Comment Re:ironic... (Score 1) 182
...with abundant food...
Now here's something that irks me, although not by fault of the owners/companions. I have had several budgies. One vet told me that standard issue parakeet food is like Big Macs for parakeets, i.e. very fatty, unhealthy and hardly nutritious. So actually, while I thought that I was feeding my parakeets properly, I actually wasn't.
I never felt guilty for keeping parakeets. When properly trained, they are very social and intelligent and they appear quite happy for your companionship. However, in the end it appeared that I have been consistently poisoning them, even while making sure they would not overeat. That made me decide not to buy a new parakeet.
Long story short, even if pets get a proper home with food and protection, it may not be beneficial by definition, regardless of the owner's intentions.