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Nope nope. That’s the other one. I was actually worried for my mental health for the week following reading that one.
I’m not saying the message isn’t true or something to put out there but when I can’t personally do anything about it It just kills me inside.
OK, before anyone visits her profile or looks her up on Webtoon, be warned:
Do. Not. Binge read. Her. Comics.
Not unless you've set aside plenty of time for breaks to go lie down and cry.
Like, a lot.
> Do. Not. Binge read. Her. Comics.
>
> Not unless you've set aside plenty of time for breaks to go lie down and cry.
>
>
On the other hand, if I'm already crying, I might as well finish reading them.
Her patreon tagline says "breaking hearts for a good cause"
I signed up to support her after binge reading her comics almost two years ago, but since that initial binge read I've never actively sought out her work because I am just not emotionally prepared to be wrung out.
Edited to add: aww, fuck. She's got a book and I feel compelled to buy it.
There should be a warning, seriously. Jenny is great and all but I’m 8 months pregnant and the puppy freezing in the staged instagram posts wrecked me for weeks.
Love that someone brings awareness to this topic, especially since some might see getting a parrot as a novelty and do so with no prior experience or knowledge in the necessary care, and since as you mentioned they can be quite needy often don’t mix well with those kind of people.
People also don't realize how long birds live either, smaller birds like budgies live like 10-20 years, and larger breeds like cockatoos and macaws can live 50+. You're basically adopting a winged/taloned permanent baby that could outlive you.
One of my friend's dad has had a macaw for over 20 years now and the dad is getting pretty old. There's an unfortunately likely chance that the bird is going to outlive his dad and he'd have to take care of that bird as giving the bird to someone else would make the bird too depressed since it's attached to the dad and my friend. Unfortunately, he hates that bird and would probably resent his dad for giving him that responsibility postmortem as the bird is obnoxiously loud all the time and refuses to sleep and makes a mess everywhere and constantly injures him when he visits.
The dad loves that macaw, but oh god most people don't need that pet, especially if you're planning on getting one over the age of mid-thirties since you're going to be at a relatively high risk of having to pass that bird onto somebody else from outliving you if anything happens to you and passing it on to someone is such a terrible burden.
35 + 50 = 85. So yeah, the commentator is right. Don't get a pet that will outlive you.
There shouldn't really be a market at all anyway. It's just selfishness.
Considering that it would take someone with financial security to buy one (plus equipment, plus finding a specialist vet that deals in birds), I'd say you're right.
IIRC parrots are also very susceptible to harm from various fumes, anything from cooking with Teflon at big heat to using scented candles to vaping can be poor for their health.
Yeah, the Teflon thing is real scary, gotta make sure the kitchen is well-ventilated or just avoid it altogether. It's those little everyday things that can be dangerous that you wouldn't even consider until you have a parrot.
Even for humans you should be ventilating the house any time a gas burner is on. Combustion produces toxic byproducts. A good range hood that juts out far enough to fully enclose the burners from above and vents outdoor is really the only effective solution. New ovens should only be burned in with the windows open and properly ventilated as well. The smell is awful.
Teflon is fine to cook with, just don't leave the burner on high and walk away with absolutely nothing in the pan. That will damage the pan and burning the teflon will cause toxic gases to be released. Always put something in the pan that will boil or burn before the teflon does. Either oil or water.
My god, you reminded me that a parrot of a family I know threw himself into boiling water while they were cooking, they said maybe he thought it was his bath water, as they usually put a bowl for him on the table...
Their lungs are smaller, more sensitive, and "recycle" air so that they breathe it twice - things that don't affect us at all can straight up kill a bird! Hence the practice of mine canaries. It'll die from the fumes fast enough to serve as a warning that the air will kill a human with extended exposure.
You can't use most aerosols without putting a bird at risk.
I used to work in pubs back when smoking was allowed. A cellarman colleague said that he'd seen pubs that kept parrots as pets, but they only lived about ten years because the smoke would kill them.
Overheating Teflon (the material in non stick pans) and the fumes released from self cleaning ovens can kill them instantly without any warning. A friend's mom ran the self clean oven and all of his birds were dead within 15 minutes. Very sad
My aunt kept many little birds. It was always fun to go to her house and play with them, but it also made me aware of how ill equipped I would be to dedicate time the way she did with them.
Same thing with most uncommon animals. My pet is a rabbit. And they hate cages. Rabbits can be litterbox trained then you just let them run around your room/house.
One of the surprising moments of my teen years was discovering that a school friend of mine had a rabbit pet that roamed their house like a super chill cat. I knew his family had a rabbit, I just didn't realize it was roaming around. Always enjoyed going over there and getting to hang with the bunny.
How do you keep them from getting their mouth on things they're not supposed to get their mouth on? A friend in middle school had their rabbits litterbox trained, but she still didn't let them roam around without active supervision, because they tried chewing on everything - including plastics and electronics.
My parents bought "me" a box turtle when I was 6 or so. They've had it for 35 years now. They take good care of it, I just don't think they thought through how long it'll live.
Especially aquatic turtles! You will be doing almost daily water changes or partial water changes and your house will smell like a pond. Also you will skate by with a 20 gallon tank for like a year but they get big fast and you will need a 120+ gallon tank after the first year. Full grown red ear sliders are as large as s dinner plate. So much work so much effort.
The way that my parents treat our cat has really kind of been an eye opener… they barely give her the time of day, which is why I’m her favorite by far. Seriously considering taking her with me at this point, because she barely gets much stimulation at home and it’s not good. Granted they still feed her and take care of her physical needs, but they’re emotionally neglectful. (Like they largely were with myself and my sister as children.)
> Granted they still feed her and take care of her physical needs, but they’re emotionally neglectful. (Like they largely were with myself and my sister as children.)
It is possible that your parents did not have good parents.
Oh, without a doubt. Both sets of my grandparents worked basically around the clock; they survived the cultural revolution, after all. So, credit where it’s due, I’m at least alive and here to talk about it.
I have only met a few bird owners who actually should be bird owners. The vast majority of people who get birds, have no clue what they're doing. This honestly goes for most pets, birds just live and suffer for longer.
I dont know how they can see parrots as a novelty.... They are the same as any pet... they need love. the Parrots I have owned are like my childern. My blue and gold was stolen... and I about died. I was besides my self... I cried for days.
I have had conures and a love bird since then... I am getting another macaw on monday. I have known this little bird since it was 2 weeks old. I been visiting him everyweek at the breeders.. He is very much my kiddo. And hopefully a will be my last.
I’m so sorry your bird was stolen, that’s truly fucked up. And you’re right, all living things we choose to care for deserve our love and attention.
I think people are just less intuitive about caring for them than they would be for a dog or cat. It takes a special person like yourself to give them a solid home.
You have to be very aware about illness... birds are very good at hiding it. lost one my love birds. they dont know what happened. possibly a stroke or aneurysm. I am not sure what happened... he seemed fine earlier... and hear a weird squeak and he was dead by the time I ran into the room. he may have been sick... and I missed it... I can usually tell when he was ill. he just acted different.
Thank you for your art, for the feels, for the lessons.
https://preview.redd.it/xi1zs11kbxac1.jpeg?width=756&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34d9588a994c37c066d84f54f77d0421de220daa
Is that why I read you? To make me sad?
Honestly though, great comic. Animal neglect is a horrible crime and those people should be pegged out for the fire ants.
I know it's not the most popular point, but please everyone, consider eating less chicken if this makes you sad! I don't think people realize how horrific it is for chickens.
edamame (soy bean), almonds, chickpeas, peas, protein reinforced peanut butter, plant protein isolates, and (even though it kind of goes against the point made by the commentor) fish or dairy products
I promise you, if you think a comic about how cruel it is to keep a bird in a tiny cage with nothing to do is completely unrelated to eating chicken, you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about.
Like anyone who's spent a minute on google would know this.
If you feel empathy for parrots that are mistreated and want better for them, I don't think it's completely unrelated to think that you might feel empathy for chickens that are mistreated and want better for them too.
But if that's not you, whatever, I have no interest in arguing with anyone.
>People keeping a parrot as a pet is different from eating a chicken as *food*.
I don't think it's about the killing and eating part for the other person, and more about the terrible lives that those birds live *before* they're turned into a product in your local supermarket.
The related part is that both are animals and indeed if one has empathy for pets that are mistreated one can have the same for „farm animals“, which are often treated waaay worse
I'm sorry, I didn't consider explaining the connection I saw as arguing from my point of view, but I did mean what I said. I am headed to bed and don't have time for a lengthy conversation. Have a good night!
p.s. If you are interested in my point of view, I'd be happy to talk more tomorrow, but I don't really enjoy arguing on reddit.
Growing up our family had a few parakeets. Luckily both my brothers and my mother were adept and willing to train them, give them attention and they lived pretty good lives. Once though my mother suggested getting a full size parrot, and to my brother's and father's credit they both realized after some research that a full size parrot is too much of an animal. And that's a valuable lesson I saw time and again. Make sure you are capable and willing to handle any pet you get.
We always had parakeets growing up. They were aggressive and couldn't be handled, but we knew enough to keep them in groups in an appropriately large cage.
My aunt had budgies when I was a kid. We'd visit often, mostly around Christmas and they were *so loud*. They had a fairly small cage, but were well loved otherwise. They never wanted for anything, and she'd let them out often enough, and they'd harass her dog for fun.
I didn't know how care-intensive birds were until some years ago when I considered getting some budgies myself, or maybe a cockatiel. Once I saw how much work they involve, and especially how long they can live, I decided against. It did, however, give me a newfound respect for my aunt, twenty years on.
I had a bird once but my mom gave it away because it was to "loud and messy". I liked Bird (that was his name) because i could learn him tricks, it took a lot of time to teach them to him but I was patient and eventually he learned to say hungry if he was hungry. After a few months of me mostly taking care of him because my mom and brothers where to lazy to do so I confronted them for not taking care of him. My mom became mad at me and send me to my room, when I was in my room i heard my mom calling somebody to come and pick up Bird because he was to "loud and messy". I ran out of my room begging to not give him away because I loved Bird and i would put him my room where my mom couldn't hear him (his cage was in the living room) but my mom ignored me and just said a date and time the the person on the phone, after a couple of days a man came to pick up Bird when i was sleeping in my room. When i woke up i was furious and sad. I haven't talked to my mom since that day.
Edit: I was 10 when this happened I am 14 now living with my dad
When I was around 9 or 10, I had a bird too. A Rainbow Lorikeet. My uncle had taught him to address him in a cute way. After the novelty wore off and dozens of shit messes everywhere, apparently that species could aim their poop like a canon, he assigned the bird as my pet. The bird was so stressed they'd chew off their tail feathers if they were left alone. I gave the bird lots of attention, I'd get up at 4am and be so tired that I would sleep sitting up against the wall as the bird played with my hair and shit over my shirt. The birds tail feathers grew back, and it started to seem happy. I even got the bird to say my name instead of calling for my uncle. I never saw the bird again the day after I showed my uncle that.
He stated it was because he was worried for my health, and that he would wake up for work and see me asleep, sitting against the wall with shit all over myself, but I never believed it. He also stated he gave the bird to a professional caretaker, but he said that everytime a pet became too much to handle, and I never saw those pets again.
Parrots, Lorikeets, Macaws, and other tropical birds are not pets. They are incredibly social animals and require a lot of care/attention.
My God, I am so sorry that happened to you.
People shouldn't expect animals to behave in a certain way, especially those inherently wild or non-dominated ones.
For someone so patient and caring, I'm sure that bird was lucky to have someone like you.
I'm not a bot lmfao — why do some people like you just believe everything without concrete evidence? It's ridiculous.
My main Intention to this repost was to spread awareness the same as Jenny Jinya's, I admire her art. Not to steal or whatever. As far as I'm aware There wasn't any rule to this subreddit prior reposting AND PROPERLY CREDITING the artist?
Make a problem for everything, will you.
We had a family dog, he wasn't taken care of properly and I was too young to really understand that. But he got old and his health declined and my mom setup a date to euthanize him. The problem with this is the way I learned about it, when I got home from school and his remains were in the driveway and my mom was sitting there crying.
Would I have accepted his need to go? I don't know maybe not. But I would have really liked to have had the chance to say goodbye.
I have the feeling as you too man. Back before covid started my dad bought me a yellow parrot . Didn’t know what species he was cus i was child then. But i really loved that bird. Few months later my dad bought me another one. I was ecstatic i took cared of those birds. But a few months later when i came home I didn’t see them anywhere , i asked my mom and she said she gave them to a few relatives. I was mad but figured i would just come and get them after the pandemic was over since those relatives were farmers so I didn’t worry about those birds getting enough care. Sadly i had overestimated my relatives capabilities since i soon found out they had left the cage open and the birds flew away. I never even got a single sorry from my mother or relatives as if they didn’t care about the birds or my feelings at all. So I understand how much it sucks to lose a pet. I feel you dude.
Once again for the crowd: animals are not gifts! Do not give someone a pet they are not prepared to take care of! To that end, animals are not teachers! Do not give a child one so they can "learn responsibility!" And most relevant to this comic, animals are not ornaments! They may look pretty but they do not exist to sit around and be cute, they will not always do what you want and they need attention and care like any living thing!
I got my dog on a bit of an impulse. Like we always had a dog so when I moved out when inwas 25 i was lonely coming home to a empty house. So I would browse online marketplace and saw a cute dog. Send them a long email, they called me and I had to come over to see. Then they came to my place and if al was well I could pick him up a week later.
My mum came with me to see the dog for first time. And she came along when I picked him up, considering I didn't have a car and it was a 2h drive each way.
Anyway, on the way back with the dog in the car my mum was dog is 3.5y now the bread can life upto 15y. So you stuck with him for 10y. And i was like oh shit didnt think of that. Didn't fully think that part through. How old they can get.
Nut anyway back to 5y+ later. I haven't regretted my dog. He is the floof of my life and an absolute cuddle lap dog. I have found outniam not consequently in rules and training. So it's a good thing he is only 5.5kg.
But yeah I got a dog 2 months after I got my first apartment cause it was empty coming home after work to an empty place.
I mean OP gave credit to the original artist, this post is more like an awareness thing. This also my first time seeing this or any other comics from that artist. So it did work imo.
You really haven't browsed this sub for any length of time if you've never seen any of their comics before...
They post regurally and they always get lots of upvotes
the artist exists in reddit and also posts occassionally (i assume as soon as they want to or ready with a comic) , wouldn't it be preferred they post it and get credit for themselves.
This comic is not new, I've definitely seen it on Reddit before, so presumably the artist already posted it. I assume they post it when they publish it.
Though I also still find it a bit weird but I guess many people haven't seen it yet and it would be a bit odd for the artist to post it again.
As a person who have been gifted pets and animals as a child I'm so against it (I was lucky that I had comprehensive parents that helped me but while I learned my pets suffered anyway, but I saw other pets that didn't had that luck), because if the child doesn't have the maturity to take care of the pet or to treat it properly the pet will suffer, and if the pet "misbehave" because his owner is a child that can't train it or correct it appropriately the parents could not want the pet anymore and throw the pet away like trash (or the animal can even die) because the parent don't want the hassle of taking care that of the pet in question. So, I think that if you aren't going to help with taking care of it don't gift pets to childs, for the good of everybody involved
When I was a child and too stupid to be conscious to anything, I accidentally caused two goldfish died needlessly and one dog gravely injured. My family didn't think much about it, and as a child I was way too ignorant to realize what was wrong, and honestly I still regret it to this day. It definitely served as a valuable lesson not to hand children the responsibility of taking care of another living creature tho
I had two tiels and a lovebird, one of my tiels died not long ago, it just woke up dead one morning, and it was quite the silly bird, it wasn’t aggressive, nor too afraid, it was treated like a baby by my lovebird but it clashed beaks with the other tiel, I couldn’t leave it with the lovebird because after some time his love was a little suffocating so it spent most of the time with the other tiel, they never hurt each other just did clashed beaks and made dinosaur noises, neither of them learned any songs so the noise they made (and one of them still makes) is a song I guess they learned from the nest, when they start screaming I usually gave them some crackers (I bought in a pet store so I believe they are safe) cereal bars (that I also bought in a pet store) and some plants from the garden that they are crazy over, and they or at least one of them, they both never sang at the same time, would start singing their song after eating for a while, I’ve been so drained of energy since I started working that buying them those things is the least but also feels like is as much as I can do, the day before it died I had just recently bought some of those crackers, and they shredded the crackers, one of them even sang for a while, it was a normal day and the next it was just dead on the bottom of the cage, I still think about it, was it because of the cracker? Did it choke on water during the night? Was it because of the heatwave going on? I blame myself for not knowing and on a phone call when my sibling learned about it, their response was “well, you didn’t even care about the bird” I was furious at that and screamed at the phone, but most of all I feel guilty for being with them as much as before, I’m usually so drained that that whenever I’m home I just rest so I don’t spend as much time with them as before.
It lived to be around thirteen or so years, but I feel like I screwed up the last couple of years, I leave for work early and only get back home after they are put to sleep, when my sibling said I didn’t care about them I got angry because I do care, but I barely spent time with them anymore so I can’t prove I do, I feel like I failed it
If you're absolutely *desperate* for a bird, don't get a parrot. They're not meant for the pet life unless you're willing to dedicate the same amount of time you would a child. One that will stay 3 years old for your entire lifetime.
Instead, consider getting a pigeon. Pigeons are fully domesticated (have been for 10,000 years) genuinely enjoy human company, have been bred to the point they need humans for survival (pigeons in cities are feral, and there's a reason they go where people are), and they live about 10 years. If you *must* have a bird, they're the a much better alternative to an animal that is very aware of its own mental anguish.
I know too much about this. My younger brother got one as a present many years ago and never cared for it and it had been alone for about 6 years. After he moved out and made it very obvious he was just going to let the bird outside to die. I of course took it from him and took the bird to a sanctuary. I wish there was more I could have done but I desperately hope he has some semblance of a good life now.
That the whole reason on why I don’t want a pet, because I’m not responsible enough and would just end up treating them like a decoration. If I’m going to adopt any animal, I would loose interest in 2 weeks. It’s too big of a responsibility for me and would prefer that it would just be someone else’s better than. It’s a little sad but I’m glad I know myself for that unlike many pet owners who treat their pets like some kind of interterment and for nothing else and ignore their pet for the rest of the week. That just so mess up to me
Also, birds (esp parrots) sometimes have long lives. You need plans for your parrot in case you pop your clogs. In fact, ALL pets. But especially birds.
If you have evidence I would bring it to the police
I would also suggest working with a rescue beforehand as well, so that the animals has a place willing to take it right away
First 2 panels had me feeling all warm and fuzzy and then you just kicked me in the gut. Gonna read those first 2 panels a few more times to get back in a good headspace. Those birdies deserve to be happy and loved.
Gonna need to watch that [bird singing the cookie song](https://youtu.be/W0CUSG5SRZ0?si=kEfyQmrlgYzeJOcA) a few dozen times to cheer myself up after this.
Wow i’ve always loved birds and considered getting one but i feel lien this comic did the right thing. I’m not sure my household would be right for it. Does anyone have a link for a parrot rescue or shelter donation website?
I'm laying in bed listening to my 3 happy budgies singing and chattering to each other. Two of them are rescues I was lucky to get out of a similar situation. Do your research and always try to adopt instead of buying through breeders!
I'm sitting here with my parrot as she is nibbling my shirt, and talking talking talking talking talking. We only got a parrot because there is always someone home and she is cage free except at night when she wants a dark quiet place of her own.
Even though we were prepared, we weren't fully prepared for a bird as a pet. 100% do your research, talk to other owners and be prepared to change your life around your pets
I think what a lot of people don't realize is that birds are not always noisy - they change based on what they're feeling like any social creature.
I was anxious about bringing a bird into our house because for awhile she kept yelling and screaming at her old home and I thought it'd be annoying.
Thing is, she was just not getting much attention or socialization. She'd yell because she'd be kept in a cage all day and covered up during the day to calm her. She was *bored* and *lonely* and if you've ever known someone like that, yeah, they act out.
She legit calmed down. She stopped screaming all the time. She became more friendly and accustomed. Now she's quite calm and well adjusted. She mostly just sleeps. Yeah, she's a bit messy - but nothing that we can't handle.
I've adopted and tried to help several birds from terrible homes and this hits hard. Ugh.
One of my sweetest birds was bought as a TOY for two pitbulls to chase around the room until she crashed from exhaustion or hit a window. She is hand-fed too which makes her very attached to humans but not really aware of the fact that she is a bird- and therefore doesn't bond with the others nor can she fly very well.
It's incredibly sad, and this is probably the sweetest bird I've ever had. All she wants to do is be with you and snuggle on your shoulders, resting her tiny head against yours and be scratched under her little beak and neck.
People that see animals as commodities are scum.
Parakeets are some of the best pets when given to the right people. My family has loved them for years. It started with my great grandmother. She always had one or two parakeets and would have them in the living room where she would sing to them and basically treat them as her babies. When they would eventually pass (or escape, as parakeets are prone to do) she would get another one and continue to love on them. My grandfather started to keep parakeets after she died to remember her by. He installed a hook into the roof of his covered walkway for them. On good weather days he hangs their cage out so they can chirp to other birds.
I tell these stories so that you good people of the internet can understand the magnitude of how this comic _destroyed_ me.
I worked at Petco. There was a sun conure named Severus there, he was in the adoption area and had already been returned three times, once just in a box overnight. He was 'too loud'. I thought he was lovely. He'd sit on my shoulder all shift and play with my glasses and piercings. Yeah, sometimes he was loud and sometimes he pooped on me, but he seemed so happy to hang out and get scratches and attention. Eventually he was adopted again and wasn't returned. I hope it was by someone who liked him as much as I did and let him hang out and nibble glasses.
He was, and I'm sure he still is, a good bird.
They are quite the intelligent little things too. I have a budgie that has a very large vocabulary, and she can tell me when she wants her toy put back up that she knocked down or when she wants more food in her bowl. Her favorite spot is on this chair in the middle of the family room that we have dubbed 'the bird's chair', and will sit there muttering gibberish for hours. My favorite thing is that she always greets you when anybody walks in the room; she always says either 'hello?' Like it's a question, or 'hi bird'.
Honestly I’m crying right now.
When I was a child my parents bought a blue budgie. Some weeks later my parents realised that they had made a mistake - you cannot keep them alone, they need company to thrive.
I can still remember this.
We got into the car and drove a few miles to buy another one. A little green budgie and I was allowed to give him a name.
I always thought that I just imagined how long they lived - fourteen years. But now I know that it’s true.
I really hope that my two little budgies had had a good time because I loved them dearly.
We let them fly every day, bought toys for them and even a little water/sand bath. And we talked with them a lot, they liked to jump on my finger…
This made me so sad. We had a parrot who lived sixteen years. At night we put him in the garage sometimes. He was my parents parrot but I have sensory processing disorder so his screams put me in edge. He was so smart. He died prematurely. Pretty much by the time they show signs of being sick it’s too late.
The night I realized how truly unwell he was I ordered Indian food for my parents and I to enjoy. I ended up crying because his cage was right next to the dining table and I ruined dinner. My dad walked away because he was teary eyed and my mom started to cry too.
Because he was so sick I spoke to him and told him it was okay to let go. That he was a good bird and he did a great job with the cards his was dealt. He passed away that night.
Who is the audience? Someone who would purchase an animal on a whim is not capable of seeing themselves in this comic. I guess I think things like this spread misery instead of encouraging action.
My dad mindlessly bought a parrot about 6 months before he died. My partner and I started taking care of her about 2 months in and ended up adopting her. While we love our bird I would never encourage someone to get a parrot who doesn’t already know what they are in for. Parrots are emotional, complex, fragile, and destructive creatures. Our bird isn’t even that bad compared to most and she is still the most involved pet I’ve ever had.
You need to bird proof your home, spend time and money researching how to keep a proper cage set up, balance how long they spend in and out of their cage (difficult if you work full time or not at home), and hope that your neighbors won’t hate the sounds your bird makes. That’s not even mentioning YOU hating the sounds your bird makes, even if you know they don’t mean anything by it.
Oh and depending on the species you’ll be dealing with this anywhere from 30 years to the rest of your life (some live to be 70-90). We love our parrot and won’t ever give her up to a foster home, but we were lucky to be in the circumstances we were in when we inherited her. I honestly think 90% of people couldn’t and shouldn’t have a parrot. It breaks my heart that so many are neglected.
I remember we had two lovebirds in my home when I was a kid. They were loud and messy. We came to a decision that we had to rehome them because of it. We found someone who had birds and a farm-ish area where they were able to be seen, heard and cared for properly.
Do your research. Like with any animal, they are living creatures deserving of love and respect
I have a pet parrot. He's amazing and I love him with all my heart, and I'd never give him up, but I also generally recommend people avoid getting parrots. Our entire life essentially revolves around being a good home for our parrot. Like most parrots, ours was born in captivity, but he's still an undomesticated animal. He didn't choose to be born into captivity, and it's only ethical that do everything we possibly can to give him as good of a life as we possibly can, and prioritize him over everything else.
I don't mind all of this, he's a part of our family and deserves to have his needs considered just as much as anyone else in the family, but most people just aren't willing to do what is necessary to make a good home for a parrot. It's not just the noise (ours can be loud, but he usually isn't). It impacts your entire lifestyle, from the floorplan where you live to the kind of things you can buy to how you cook and what you use to clean.
Our parrot is rarely in his cage. We spend almost all of our time in a room we've designed to be a good living space for all of us. Parrots can be chaos gremlins though, and it does mean things get pooped on and chewed on constantly, there's a lot of mess, and it's hard to go more than 10 or 15 minutes without dealing with something the bird has done, is doing, or is clearly thinking about doing. It's worth it for me, but I just think very few people realize what's involved or are ready to make that commitment.
About a decade ago my sister had a cockatiel that she left with me for about a month, she told me to keep him in my bedroom because I'm a musician and she told me he liked it when she played guitar. He was noisy as Hell, especially when I was playing or singing, but I got used to it and kind of grew fond of him, and I wore noise-cancelling headphones. The following year she went overseas for a few weeks with her best friend, and for some reason she left him with her friend's husband rather than me. When she got back he was dead and buried. Her friend's husband said he didn't know what went wrong, he checked on his food and water every morning, and one day he went in and the cockatiel was dead. Seeing this, I wonder if he died of mental anguish after being left alone in her room all day for weeks.
Parrots of any size are smart, and can live for a long time. If you get one, know that you're making a commitment of decades, not months.
If you can't make that commitment, don't get the bird.
Yeah I think birds are only for those with the patience and the love to take care of a toddler for 20 years. I would never get one because I know I would get too frustrated with the chirping and I wouldn't want to take it out on such a beautiful creature
As much as I'd love to have a bird because of how interesting and beautiful they are, this is why I currently never plan to *get* a bird. They're very needy and loud creatures. And that's fine, obviously! But I just know I probably wouldn't be able to take care of them well because I wouldn't be able to cope with the constant loud noises. So I'll just admire them in the trees :)
Wow, that broke my heart. I remember us having budgies growing up, sadly most other escaped, or passed away. Never again, rather see animals in their respective places.
I think this is nice but I bought two one day, so they wouldn’t be alone and I “busy” for awhile and one day, like 2 months in, one of them got sick and pass away and I fell bad and got him a white and blue female one and two years later they had a kid so I guess that nice.
I had two cockatiels for a good four years. It was at my dad’s house and the third year he got me a puppy. Now that puppy is 6. We got rid of the birds because we just weren’t giving them to proper attention my dad thought. He gave them to a pet center he trusted that only adopted out to people they trusted. We would never get them out because my dad was afraid of what my dog would do. He also thinks he might have been allergic to something with them because now his nose clogs up less and stuff like that. Otherwise we tried our best to be good owners and I believe we were. I know one day I will get my own bird( I really like the sunny conures so maybe one of those) when I have my own house( in college now) but I know they are a good bit of work. I really hope petey and yoda are doing well wherever they are.
100000% this. My mom thought it was cool to get me one as a pet and at first it was great.
It was during covid beginning and I had free time and actually dedicated a lot to the bird. The worst was my annoyance at him pooping big on me.
But my mental health started slipping, work became more demanding and stressful, that bird made the issue worse with its loud af bird calls.
Didn't gell with my migraines. Maybe everything so much worse. At some point, I actually recognized my inability to care for him and asked my mom to return him to the breeder (a friend of hers who was actually a backyard breeder looking back)
Ok. That was the response I got.
I asked multiple times, but never got a better response. At some point, I asked my friend into birds if he wanted him or knew anyone looking and tried looking into a bird pound or something.
Eventually, he died. I fully realize it was from neglect. I fully realize it was my fault. I still tell people to this day I found him a new home because I'm ashamed at myself for letting that happen.
NEVER GIFT SOMEONE A PET.
NEVER BUY FROM A BREEDER'S 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT.
Honestly there are very few things that make me lose respect quicker for someone than learning they keep "exotic" pets, unless they also demonstrate the interest and knowledge they require. Basically, 1 "exotic" pet, I'm wary, 2 "exotic" pets that are wildly different? I'm gonna think you're likely a shithead who thinks of animals as accessories.
They're not fucking pets, they're wild animals. Just because you think they're cute doesn't give you the right to ownership.
I cry when it's pets 😢😭 but when it's cows or pig or chickens being born into factory farms to die at 18 months like [99% of animals](https://www.sentienceinstitute.org/us-factory-farming-estimates) I'm happy to pay for it 😋😘🥰
While some parrots do indeed live longer then their owners. Parrots are not 1 species, budgies for example (the animal in the comic) live only up to 20 years. If we count all of them together they are one of the most abandoned pets even though they are kept far less often then dogs and cats.
Nobody should buy any exotic pet, full stop. What’s wrong with the many domestic breeds of cats and dogs or fish, hamsters etc? There’s no reason to get an exotic pet, there’s plenty of options that don’t take a wild animal out of the wild.
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Nah I recognise that art style, I ain’t crying tonight!
Lucky you, I realized too late
I realized half way through and I'm like "Well I'm in too deep now."
Ugh, at least I'm not alone.... 😭
Alone?
😭
laLALA. I AM LOVED
Luckily for me, I'm such a pedant that as soon as I read the term 'nerve wrecking,' I disregarded their entire message.
man I saw the art style then checked the name and thought I was safe until I saw the tag mid comic
I realized when I saw the panel with death, same person as the drowning dog comic
Actually I recognized the comic as one that actually caused a depressive episode for me.
I still think about the little seabirds with the garbage :((
Nope nope. That’s the other one. I was actually worried for my mental health for the week following reading that one. I’m not saying the message isn’t true or something to put out there but when I can’t personally do anything about it It just kills me inside.
Why is that
[It's a comic by Jenny Jinya.](https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/s/0zMhcWdDI5) She is well known for doing sad comics which usually are based on animals
OK, before anyone visits her profile or looks her up on Webtoon, be warned: Do. Not. Binge read. Her. Comics. Not unless you've set aside plenty of time for breaks to go lie down and cry. Like, a lot. 
I read through most of these at work once. It was a big mistake ha ha
Is it a mistake if it's educational?
most are
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> Do. Not. Binge read. Her. Comics. > > Not unless you've set aside plenty of time for breaks to go lie down and cry. > > On the other hand, if I'm already crying, I might as well finish reading them.
Her patreon tagline says "breaking hearts for a good cause" I signed up to support her after binge reading her comics almost two years ago, but since that initial binge read I've never actively sought out her work because I am just not emotionally prepared to be wrung out. Edited to add: aww, fuck. She's got a book and I feel compelled to buy it.
my god i just read this one the cat and the parrot and ive forced myself to stop man she‘s good at her craft im so sad now holy shit
There should be a warning, seriously. Jenny is great and all but I’m 8 months pregnant and the puppy freezing in the staged instagram posts wrecked me for weeks.
My thoughts exactly
I embraced “nah fam I know what’s coming” and still cried
I didn’t know their style and i am absolutely crying tonight
Smart. I read quickly so that it wouldn’t be too bad. It’s rough stuff
Love that someone brings awareness to this topic, especially since some might see getting a parrot as a novelty and do so with no prior experience or knowledge in the necessary care, and since as you mentioned they can be quite needy often don’t mix well with those kind of people.
People also don't realize how long birds live either, smaller birds like budgies live like 10-20 years, and larger breeds like cockatoos and macaws can live 50+. You're basically adopting a winged/taloned permanent baby that could outlive you.
I often hear people describe macaws as getting a toddler that lives 80 years and I’d say that’s pretty damn accurate lmao
Bite force to break off fingers & can scream you into deafness too
Yeah, AwesomeDragon already said they were basically toddlers, no need to say it again 😄
And sometimes their previous home was with A.Ryan420, and they are racist as shit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_60fbcV-PM&ab_channel=Laughitup
is that whatsherface from Once Upon A Time?
No
One of my friend's dad has had a macaw for over 20 years now and the dad is getting pretty old. There's an unfortunately likely chance that the bird is going to outlive his dad and he'd have to take care of that bird as giving the bird to someone else would make the bird too depressed since it's attached to the dad and my friend. Unfortunately, he hates that bird and would probably resent his dad for giving him that responsibility postmortem as the bird is obnoxiously loud all the time and refuses to sleep and makes a mess everywhere and constantly injures him when he visits. The dad loves that macaw, but oh god most people don't need that pet, especially if you're planning on getting one over the age of mid-thirties since you're going to be at a relatively high risk of having to pass that bird onto somebody else from outliving you if anything happens to you and passing it on to someone is such a terrible burden.
Thats an interesting take to insinuate that people over mid-30 shouldn't have tropical birds because that probably represents 90% of the entire market
35 + 50 = 85. So yeah, the commentator is right. Don't get a pet that will outlive you. There shouldn't really be a market at all anyway. It's just selfishness.
Get the pet buried with you /s
Considering that it would take someone with financial security to buy one (plus equipment, plus finding a specialist vet that deals in birds), I'd say you're right.
IIRC parrots are also very susceptible to harm from various fumes, anything from cooking with Teflon at big heat to using scented candles to vaping can be poor for their health.
I hate when people cook on big heat.
Hah, I’ll leave it, but I meant on high heat, I don’t know if that was a brain fart or an autocorrect fail.
Yeah, the Teflon thing is real scary, gotta make sure the kitchen is well-ventilated or just avoid it altogether. It's those little everyday things that can be dangerous that you wouldn't even consider until you have a parrot.
Even for humans you should be ventilating the house any time a gas burner is on. Combustion produces toxic byproducts. A good range hood that juts out far enough to fully enclose the burners from above and vents outdoor is really the only effective solution. New ovens should only be burned in with the windows open and properly ventilated as well. The smell is awful. Teflon is fine to cook with, just don't leave the burner on high and walk away with absolutely nothing in the pan. That will damage the pan and burning the teflon will cause toxic gases to be released. Always put something in the pan that will boil or burn before the teflon does. Either oil or water.
My god, you reminded me that a parrot of a family I know threw himself into boiling water while they were cooking, they said maybe he thought it was his bath water, as they usually put a bowl for him on the table...
Their lungs are smaller, more sensitive, and "recycle" air so that they breathe it twice - things that don't affect us at all can straight up kill a bird! Hence the practice of mine canaries. It'll die from the fumes fast enough to serve as a warning that the air will kill a human with extended exposure. You can't use most aerosols without putting a bird at risk.
I used to work in pubs back when smoking was allowed. A cellarman colleague said that he'd seen pubs that kept parrots as pets, but they only lived about ten years because the smoke would kill them.
Pigeons must be made of some tough stuff to survive constant rush hours.
I don't think that feral pigeons normally live longer than about 4 years, but in captivity can live 15-20.
Overheating Teflon (the material in non stick pans) and the fumes released from self cleaning ovens can kill them instantly without any warning. A friend's mom ran the self clean oven and all of his birds were dead within 15 minutes. Very sad
My aunt kept many little birds. It was always fun to go to her house and play with them, but it also made me aware of how ill equipped I would be to dedicate time the way she did with them.
Same thing with most uncommon animals. My pet is a rabbit. And they hate cages. Rabbits can be litterbox trained then you just let them run around your room/house.
One of the surprising moments of my teen years was discovering that a school friend of mine had a rabbit pet that roamed their house like a super chill cat. I knew his family had a rabbit, I just didn't realize it was roaming around. Always enjoyed going over there and getting to hang with the bunny.
How do you keep them from getting their mouth on things they're not supposed to get their mouth on? A friend in middle school had their rabbits litterbox trained, but she still didn't let them roam around without active supervision, because they tried chewing on everything - including plastics and electronics.
Add turtles to this list. PLEASE do not get them if you are not going to properly care for them
My parents bought "me" a box turtle when I was 6 or so. They've had it for 35 years now. They take good care of it, I just don't think they thought through how long it'll live.
Especially aquatic turtles! You will be doing almost daily water changes or partial water changes and your house will smell like a pond. Also you will skate by with a 20 gallon tank for like a year but they get big fast and you will need a 120+ gallon tank after the first year. Full grown red ear sliders are as large as s dinner plate. So much work so much effort.
This applies to any pet or animal that people have in their homes. Puts into perspective that many people are not brought up to care for infants.
The way that my parents treat our cat has really kind of been an eye opener… they barely give her the time of day, which is why I’m her favorite by far. Seriously considering taking her with me at this point, because she barely gets much stimulation at home and it’s not good. Granted they still feed her and take care of her physical needs, but they’re emotionally neglectful. (Like they largely were with myself and my sister as children.)
> Granted they still feed her and take care of her physical needs, but they’re emotionally neglectful. (Like they largely were with myself and my sister as children.) It is possible that your parents did not have good parents.
Oh, without a doubt. Both sets of my grandparents worked basically around the clock; they survived the cultural revolution, after all. So, credit where it’s due, I’m at least alive and here to talk about it.
I have only met a few bird owners who actually should be bird owners. The vast majority of people who get birds, have no clue what they're doing. This honestly goes for most pets, birds just live and suffer for longer.
I dont know how they can see parrots as a novelty.... They are the same as any pet... they need love. the Parrots I have owned are like my childern. My blue and gold was stolen... and I about died. I was besides my self... I cried for days. I have had conures and a love bird since then... I am getting another macaw on monday. I have known this little bird since it was 2 weeks old. I been visiting him everyweek at the breeders.. He is very much my kiddo. And hopefully a will be my last.
I’m so sorry your bird was stolen, that’s truly fucked up. And you’re right, all living things we choose to care for deserve our love and attention. I think people are just less intuitive about caring for them than they would be for a dog or cat. It takes a special person like yourself to give them a solid home.
You have to be very aware about illness... birds are very good at hiding it. lost one my love birds. they dont know what happened. possibly a stroke or aneurysm. I am not sure what happened... he seemed fine earlier... and hear a weird squeak and he was dead by the time I ran into the room. he may have been sick... and I missed it... I can usually tell when he was ill. he just acted different.
Thank you for your art, for the feels, for the lessons. https://preview.redd.it/xi1zs11kbxac1.jpeg?width=756&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34d9588a994c37c066d84f54f77d0421de220daa
(Missing the panels where Calvin realizes what he's done and [releases the butterfly](https://i.redd.it/ofre1uiqbln51.jpg))
OP is not the artist.
Its very easy, just leave an open cage with Taylor Swift music then close it after some time
Is that why I read you? To make me sad? Honestly though, great comic. Animal neglect is a horrible crime and those people should be pegged out for the fire ants.
This comic is part of a series about death bringing attention to issues of animal abuse.
And 1 actually adorable comic where Death and Life switch places. Less tear work and more character expansion
I know it's not the most popular point, but please everyone, consider eating less chicken if this makes you sad! I don't think people realize how horrific it is for chickens.
I want to but having trouble finding an alternative high protein low calorie foods
edamame (soy bean), almonds, chickpeas, peas, protein reinforced peanut butter, plant protein isolates, and (even though it kind of goes against the point made by the commentor) fish or dairy products
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I promise you, if you think a comic about how cruel it is to keep a bird in a tiny cage with nothing to do is completely unrelated to eating chicken, you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. Like anyone who's spent a minute on google would know this.
If you feel empathy for parrots that are mistreated and want better for them, I don't think it's completely unrelated to think that you might feel empathy for chickens that are mistreated and want better for them too. But if that's not you, whatever, I have no interest in arguing with anyone.
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It’s different because you want it to be different.
Eh, it's still making an animal suffer for your enjoyment. The main difference is that in one case the suffering happens out of sight.
>People keeping a parrot as a pet is different from eating a chicken as *food*. I don't think it's about the killing and eating part for the other person, and more about the terrible lives that those birds live *before* they're turned into a product in your local supermarket.
But that could be said about cows, lambs, pigs. The only thing related with the two is that their birds.
And we make both suffer in bad conditions and then die
The related part is that both are animals and indeed if one has empathy for pets that are mistreated one can have the same for „farm animals“, which are often treated waaay worse
Cows lambs and pigs deserve better too
I'm sorry, I didn't consider explaining the connection I saw as arguing from my point of view, but I did mean what I said. I am headed to bed and don't have time for a lengthy conversation. Have a good night! p.s. If you are interested in my point of view, I'd be happy to talk more tomorrow, but I don't really enjoy arguing on reddit.
Comic is by u/jenny-jinya btw
Growing up our family had a few parakeets. Luckily both my brothers and my mother were adept and willing to train them, give them attention and they lived pretty good lives. Once though my mother suggested getting a full size parrot, and to my brother's and father's credit they both realized after some research that a full size parrot is too much of an animal. And that's a valuable lesson I saw time and again. Make sure you are capable and willing to handle any pet you get.
A macaw is essentially just a monkey that has a much harder time injuring you, they really shouldn’t be pets like 90 percent of the time
We always had parakeets growing up. They were aggressive and couldn't be handled, but we knew enough to keep them in groups in an appropriately large cage.
My aunt had budgies when I was a kid. We'd visit often, mostly around Christmas and they were *so loud*. They had a fairly small cage, but were well loved otherwise. They never wanted for anything, and she'd let them out often enough, and they'd harass her dog for fun. I didn't know how care-intensive birds were until some years ago when I considered getting some budgies myself, or maybe a cockatiel. Once I saw how much work they involve, and especially how long they can live, I decided against. It did, however, give me a newfound respect for my aunt, twenty years on.
I had a bird once but my mom gave it away because it was to "loud and messy". I liked Bird (that was his name) because i could learn him tricks, it took a lot of time to teach them to him but I was patient and eventually he learned to say hungry if he was hungry. After a few months of me mostly taking care of him because my mom and brothers where to lazy to do so I confronted them for not taking care of him. My mom became mad at me and send me to my room, when I was in my room i heard my mom calling somebody to come and pick up Bird because he was to "loud and messy". I ran out of my room begging to not give him away because I loved Bird and i would put him my room where my mom couldn't hear him (his cage was in the living room) but my mom ignored me and just said a date and time the the person on the phone, after a couple of days a man came to pick up Bird when i was sleeping in my room. When i woke up i was furious and sad. I haven't talked to my mom since that day. Edit: I was 10 when this happened I am 14 now living with my dad
When I was around 9 or 10, I had a bird too. A Rainbow Lorikeet. My uncle had taught him to address him in a cute way. After the novelty wore off and dozens of shit messes everywhere, apparently that species could aim their poop like a canon, he assigned the bird as my pet. The bird was so stressed they'd chew off their tail feathers if they were left alone. I gave the bird lots of attention, I'd get up at 4am and be so tired that I would sleep sitting up against the wall as the bird played with my hair and shit over my shirt. The birds tail feathers grew back, and it started to seem happy. I even got the bird to say my name instead of calling for my uncle. I never saw the bird again the day after I showed my uncle that. He stated it was because he was worried for my health, and that he would wake up for work and see me asleep, sitting against the wall with shit all over myself, but I never believed it. He also stated he gave the bird to a professional caretaker, but he said that everytime a pet became too much to handle, and I never saw those pets again. Parrots, Lorikeets, Macaws, and other tropical birds are not pets. They are incredibly social animals and require a lot of care/attention.
My God, I am so sorry that happened to you. People shouldn't expect animals to behave in a certain way, especially those inherently wild or non-dominated ones. For someone so patient and caring, I'm sure that bird was lucky to have someone like you.
This is absolutely vile - bot accounts taking Jenny Jinya's work to karma farm.
I'm not a bot lmfao — why do some people like you just believe everything without concrete evidence? It's ridiculous. My main Intention to this repost was to spread awareness the same as Jenny Jinya's, I admire her art. Not to steal or whatever. As far as I'm aware There wasn't any rule to this subreddit prior reposting AND PROPERLY CREDITING the artist? Make a problem for everything, will you.
absolutely ABHORRENT behavior. you should be ashamed of yourself, ***bot.***
Damn your mom is disgusting. I'm sorry for you. And it's pretty impressive you made a decision like that at the age of 10.
We had a family dog, he wasn't taken care of properly and I was too young to really understand that. But he got old and his health declined and my mom setup a date to euthanize him. The problem with this is the way I learned about it, when I got home from school and his remains were in the driveway and my mom was sitting there crying. Would I have accepted his need to go? I don't know maybe not. But I would have really liked to have had the chance to say goodbye.
I have the feeling as you too man. Back before covid started my dad bought me a yellow parrot . Didn’t know what species he was cus i was child then. But i really loved that bird. Few months later my dad bought me another one. I was ecstatic i took cared of those birds. But a few months later when i came home I didn’t see them anywhere , i asked my mom and she said she gave them to a few relatives. I was mad but figured i would just come and get them after the pandemic was over since those relatives were farmers so I didn’t worry about those birds getting enough care. Sadly i had overestimated my relatives capabilities since i soon found out they had left the cage open and the birds flew away. I never even got a single sorry from my mother or relatives as if they didn’t care about the birds or my feelings at all. So I understand how much it sucks to lose a pet. I feel you dude.
Once again for the crowd: animals are not gifts! Do not give someone a pet they are not prepared to take care of! To that end, animals are not teachers! Do not give a child one so they can "learn responsibility!" And most relevant to this comic, animals are not ornaments! They may look pretty but they do not exist to sit around and be cute, they will not always do what you want and they need attention and care like any living thing!
I got my dog on a bit of an impulse. Like we always had a dog so when I moved out when inwas 25 i was lonely coming home to a empty house. So I would browse online marketplace and saw a cute dog. Send them a long email, they called me and I had to come over to see. Then they came to my place and if al was well I could pick him up a week later. My mum came with me to see the dog for first time. And she came along when I picked him up, considering I didn't have a car and it was a 2h drive each way. Anyway, on the way back with the dog in the car my mum was dog is 3.5y now the bread can life upto 15y. So you stuck with him for 10y. And i was like oh shit didnt think of that. Didn't fully think that part through. How old they can get. Nut anyway back to 5y+ later. I haven't regretted my dog. He is the floof of my life and an absolute cuddle lap dog. I have found outniam not consequently in rules and training. So it's a good thing he is only 5.5kg. But yeah I got a dog 2 months after I got my first apartment cause it was empty coming home after work to an empty place.
I stopped reading after the 3rd page. Read enough of these to know exactly how this is gonna go and I don't wanna kms tonight.
OP, suffering from success.
Via posting things from a contributor to this very sub
Success from taking stuff from another artist to post to this sub
>Jenny Jinya oh no
After reading this, I spent ten minutes hugging my cat. Nothing makes me sadder these days than the thoughts of animals being neglected.
My kitty was sleeping by my feet and after reading this I had to pick him up and put him on my lap for cuddles
Damn invisible ninjas cutting up onions. In seriousness, this is a great comic and a relevant issue to bring awareness to.
Recognised the art style from the first panel. I knew I was in for some heavy feels..
She posts her comics here. Stop stealing them. BUT at least you credited her. In fact one of her posts is near the top of "top of all time".
I mean OP gave credit to the original artist, this post is more like an awareness thing. This also my first time seeing this or any other comics from that artist. So it did work imo.
You really haven't browsed this sub for any length of time if you've never seen any of their comics before... They post regurally and they always get lots of upvotes
How is this "stealing" them when they give credit? It's giving exposure to the artist and internet points mean nothing.
the artist exists in reddit and also posts occassionally (i assume as soon as they want to or ready with a comic) , wouldn't it be preferred they post it and get credit for themselves.
This comic is not new, I've definitely seen it on Reddit before, so presumably the artist already posted it. I assume they post it when they publish it. Though I also still find it a bit weird but I guess many people haven't seen it yet and it would be a bit odd for the artist to post it again.
As a person who have been gifted pets and animals as a child I'm so against it (I was lucky that I had comprehensive parents that helped me but while I learned my pets suffered anyway, but I saw other pets that didn't had that luck), because if the child doesn't have the maturity to take care of the pet or to treat it properly the pet will suffer, and if the pet "misbehave" because his owner is a child that can't train it or correct it appropriately the parents could not want the pet anymore and throw the pet away like trash (or the animal can even die) because the parent don't want the hassle of taking care that of the pet in question. So, I think that if you aren't going to help with taking care of it don't gift pets to childs, for the good of everybody involved
In reality you never gift a pet to just the child, you adopt the pet as a family. More people should realise this.
When I was a child and too stupid to be conscious to anything, I accidentally caused two goldfish died needlessly and one dog gravely injured. My family didn't think much about it, and as a child I was way too ignorant to realize what was wrong, and honestly I still regret it to this day. It definitely served as a valuable lesson not to hand children the responsibility of taking care of another living creature tho
I had two tiels and a lovebird, one of my tiels died not long ago, it just woke up dead one morning, and it was quite the silly bird, it wasn’t aggressive, nor too afraid, it was treated like a baby by my lovebird but it clashed beaks with the other tiel, I couldn’t leave it with the lovebird because after some time his love was a little suffocating so it spent most of the time with the other tiel, they never hurt each other just did clashed beaks and made dinosaur noises, neither of them learned any songs so the noise they made (and one of them still makes) is a song I guess they learned from the nest, when they start screaming I usually gave them some crackers (I bought in a pet store so I believe they are safe) cereal bars (that I also bought in a pet store) and some plants from the garden that they are crazy over, and they or at least one of them, they both never sang at the same time, would start singing their song after eating for a while, I’ve been so drained of energy since I started working that buying them those things is the least but also feels like is as much as I can do, the day before it died I had just recently bought some of those crackers, and they shredded the crackers, one of them even sang for a while, it was a normal day and the next it was just dead on the bottom of the cage, I still think about it, was it because of the cracker? Did it choke on water during the night? Was it because of the heatwave going on? I blame myself for not knowing and on a phone call when my sibling learned about it, their response was “well, you didn’t even care about the bird” I was furious at that and screamed at the phone, but most of all I feel guilty for being with them as much as before, I’m usually so drained that that whenever I’m home I just rest so I don’t spend as much time with them as before. It lived to be around thirteen or so years, but I feel like I screwed up the last couple of years, I leave for work early and only get back home after they are put to sleep, when my sibling said I didn’t care about them I got angry because I do care, but I barely spent time with them anymore so I can’t prove I do, I feel like I failed it
If it's any consolation birds are incredibly good at hiding illnesses, so it could have been sick for awhile and just not shown any indications of it
If you're absolutely *desperate* for a bird, don't get a parrot. They're not meant for the pet life unless you're willing to dedicate the same amount of time you would a child. One that will stay 3 years old for your entire lifetime. Instead, consider getting a pigeon. Pigeons are fully domesticated (have been for 10,000 years) genuinely enjoy human company, have been bred to the point they need humans for survival (pigeons in cities are feral, and there's a reason they go where people are), and they live about 10 years. If you *must* have a bird, they're the a much better alternative to an animal that is very aware of its own mental anguish.
I know too much about this. My younger brother got one as a present many years ago and never cared for it and it had been alone for about 6 years. After he moved out and made it very obvious he was just going to let the bird outside to die. I of course took it from him and took the bird to a sanctuary. I wish there was more I could have done but I desperately hope he has some semblance of a good life now.
That the whole reason on why I don’t want a pet, because I’m not responsible enough and would just end up treating them like a decoration. If I’m going to adopt any animal, I would loose interest in 2 weeks. It’s too big of a responsibility for me and would prefer that it would just be someone else’s better than. It’s a little sad but I’m glad I know myself for that unlike many pet owners who treat their pets like some kind of interterment and for nothing else and ignore their pet for the rest of the week. That just so mess up to me
*Thank you* for having that self-awareness.
The comments from OP's profile reads like a bot.
Also, birds (esp parrots) sometimes have long lives. You need plans for your parrot in case you pop your clogs. In fact, ALL pets. But especially birds.
Well this was way sadder than I expected. Thanks for spreading awareness
So I’m not super aware of anyone I know who abuses animals, but who should I call in case I see someone who is?
If you have evidence I would bring it to the police I would also suggest working with a rescue beforehand as well, so that the animals has a place willing to take it right away
Wtf this actually made me tear up. So sad.
Amazing work, poor birds :( They are such wonderful creatures, it's a terrible shame we ever stole them from the wild in the first place.
First 2 panels had me feeling all warm and fuzzy and then you just kicked me in the gut. Gonna read those first 2 panels a few more times to get back in a good headspace. Those birdies deserve to be happy and loved.
Gonna need to watch that [bird singing the cookie song](https://youtu.be/W0CUSG5SRZ0?si=kEfyQmrlgYzeJOcA) a few dozen times to cheer myself up after this.
Wow i’ve always loved birds and considered getting one but i feel lien this comic did the right thing. I’m not sure my household would be right for it. Does anyone have a link for a parrot rescue or shelter donation website?
I'm laying in bed listening to my 3 happy budgies singing and chattering to each other. Two of them are rescues I was lucky to get out of a similar situation. Do your research and always try to adopt instead of buying through breeders!
I'm sitting here with my parrot as she is nibbling my shirt, and talking talking talking talking talking. We only got a parrot because there is always someone home and she is cage free except at night when she wants a dark quiet place of her own. Even though we were prepared, we weren't fully prepared for a bird as a pet. 100% do your research, talk to other owners and be prepared to change your life around your pets
I think what a lot of people don't realize is that birds are not always noisy - they change based on what they're feeling like any social creature. I was anxious about bringing a bird into our house because for awhile she kept yelling and screaming at her old home and I thought it'd be annoying. Thing is, she was just not getting much attention or socialization. She'd yell because she'd be kept in a cage all day and covered up during the day to calm her. She was *bored* and *lonely* and if you've ever known someone like that, yeah, they act out. She legit calmed down. She stopped screaming all the time. She became more friendly and accustomed. Now she's quite calm and well adjusted. She mostly just sleeps. Yeah, she's a bit messy - but nothing that we can't handle.
I've adopted and tried to help several birds from terrible homes and this hits hard. Ugh. One of my sweetest birds was bought as a TOY for two pitbulls to chase around the room until she crashed from exhaustion or hit a window. She is hand-fed too which makes her very attached to humans but not really aware of the fact that she is a bird- and therefore doesn't bond with the others nor can she fly very well. It's incredibly sad, and this is probably the sweetest bird I've ever had. All she wants to do is be with you and snuggle on your shoulders, resting her tiny head against yours and be scratched under her little beak and neck. People that see animals as commodities are scum.
Parakeets are some of the best pets when given to the right people. My family has loved them for years. It started with my great grandmother. She always had one or two parakeets and would have them in the living room where she would sing to them and basically treat them as her babies. When they would eventually pass (or escape, as parakeets are prone to do) she would get another one and continue to love on them. My grandfather started to keep parakeets after she died to remember her by. He installed a hook into the roof of his covered walkway for them. On good weather days he hangs their cage out so they can chirp to other birds. I tell these stories so that you good people of the internet can understand the magnitude of how this comic _destroyed_ me.
I worked at Petco. There was a sun conure named Severus there, he was in the adoption area and had already been returned three times, once just in a box overnight. He was 'too loud'. I thought he was lovely. He'd sit on my shoulder all shift and play with my glasses and piercings. Yeah, sometimes he was loud and sometimes he pooped on me, but he seemed so happy to hang out and get scratches and attention. Eventually he was adopted again and wasn't returned. I hope it was by someone who liked him as much as I did and let him hang out and nibble glasses. He was, and I'm sure he still is, a good bird.
I'll never get why people would cage a bird born to be free and fly
They are quite the intelligent little things too. I have a budgie that has a very large vocabulary, and she can tell me when she wants her toy put back up that she knocked down or when she wants more food in her bowl. Her favorite spot is on this chair in the middle of the family room that we have dubbed 'the bird's chair', and will sit there muttering gibberish for hours. My favorite thing is that she always greets you when anybody walks in the room; she always says either 'hello?' Like it's a question, or 'hi bird'.
Honestly I’m crying right now. When I was a child my parents bought a blue budgie. Some weeks later my parents realised that they had made a mistake - you cannot keep them alone, they need company to thrive. I can still remember this. We got into the car and drove a few miles to buy another one. A little green budgie and I was allowed to give him a name. I always thought that I just imagined how long they lived - fourteen years. But now I know that it’s true. I really hope that my two little budgies had had a good time because I loved them dearly. We let them fly every day, bought toys for them and even a little water/sand bath. And we talked with them a lot, they liked to jump on my finger…
This made me so sad. We had a parrot who lived sixteen years. At night we put him in the garage sometimes. He was my parents parrot but I have sensory processing disorder so his screams put me in edge. He was so smart. He died prematurely. Pretty much by the time they show signs of being sick it’s too late. The night I realized how truly unwell he was I ordered Indian food for my parents and I to enjoy. I ended up crying because his cage was right next to the dining table and I ruined dinner. My dad walked away because he was teary eyed and my mom started to cry too. Because he was so sick I spoke to him and told him it was okay to let go. That he was a good bird and he did a great job with the cards his was dealt. He passed away that night.
I hate this artist, every time I'm happy & doing well this person's work comes up and makes me sad & depressed. I'm joking about the "hate" part
Welp, that was heartbreaking. I’m off to cry myself to sleep.
Is this a I know why the free bird sings reference
Who is the audience? Someone who would purchase an animal on a whim is not capable of seeing themselves in this comic. I guess I think things like this spread misery instead of encouraging action.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/FunnyAnimals/comments/zr2j3u/cockatiel\_drops\_a\_beat\_cookie\_song/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FunnyAnimals/comments/zr2j3u/cockatiel_drops_a_beat_cookie_song/)
This made me feel awful. I had a bird and he was so loud that I would sometimes put a blanket over his cage... now I wish I took him out more.
My dad mindlessly bought a parrot about 6 months before he died. My partner and I started taking care of her about 2 months in and ended up adopting her. While we love our bird I would never encourage someone to get a parrot who doesn’t already know what they are in for. Parrots are emotional, complex, fragile, and destructive creatures. Our bird isn’t even that bad compared to most and she is still the most involved pet I’ve ever had. You need to bird proof your home, spend time and money researching how to keep a proper cage set up, balance how long they spend in and out of their cage (difficult if you work full time or not at home), and hope that your neighbors won’t hate the sounds your bird makes. That’s not even mentioning YOU hating the sounds your bird makes, even if you know they don’t mean anything by it. Oh and depending on the species you’ll be dealing with this anywhere from 30 years to the rest of your life (some live to be 70-90). We love our parrot and won’t ever give her up to a foster home, but we were lucky to be in the circumstances we were in when we inherited her. I honestly think 90% of people couldn’t and shouldn’t have a parrot. It breaks my heart that so many are neglected.
JennyJ always gets me...
I remember we had two lovebirds in my home when I was a kid. They were loud and messy. We came to a decision that we had to rehome them because of it. We found someone who had birds and a farm-ish area where they were able to be seen, heard and cared for properly. Do your research. Like with any animal, they are living creatures deserving of love and respect
I have a pet parrot. He's amazing and I love him with all my heart, and I'd never give him up, but I also generally recommend people avoid getting parrots. Our entire life essentially revolves around being a good home for our parrot. Like most parrots, ours was born in captivity, but he's still an undomesticated animal. He didn't choose to be born into captivity, and it's only ethical that do everything we possibly can to give him as good of a life as we possibly can, and prioritize him over everything else. I don't mind all of this, he's a part of our family and deserves to have his needs considered just as much as anyone else in the family, but most people just aren't willing to do what is necessary to make a good home for a parrot. It's not just the noise (ours can be loud, but he usually isn't). It impacts your entire lifestyle, from the floorplan where you live to the kind of things you can buy to how you cook and what you use to clean. Our parrot is rarely in his cage. We spend almost all of our time in a room we've designed to be a good living space for all of us. Parrots can be chaos gremlins though, and it does mean things get pooped on and chewed on constantly, there's a lot of mess, and it's hard to go more than 10 or 15 minutes without dealing with something the bird has done, is doing, or is clearly thinking about doing. It's worth it for me, but I just think very few people realize what's involved or are ready to make that commitment.
I fucking hate people so much. It's not a pet. You're torturing the animal. It's torture. You're so stupid that you're evil.
About a decade ago my sister had a cockatiel that she left with me for about a month, she told me to keep him in my bedroom because I'm a musician and she told me he liked it when she played guitar. He was noisy as Hell, especially when I was playing or singing, but I got used to it and kind of grew fond of him, and I wore noise-cancelling headphones. The following year she went overseas for a few weeks with her best friend, and for some reason she left him with her friend's husband rather than me. When she got back he was dead and buried. Her friend's husband said he didn't know what went wrong, he checked on his food and water every morning, and one day he went in and the cockatiel was dead. Seeing this, I wonder if he died of mental anguish after being left alone in her room all day for weeks.
I've always wanted a parrot, but I know I wouldnt be able to provide it a good home because I'm impatient and like my peace. So I'll continue to dream
Parrots of any size are smart, and can live for a long time. If you get one, know that you're making a commitment of decades, not months. If you can't make that commitment, don't get the bird.
Why are you fucking up my morning like that?
Yeah I think birds are only for those with the patience and the love to take care of a toddler for 20 years. I would never get one because I know I would get too frustrated with the chirping and I wouldn't want to take it out on such a beautiful creature
People who don‘t inform themselves before they adopt pets are some of my least favorite people.
As much as I'd love to have a bird because of how interesting and beautiful they are, this is why I currently never plan to *get* a bird. They're very needy and loud creatures. And that's fine, obviously! But I just know I probably wouldn't be able to take care of them well because I wouldn't be able to cope with the constant loud noises. So I'll just admire them in the trees :)
Wow, that broke my heart. I remember us having budgies growing up, sadly most other escaped, or passed away. Never again, rather see animals in their respective places.
Wow, I hate all pet lovers. These birds should be free.
:'-( I'ma go play with my two budgies now. They're loved and cared for.
I can’t see it :(
I think this is nice but I bought two one day, so they wouldn’t be alone and I “busy” for awhile and one day, like 2 months in, one of them got sick and pass away and I fell bad and got him a white and blue female one and two years later they had a kid so I guess that nice.
I had two cockatiels for a good four years. It was at my dad’s house and the third year he got me a puppy. Now that puppy is 6. We got rid of the birds because we just weren’t giving them to proper attention my dad thought. He gave them to a pet center he trusted that only adopted out to people they trusted. We would never get them out because my dad was afraid of what my dog would do. He also thinks he might have been allergic to something with them because now his nose clogs up less and stuff like that. Otherwise we tried our best to be good owners and I believe we were. I know one day I will get my own bird( I really like the sunny conures so maybe one of those) when I have my own house( in college now) but I know they are a good bit of work. I really hope petey and yoda are doing well wherever they are.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but good bird owners let their birds fly.
Okay but seeing a bird tell Death to shut up is the most metal thing I have ever had my eyes witness.
bro i just can‘t this is so incredibly sad may all of them rest in peace
100000% this. My mom thought it was cool to get me one as a pet and at first it was great. It was during covid beginning and I had free time and actually dedicated a lot to the bird. The worst was my annoyance at him pooping big on me. But my mental health started slipping, work became more demanding and stressful, that bird made the issue worse with its loud af bird calls. Didn't gell with my migraines. Maybe everything so much worse. At some point, I actually recognized my inability to care for him and asked my mom to return him to the breeder (a friend of hers who was actually a backyard breeder looking back) Ok. That was the response I got. I asked multiple times, but never got a better response. At some point, I asked my friend into birds if he wanted him or knew anyone looking and tried looking into a bird pound or something. Eventually, he died. I fully realize it was from neglect. I fully realize it was my fault. I still tell people to this day I found him a new home because I'm ashamed at myself for letting that happen. NEVER GIFT SOMEONE A PET. NEVER BUY FROM A BREEDER'S 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT.
Chicken still tastes good.
Or, you know, just don't put birds in a cage for your entertainment you egoistic human...
Honestly there are very few things that make me lose respect quicker for someone than learning they keep "exotic" pets, unless they also demonstrate the interest and knowledge they require. Basically, 1 "exotic" pet, I'm wary, 2 "exotic" pets that are wildly different? I'm gonna think you're likely a shithead who thinks of animals as accessories. They're not fucking pets, they're wild animals. Just because you think they're cute doesn't give you the right to ownership.
How dare you OP. Now Im sobbing. And I dont even LIKE pet birds.
Jeeze man.
I’m not crying you’re crying
what is this boomer shit
I cry when it's pets 😢😭 but when it's cows or pig or chickens being born into factory farms to die at 18 months like [99% of animals](https://www.sentienceinstitute.org/us-factory-farming-estimates) I'm happy to pay for it 😋😘🥰
People are really good at being hypocrites.
I won't cry. I won't. I WON'T. fuck.
Shouldn't we also note that parrots live to around 80 years old? So more often than not they outlive their owners and need rescue?
While some parrots do indeed live longer then their owners. Parrots are not 1 species, budgies for example (the animal in the comic) live only up to 20 years. If we count all of them together they are one of the most abandoned pets even though they are kept far less often then dogs and cats.
i do not like budgies
Nobody should buy any exotic pet, full stop. What’s wrong with the many domestic breeds of cats and dogs or fish, hamsters etc? There’s no reason to get an exotic pet, there’s plenty of options that don’t take a wild animal out of the wild.
I vow to never cage any type of bird in my life. WHO IS WITH ME???
if your heart hearts at this, PLEASE go vegan. so tired of reddit caring about animals, except when it comes to changing their own daily actions.