BIRD BEHAVIOR

Today the vast majority of parrots being purchased as companions are captive bred and hand-raised. While these parrots are domestically-raised, they certainly are not domesticated. Until they have been bred for many generations, they will continue to have a genetic make-up which prepares them for life in the wild, not in our living room as a pet. Although their genetic inheritance carries instructions for much of their personality, parrots are also intelligent animals whose behavioral development is greatly influenced by learning. What all this means is that, as the humans in a parrot's life, we must teach them how to behave in our homes if they are to be successful human companions. We can not blame the parrot for his inappropriate behavior as a pet if we do not help it adapt to live in our living room. In fact, without proper guidance, the major cause of what we consider to be behavioral problems in pet parrots is a bird in control of his own life doing a bad job of it. A pet parrot's misbehavior is rarely the parrot's "fault" but usually a lack of guidance on the part of the people in their lives. There are some very simple patterning exercises and consistent guidance techniques we can use to help parrots behave in ways that do not create serious problems in the human/parrot bond.

Verbal Commands and Basic Rules

The consistent use of verbal commands will give your parrot a clear message about what you expect from him. Keep them simple the more words in the command, the more difficult it will be for the parrot to understand what you are asking of him. Maintaining hand control by giving the "UP" command every time your parrot steps on your hand and using the word "DOWN' every time he steps off is essential to being able to handle your parrot on a consistent basis. Losing hand control is the first step to losing behavioral control of your parrot.

Consistent patterning to basic rules will help a parrot tame. Maintaining control of your parrot in his cage is very important and usually quite easy to accomplish. The most basic rule is establish a consistent pattern of reaching into the cage, using the "UP" command and bringing your parrot out on your hand instead of just letting him come out by himself This will help keep him from becoming aggressive around his cage as he matures. Just leaning against the cage and letting him step on your shoulder can loss of hand control problems as he matures. Letting your parrot sit on your shoulder can create serious problems with aggression and facial injury. There are four basic rules to safely allowing a parrot on the shoulder. The first is to place him there with explanatory commands such as "SHOULDER,"OK," and "DOWN" instead of letting him use your arm as a runway. The second rule is that he should never be allowed on your shoulder if he shows aggression when he is there. The third rule is to make sure he has something to do while he is on your shoulder so you don't have to give him drama about biting your ear or chewing on your clothes. And finally, he should not be allowed on your shoulder unless he will readily come off onto your hand with the "UP" command.

Anticipation Of Need

Often, negative behaviors can be avoided if people understand their parrots basic needs in certain situations. For example, parrots are social eaters and anyone who eats in front of a parrot without replenishing his food dish with a new edible tidbit will usually be screamed at. So by simply placing fresh food into the parrot's dish before sitting down for dinner usually will prevent a screaming episode. Parrots also enjoy social interaction with their flock and have greeting and farewell rituals. By getting into the habit of telling a parrot you are leaving the room before you leave and by greeting him immediately upon arrival home, the parrot's screaming as a demand for attention can often be avoided. Parrots pick up our moods and energy and it is natural for them to become raucous in noisy situations. In some cases, if the household is going to become very noisy with lots of activity, it may be a good idea to give your parrot some time-out in a quieter part of the house if it is important that he doesn't become so noisy. Some parrots become afraid of new situations. For example, my normally friendly gray, Bongo Marie, usually likes visitors, however if someone is bringing something large by her cage, she will become frightened. In these cases, I anticipate her fear and either cover her cage or put her in another cage in the back of the house so she will avoid a possible traumatic situation.

I have had people say to me that if they have their parrot out of the cage with them for more than a half hour, he will get anxious and bitey. Yet they need for me to tell them that this is a very direct signal from the parrot and they should gauge the time and avoid the biting behavior by placing the parrot back in the cage at about 25 minutes. In other cases, people go ahead and try and take their parrot out of its cage even though it seems to be all wound up from playing with its toys. Common sense would dictate that a person should announce their presence first and then wait for the parrot to calm down before taking him out. Paying close attention to your parrot's behavior and knowing his responses to certain situations will go a long way in nipping negative behaviors in the bud.

Gentleness And Trust

Parrots are instinctively 'prey animals' which means they become a meal for predator birds or animals if they are not wary enough. Because of this, many parrots can become mistrustful and even afraid if they are handled in an aggressive manner or if there is a great deal of stress in their life. It is important to make sure that no one (even your avian veterinarian) handles your parrot in an overly aggressive manner. While parrots may occasionally have to be in situations that are uncomfortable for them, it is critical that the general atmosphere should always be one which is protective and benevolent towards the parrots needs. If a parrot has been handled aggressively and is reacting with fear, don't try to force him to accept attention right away. Be patient and move very slowly to help rebuild the trust he will need to come to you for gentle handling

The Absolute Best Medicine

Many people lose control of their parrot's behavior and start to have serious problems simply because, often without realizing, they have gradually decreased the amount of attention and affection they provide their parrots. The best medicine for a parrot starting to exhibit behavioral problems is an increase in the amount of time people spend with them. This focused, 'in-your-face' time is not shared with anyone or anything else. During this time, you are totally focused on your parrot. It is just the two of you! You can spend this time cuddling with him and scratching his head. Or you can talk to him and teach him new words or songs. The most important aspect of this time is that he has your undivided, totally focused attention! Focused time is the best medicine for a parrot who has started to misbehave. People often call me for a consultation when they began to notice that their parrot is starting to become difficult. They usually don't realize that this beginning misbehavior is often a 'cause and effect' response to a decrease in focused attention from the owner. I usually recommend at least 10 to 15 minutes of totally focused attention a day. Focused time is the most predictable 'tool' to restore tameness to a parrot who has started to become difficult.

Work With Underlying Causes

Excessive screaming, biting, cage aggression, single person bonding with aggression towards others, behavioral feather picking, food rigidity, and abnormal fear responses are the most common behavioral problems in companion parrots. However, these behaviors are not really the problem but the symptoms of the underlying problem which is a parrot in charge of his own life doing a bad job of it. "Quick fix" responses and punishments such as squirting with water, covering the cage, placing in a 'naughty-box,' banishing to a dark closet, and such totally unacceptable reactions as screaming, dropping the bird to the floor, or hitting the bird are inappropriate. They may seem to work at first by only work only as a distraction for a very short time and do not change the parrot's behavior on a long-term basis. Quick-fixes and aggressive responses often damage the trust necessary for a positive parrot/human bond. Many of these "quick fixes" actually provide a drama reward for negative behavior that actually encourages more negative behavior. A simple "NO" with a quick disapproving look is all the discipline needed to deal with a negative behavioral situation.

The key to changing negative behavioral symptoms is to change their underlying cause by providing a nurturing guidance with verbal commands, rules, and anticipation of need is far more effective. This takes patience and understanding on the part of the owner and also means that the owners will have to consistently change their behaviors towards the parrot. Parrots are highly reactive animals and positive changes in the owner's behavior towards the bird will bring about positive changes in the parrot's behavior.

Pet Bird Behavior Expert Providing Nurturing Guidance To Companion Parrots by Sally Blanchard

Other articles by Sally Blanchard are available from the Pet Bird Report.

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