After years of PETA protests outside PETCO stores, the pet store chain has agreed to stop selling parrots, cockatoos, and other large birds. That's because these birds have needs that can't be met in the average living room.

Concrete Jungles Don't Cut It

In the wild, parrots and other birds live in huge flocks. They are never alone, and if separated even for a minute, they call wildly to their flockmates. Many birds mate for life.

But in captivity, birds are usually put in a cage all alone, sometimes for decades. Unable to fly and play with other birds, they can go crazy, pulling out their feathers, calling out for birds who aren't there, or repeatedly bobbing their heads.

Business Is Bad for Birds

Parrots and other birds are still captured from rain forests and sold into the pet trade, even though they are endangered and it's illegal. Birds are smuggled out in cramped containers—sometimes stuffed into socks or shoes, small boxes, or even poster tubes. It's no surprise that half of these suffocating, hungry, thirsty birds die before ever reaching a store.

Parrots and other exotic birds are also raised in cages, like dogs at puppy mills. They are never allowed to fly or even stretch their wings all the way out. Even if they are bred in captivity, birds are still wild animals who long for freedom and companionship.

Did You Know?

Parrots can live 50 to 70 years, so they often become homeless when they outlive their guardians.