What Type of Person Would Own a Bird? December 19, 2006
Posted by Andrew in : Articles , trackbackBy Larry Swanson
Profiling the Bird Owner
According to the AVMA, in 78.2% of bird owning households females are the primary person responsible for care of the bird. One interesting piece of data is that while 58.7% of bird-households own only one bird, 12.6% of bird-households own four or more bird.
“Families or individuals who lived in mobile homes were more likely to own birds than those who lived in other types of dwellings. In 2001, 6.5% of those living in mobile homes, compared with 4.7% of those living in houses, owned birds. Also, 3.8% of apartment dwellers and 2.4% of condominium dwellers owned birds in 2001″ (AVMA, 2002, p. 62)
In the most recent survey by AVMA (2001 data), it was found that household income levels were not a big determining factor in the ownership of birds. In other words, 4.2% of households with income over $85,000 owned birds and 5.1% of households with income less than $20,000 owned birds.
Some data on the pet related spending habits of the public was obtained from the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association where they state that:
- In 1994, the total industry expenditures were $17 billion, nearly doubling in 2003.
- For 2003, $32.4 billion was spent on our pets in the U.S.
- For 2004, it is estimated that $34.3 billion will be spent on our pets in the U.S.
America’s love affair with pets is indicated by the yearly growth in spending on food, care, and supplies.
Total U.S. Pet Industry Expenditures:
Year Billion
2004 $34.3 est.
2003 $32.4
2002 $29.5
2001 $28.5
According the the APPMA, the greatest expense for pet owners over a 12-month period is veterinary care services, followed by food, then supplies.
According to the APPMA, when it comes to our pets, “We pamper them. We bring them wherever we go. We surprise them with something new on special occasions. They even get holiday presents. They are our pets!”
This idea of parrots being thought of as family members is further supported by findings reported in A Bird in the House: An Anthropological Perspective on Companion Parrots by Patricia Anderson where she states: “The data support the impression that companion parrots increasingly are being considered family members, or “Fids” (”Feathered Kids”), thus following current trends in American society that accord companion animals in general a greater investment in time, money, and emotion.”
For more statistics on bird owners including graphs and charts, visit Parrot Ownership
Larry Swanson is webmaster of several sites including http://www.parrots.com
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