My occasional bouts of guilt over the caging and captive issues fuels my desire to make my chams the best possible enviroment i can provide.
Guilt has a positive side...
It means you care in the first place.
It also means you go to a lot of effort to give your cham a decent life. You probably read everything you can about their life in the wild, their habitats and how you can re-create it.
You probably observe your cham's behavior just in case you discover something it needs to make it's life better. The more carefully observant we are the more likely we are to improve their condition in captivity...either by learning how best to house, feed, medicate, and interact with them.
You understand and accept their personalities and don't demand that they change to suit your expectations.
If you simply sit and feel bad but take no action, that's when guilt isn't productive.
I've had quite a few exotic birds over the years. Now I have a pair of blue crowned motmots (relatives of kingfishers and the kookaburra) in an large indoor aviary that takes up about 1/3 of my living space. Yes, they are birds and often people feel birds suffer more than anything else in captivity because they are built for the ultimate freedom...flight.
Do I feel guilty about having them in captivity for my enjoyment? Yes and no. One was wildcaught and one was hand raised and the way they interact with me and behave is pretty much the same. They free fly in my house whenever I am home and they often sit in their aviary even if they have a choice not to. It is their home territory after all. I understand their behavior and provide cover, proper climate, lighting, bathing, diet, and live food they have to pursue and capture. I know what interests them. I know signs of illness. I give them things to investigate and learn about. They are healthy, active, alert, interact with me, and neither show the dreaded repetitive circling frustration behavior we associate with confinement.
When deciding on any species to keep captive, considering their wild habits is key. Motmots are pretty sedentary, sit and wait predators. They are not strong distance fliers, migratory nor do they move through very large territories in the wild. Most of the time they sit and watch for food. They tend to be nervous so they appreciate a peaceful predictable place without alarms or threats. They pair up for life and don't need to be separated at any season.
Would I choose to keep a gull, hawk, or other distance flying bird in an aviary? No. There's no way to provide them with seasonal changes in space. What about really cognitive birds like corvids or parrots? I choose not to keep them because I worry that captive life just can't be very satisfying or interesting enough for them.
The bottom line to me is to be very careful in selecting what kind of animal to bring into your home life. Some are much better suited than others and it is your responsibility to educate yourself before taking the plunge. If you are constantly doubting your choice and guilt is overwhelming its a sign you made a mistake.
