Well yeah cause the parrot has everything it needs within a few feet of it at all times.
I have no knowledge about the ecological harm. I can't comment about it. But I did live in Africa as a kid and pet cats there used to hunt cockroaches in the house!
Why is it worse? You call it a no-brainer but you haven't actually explained a reason in this thread why keeping a bird in a cage or a house is evil.
Depends on the bird. My parakeet preferred to stay in/around his cage so if he shat it was in that general area and it wasn't that hard to clean. He didn't go unwatched while out and about though so it's not like I had to worry about getting randomly shat on.
Personally, I'm anti-outdoor cat. I prefer to keep my cats inside because I get super paranoid about what may happen to them. I don't trust my cat to go outside of the house alone. Someone might run it over, kill it, or the area I'm in, a wild animal may harm him. Also indoor cats tend to live much longer.
Seeds are absolutely terrible for birds as a main diet, but if they're wild most don't live long enough to get stuff like fatty liver disease in the long run anyway.
Dogs kill livestock and will maul other animals for fun, they can also attack people. I remember reading a horrific news story about a couple dogs that got loose and broke into somebody's back yard with a big rabbit hutch. By the tme they were done with their fun the yard was covered in bloody bits from a half dozen bunnies.
Luckily my cat is too dumb, slow and hates going outside even when it's sunny.
people who don't let them out. i have heard and known people that keep for e.g. cats indoors and make the effort that their home is secured that they can never get outside, and they can maybe count on one hand how many times they've been outside. also dogs who live in apartments all day alone, and get walked once a day (if lucky) for 30 minutes to an hour isn't enough at all either, some people don't do it for days, especially smaller dogs like mops
Avid Avian owner here, I'm not here to change your mind but I have several rescues that I love and give all the attention in the world to. Birds shouldn't be kept constantly in cages but they should have a nice sized one with lots of things to keep them occupied in. Birds like wandering said are very social animals and crave interactions with others more so than cats or dogs. Luckily my wife works from home and we have settled completely into the role of never taking a vacation away from our house now that we have them.
We take them out with us either in their cage or with a flight harness to get some good outside sun. They eat an amazing variety of foods (seed, peelets, fruits, vegetables, sprouts, and birdie bread). Bird as pets / companions absolutely need lots of time out of their cage and as much interaction with you as possible.
Seriously, if there is anyone in this thread thinking about it every state / country has so many avian rescues with birds that need a forever home and someone that is willing to dedicate the rest of their lives with them. They absolutely deserve only the best.
Poogie our Cockatiel that suffers from a form of Rickets and severe egg binding that has led us to give her Lupron Implants to reduce her horomones that have absolutely saved her life.
Mochi a 1 legged Parrotlet that we rescued and unfortunately passed last year. He spent the first few years in a cage never being handled until we adopted him and gave him so much love until he passed at home with us.
And several more that spend each day enjoying the comforts of our home with us.
What's a "small" area to you? Some cats have a range of a kilometer, which while not huge is way bigger than the average home. Walking a dog is good but I'm sure most people take them on walks that are far smaller than a wild dog's range.
