I put this in the Enrichment corral since that's the context I'm thinking of this in.
To be clear, I'm talking about them going outside in an appropriately sturdy cage with me sitting with them the entire time they're outside. So, probably not more than an hour at a time. Not like smuggling them downstairs in a pillow-case and then trusting in the magical powers of a spray of millet to keep them from disappearing to go live with the starlings.
Anyway.
I think my birds have a pretty good life, but I was reading an article that touched on the value of at least giving your birds the opportunity to look out the window as part of keeping things interesting.
That is so not my birds' life. I mean, they can, and sometimes do, watch my zoom calls, but it's not exactly the nature channel. I feel like it's my obligation to provide the best life I can for them, rather than just saying, "yeah, it'd be a nuisance and you know people would complain about the tiny down feathers in the elevator so I'm not going to make the effort."
And, to the question of: why not just try it and see?
I have several cages, including a backpack carrier and a small, but very sturdy, travel cage.
Both of the latter are great for situations in which I need to move them safely from point A to point B.
But they're (the cages, not the birds, although the birds are also quite petite) pretty small, and I'm having trouble imagining my dudes enjoying their day in the sunshine and fresh air if they keep stepping on each other's tail feathers. I can certainly buy them a cage that's small enough that I can get it in and out of their aviary (with them in it) and still large enough that they don't end up with tan lines on their feathers. But if that's something others have done in the past and found that they did it twice and their birds didn't seem that fond of it, then why not benefit from that experience?
So, thoughts?
To be clear, I'm talking about them going outside in an appropriately sturdy cage with me sitting with them the entire time they're outside. So, probably not more than an hour at a time. Not like smuggling them downstairs in a pillow-case and then trusting in the magical powers of a spray of millet to keep them from disappearing to go live with the starlings.
Anyway.
I think my birds have a pretty good life, but I was reading an article that touched on the value of at least giving your birds the opportunity to look out the window as part of keeping things interesting.
That is so not my birds' life. I mean, they can, and sometimes do, watch my zoom calls, but it's not exactly the nature channel. I feel like it's my obligation to provide the best life I can for them, rather than just saying, "yeah, it'd be a nuisance and you know people would complain about the tiny down feathers in the elevator so I'm not going to make the effort."
And, to the question of: why not just try it and see?
I have several cages, including a backpack carrier and a small, but very sturdy, travel cage.
Both of the latter are great for situations in which I need to move them safely from point A to point B.
But they're (the cages, not the birds, although the birds are also quite petite) pretty small, and I'm having trouble imagining my dudes enjoying their day in the sunshine and fresh air if they keep stepping on each other's tail feathers. I can certainly buy them a cage that's small enough that I can get it in and out of their aviary (with them in it) and still large enough that they don't end up with tan lines on their feathers. But if that's something others have done in the past and found that they did it twice and their birds didn't seem that fond of it, then why not benefit from that experience?
So, thoughts?