# Is bird ownership ethical?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bird-ownership-ethical/620769>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 3, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bird-ownership-ethical/620769 "2012-05-03T16:17:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bird-ownership-ethical/620769/81 "2015-02-18T06:42:23Z")

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> [@elbows](#):
>
> So…short life in the rainforest or long, long life in a cage? I know what I’d choose!
> 
> Don’t you value social interaction with their kind, in their destined environment, at all?

The birds themselves don’t really value it, in a sentimental way. That’s why Cosmo prefers his banana. It’s not his “destined” mate - it’s the mate he chose for himself.

You’re thinking like a human, not an alien. I’m sure that birds, along with most zoo animals, would tell you that the ultimate gift is not flight, but rather, that the ultimate gift is a safe sunny spot for naps.

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bird-ownership-ethical/620769/82 "2015-02-18T16:54:09Z")

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> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> Depends on how smart the bird is and how much space they are given. I have real issues with keeping something as smart as a human toddler in a cage, be that creature a chimpanzee or a parrot.

I hear where you’re coming from, but my human toddler sleeps in a crib at night, for the very purpose of keeping him confined.

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**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bird-ownership-ethical/620769/83 "2015-02-18T17:43:55Z")

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nm.

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