The Negative Consequences of Putting Birds in Cages

Let's face it, birds were not meant to be kept as pets in cages. Birds experience mental, emotional and physical extremities, just as people do. Just as a cage would be a prison to a person, so it can also seem to a bird. If you are going to keep a bird as a pet, consider first the amount of space you have in your home and the time you can donate to the bird. Whenever possible, provide a bird with it's own room or a cage large enough that it will provide the feeling of having it's own room.

  1. Mental Stress

    • For most birds, the natural instinct is to fly about freely gathering and hunting throughout the day. This mental stimulation is completely removed from the cage bird as it now sits in its cage all day long waiting for someone or something to provide a mental stimulus. A sign of such mental stress is the plucking of the feathers. In the wild, birds pluck their feathers to provide for their nests. In captivity it is a sign of boredom. Provide stimulation to caged birds by allowing them as much time out of their cage as possible each day, talk to them frequently and give them toys for stimulation.

    Agression

    • Cage birds typically spend 20 hours a day trapped inside, becoming overwhelmed with energy. When you finally let one out, it often is reluctant to return to its cage and can become aggressive when the owner attempts to get it back insidet. The constant confinement also causes birds to express temper tantrums while in the cage. These mood swings are a sign that the bird is trying to tell the owner that it is spending way too much time in the cage.

    Physical Stress

    • Imagine standing all day, even while you sleep. This is what caged birds go through every day. Contrary to popular belief, birds actually do like to lie down when they sleep. Providing a bird with a roost at night, such as a small dog cage with a blanket in it, will greatly help reduce the stress on the bird's legs and allow the bird to get proper sleep.

    Emotional Stress

    • Isolation and loneliness mixed with a bird's sexual maturity can be emotionally stressful on a bird. Birds are highly sociable and emotionally sensitive creatures. They require contact with others to feel loved and safe. Leaving them by themselves all day can cause depression . Placing the bird's cage in an area of the home that has high traffic, such as a living room, and giving them frequent attention is beneficial to a bird's health. Emotional stress makes them susceptible to disease.

    Physical Damage

    • As birds outgrow their cages and attempt to move around, they can often injure themselves. Regularly check for signs of injury such as torn feathers, cuts on the feet and blood on any of the bars or toys. Making sure the birds cage is large enough to keep the bird safe will help to prevent injury.