Top 5 Reasons Why I Do What I Do...

Ya know – you can do some crazy stuff with Photoshop, like, even make it appear as though there’s actually a Sun Conure and Green-cheeked Conure living in these cages. Imagine that huh? I mean, wouldn’t it be nuts to put a bird in... Hmmm - hang on a second here, that’s not Photoshopped is it? There actually is a `real’ Sun and Green-cheeked Conure chilling in those Victorian era `Domes of Doom’. Oh dear...

I was sent this photo recently and, well, knock me down with a feather (pardon the pun) but I could have sworn this was 2009 and I was living in a well-developed nation that offers plenty of education on bird care and the environmental enrichment needs of parrots as pets. It prompted me to come up with an idea for a series of Blog posts - `Top 5 Reasons Why I Do What I Do’. Each fortnight over the next 10 weeks I’ll post the next in line for the Top 5. So, in no real order of significance, here we have `Number 5’ to kick things off.

Having seen what Conures get up to in the wilds of Central America first hand, I shudder to think about the level of boredom, frustration and stress that such active little extroverts face during the  hours upon hours a day these guys are caged as they are. And we still scratch our heads when they pull their own feathers out. I mean, really... wouldn’t you?

If you guys ever wonder why someone like me spends most of their spare time educating parrot owners, working with people to improve the standard of understanding out there on what a parrot needs to be a functional, engaging and behaviourally well adapted critter in captivity – the image above is as good a reason as any. It sure ain’t for the money, so for those of you out there who think parrot behaviour consultancy is a `good little earner’ – I hate to burst your ambitious bubble. At best, even for those of us getting significant client numbers and running workshops, it might cover part of your feed and enrichment bill over the course of the year. It’s pretty much a pathway that constantly challenges you and, at times, whilst you do unfortunately get to see the worst, you also meet some of the most dedicated and incredibly caring parrot owners who have birds that are thriving! This Top 5 won’t be just about the negative side – hopefully it will be balanced by some real positives. Maybe it should have been a `Top 6’ then? Anyway, as long as parrot owners are sticking their birds in ornamental domes and think that’s just fine and dandy, I’ve obviously still got some work to do ;-)