melissasparrots
Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
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Many breeders do include toys in the aviary. Some old time breeders that haven't updated their practices think that toys distract from breeding. In some cases, breeder aviaries will look comparatively bare because toys are simpler and destructible. Many are foraging toys depending on the species being raised. Also, sticking your hand into a cage where both members of a pair actively want to hurt you can be dicey. So, toys that are given tend to be either very simple and fairly durable so you only have to open that door a few times and the toy will last several months while the pair is incubating and raising babies and shouldn't be disturbed, or quick things you can toss between the bars and that the birds can destroy quickly. Also, opening and closing cage doors and being continually in the pairs business really is detrimental to breeding. Its not the toys themselves but the continual disruption and invasion of territory that tends to come from trying to treat breeders like pets. This kind of treatment does decrease production. For many months of the year, breeding pairs will be busy courting each other, working/chewing the nest box and arranging bedding in the box. Because they have each other, and the process of breeding and raising babies, pairs really do not need as much stimulation as pets.
FYI, some of the most vocal members on this board are very anti-breeder. I'm sure you've picked that up by now. Don't let it bother you too much. However, dealing with people is by far the worst part of breeding parrots. Playing with babies is fun. Dealing with future owners and the general crazy/bottom dweller types is sometimes just depressing. Dealing with other breeders can be more of the same. If you want to breed, you might want to look into a species that is not common in captivity or in the wild and really could use some breeding for conservation instead of profit. If I had more space, I'd consider buffon's macaws and a few species of amazons and pionus for myself. But, I have too many hobbies.
FYI, some of the most vocal members on this board are very anti-breeder. I'm sure you've picked that up by now. Don't let it bother you too much. However, dealing with people is by far the worst part of breeding parrots. Playing with babies is fun. Dealing with future owners and the general crazy/bottom dweller types is sometimes just depressing. Dealing with other breeders can be more of the same. If you want to breed, you might want to look into a species that is not common in captivity or in the wild and really could use some breeding for conservation instead of profit. If I had more space, I'd consider buffon's macaws and a few species of amazons and pionus for myself. But, I have too many hobbies.