It is a well-known fact that companion birds have not been fully domesticated, not by a long shot. Any person who has a parrot in their house for any length of time understands this simply by observing their behavior and attempting to interact with their “companion” bird, they quickly experience the “wild” that is still abundant in their feathered friend.

"DNA"

Unlike dogs (domesticated since between 30,000-15,000 BC) and cats (domesticated since 7500 BC), domesticated for literally centuries upon centuries, exotic birds (domesticated only since 300 BC) have only been seriously kept as pets for a much shorter period of time, if our record-keeping is correct. Keeping parrots for pets really caught on in the early 1500’s in Great Britain, even though the Roman’s regarded them of great value even before this. But still, this is not long enough for gene pools to split, expand and provide high and variable gene pool differences which guarantee that breeding anomalies will not occur at some point in any given breeder’s flock. And when you consider that the original “breeder birds” were literally captured from the wild, and this is where the foundational gene pools have been obtained, and because this is considered a “black market”, therefore difficult to smuggle these creatures across border lines, it is obvious that the gene pools, aka blood lines, are going to be relatively limited. This is what adds to, or constitutes breeding anomalies.  Because of a lack of gene pools from which to draw in breeding these exotic creatures for the commercial market coupled with the lack of good DNA data and record-keeping, birds are being paired with other birds they should not be paired with and producing offspring that are less than healthy enough to possess that “survival of the fittest” DNA. Add to that a high demand for companion birds from the public at large and we have, out of our own lack of knowledge, created an absolute breeding nightmare. (In fact parrots are only third behind dogs and cats as the largest growing sector of “domesticated pets” in the U.S.)  What we have been left to deal with are birds in our cages who are suffering a combination of physical, mental and emotional deficiencies. This is not a pretty picture.

There is a very specific name and category to the medical problem I am describing in this post. However, I will not be going in-depth here in my post because the overall problem cannot be solved with one post. This problem is one that will need to be addressed on a very wide-scale within the breeding community, as well as in the the commercial market of selling and buying parrots. This is a large-scale problem dating back to when parrots were first introduced as “domesticated pets” for us to enjoy in our homes. This wide-scale problem can be corrected, but it will require many, many years and a lot of diligence on the part of avian societies, groups and clubs working alongside breeders, as well as the general parrot-loving community getting involved and educated about the genetics of these beautiful creatures.

Much of what has happened, if my hypothesis is correct, was done out of lack of knowledge and our sheer desire to enjoy these wild creatures in our presence. As humans, we do what humans do; we welcome the wild into our civilized arenas hoping to co-habitate in a friendly manner. Unfortunately, often we don’t see the harm in such actions until it is too late and our actions cannot be reversed.

Now, let me state very clearly, my intention is not to condemn breeders, or anyone who has one of these dearly beloved creatures in their home. I only wish to help solve the problem of the Mutilation Syndrome so our avian companions can enjoy a healthier lifestyle with living in the misery of itching, scratching, plucking, picking and mutilating.

I also want to make sure that my readers understand I am not throwing out the premise of a good, healthy and balanced diet for birds who suffer from the Mutilation Syndrome just because I am announcing my hypothesis of the hidden cause of the Mutilation Syndrome. The very nature of my research findings, based on the genetics of the disorder, absolutely requires a specific diet for these birds. So please understand the means to the end of this research is a specific diet for a bird who’s genetics are such that they will have this disorder for the remainder of their life. After all, the general meaning of a “genetic disorder”, is that it will be in the DNA code of the living creature forever, it was born with the disorder.

I will go into a lot more detail about this “genetic disorder” in my future book I’m embarking upon. I have already begun writing my book, so be sure to keep your ears and eyes open for future updates. It will cover, in-depth, a myriad of topics that I only slightly touch upon within our blog-o-sphere.

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Machelle Pacion / The BEST Bird Food / BirD-elicious! / Passion Tree House LLC © 2012 All Rights Reserved

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