Parrots: the new craze on The Island

Tied up with chains to their owners -mostly xiajies- hanging for dear life on their shoulders, mostly yellow colored or green with red in their wings. Why, oh, why? South East Asian probably -the birds, I mean.

bunch a wanna be pirate muthafakkas!

Yeah a lady in the complex I live in has one. Taiwan has always been a hub of the parrot industry. It took a hit after bird flu but seems to be making a come back. Go to bird street and check it out as business is booming again. They have the hugest raven I have ever seen on display.

If that’s true, that’s really sad. Parrots live a long, long, time - often 50 to 60 years! They are highly intelligent animals and they need a stable home environment. It would be tragic if people started buying them on a whim, and after a year or two gave them up or worse, released them! These aren’t goldfish - they deserve special homes and special treatment.

Probably lovebirds or budgies. Cockatoos are popular too. Probably not the type of big parrot Maoman is thinking of. Usually they’re little birds with a 5-10 year lifespan.

Birds are probably one of the best treated animals in Taiwan. Usually given size-appropriate cages and appropriate food. And the owners tend to play with them a lot. Some birds enjoy human company a lot and don’t mind being brought around. Not much crueler than carrying a puppy or kitten around in someone’s arms or on a leash. Is it cruel to walk my dog on a leash every day? Nature intended for her to run freely through the fields and I’m prohibiting her from doing so.

Sorry, but I just don’t see how “cruel” it is for a pet owner to be spending quality time with their pet outside instead of keeping it in a cage all the time instead. Most of the birds I have seen in Taiwan live fairly content/happy little lives. The same is not true for the dogs, cats, pigs, etc.

The type in this picture is the one the lady has in the complex and the ones I have seen on sale in bird street. There is also a fairly new exotic bird shop that has opened in Yung Ho which sells parrots. It is near to Ding Hsi station.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/02/23/2003496598

I totally agree. THe man upstairs from our nanny has one, though, and yes, he carries it about the neighbourhood on a perch. Its lovely. Large, green and friendly, (except it goes STRAIGHT for my earring when it climbs on my shoulder). However, they can often survive very well in the wild. There’s a famous place someplace in the states – SF, maybe? where there’s a whole colony of them, and a seldom-posting Foumosan who lives across the valley from me is often woken by the godawful screeching of a flock of sulphur-crested cockatoos that live wild around his place.

Downtown one day, we saw one riding on a xiaojie’s shoulder on a scooter. It made me want to cry; they’re so intelligent and sensitive, and they form lifelong bonds. Knowing the general perception toward (disposable/neglected/mistreated) pets around here . . .

Just makes me sad, is all.

If the owners are taking the birds around with them, then at least the bird is getting enough attention and intellectual stimulation. For parrots, what would be much worse is if they are cooped up alone in a small cage all day, with little human interaction (like a lot of pet dogs in Taiwan.)

I kinda agree with bababa on this one. At least they are getting out and living life a bit. Nonetheless, I agree with maoman, too. Parrots are known for their longevity. They can easily outlive you. Not “a simple prop - to occupy my time”. Adoption of a parrot is a lifelong commitment. Heck, it’s even longer than that. Make contingencies for when you die. It’s probably going to outlive you. Make sure it’s cared for once you have shuffled off this mortal coil.

[quote=“lupillus”]Probably lovebirds or budgies. Cockatoos are popular too. Probably not the type of big parrot Maoman is thinking of. Usually they’re little birds with a 5-10 year lifespan.

Birds are probably one of the best treated animals in Taiwan. Usually given size-appropriate cages and appropriate food. And the owners tend to play with them a lot. Some birds enjoy human company a lot and don’t mind being brought around. Not much crueler than carrying a puppy or kitten around in someone’s arms or on a leash. Is it cruel to walk my dog on a leash every day? Nature intended for her to run freely through the fields and I’m prohibiting her from doing so.

Sorry, but I just don’t see how “cruel” it is for a pet owner to be spending quality time with their pet outside instead of keeping it in a cage all the time instead. Most of the birds I have seen in Taiwan live fairly content/happy little lives. The same is not true for the dogs, cats, pigs, etc.[/quote]

Unfortunately, no. The ones I’ve seen people parading on the streets are big tropical parrots.

Taking a bird around is more like taking a cat, not a puppy. They are not used to it, must be trained, and most people on thsi island do not know how. They have not been informed nor educated on how to properly take care of their feathered pets. Plus we are talking about taking them to night markets and other crowded places. I think twice about taking my dogs into big gatherings, they get stressed.

A leisure walk on a cage a la Hong Kong would be a lot safer. Not ideal. At least something so I don’t have to see them flapping desperately.

[quote=“lupillus”]Probably lovebirds or budgies. Cockatoos are popular too. Probably not the type of big parrot Maoman is thinking of. Usually they’re little birds with a 5-10 year lifespan.
[/quote]
No disrespect, Ms Lupilus, but I’m quite sure that Ms Icon is capable of distinguishing between a Cockatoo and a Parrot.

just out of curiosity. where is bird street?

No disrespect, but exactly how much do you actually KNOW about keeping parrots? Taking a bird around is not like taking a cat, or a puppy. It’s like taking a bird. They are not used to it and must be trained? That takes a very very short time as parrots are fairly intelligent creatures. No, I don’t like the idea of parrots as a fad fashion item for flippertigibbets, but to say people in Taiwan – a hotbed of bird-fanciers – don’t know how to deal with birds is just silly.
As for flapping, ever seen a bird in a tree in a wind? Yeah, they… flap! It’s to keep their balance. If they get scared? They’re BIRDS! They try their best to FLY THE FUCK AWAY! Which looks – trust me – NOTHING like a parrot flapping on a perch!

My brother had some kind of a huge parrot-type bird for a pet. It was interesting and exotic, and a good imitator, but a terrible pet in my opinion. For one, unlike a cat or dog, one can’t wrestle it or sleep with it, etc.: it basically just sits there. Second, its bite is incredibly painful. Third, it let out the most amazingly loud squawk – truly obnoxious. Fourth, as was noted above, they live for many decades. So, my brother eventually sold it to someone else. I would think most such birds go through multiple owners, since their benefits (as a pet) seem limited compared to their hassles.

On the subject of weird pets, though, yesterday I saw a couple pass on a motorbike and the girl had a squirrel on a leash that was riding on her shoulder. (Another pet I’m not interested in: too much chewing and trouble, not enough fun.)

Back home, the parrots make trees sway with their numbers. They take over parks and when they fly, they darken the sky, especially durting seasonal migrations. When I was little, it was still legal to keep them as pets, but since some species were in severe danger -as a matter of fact, I think the blue ones were drove to extinction- it is not allowed anymore -unless, of course, under some conditions, like age, injuries, etc. In summary, I am used to seeing parrots free, in the sky. Or a mango tree.

I remember having several as pets, and we trained them to talk, take stuff, and other things. As you said, they are not cats, nor doggies, but still need to get used to walking ith you, staying on your shoulder, not wandering around. I’ve seen my share of birds in cages here, and that is why I am skeptic as to what they know about tropical birds. I’ve seen quite a few chained to a post, their feathers in awful conditions. I see them as huskies: not suitable for the environment. If they are scared and flap, they could hurt themselves or others. This could be avoided by simply not taking them into crowded locations, introducing them to different environments gradually -again, training- and learning to read their reactions. If I see another ijit hitting their parrot or engulfing it in afist because it flaps in a crowd, I dunno what I will do…

Yeah right just out of curiosity. If you wanna go there just say it :roflmao: It’s nothing to be ashamed of as it is all regulated. Just go to Lungshan temple station and it is about a 5 minute walk. I cannot remember the name of the street but walk towards the old wenhua train station. Just ask the guard at the MRT for directions. It is really only five mins walk from the MRT. I have been there many times and even bought some small finches from there before.

There are some awesome looking birds there. If you are a captive bird lover then its paradise.

Edit okay I looked it up for you. Here is the exact address
http://www.taipeitravel.net/user/article.aspx?Lang=2&SNo=05000472

actually i really just asked out of curiosity. that does include that i will probably go there. but i doubt i will enjoy it. for me its more along the lines of snake alley which sucks but i dont like to ignore stuff like that. so i like to take a look at stuff like that in taiwan so that i remember its not all about hello kitty and fun fun fun renao night markets. i want to see everything. and a bird street sounds like something one should take a look at (especially considering caged bird traditions in china… although i doubt there will be anything culturally impressive about it…)
thanks for the directions. although i really hate the area about longshan temple. i have never been anywhere in taiwan where i felt less comfortable. really dont like walking around there.
is there a certain time where one should go? like: only open in the evening like night markets or early closing times or something like that?

Lungshan Temple is like the old Taiwan that I used to know on my first trip here in 1987. Those were dark days in many ways. I understand why you do not like going there. When one feels to safe and comfortable it is a good place to go to remember the darker under currents that do exist in this society. Yah you are right it is not all hello kitty. The best time is the afternoon as it is all closed in the morning during the week days. Perhaps go on a Saturday afternoon. It is not as busy as it used to be but yah there are plenty of birds there. Not like the old days when there were monkeys. bats, all kinds of badger type animals :; then ten minutes walk away there were all the caged teenage girl slaves. AND I REALLY DO MEAN CAGED TEENAGE GIRL SLAVES. But that was then and this is now and only the birds remained caged.

Anyway perhaps take some pics of the birds down there and share them with us. It is still best just to ask if they mind you taking pics. Have a good day! (by the way it smells).

The last time I saw birds at Longshan, they were in a net, thrown out on the street like a bunch of 50nt slippers…