Why don't vets spay parrots the way they do cats and dogs? Wouldn't that help with some of the behavior problems when birds get to breeding age? It would help with overpopulation, too.

--Sharon Beck beckshar@yahoo.com

Because parrots are very different creatures from mammals, spaying isn't a viable option for controlling overpopulation or undesirable hormonal behavior.

For one thing, the problem of overbreeding is directly caused by humans, who pair birds, provide nest boxes and allow eggs to hatch, not stray birds.

For another, removing the entire reproductive tract in female parrots is difficult. While oviduct removal, the equivalent of a mammalian hysterectomy, can be done in a vet's office, taking out a bird's ovaries requires the preciseness of a laser, usually available only in university veterinary facilities. Unlike mammalian ovaries, which are contained organs, a bird's ovaries are more diffuse, like a cluster of grapes, and fed by a large blood supply.

The only good reason for removing a parrot's reproductive organs, effectively neutering it, is to treat disease; for example, testicular cancer or tumors of the oviduct. Even then, this invasive surgery is not without risks, even in the hands of an experienced avian veterinarian.

ParrotChronicles.com

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