Canaries are widely kept pet birds, but selective breeding for extreme song and plumage traits has created welfare problems, and many birds are kept in conditions inadequate for their behavioural needs.
Canary welfare is compromised both by inadequate husbandry and by selective breeding for extreme traits. Canaries in small cages cannot fly properly, leading to muscle wastage and psychological frustration. Solitary keeping deprives social birds of conspecific interaction. Some singing strains have been bred to the point where song behaviour displaces normal feeding and resting, raising welfare concerns about extreme trait selection. Good canary welfare requires a large cage or aviary allowing free flight, companionship from at least one other canary, dietary variety, and perching of different diameters to maintain foot health.