The "Pet of the 90s"
Parrots are incredibly popular these days.
Humans have kept parrots in captivity for thousands of years, but it is only in the
recently that they have become increasingly common pets. This popularity coincides with
the appearance in the pet trade of large numbers of domestic bred, hand-raised baby
parrots, which happened about 18-20 years ago. Wild parrots can be quite formidable, since
they tend to scream and throw themselves around their cages at the sight of a human. Not
so with hand-raised babies! Instead of being terrified or aggressive, domestic bred babies
perceive humans as their friends, and few people can resist a warm, fluffy creature that
toddles cooing into their arms.
So people buy them like crazy, often
without learning anything at all about this wonderfully loving, totally complex and alien
life form. Things have improved slightly from the old days of feeding only a seed
mixture called "parrot food." Knowledgeable bird owners know that a total seed
diet is inadequate. (Actually, an all seed diet is the nutritional equivalent to a diet of
potato chips.) They may also know that birds in captivity need good yearly
veterinary care just like dogs and cats, but from an avian veterinarian.
Tick, Tick, Tick….
However, even these more knowledgeable
people may not understand that these baby parrots are creatures with complex psychological
needs. Most buyers have no information at all regarding the psychological development and
growth of young parrots. Some unethical pet stores and breeders tell prospective buyers
that domestic bred, hand-raised parrots will never bite at all -- as if being born
in captivity automatically insures manageability -- and unhappily, they are often
believed. The reality is that without proper training, that cute toddler is actually a
ticking time bomb.
Since these domestics are so recent,
we really have limited experience dealing with their behaviors. Most information about
parrot behavior came from working with imported wild adults, and domestic babies are very
different. Consequently, serious problems are developing with them, because they
do not stay babies. When purchased, they are in what I
call The Bassinet And Goo Stage, and for some idiotic reason we believed they would
always stay that way. Boy, were we wrong!
Long Life and Lots of Changes
Parrots are extremely intelligent and
potentially long-lived creatures. Thanks to research done by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, the
intelligence of parrots is now ranked with chimpanzees and dolphins -- approximately that
of a five year old child. Even budgies (the perky little birds that Americans are still
incorrectly calling "parakeets") are capable of living longer than many dogs. In
their long lives, parrots (and their owners) experience various developmental stages that
are quite similar to many that children (and their parents) encounter as they grow and
mature. For example, most parrots seem to get stuck in The Terrible Twos for most/all of
their lives.
In the many years I worked with avian
veterinarians, I saw the same thing repeatedly. A sobbing owner would bring in a sick
parrot, asking that we do anything and everything we could to save the life of this
priceless pet. Often we succeeded, only to find a few months later that they had gotten
rid of this same beloved pet, because "He screams" or "He bites"
or "He doesn't like my new boyfriend."
Obviously, a serious problem exists here.
Trying To Make A Difference
Consequently, I became very interested in
learning how to educate people about the normal and abnormal behaviors of their parrots,
so that this unhappy scenario did not continue to happen. There are a few of us now, that
do this kind of work. We are not "animal behaviorists" because none of us (that
I know of) have a degree in ethology (animal behavior). Consequently, we call ourselves
(for lack of a better title), "parrot behavior consultants." Our purpose is
simple -- but not easy. We spend hours each day trying to teach people how to deal with
the behavior problems they are encountering in their parrots, educating these owners about
the intelligent and complex creatures in their care. We do this one-on-one through house
calls and phone consultations, or with large groups through lectures, seminars and
publications.
It is no doubt unanimous that our
absolute favorite type of call is a new baby consultation -- when we teach people how to
get off on the right foot with their new parrot. It's so much easier to prevent problems
than to try to fix them later.
Endless Variety from the Same
Cause
The behavior problems we encounter cover a
tremendous variety, including biting, cage territoriality, over-dependence, phobias,
obsessive bonding, feather plucking and excessive screaming. (Note the italics -- a
normal, healthy parrot is NOT a quiet animal. Like they say, "If you want a quiet
pet, get a reptile.") Without exception, these aberrant behaviors are different
manifestations of the same underlying problem: a lack of control by the owner. They
are also correctable to varying degrees.
There IS hope….
So, if your adorable young parrot is
developing behavior problems as it matures, there is hope -- depending more on YOU
than on the bird. You need to learn how to properly socialize your baby, to teach it how
to interact with its human flock and how to establish yourself in the position of flock
leader. YOU need to learn how to change the patterns that may have contributed to the
development of these problem behaviors. For example, probably the greatest mistake we have
made with baby parrots is to accidentally give them the nonverbal information that they
outrank us. We accomplish this in two classic ways. First, we do not require them to do anything
they do not want to do. ("But he doesn't LIKE taking a bath...") Secondly
and most especially, we put them above eye level on high cage-top playpens and on
human shoulders.
Gradual Improvements
The mistakes we have made with parrots in
captivity are many, but as we learn, their physical, medical and psychological care
improves. This improvement will continue as long as we so-called "higher life
forms" (and I admit I am skeptical about this) are still open to learning about
the life around us.
Liz Wilson, Certified Veterinary Technician,
has been assisting pet bird owners with parrot behavior problems for over a decade through
lectures, phone consultations, and house calls in the Greater Philadelphia area