Caged Budgies.

[carrust]

Does anyone else think that keeping budgies in cages is cruel?

[sandyRoe]

One on its own doesn't seem right. Two kept in a large cage would be less cruel.

[carrust]

I'm working at a house where there's one on its own in a small cage. Poor thing chirps like mad when I go into the kitchen... I want to let it out..

[ummmm]

Yeah....

There's an aviary in the park up the road from me. Although they have large cages I still think that's cruel.

[RATTER15]

I think it applies to keeping most animals confined really, some adapt better than others though. We all need company!

[sandyRoe]

Could you suggest to the house owner that the budgie needs company and a bigger cage would be in order?

[carrust]

I don't give advice on how to live to customers, sandy.

[gness]

Rusty....you can't really let it out....but you can secretly pop another budgie in the cage and look innocent....☺

[sandyRoe]

A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage

[woofgang]

yes, keeping any bird in a small cage is cruel. Its like fish and fishbowls.

[woofgang]

I know what you mean about not commenting. I used to work for the NHS in the community and I used to see many things that enraged me. A colleague and I interfered once over a dog. We risked our jobs to do it and thought carefully before we did.

[carrust]

I agree with that woofgang.

[carrust]

I used to do home visits when I worked for the probation service. I never got used to the smell and filth in some houses.

[Prudie]

I think keeping any birds in cages is cruel. The one that really gets to me is the singleton canaries that all the Spanish keep in tiny cages hanging from their balconies but I suppose it's the culture for them, not much you can do.

[Zeuhl]

I just think of seeing huge flocks of them flying free in Australia, their natural habitat.

Any caged animal is wrong I think. My daughter has a house rabbit who is well cared for but spends most of the day in a (very large) cage in the room i use as a home office. He is near me now and I speak to him and occasionally give him a cuddle but he wants to be out really and that bothers me.

A friend keeps snakes and she has (just about) convinced me that they are happiest in a confined space as long as they are warm and fed.

[ladybirder]

Breaks my heart every time I see a creature being ill treated and that includes birds in cages. Poor poor things spending their life confined like that. I remember my lovely old grandmother used to keep one when I was knee high to a grasshopper but she did let it out every day and it would fly around the room and then settle on my grandaddy's shoulder. Still sad though.

[Mamyalynne]

I think in retrospect it probably is, though we had one for years when the daughters were small - for a female budgie she was a real character and spent most of the time free flying and got in all kinds of scrapes but we loved her.


My daughter has house rabbits and they are free to roam, cage doors open if they wish to retreat - my only problem is being careful not to step on them.

[xstitcher]

What would happen to a canary that was used to a cage if you let it free?

[Mamyalynne]

In the home? If you started with closed curtains it would find it's own comfy places to land.

In the wild,it would die.

[woofgang]

Caged birds can make the transition to aviaries. Ordinary houses might be scarier because of all the noises and reflections but that still doesn't excuse it.

[Mamyalynne]

I think we were lucky because we got her as a young bird and started with an open door,so she was never fully caged for more than a short time if there was danger afoot.