Parrots bring so much joy and meaning into the lives of those that welcome them into their family. It’s important for us to keep in mind the ways that we can support their wellbeing and happiness in return. The concept of the “Five Freedoms”, in my opinion, exemplifies a framework in which we can ensure our parrots have the best quality of life. This concept was originally developed by Britain's Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1965 in response to a growing concern on how animals were being treated in farms. Now, we can apply this framework to help guide us in how to care for all animals- including parrots. Let’s take a look at what they are and how they can specifically apply to the parrots that we love. 

Freedom from Hunger and Thirst

First on the list tells us that animals should always be provided with enough clean water and food that will contribute to a healthy diet. For parrots, this means keeping water bowls clean by washing them regularly and providing them with a quality, pellet-based diet with fresh produce as a part of their daily nutrition. If your parrots like to dip their food in their water, you may need to wash bowls out more often in order to prevent faster bacterial growth. The parrot’s species and individual medical needs should be taken into consideration when choosing their diet. However, it’s important that we know what they should be eating and how much. We should also be aware of what foods can be harmful to them and ensure that we avoid them. 

Freedom from Discomfort

This freedom tells us that animals should have access to a safe, clean, species-appropriate environment and comfortable place to rest. For parrots, it includes making sure that they have an appropriately sized cage with enough natural wood perches. We should clean that cage regularly so that they are comfortable and not exposed to feces on surfaces where they stand and eat. It also means we should provide an area for them that isn’t high-stress such as putting their cage somewhere like a laundry room with a lot of banging or by a window if it is stressing them out. Some birds enjoy looking out of a window, but it can cause some distress. We also need to consider the effect that flickering lights can have on our birds and how that can lead to high stress and psychological issues.  There is evidence that something called critical flicker frequency (CFF), which is fluctuations in the brightness of an electrically operated light, can cause behavior and possibly even medical issues due to the stress of perceiving this constant flickering. Birds are more sensitive than humans to perceiving this flickering. One paper source states that “they may be able to perceive the flicker emitted from conventional low-frequency fluorescent lights (LF; 100 Hz in Europe, 120 Hz in the U.S.A.)” (Evans et al., 2006) So, we should ensure that whatever light we are choosing is appropriate. 

Of course, there is more to consider for their comfort. But these are some of the most important. 

Freedom from Pain, Injury, or Disease

This one tells us that animals should receive appropriate medical care, rapid diagnoses, and treatment from a qualified veterinarian. For parrots, it all starts with establishing an avian veterinarian before you need one. We should take our bird in for regular wellness checks even if the bird is healthy. Not everyone may have access to a certified avian veterinarian, so choosing the most knowledgeable vet in avian health before there is a medical issue is critical to providing timely treatment. Before getting a bird, it is very important to consider how much their medical care will cost. It is not acceptable to allow a bird to suffer without treatment, so it’s important that we carefully consider how we will make it possible for them to be treated by someone qualified. Regularly weighing our birds is a good way to catch illness and other problems early as weight loss is often one of the very first signs that something is off.

This freedom also means that we have a responsibility to make sure we never harm our birds or allow them to live in a way that causes them potential harm. If there are birds that do not get along or physically fight, we should not keep them in the same cage or allow them to interact unsupervised. We should not allow our birds to interact with animals such as cats and dogs in order to prevent injury or death. It’s also wise to keep a first aid kit on hand for our birds in case they ever do sustain injury. 

Freedom to Express Normal Behavior

This one tells us that animals should be provided with sufficient housing space to move freely, opportunities to explore and express normal behaviors, and have the opportunity to interact with other animals of their own kind if appropriate. For parrots, this also goes hand in hand with what we discussed earlier about ensuring that they have a cage that is large enough for them to move around and stretch, etc. It also means that unless there is a medical issue etc. which means otherwise, we should not clip our birds wings. Birds use their wings as a way to balance, protect themselves from falls, and as a way to feel safe if they need to get away. Birds' bodies are engineered for flight and it’s an important part of who they are and how they get around. Birds were not meant to sit in a cage all day every day, so we should figure out ways to make sure they can get plenty of exercise as well.  

We should also provide our birds with enrichment so that they can chew, shred, and do other bird behaviors. Toys are great for this. Providing them with safe toys that they can manipulate and chew is a great way for them to express bird behavior. We should also make sure that our birds are not alone too often without interaction, ideally with another bird of the same species when it is safe and possible. Humans are good, but other birds are even better. They understand each other’s body language and vocalizations and can keep each other busy when you are. Of course, every situation is different and you should consider your own circumstances when it comes to any of this advice. But regardless, parrots are highly social animals with a need for social interaction. 

Freedom from Fear and Distress

This freedom tells us that animals should be provided with conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering. Flooding, overcrowding, lack of enrichment, and an inability to escape perceived danger can all contribute to mental suffering. For parrots, this includes what we discussed earlier about providing them with a safe environment free from stress such as being exposed to predators like cats and other stresses. We should also never force our birds to do anything by flooding them. Flooding is when we force our birds to be exposed to something that causes them fear and stress in order to get them to do what we want. For example, flooding would be if I bought my bird a new toy that they are scared of and I forced them to interact with it until they were no longer afraid of it instead of slowly exposing them to it over time. This sort of thing causes our birds a lot of distress. We should also make sure that we aren't encouraging unhealthy behaviors with us such as creating a pair bond between the bird and human as this is stressful for the birds which often leads to behavior and health issues. 

Unfortunately, some people do things like scream at their birds and throw things in their direction to get them to be quiet when they’re screaming. I’ve also heard some people say that they flick their birds on the beak and do other sorts of “punishments”. These sort of negative interactions can not only cause the bird stress, it can also do great harm to our relationships with them. Clipping a bird's wings can also cause them distress since they are not able to escape perceived danger. All of these things have an effect on their wellbeing and mental health.

I hope this post has helped you consider some ways that you can make your bird’s lives even better! Perhaps you were already considering all of these factors and that’s amazing. In that case, share this post with others so that we can all work together to make our bird’s lives as good as they can be. 

References:

Inger, R., Bennie, J., Davies, T. W., & Gaston, K. J. (2014). Potential biological and ecological effects of flickering artificial light. PLoS ONE, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098631

Evans, J. E., Cuthill, I. C., & Bennett, A. T. D. (2006). The effect of flicker from fluorescent lights on mate choice in captive birds. Animal Behaviour, 72(2), 393–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.10.031

Melissa Elischer, M. S. U. E. (2022, January 21). The five freedoms: A history lesson in animal care and Welfare. 4-H Animal Science. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/an_animal_welfare_history_lesson_on_the_five_freedoms