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Parrot Behavior and Myths

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Parrot Rules

I know these Parrot Rules have been floating around out there for a long time, but that doesn't make them any less true!

1. If I like it, its mine.

2. If it’s in my beak, its mine.

3. If I can take it from you, its mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, its mine.

5. If its mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.

6. If I’m chewing something, all the pieces are mine.

7. If it looks like mine, its mine.

8. If I saw it first, its mine.

9. If you have something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

Behavioral Tips

Establish trust first and foremost. Use nurturing guidance, not dominance.

NEVER strike, flick the beak or throw your bird to the floor. ALWAYS praise appropriate positive behaviors, "good step up!" as opposed to punishing negative ones.

Learn your birds over stimulation signals-tail fanning, feather puffing, eye flashing.

Remember, birds have short attention spans and like small children, do not comprehend "cause and effect" well.

Use a "neutral room" when necessary.

Use "step up" and "step down/off" with every interaction including coming in and out of the cage.

Be sure all family members interact with the bird, and use CONSISTENCY.

Parrots are "drama queens" - don't use drama rewards!

Avoid "quick fixes" - yelling, cage covering, spraying with water, they don't address underlying issues. Learn what's causing the behavior.

Recognize that biting starts as a fear response-creating and enforcing fear does not work.

Lower your energy before approaching your bird.

Appropriate time outs mean cage time with no interaction- do not banish your bird to the basement.

Play "the towel game" with your bird often. Educate yourself about birds and their behaviors. Use patience and understanding. Don't always expect 100% from your bird, we all have bad days!

by Marilu Anderson, Bird Nutrition and
Behavior Consultant Phone: (503) 771-BIRD

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This is a question that you must ask yourself before you think of keeping these lovely birds as pets. Type of Pet Bird, African Grey, Quaker Parrot, Goffin Cockatoos, Umbrella Cockatoos, Amazon Parrot, Redwinged Parrot, parot, Indian ringneck parrot, Red-Winged Parrot ........ It is...........

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Conversation with a Parrot. Met Irene Pepperberg and Alex, the African gray parrot that she has taught to understand and use a large number of words..................

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Myths About Parrots

by Marilu Anderson, Bird Nutrition and Behavior Consultant
Phone: (503) 771-BIRD

There's a lot of myths out there about parrots as companions. They all bring a smile to my face, but let me highlight a few of my favorites!

Myth #1 - Parrots are easy, low maintenance pets!

Absolutely my all-time favorite! For some reason, non-bird people assume that because parrots live in cages and don't require litter boxes or daily walking, they are minimum care, easy pets - nothing could be further from the truth. As any bird owner worth his sweet potatoes can tell you, these little guys need as much time, attention and "stuff" as any human child!

The two page application I have people fill out when they want to adopt from my "Matchmaker" program asks if they're willing to chop, cook, and bake for their bird and if they'll seek counseling for behavior problems. Parrots need a varied, well balanced diet, big cage, a playstand or two, lots of toys, a carrier, trips to the vet and groomer, and daily hands on attention. Of course, the rewards more than make up for all the expense and inconvenience! Since their lifespan is close to ours, getting a parrot is a lifetime commitment (or should be.)

There's lots of words that describe sharing your home with a parrot - fun, messy, loving, expensive, entertaining, noisy, enriching, etc., etc. - BUT easy and low maintenance they are not!!

Myth #2 - You need to get a baby and/or hand feed it yourself to truly bond!

Not true, not true! While Amber, my Blue and Gold Macaw, who I raised from 2 months of age, and I have a wonderful and close bond, I have equally close bonds with Ozzy (my Eclectus) who came to me at 8 years of age, and Niki (my Gold Capped Conure) who joined us at age 7. The important thing is to get a bird who was hand raised and well socialized by nurturing caregivers. Birds are capable of forming many bonds throughout their lives, and transition well provided they were raised with good guidance.

One of the advantages to getting an adult parrot is that "What you see is what you get." With babies, you need to be skilled in proper training techniques and provide constant guidance. You may or may not end up with a talker. With adults, personalities are well formed and there's less chance of making a mistake in training. In fact, for the novice, you can actually learn from your bird! So, while babies are all sweet and adorable, don't ignore the wonderful possibilities of adopting an adult bird, who's been raised well.

Myth #3 - Egg laying and "nesty" behavior means you must get a mate or give the bird to a breeder!

Also not true! I've written a lot lately on sexual behavior in both immature and adult parrots, as springtime always brings up those issues. While a few birds really do seem to want the family life badly, they are the exception to the norm, in my experience. For most birds, hormonal influences in spring are just a part of everyday life and after things settle down, the birds return to normal. If your hen lays eggs, it is important to leave the eggs with her for 3-4 weeks and let her do as she wishes with them - removing them will cause her to lay more, leading to calcium depletion and possible egg binding. So, don't assume your bird can't be your pet anymore just because she is laying eggs or he is playing "wiggle butt" with toys.

Myth #4 - All African Greys are great talkers (but neurotic) and all cockatoos are cuddly teddy bears!

Redwinged Parrot

Oh, boy! The species stereotypes are abundant and I've just picked a few of the most common. All parrots CAN talk and African Greys are well known for their frequently large vocabularies. However, I know some who say only a few words, or nothing! There's no guarantee ANY bird will talk. Talking is like biting - all parrots have the capacity, but whether they do or not is up to them (and a bunch of other factors!) By the same token, not all Greys are "neurotic" - they are highly intelligent and very sensitive, so don't always deal well with poor techniques on the part of their humans. On the other hand, though, well socialized Greys are as well adjusted as any other properly raised parrot.

Cockatoos do love to cuddle and would be surgically attached to their humans if possible, but they can also become demanding, manipulative, aggressive and out of control (as can virtually any parrot poorly handled). Treating your Cockatoo like a teddy bear, to be cuddled when it's convenient and "put on the shelf" otherwise will result in an unhappy, needy bird.

All parrots need balance and routine in their lives, and all parrots can get grumpy at times, or if they feel their needs are not being met. While there are traits unique to different parrot species, it's important to treat each bird as an individual and not to let blanket stereotypes sway your thinking unfairly, either pro or con.

While there's plenty more myths out there (write me back with some of yours!), the bottom line is to educate yourself, get your hands on all the books, websites, and magazines you can, join a bird club, talk to lots of knowledgeable bird folks and sift through what you find, to see if it's the truth or yet another myth or misconception about our wonderful companion parrots.