked us what to do. I explained that a bird that plucks his feathers until he is bloody does so because he is not happy. It's like a person biting their nails until they bleed. In a more severe case it is like the person who cuts their body (known as a cutter). Birds will mutilate themselves from stress. It was obvious this bird needed a change.
We agreed to take the bird and are going to do our best to make him happy. Getting a friend for him may seem the logical option but realistically one always dies before the other so with that logic we would always have to replace a bird when one dies unless they happen to die at the same time, which is unlikely.
I have owned dozens of birds since my childhood. I have written about some of my early experiences in my book, The Animal Warrior. In my opinion birds SHOULD NOT be pets. Birds are meant to fly, not be stuck in a cage or live in a house. Imagine if we, land creatures, were stuck in an airplane in the sky all the time or on a row boat on the ocean. Would we be happy?
In any case, people keep buying birds and for as long as we do there will be birds stuck in cages and in houses. So all we can do for the ones we have 'made pets' is try and give them sunlight as often as possible. The tropical ones, such as Sunny, to keep them away from drafts in the winter. Be mindful of not spraying/using cleaners or deodorizers anywhere near them because they can die from the toxic fumes that the chemical emit in the air. We should let them be outside, in their cages, in a safe place so that they can feel the fresh air and sunshine, for which they thrive on. We can provide them a little bowl to bath or spritz them with water so they can shower. We can provide them limited store bought bird seed and offer them appropriate 'human food' such as fruit and vegetables. We can talk to them and love them.
So, Sunny is looking for a place to call home where he will be loved and cared for. If you would like to give Sunny a home please let us know. The adoption donation is $50.00.
May 3, 2024, 7:40 am
