SOAPBOX
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2nd November 2003 - Beware of Birdmarket
The following was sent to Parrot-Link for inclusion on the Soapbox page:
I would like breeders and any newcomers to the hobby to be very careful if they visit www.birdmarket.co.uk web site. I visited the site and discovered there was a "dealer" trying to buy birds at knock down prices, under the name of "MIKEBOURNE". I then discovered that the same ISP number (62.30.36.197) was being used for somebody called "JOANNE". When I tackled the person about this, I received a very abusive reply, which can be seen on birdmarket under the advert "Re: handreared sun conures & hans macaw" by "Joanne", for those of you that cannot find the advert or the advert gets scrubbed, this is what was written. "Steve who has sent pornographic material to a number of female members, this man is called steve and sent me pictures of pornographic material. My reply to this was "you are bloody sick pal".
I contacted the owner of the site, to inform him, and still 48hrs
later has not even sent me a email, or taken this message off the site.
I have contacted my solicitor, unfortunately he cannot do anything
unless I give him a name and address, so I have now gone to the police
and given them a statement. If anybody knows of this Mikebourne
could they please email on steve@ringnecks.co.uk
I would advise all newcomers to our hobby not to visit this web
site, because what has been done to me has also been done to
others that have advertised on this site. It is people like this "MIKE"
or "JOANNE" that is spoiling for us all. The quicker we get rid of this
kind of trash the better.
ZINC AND OUR PET BIRDS by Ann
Zinc is extremely toxic to birds, My personal experience has made me very aware of this growing problem. Although all birds and humans require a certain amount of zinc but excess is dangerous. One of the main causes of zinc poisoning to our pet birds has shown to come from cages, where the metal is coated with a zinc covering to prevent rust. Most birds climb and slide down the bars of the cage, and flakes of zinc covering can he ingest by the bird. Zinc is a cumulative poison, which means it can stay in the body for a long time and affects the liver, kidneys and pancreas. Signs of zinc poisoning are loose and watery dropping, lethargy, weight loss and generally a very unhappy bird. If you suspect any of these symptoms and think it may be zinc related, take your bird to an avian vet where he/she should do a blood test, which will show the amount of zinc in the body. A greater level of 2 parts per million (ppm) is evidence of zinc toxicosis. Treatment is available and can be successful. But as I have experienced with my pet senegal it does not always have a happy ending, but having said that I am always reading stories of birds that have recovered, including a Macaw called Stanley. Prevention is the best cure, we have to remove all the zinc in cages, and there are now suppliers who sell non-toxic, zinc free cages. I have just purchased one for my newly awaited pet bird. Galvanized wire is another zinc problem, galvanized metal that has been electroplated is safe, but wire (hot dipped) is not, so please check when purchasing materials for outside aviaries. Toys can have links and chains made of zinc coated metal, if your bird likes to chew and take toys in his mouth, check these are safe. I have always found the best way to be certain is by colour, I am very careful of any thing brass or gold in colour. It is up to us as responsible bird owners to learn more about this problem, its repercussions and how to protect our birds. Also how to make aware and educate other owners of this growing problem. I was at the Parrot Society Bird Show at Sandown in April, I was pleased to see not as many brass/gold cages as I have done in the past, but they are still on sale. I also noticed the majority of parrot toys have chains and clasps made of chrome or stainless steel. So let's look to the future, keep our lovely birds safe and healthy, stop any more owners going through the loss of a very dear and special bird/friend like I have done.
Parrot breeding and the future by Terry Davies
Parrot breeding is now of long standing, but the main thought seems to be money. I have good breeding stock and sell breeding stock, but everyone wants a tame and cuddly and it must talk. I help to supply this need, but as my stock gets older where are the breeders of the future, going to come from? My hobby brings me into contact with many bird keepers and every thing is hand reared. This is so short sighted; in maybe 20 years the possible breeding stock is going to be neglected in a cage in a corner of the room, nobody talking or playing with it, and it gets probably a daily dose of sunflower and is cleaned out maybe once a week if lucky. Many of the grown up children of deceased parents have passed on the birds, I guarantee never to sell them but if they are young enough get them into condition and hopefully they will breed, thus getting young breeding stock. Regretfully it is members of clubs and associations that continue in this vein. I have even seen an advertisement for a young tame parrot, stating no screamers. Someone once said if you want a quiet pet get a fish. Parrots are born to fly, and squawk with the joy of living, interact with them and they will generally calm down, though most say hello to the rising sun and bid it goodnight. Would it not be nice if say in many species slow to reproduce, that is the medium size birds, the owner of the breeding birds allowed them to rear at least 50%. OK some will say, what about Amazons and the Macaws. Well put up the nest box, and have the examination door in the next aviary, it does work, only be quick.
I want my great great grandchildren to enjoy them as friends as do I, not see stuffed skins in a museum and be left to wonder just what sort of people we are today.
30000 parrots imported into America, many years ago and then I read where did they go, as none seem to be in breeding conditions. I expect if a person dares to put up one aviary for a neophema half the neighbourhood go hysterical, not because they hear the noise, but they know the birds, some of the quietist are there.
The problem is getting the message over, I see folks saying they want to help birds and will take unwanted ones, good if really experienced but many do not realise what caring for this type of bird means.
Chickens & Newcastle Disease by Charles Boyer
As by now everyone Australia wide is aware, there have been vast
outbreaks of this highly contagious disease. Thousands of live chickens
have been placed on death row, and without any kind of trial have been
executed in their millions (and I mean totally millions!). This is not
only being talked about throughout Australia, but now the discussions
are spreading worldwild.
We know of some big Aviculturists not only in our Perth suburbs, but
even in the Easter States also, that have fowl, or poultry, running
around under their suspended aviaries. Others have poultry housed right
next to their breeding complexes . Some are even hatching fowl eggs
alongside of their parrot eggs in their incubators.
We do know that some people have some brains in their heads and they
keep the two, but keep the chickens well away from their bird aviaries
. There is a difference when one takes the time and care to keep them
well apart and make sure they are doing it correctly. However, there
are some, it seems, who are very thoughtful, and there are some that
seem to be just complete idiots in this regard.
Whenever you're purchasing any kid of bird now, you should not be
afraid to ask whether poultry is also kept , and if so enquire as to
where the poultry is situated in regards to their bird aviaries. This
is a must and is a a very serious matter which should be of concern to
all kind of Aviculturists.
Fowls/Chickens (poultry) carry various diseases and also carry various
types of fleas, etc,etc. which are very dangerous to all kinds of
aviary birds as they have little immunity to them. Poultry may be
carrying any or all of these, therefore it is very wise to keep well
away from any breeder who participates in both ~~~ Well, that`s if you
think something of your hobby as well as your
birds. Stick fleas commonly carried by Poultry can transfer quite
easily onto your birds, even years down the track once you have
disposed of all fowl. We have seen this happen only recently, even onto
birds as small as Finches and Grass Parakeets.
So if you're thinking of purchasing any kind of bird or parrot, don`t
be afraid to check on these issues first, once you have purchased the
responsibility is then on your shoulders and there is no turning back.
Do you want to take the step which may spread tick fleas, or perhaps
Newcastle Disease onto someone else who doesn`t want the problem?
It has come to our notice that aviary birds are now being injected and
put to sleep because of Newcastle Disease. Some breeders in the past
few days have had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of their birds
put to sleep within the designated Newcastle Disease quarantine area,
even if the birds were tested NEGATIVE ~~ this has gone as far as
euthanasing house hold pets. And this sees to be only the beginning of
it all. So you can understand why I am concerned about not buying any
type of bird from breeders who have chickens running around, under or
near their aviaries etc., or from breeders who hatch chicken eggs
alongside their other bird eggs.
This article I have put together is FACT ~~ I do realize that some
Avicultural clubs will refuse to have this article published in the
JOURNAL. Why ?? Perhaps because they are afraid of the true facts being
pointed out to other AVICULTURISTS.
by Chas Boyer, Australia
top of page
Bananas - recipe for disaster?
The recent
hurricane devastation in Honduras may not be entirely unconnected to
the apparently insatiable demand for bananas in the 'developed world'.
According to a recent article (John Vidal, The Guardian, November 1998), Chiquita, the world's largest banana firm, may actually benefit from the recent disaster. Banana prices worldwide may actually rise, and Chiquita has plantations elsewhere. It exports more than 122 million boxes per year of which 40 million are from Honduras. Thirty percent of Honduran forest has been lost since 1960; more than 800 square kilometres per year lost to ranching and banana plantations.
It addition, it is widely believed that removal of indigenous forest cover can, in times of exceptional rains, lead to increased likelihood of flash floods and mudslides; exactly the phenomena which caused so much destruction in Central America last year.
But, isn't the presence of such a large business good for the Honduran economy? Well, apparently Chiquita "...... last year paid only $3 million in local taxes on a turnover of hundreds of millions of dollars". Honduran foreign debt stood at $4 billion last year. It received $400 million in aid but paid $264 million servicing the debt.
The US (Chiquita is an American company) is currently trying to prevent the EU from continuing to subsidise Caribbean banana growers who do very little environmental damage.
What has this to do with parrots? Well, Amazon species such as albifrons, auropalliata, farinosa guatemalae can currently be found in these areas. Honduras has not exported parrots for some time. Neighbouring Nicaragua has been exporting autumnalis, albifrons and farinosa. If Honduras becomes desperate, or more desperate, for money, maybe they will start exporting again. Also, if the Caribbean banana industry collapses, will these islands have the resources to protect their endangered parrots?
Maybe we should check the labels on our bananas before purchasing.
DW January 1999
LET THERE BE LIGHT
On earth, all energy, whether stored in living organisms, in machines, in the weather or the potential energy of water in high places, originates from the sun. Light is required by practically all animal and plant life on earth in order to survive, find food, and reproduce; even low-level light is required by nocturnal species. Lack of sunlight can have far-reaching effects on many forms of life and the human species is no exception. Nowadays, in the western world adults and children spend much of the day indoors: in front of a computer/TV, at work/school, in the home, in the car, absorbing inadequate and low level artificial light. 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' makes life miserable for many people in this country in winter and it is associated with short daylight hours and lack of sunshine; a holiday in the sun is often the antidote.
During the 1960's and 1970's scientific studies were carried out by Dr John Ott on the effects of light on plants and animals. He established that by exposing animals to full-spectrum light closely mimicking daylight, caused animals ranging from chickens to rabbits to produce more, and healthier, babies. However, although he invented full-spectrum lighting, he proved that rabbits reared in artificial light are far more aggressive than those reared in natural daylight, the males often attacking and eating their own offspring - something they did not do when caged outside. Perhaps then parrots housed continually indoors with inadequate light levels may also suffer from depression or related light-deprived symptoms. An aggressive and/or plucked bird living within the home - and there are many such birds - may well respond to a regular stint outside (not in direct sunlight of course) and a 10 to 12 hour day length. And does 'mal-illumination' affect absorption of vitamins and minerals from food resulting in malnutrition?
Equatorial parrots are influenced by as little as a 20-minute change in day length and although many species live and breed within the gloom of the forest canopy day light is vital to the breeding cycle. As a generalisation, the further from the equator the more seasonal are the breeding patterns of captive birds. For example, budgies and Australian/African finches are bred at any time of year in the UK whereas canaries and British finches are definitely summer breeders.
Through his pioneering research for more than half a century Dr Ott validated the health and psychological benefits of sunlight. It is essential for vision (especially birds), for the conversion of cholesterol to vitamin D, for regulating the circadian (daily) and circannual (yearly) rhythms of the body and psychological well-being, to name but a few. Day length is detected by the pineal gland located in a bird's brain between the cerebellar hemispheres and the cerebellum. The pineal gland is an endocrine organ producing a hormone called melatonin that has many effects such as influencing reproductive cycles, the immune system, sleep patterns, behaviour and brain electrical activity. There is also evidence that melatonin controls reproductive hormonal cycles by affecting the pituary gland. Melatonin production only occurs in the pineal, in darkness and at night promoting sleep. (So this is why it is difficult to get going in the dark winter mornings!)
The UV portion of sunlight that is necessary for vitamin D production will not pass through glass (although it will pass through plastic) and diets for parrots that have no access to sunlight may need a dietary supplement. Birds that are housed in cellars or windowless buildings, deprived of natural daylight and sunshine need full spectrum lighting in order to function as naturally as possible. TrueLite or Activa 172 or Arcadia's D3 Reptile Lamp which contains both UVA and UVB, or Hagen's Reptilglo which contains UVB only, are some lighting systems. Another good reason to provide full-spectrum lighting is the results of a study carried out 50 years ago in a classroom in Uppsala, Sweden which showed that the bacterial count in the air went down 50% when UV lights were installed.
To see Amazons relishing the sunshine, especially this 'sun-less'
winter, has reinforced my opinion that they deserve as much natural
light as possible, and the vibrant plumage on birds having access to
sunshine and rain bears testament to this. Their bodies (and ours) are
designed to receive and use daylight in a wide range of ways. Sunshine
reaches us all through our eyes and skin affecting us from birth to
death and from head to tail.
References: Downing, Dr Damien. Day Light Robbery 1988; Clubb,
Dr Susan L. Bird Talk Magazine 1996; Caceci, Dr Thomas Veterinary
Histology; Green Malcolm, The Birdcare Company
A Dutton (1999)
WING-CLIPPING IN PARROTS - Why they should fly
Many people working with parrots, including breeders of these birds and parrot behavioural consultants recommend that pet parrots have their wings clipped as a routine procedure. Many of these people feel that doing such a thing to birds is beyond question; that the so-called 'advantages' of clipping outweigh any disadvantages. This article questions these assumptions and advocates that all birds in captivity have a right to be fully flighted. I also suggest ways to make things safe for your fully flighted birds. I have been keeping parrots (Amazons and African greys) as both pet birds and breeding pairs for 12 years. I have never needed to clip any birds' wings. Many owners and those who sell these birds have little understanding of their birds' biological needs. This stems from a lack of knowledge about what parrots have evolved to do in the 30 million years that our planet has had these creatures on it.
1. My reasons against wing-clipping are as follows
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- Physical health. It is known that fit and healthy birds (like humans) seem better able to fight off minor health problems than those individuals who are not fit. To maintain fitness requires a bird to take vigorous daily exercise which results in increased heart and respiration rates. Birds can only do this by flying. True flight requires the bird to expend considerable energy, but birds are designed to do this; indeed the whole class of birds is predominantly a group of animals whose success has been based on evolution for flight. In effect, birds have evolved to be able to go from first gear (walking) to overdrive, without having to bother with any intervening gears. Their metabolism and physiology have evolved for this purpose.
- An unhealthy psychological response. There appears to be considerable psychological importance for these birds in how they see things with regard to height. This relates to food, companions (bird or human) dangers, nest sites etc. My observations on this are only anecdotal but much behavioural work on parrots can be affected by matters relating to the height of objects or people in the bird's environment. Clipping prevents a bird from being able to gain height the instant it feels the need to do so. Being prey species, parrots have an escape response to ground borne threats which stimulates them to flee (by flight) rather than try to hide or fight. Depriving a bird of true flight frustrates this natural response and may result in psychological problems. Parrots do have a 'hide' response to overhead/flying dangers when these are not travelling directly toward them; parrots seem to freeze when seeing airborne hawks or gulls at some distance from them. Each bird in the flock watches its mates to see what action, if any, should be taken. I suspect that many species of birds would not suffer any psychological effects of having their wings clipped. The effects on, say, a duck or a hawk would merely be physical. When these birds suffer stress, they do not resort to self mutilation or feather plucking as parrots do.
- The fallacy of safety and the dynamics of flight. If a bird is clipped so that it can still recover from a fall and land safely indoors (in still air) without injuring itself , it may well be able to gain lift outdoors in even a light breeze. Conversely, if the bird is clipped to the extent that it cannot sustain any flight outdoors, it could be rendered dangerously impaired when indoors, since it may not be able to land without injuring itself should it fall from a few feet up. Clipped birds are liable to suffer broken limbs, concussion or fractures to the sternum when falling on a hard surface. These injuries can be fatal. Depending on the severity of the clip, escaped birds obviously remain more vulnerable to ground borne dangers (predation by dogs or cats or being hit by a vehicle). Many birds which 'escape' appear to have had their wings clipped and are found with many primary feathers cut short.
- Convenience. Some owners (and breeders) perceive a problem with managing parrots that are fully flighted and use clipping to reduce the bird's mobility. I have not found it difficult to get a good deal of co-operation from my birds (greys and Amazons) by using Sally Blanchard's nurturing guidance methods for 'training' in basic obedience. All my young birds that I foster out undergo basic training before going to their new keepers. My pet grey obeys five commands. These are: "On here", "Go down", "No" (when used in conjunction with raised hand, means do not land on me) "Off there" (means fly off your present perch) and "Go" (means fly off me). These instructions allow an owner to have all the 'control' they need of a flighted bird, through, essentially co-operative means. The bird's obedience is around 85% compliance.
- Painful. Birds are clipped in many different ways. There does not appear to be a standard, safe, 'approved' method for this practice, even if it is sometimes necessary. Some bird have one-wing clips with the deliberate intention of causing them to overbalance. This seems to be the most crude, and most cruel form of reducing a bird's mobility. Another method is used where most primaries are clipped on both wings, with or without some secondaries being clipped. Different people often clip feathers at different lengths. Shorter clipping is said to look neater (sic) but leaves the bird vulnerable to irritation caused by the rough ends of the cut feathers chafing the bird's flanks. This results in some birds starting to self-pluck. It may be possible to prevent this problem by 'feather stripping', rather than clipping. This method involves stripping most of the primary feather vanes, without cutting the central shaft of the feathers.
- Unqualified clippers. At present (in the UK) I believe anyone may, quite legally clip their own bird's wings, regardless of the extent of their knowledge of birds. The dangers this can cause should be fairly obvious. Even breeders, who should know better, will routinely clip their young birds' wings at the point of sale. There may be a case for making clipping illegal except by some suitably qualified person (vet or vet. nurse?). Some years ago legislation was brought in (in the UK) to limit those who could legally trim and shoe horses' hooves. Sadly, many vets have little knowledge of parrots, so even recommending them as suitably qualified has its problems. Better study of birds, including their behavioural needs, is needed at undergraduate level in UK veterinary colleges before we could assume that most vets would be competent at performing this action.
- No vertigo. For obvious reasons, birds have no innate fear of heights. Even if they learn that they cannot fly, due to wing-clipping, if they panic, they are still likely to attempt to take flight. This can cause them to injure themselves, depending on the type of wing-clip they have been subjected to.
- Premature clipping. Some breeders clip bird's wings during or even before the young birds have fledged. It is known that it is essential for a bird's proper physical development that it be allowed to have the power of flight while its body is still developing. This allows all the bird's organs to form properly. Birds which have been deprived of flight since birth may develop poor hearts and lungs and retain this impairment throughout their lives. I suggest that the practise of clipping unfledged-fledged birds be made illegal on grounds of cruelty.
- Conclusion. It is for these reasons I feel it unnecessary and unethical, to have birds' wings clipped without very good reasons. Instead of adapting the bird to fit our need for convenience, we should modify the birds' (admittedly unnatural) environment so that it is more at home and safe with us as the fully flighted creature it should be.
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Here are some points to consider when keeping fully flighted birds
- Ensure the bird is properly socialised to interact with at least its keeper, and if possible other people as well. The bird should obey Up and Down commands as well as requests to fly off a perch (including yourself) or not to land on you. See 1.4 above. Always use trust-building methods when working with your bird. Ensure all your family members use the same words for the same instructions to the bird. Consistency on the part of the human especially, is a key factor in sustaining good behaviour in parrots.
- Take sensible precautions with obvious household dangers. Ceiling fans, open doors and windows etc. Teach the bird about the problem of glass windows and remove mirrors if necessary. Show the bird these things. Go outside the window to let the bird know it cannot reach you through the glass. Do this several times to reinforce the message to the bird. Where you have large-pane windows, stick masking tape on these to remind the bird of this invisible barrier.
- Keep the places where the bird is generally allowed to perch, at your eye level, or slightly lower. This will further the control you have on a flighted bird.
- Don't maintain a habit of walking around with the bird on your shoulder. You may accidentally walk outside with it on you. There are other advantages in not allowing your bird to assume it can go on your shoulder whenever it wishes. Let the bird get used to seeing your hand as the best place to be.
- Learn to live with the fact that a bird is, and is meant to be, far more mobile than you. Use your intelligence to maintain 'acceptable' or reasonable behaviour. Should the bird 'take advantage' of its ability to fly, take measures to influence its behaviour in an appropriate way. Parrots demand attention. You can refuse this as a 'punishment' (for a few minutes at a time only) if the bird is being intentionally difficult. I would welcome comments on this article, particularly from veterinary surgeons, students or anyone with a good knowledge of bird behaviour of birds either in the wild or captive.
Greg Glendell July 1998 Visit Greg's web site.
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