Birds For Dummies. Gina Spadafori
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Название: Birds For Dummies
Автор: Gina Spadafori
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
Жанр: Биология
isbn: 9781119643258
isbn:
THE DINOSAUR BIRDS: OSTRICHES AND EMUS
To look at the feet of an ostrich or emu is to recognize the link between birds and dinosaurs. These massive, flightless birds have a small but devoted core of fanciers. Should you be among them? That depends.
The larger of the species, the ostriches, are popular as breeders and suppliers of meat, hide, and feathers, but now and then you can find people who keep them as pets. Female ostriches are often manageable, but males can be extremely difficult to control and flat-out intimidating. They’re really not for most people.
Ostriches are larger than any other modern bird, and they’re the only bird with two toes on each foot. They can run up to 40 miles per hour for sustained periods, so don’t be gulled into taking one on in a race. Ostriches can live 50 to 75 years, so have a long-term plan in place for care and maintenance should you decide to acquire one. They’re neat to have around if you have the land and space, for sure, but they’re not really “pets.” Still, ostriches certainly offer you the ability to hang with a “dinosaur.”
Photograph courtesy of Jerry M. Thornton
Emus, on the other hand, are potentially interesting pets. Baby emus are really cute (not that baby ostriches aren’t), marked with their own little “racing stripes” that fade as the bird matures. If you’re able to locate an emu raised to see humans as “family,” you’re likely to have one who thinks she’s a person. These friendly birds love to be hugged and are wonderful at pest-control in your yard. Still, they’re not for the timid — full-grown birds are 5 feet tall and 80 to 100 pounds.
If you ever run into an ostrich or emu (or, even rarer, a cassowary), don’t be as concerned about their heads as their feet. These forward-kicking birds can really pack a wallop, enough to knock the breath from you — or worse. Their beaks can hurt, too.
Brian has raised ostriches and emus, and there will always be a special place in his heart for these big, not-so-bright birds. Brian’s two emus, Big Bird and Ernie, are both 45 years old and still going strong. He’s experienced in handling them, and he’s always careful to keep an eye on their movements. Kim and Gina, however, are content to watch these interesting birds from the inside of a safari vehicle or the other side of a very solid fence.
Chapter 3
Deciding on a Bird of Your Own
IN THIS CHAPTER
From all the plumed possibilities, you now have in mind your pick of potential pet birds — hands-on or hands-off, small or large, noisy or relatively quiet. Your homework complete, you’re moving marvelously closer to sharing your home with the bird of your choice.
But where do you find that special bird?
Perhaps you believe the selection process is simple, a matter of going to the nearest pet store or checking craigslist. If only choosing wisely were that easy! Unfortunately, Brian sees evidence to the contrary in his practice every day — birds too sick, too young, or too wild to be good pets. Some of them pay with their lives for the poor choices their owners make, suffer from illness, or become unwanted because they weren’t the pets their owners expected.
What can you take away from other people’s sad mistakes? Two words to remember: Buyer beware!
All sellers are not the same, which is why you need to arm yourself with knowledge and take your time before plunking down your cash, whether the outlay is a few dollars for a budgie or several thousand for a more exotic bird. The shopping experience offers all the security of a minefield. Take our hands, and we can walk you through it, safe and sound.
For all we say about the best way to choose and buy a bird, we know people who did the opposite and everything worked out fine. These exceptions usually take the form of “Yes, buts,” if you will, as in “Yes, but we didn’t do that, and our bird is great.” And it’s true, some folks have bought birds from less-than-ideal sources, or bought them too young, or bought birds other people couldn’t handle, and the situation worked.
For all those folks, we have a “Yes, but” of our own: “Yes, but you were lucky.” From a more critical point of view, what does a situation that “worked” look like? A bird who is not a problem for the family? How does that living situation look from the bird’s point of view? One key thing to keep in mind, given the sentient nature of these amazing animals, is that the relationship is not only about you and your perception of what works or doesn’t. It’s also about how well the relationship works for your avian buddy.
Everything you read in this chapter is about minimizing risk, avoiding the most common ways people end up with birds who break their hearts and their budgets, and preventing birds from suffering the consequences of being in the wrong place with the wrong company at the wrong time Don’t rely on luck: Approach bird buying sensibly and get the healthiest and best companion-quality bird you can. There’s plenty of time afterward for falling deeply and irretrievably in love.
WILD-CAUGHT VERSUS CAPTIVE-RAISED BIRDS
The Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 changed the pet bird landscape dramatically in the United States, virtually eliminating the flow of wild-caught birds into the country for the pet trade. Similar acts have been implemented in many countries as well, helping to keep wild birds where they belong — in their wild habitats — and domestically reared birds with humans. The bill was a huge victory for animal activists who documented problems in the import trade, where birds, at times, died before ever coming close to a caring home and their habitats, СКАЧАТЬ