# Declawing parrots?



## paulajo

Ive just read this advert on Birdtrader. Is this common practice as i'm horrified. Why would this be done? :censor:

Proven Pair of African Grey Parrots for sale in Bedfordshire :: Birdtrader


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## BlackRose

Oh poor things! I've never heard of it before myself but common practice or not I'm horrified also! 
Same as declawing cats and debarking/ear and tail cropping dogs!
I've heard of devoicing parrots and something called beak splitting but dunno what that is about exactly. Sounds painful though!


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## duffey

*declawing parrots*

Firstly - look closely at the wording of the advert. The mention of "shots" and declawing makes it fairly obvious that it is a "Scamming" advert!

If you follow it up, you will no doubt be asked for money up front for non-existent birds.

The "declawing" of parrots - or any other bird - does not take place in the UK! Birds which lose claws, or toes, through accidents lose value. Additionally, the loss of even one claw is an exhibition fault if a bird is exhibited.


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## paulajo

Hi Duffey

Oh i hope it is a scam but why have their claws been removed though? It looks awful!

Do parrots not have 'shots' and is this carried out in other countries?

I still dont understand why they would do something like that. What is the reason?

Also do you know what de-beaking' is? Blackrose mentioned it but i cant seem to find an explanation, just curious.


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## duffey

Paulajo,

I agree it looks horrendous! There is no valid reason for doing it and it achieves no purpose - quite the reverse, makes it difficult for the bird to perch.

The birds look in superb condition aside from the feet!

Also, the food shown in the feeding dish looks ideal for Greys - all Parrots need a diet of pulses, fruit & veg rather than dry seed.

However, in UK & Europe, missing nails reduce value. No aviculturist (bird keeper) would condone declawing! A bird, purposely declawed, has no value! There may be "ethnic" communities that follow the practice - and it has to discouraged! 

In UK & Europe birds are not routinely vaccinated - although some Pigeon fanciers do vaccinate their stock.

The wording and phraseology of the ad are suspect - the advertiser is probably in West Africa rather than Bedford! It is sometimes interesting to follow up ads such as these and then report them to the site. Would also suggest that you contact the Parrot Society via their Website - they will also confirm that declawing is not acceptable. 

"Debeaking" is practiced in commercial poultry - it's not as bad as it sounds. The beak is NOT removed - the tip of the beak is clipped on chicks. As I understand it, when kept at 'commercial rearing levels' (high density) chicks can frequently be injured or killed due to aggression and the practice of "debeaking" (or trimming the beak) lowers the death rate. This only applies to poultry - it is not used in the keeping of other birds such as Parrots etc!


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## Zoo-Man

duffey said:


> Paulajo,
> 
> I agree it looks horrendous! There is no valid reason for doing it and it achieves no purpose - quite the reverse, makes it difficult for the bird to perch.
> 
> The birds look in superb condition aside from the feet!
> 
> Also, the food shown in the feeding dish looks ideal for Greys - all Parrots need a diet of pulses, fruit & veg rather than dry seed.
> 
> However, in UK & Europe, missing nails reduce value. No aviculturist (bird keeper) would condone declawing! A bird, purposely declawed, has no value! There may be "ethnic" communities that follow the practice - and it has to discouraged!
> 
> In UK & Europe birds are not routinely vaccinated - although some Pigeon fanciers do vaccinate their stock.
> 
> The wording and phraseology of the ad are suspect - the advertiser is probably in West Africa rather than Bedford! It is sometimes interesting to follow up ads such as these and then report them to the site. Would also suggest that you contact the Parrot Society via their Website - they will also confirm that declawing is not acceptable.
> 
> "Debeaking" is practiced in commercial poultry - it's not as bad as it sounds. The beak is NOT removed - the tip of the beak is clipped on chicks. As I understand it, when kept at 'commercial rearing levels' (high density) chicks can frequently be injured or killed due to aggression and the practice of "debeaking" (or trimming the beak) lowers the death rate. This only applies to poultry - it is not used in the keeping of other birds such as Parrots etc!


Can I just rewrite your last paragraph?

De-beaking is done where chickens are kept in disgustingly cramped conditions, as the majority of commercially farmed chickens are. It is done to reduce injury to one another, as they squabble for space. It is a horrid practice that should be banned. It can be likened to piglets having their canine teeth clipped to prevent them from injuring each other when they are crammed into the awful factory farms where they are reared.


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## paulajo

Thanks Zoo-man & Duffy I now understand.......

Cruel and totally unnecessary!! 

I had images of de-beaking,meaning they were removing most of the beak!!

I remember when i was a child my dad snipping off the tip of a chickens beak as it was an egg eater. It upset me so much but he had been advised to do it. 

I'm very much a person who thinks animals should be as they are, no clipping, cutting, snipping or docking etc unless a bloody good reason (castration is different)..............of course when it comes to the human race, now thats a totally different ball game! :lol2:


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## Sarah-Jayne

Haven't read the whole thread, but how on earth would a parrot be able to perch without claws!?


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## Zoo-Man

It would probably be an American thing, like they de-claw cats, remove baby monkeys from their parents to be hand-reared, hack parrot's wings, crop dog's ears, etc etc.


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## befxxx

the way i see it is if you cant cope with an animal without chopping bits off or ripping bits out.. DONT GET IT.


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