Petition to Maryland Lawmakers

Parrots are intelligent, emotionally complex animals—not impulse-purchase merchandise.

We are calling on Maryland lawmakers to prohibit the sale of parrots in retail pet stores while continuing to allow responsible parrot ownership, adoption through reputable rescues, and placement through ethical breeders.

Parrots can live for several decades, with some species living 50 years or longer. They require daily social interaction, mental stimulation, specialized diets, appropriate housing, and access to avian veterinary care. They can also be extremely loud, destructive, demanding, and expensive to care for properly.

Despite these significant needs, parrots are still sold in retail environments where customers may purchase them without adequate education, screening, or preparation for the lifelong commitment involved.

Pet-store sales can encourage impulsive purchases by presenting parrots as ordinary household pets rather than highly specialized animals. When owners later realize they cannot meet a bird’s needs, the parrot may be surrendered, repeatedly rehomed, neglected, abandoned, or left in inadequate conditions.

Bird rescues are already overwhelmed by the number of parrots needing placement. Unlike dogs and cats, many parrots may outlive their original owners and pass through several homes during their lifetimes. Behavioral and psychological problems caused by isolation, improper care, or repeated rehoming can make finding a permanent home even more difficult.

The recent rescue of hundreds of birds by BARCS following a Baltimore City Animal Control investigation demonstrates how quickly bird-welfare emergencies can reach an overwhelming scale. Although officials did not identify the location as a pet store, the case serves as a painful reminder that birds are often overlooked in animal-welfare discussions and that shelters may lack the space and specialized resources needed to respond.

What This Petition Is Requesting

We ask the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation that:

• Prohibits retail pet stores from selling parrots directly to the public.
• Allows pet stores to partner with legitimate bird rescues and shelters to promote parrots available for adoption, without profiting from the sale of the animals.
• Continues to allow Maryland residents to adopt parrots through reputable rescues.
• Continues to allow responsible, ethical breeders to place parrots directly with carefully screened owners.
• Establishes reasonable enforcement measures to prevent businesses from avoiding the law through third-party sellers or misleading “adoption” arrangements.

This proposal would not ban parrots as pets. It would not punish responsible owners, rescues, or ethical breeders.

Its purpose is to remove parrots from retail environments that encourage convenient, unplanned purchases and replace that system with one centered on education, screening, responsible placement, and long-term welfare.

Ethical breeders typically communicate directly with prospective owners, answer species-specific questions, provide care guidance, and have the opportunity to determine whether a buyer is prepared. Reputable rescues similarly educate and screen adopters while helping match birds with appropriate homes.

Pet stores generally cannot provide that same level of individualized, lifelong accountability.

Parrots deserve homes chosen with care—not purchases made on impulse.

By signing this petition, you are asking Maryland lawmakers to recognize the unique needs of parrots and end their commercial sale in pet stores while protecting responsible adoption, ownership, and ethical breeding.

Please sign and share this petition to help create a safer and more responsible future for parrots in Maryland.