Bird Talk Flyby

Why do people hoard animals? It's a strange thing, but I think that it mostly happens to good people, people with big hearts that just go a little overboard. A recent article on TimesDispatch.com reported that 46 cats and 1 African grey were removed from a Virginia woman's home earlier this week. A friend, concerned about "the living conditions of the woman and the animals" reported the situation to the local Humane Society. The grey was not socialized and was retrieved from a filthy cage, according to the article.

This phenomenon seems to happen frequently with both cats and birds. Bird hoarders often become overwhelmed after taking in some of the many unwanted pets out there; others become obsessed with collecting more and more species and colors until they can no longer care for any of them properly.

I would love to have more birds, but I like knowing that my single Senegal is one spoiled bird! I'm not sure that I could handle cleaning one more cage every week or chopping up extra vegetables each morning. It's probably something that we should all consider before taking on an extra pet, no matter how "in need" that animal seems to be. I'll try to remember that the next time I enter the bird store and those baby green cheeks are calling my name!