SINGAPORE: Six years ago, Ms Resse Tan bought her first pet bird – a lovebird named Luna – from a private breeder for S$90 (US$66).
She did not expect the purchase would mark the beginning of her journey as a rescuer and fosterer of pet birds.
“As you can see, my house is a giant bird cage,” she told CNA. Her windows and main door are meshed, and perches are placed throughout her home, allowing birds to land freely.
Initially, she housed Luna and her second lovebird Rio in cages in her study. But as more birds joined her household, she gave them the space as a playroom and relocated her work area to the living room.
Ms Resse Tan's birds are allowed to fly free in her home, and her study has been turned into their playroom. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Bird owner Resse Tan with Kiko, a bird she is fostering after her neighbour rescued it. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Ms Tan, 44, represents a growing community of bird owners in Singapore prioritising their pets' welfare.
Once dominated by songbird enthusiasts who brought caged birds to community corners, bird-keeping in Singapore is now increasingly defined by the popularity of parrots – especially lovebirds, favoured for their small size and affordability.
Owners are also becoming more educated about bird nutrition. Seed-heavy diets, once common, are now discouraged due to associated health risks such as obesity and liver problems, said Ms Annie Phoong, who runs two Facebook groups for bird owners.
She said such diets are especially problematic for birds lacking space to fly.
“It’s best to give them something more (nutritious) and not fattening,” Ms Phoong added. She spends about S$700 a month on vitamin supplements for her own 20 birds.
Ms Maybelline Tan, 36, the president of Parrot Society (Singapore), feeds her parrots a mix of pellets, grains, fruits and vegetables.
“Having seeds is almost like giving a kid potato chips and chocolate all the time," said Ms Tan, who works as a marketing manager. “Parrots need a wide variety of food in order to be healthy, because they need the vitamins and all that.”
Ms Maybelline Tan and her husband with their birds. They have a playlist for Pepito, a green-cheeked conure that loves music. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Ms Maybelline Tan's Indian ringneck parakeet eats from its perch. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Bird owners are also increasingly willing to invest in veterinary care. Dr Neo Peici of Sora Vets said a vet visit can cost more than a lovebird, but owners are still prepared to pay.
"The owners are willing to spend this amount of money to make sure that the bird actually lives a fulfilling life," she said.
In the past, owners were content for their pet birds to live two to three years before replacing them. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted that mindset when owners started spending more time with their pets, said Dr Neo. "They realised that hey, (the birds) actually know a lot more things than we think they know."
Ms Resse Tan, for example, once spent over S$1,000 on a hormone implant for Luna, who had become exhausted laying excessive eggs. The implant was meant to last up to 18 months but wore off in three months.
Parrots have their own personalities and attitudes, said Ms Tan, a UX designer at DBS. She used to bring Luna along to office or work meetings where possible, and the bird would "blindly follow".
“Now she’s an adult already, she doesn’t really want to follow me. I have to ask permission, if she wants to come, she will come to my finger.”
Besides owning four lovebirds, Ms Resse Tan is fostering three birds. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Dr Neo said some bird owners are spending thousands on larger species, which has driven interest in proper care.
"People are more into the larger birds, the macaws and things like that," she said. "I guess when you invest in a S$5,000 bird, you would want to know more and see how you can better enrich its life."
Ms Joanne Khoo, who owns macaws and helps manage the Wings Of Parrots Community Facebook page, said there is a growing passion for parrots. Members of the group meet weekly at Marina East Park to let their pets fly freely.
At home, she hangs toys on perches for her five birds, which include macaws, Amazon parrots and major mitchell cockatoos. Her flat is too small for them to fly in, so outdoor exercise is vital.
"We realise the need to fly our birds because they need to exercise, have a more holistic life," said Ms Khoo, who is married with three sons.
Ms Maybelline Tan, on the other hand, focuses on indoor enrichment. Her two lovebirds, two Indian ringneck parakeets and two green-cheeked conures are too small to wear GPS trackers and not suited for free flying.
She also finds outdoor flying controversial due to predators and limited safe landing spots.
Indoors, she lets her birds out for about an hour each morning and evening to play on a bird tree bought from Chinese e-commerce site Taobao and customised by her and her husband, Mr Julien Mordret, 39. They replaced standard branches with varied perches to support foot health, and added DIY toys, soft wood, cuttlefish bone, toilet paper rolls, little ladders and bridges.
“We put dried flowers in these little bowls that we added around, and then we sprinkle seeds in them, so that they can go and search around the dried flowers and pick up the seeds,” said Ms Tan.
Her birds prefer to work for their food instead of passive feeding, she said. “They really love (foraging). In fact, it has become such a routine – so every time it's time for them to come out, they just zoom straight to the perch and start foraging.”
She has trained her birds to follow commands, such as stepping onto a scale for weight checks, picking up hoops and even giving high-fives.
Bird owners attach GPS trackers to their pets. (Photo: Glen Sim)
The Wings Of Parrots Community meets every weekend to let their birds fly free. (Photo: Isabelle Tay)
Ms Maybelline Tan's pet bird puts a hoop back on a wooden stand. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Ms Maybelline Tan, founder of Parrot Society (Singapore), and her husband Julien Mordret with their pet birds. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Birds are often perceived as lower-maintenance pets, but parrot owners say otherwise.
"When you want to have birds, you have to accept a few unpleasant things like poop, mess – their feathers and their food, they will fling out and go all over the place – and their screaming," said Ms Maybelline Tan. "I personally feel they’re actually more high-maintenance than dogs or cats."
Mr Mordret added that bonding with birds can feel transactional. "There is always food, incentive, play. But if one day you stop feeding them, stop playing with them, and you don't bother about them at all, then it's not guaranteed they will love you. A dog will always love you."
Dr Neo said she finds birds less predictable than dogs.
“For my dogs, I'm happy to bring her out and meet kids, because I can read her, I know what to expect from her,” she said. “I have seven birds at home – there's not one that I would trust completely.”
That does not mean bird owners love their pets less.
“They tend to steal your heart,” said Ms Khoo. She never imagined she would own a macaw, but was "captured by the beauty" of the bird. Because macaws can live for over 50 years, she sees them as a legacy to be passed on to the next generation.
"Just like Patek Philippe," she said, referencing the Swiss luxury watchmaker. "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation ... A parrot is equivalent to that."
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She did not expect the purchase would mark the beginning of her journey as a rescuer and fosterer of pet birds.
“As you can see, my house is a giant bird cage,” she told CNA. Her windows and main door are meshed, and perches are placed throughout her home, allowing birds to land freely.
Initially, she housed Luna and her second lovebird Rio in cages in her study. But as more birds joined her household, she gave them the space as a playroom and relocated her work area to the living room.
Ms Resse Tan's birds are allowed to fly free in her home, and her study has been turned into their playroom. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Bird owner Resse Tan with Kiko, a bird she is fostering after her neighbour rescued it. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Ms Tan, 44, represents a growing community of bird owners in Singapore prioritising their pets' welfare.
Once dominated by songbird enthusiasts who brought caged birds to community corners, bird-keeping in Singapore is now increasingly defined by the popularity of parrots – especially lovebirds, favoured for their small size and affordability.
Owners are also becoming more educated about bird nutrition. Seed-heavy diets, once common, are now discouraged due to associated health risks such as obesity and liver problems, said Ms Annie Phoong, who runs two Facebook groups for bird owners.
She said such diets are especially problematic for birds lacking space to fly.
“It’s best to give them something more (nutritious) and not fattening,” Ms Phoong added. She spends about S$700 a month on vitamin supplements for her own 20 birds.
Ms Maybelline Tan, 36, the president of Parrot Society (Singapore), feeds her parrots a mix of pellets, grains, fruits and vegetables.
“Having seeds is almost like giving a kid potato chips and chocolate all the time," said Ms Tan, who works as a marketing manager. “Parrots need a wide variety of food in order to be healthy, because they need the vitamins and all that.”
Ms Maybelline Tan and her husband with their birds. They have a playlist for Pepito, a green-cheeked conure that loves music. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Ms Maybelline Tan's Indian ringneck parakeet eats from its perch. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
INVESTING IN HEALTH AND ENRICHMENT
Bird owners are also increasingly willing to invest in veterinary care. Dr Neo Peici of Sora Vets said a vet visit can cost more than a lovebird, but owners are still prepared to pay.
"The owners are willing to spend this amount of money to make sure that the bird actually lives a fulfilling life," she said.
In the past, owners were content for their pet birds to live two to three years before replacing them. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted that mindset when owners started spending more time with their pets, said Dr Neo. "They realised that hey, (the birds) actually know a lot more things than we think they know."
Ms Resse Tan, for example, once spent over S$1,000 on a hormone implant for Luna, who had become exhausted laying excessive eggs. The implant was meant to last up to 18 months but wore off in three months.
Parrots have their own personalities and attitudes, said Ms Tan, a UX designer at DBS. She used to bring Luna along to office or work meetings where possible, and the bird would "blindly follow".
“Now she’s an adult already, she doesn’t really want to follow me. I have to ask permission, if she wants to come, she will come to my finger.”
Besides owning four lovebirds, Ms Resse Tan is fostering three birds. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Dr Neo said some bird owners are spending thousands on larger species, which has driven interest in proper care.
"People are more into the larger birds, the macaws and things like that," she said. "I guess when you invest in a S$5,000 bird, you would want to know more and see how you can better enrich its life."
OUTDOOR FLIGHTS, INDOOR PLAYROOMS
Ms Joanne Khoo, who owns macaws and helps manage the Wings Of Parrots Community Facebook page, said there is a growing passion for parrots. Members of the group meet weekly at Marina East Park to let their pets fly freely.
At home, she hangs toys on perches for her five birds, which include macaws, Amazon parrots and major mitchell cockatoos. Her flat is too small for them to fly in, so outdoor exercise is vital.
"We realise the need to fly our birds because they need to exercise, have a more holistic life," said Ms Khoo, who is married with three sons.
Ms Maybelline Tan, on the other hand, focuses on indoor enrichment. Her two lovebirds, two Indian ringneck parakeets and two green-cheeked conures are too small to wear GPS trackers and not suited for free flying.
She also finds outdoor flying controversial due to predators and limited safe landing spots.
Indoors, she lets her birds out for about an hour each morning and evening to play on a bird tree bought from Chinese e-commerce site Taobao and customised by her and her husband, Mr Julien Mordret, 39. They replaced standard branches with varied perches to support foot health, and added DIY toys, soft wood, cuttlefish bone, toilet paper rolls, little ladders and bridges.
“We put dried flowers in these little bowls that we added around, and then we sprinkle seeds in them, so that they can go and search around the dried flowers and pick up the seeds,” said Ms Tan.
Her birds prefer to work for their food instead of passive feeding, she said. “They really love (foraging). In fact, it has become such a routine – so every time it's time for them to come out, they just zoom straight to the perch and start foraging.”
She has trained her birds to follow commands, such as stepping onto a scale for weight checks, picking up hoops and even giving high-fives.
Bird owners attach GPS trackers to their pets. (Photo: Glen Sim)
The Wings Of Parrots Community meets every weekend to let their birds fly free. (Photo: Isabelle Tay)
Ms Maybelline Tan's pet bird puts a hoop back on a wooden stand. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
Ms Maybelline Tan, founder of Parrot Society (Singapore), and her husband Julien Mordret with their pet birds. (Photo: CNA/Faith Ho)
MORE DEMANDING THAN DOGS
Birds are often perceived as lower-maintenance pets, but parrot owners say otherwise.
"When you want to have birds, you have to accept a few unpleasant things like poop, mess – their feathers and their food, they will fling out and go all over the place – and their screaming," said Ms Maybelline Tan. "I personally feel they’re actually more high-maintenance than dogs or cats."
Mr Mordret added that bonding with birds can feel transactional. "There is always food, incentive, play. But if one day you stop feeding them, stop playing with them, and you don't bother about them at all, then it's not guaranteed they will love you. A dog will always love you."
Dr Neo said she finds birds less predictable than dogs.
“For my dogs, I'm happy to bring her out and meet kids, because I can read her, I know what to expect from her,” she said. “I have seven birds at home – there's not one that I would trust completely.”
That does not mean bird owners love their pets less.
“They tend to steal your heart,” said Ms Khoo. She never imagined she would own a macaw, but was "captured by the beauty" of the bird. Because macaws can live for over 50 years, she sees them as a legacy to be passed on to the next generation.
"Just like Patek Philippe," she said, referencing the Swiss luxury watchmaker. "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation ... A parrot is equivalent to that."
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