Snuggling with a couple of baby CAG's.
There are different views about parrot breeding - about the purpose of the breeding itself and of the idea of hand feeding a parrot chick or not, amongst other things. I will present some of these ideas, in short:
When it comes to the view of the purpose of breeding, on the one hand breeding in captivity helps keep the wild parrot trade at bay, where the parrots from the wild are not forced into a life of captivity. On the other hand, breeding parrots in captivity easily becomes a money making trade. Breeding lots of parrots and selling them to homes that, all too often, will sell the parrots due to different reasons (for example, not being fully prepared for the responsibility of parrot ownership, leading to different behavioral issues). These highly intelligent creatures, that can have a life span succeeding 60 years, get rehomed often several times. Thus not finding any stability - becoming even more insecure individuals which may result in further issues. Also considering how attached parrots get to their owner/mate parrot it can be extremely emotionally straining for them to be rehomed.
Many new parrot owners also think that it is a good idea to get a "baby parrot" as their first parrot, thinking that they then can shape that individual into the loving feathered companion they are looking for. This unfortunately also means that it is easy to, by lack of knowledge (since it's their very first parrot), to shape that parrot into an individual with different behavioral issues and insecurities. When buying a rehomed parrot it is easier to know, from the beginning, what you are getting yourself into. In fact many parrots can completely change their personality and behavior once they have reached maturity, which is a major factor to why many families rehome their parents - when they realize that it is no longer "a cute little baby bird". Just compare the idea to buying a foal while never having owned a horse before, with the idea to shape it into the ideal horse.
When it comes to hand feeding, from a young age (maybe even straight after hatching), it is a common belief that the parrot will become a tamer, more gentle individual. While others believe that the parrot will become no more or less tame, than if it had been completely parent fed, and that a parrot that has been hand fed from a young age might even become a more insecure individual. This due to not having been taught properly how to "be a parrot" by its parents.
When it comes to the view of the purpose of breeding, on the one hand breeding in captivity helps keep the wild parrot trade at bay, where the parrots from the wild are not forced into a life of captivity. On the other hand, breeding parrots in captivity easily becomes a money making trade. Breeding lots of parrots and selling them to homes that, all too often, will sell the parrots due to different reasons (for example, not being fully prepared for the responsibility of parrot ownership, leading to different behavioral issues). These highly intelligent creatures, that can have a life span succeeding 60 years, get rehomed often several times. Thus not finding any stability - becoming even more insecure individuals which may result in further issues. Also considering how attached parrots get to their owner/mate parrot it can be extremely emotionally straining for them to be rehomed.
Many new parrot owners also think that it is a good idea to get a "baby parrot" as their first parrot, thinking that they then can shape that individual into the loving feathered companion they are looking for. This unfortunately also means that it is easy to, by lack of knowledge (since it's their very first parrot), to shape that parrot into an individual with different behavioral issues and insecurities. When buying a rehomed parrot it is easier to know, from the beginning, what you are getting yourself into. In fact many parrots can completely change their personality and behavior once they have reached maturity, which is a major factor to why many families rehome their parents - when they realize that it is no longer "a cute little baby bird". Just compare the idea to buying a foal while never having owned a horse before, with the idea to shape it into the ideal horse.
When it comes to hand feeding, from a young age (maybe even straight after hatching), it is a common belief that the parrot will become a tamer, more gentle individual. While others believe that the parrot will become no more or less tame, than if it had been completely parent fed, and that a parrot that has been hand fed from a young age might even become a more insecure individual. This due to not having been taught properly how to "be a parrot" by its parents.
