When you are learning about parrots, it is often quite
natural to turn to the internet for information. Chat groups in particular
often have people who are very happy to talk about parrots and offer
advice. Sometimes the advice can be
based on old information or even old wives tales. Try to be a critical thinker
when obtaining advice from the internet. Check with experts you trust to make
sure what you are reading is accurate. Here are a few myths that I often see
pop up on the internet frequently.
Myth #1: Your parrot
needs to obey you.
This concept has been around for a long time. While it is
understandable we would all like a well behaved parrot that does what we ask,
the word “obey” seems to imply something a bit more forceful. Most people tend
to interpret this to mean that they must make
the bird comply, especially when he or she is refusing to cooperate. This often
leads to people doing things like forcing birds to step up onto hands or go
back into cages. Over time what can happen is the bird learns to be afraid of
people or may start to show aggressive behavior. The good news is you can train
your parrot using positive reinforcement to do whatever you ask when you want.
This approach leads to a bird that eagerly cooperates and is very well-behaved.
You don’t have to be his boss, you can be his buddy.
This idea probably started because someone could not get a
bird to step up or cooperate when the parrot was sitting up on a high perch.
Believe or not Myth #1 probably helped cause Myth #2. Parrots like sitting on
high perches. If you try to force them down, they often move away or try to
bite. This may seem like the bird thinks he is dominant, but in reality he just
likes his high perch much better than he likes the hand that is coming at him
in a forceful way. If your bird is trained to voluntarily come to your hand for
a treat or reward he will step up or fly right down to your hand even when he
is on a high perch. That is because he learned many wonderful things happen,
like treats, toys and attention when he gets on a hand.
Myth #3: Parrots are
competing with you when you talk on the phone or have company over.
Many people know that parrots tend to scream for attention when
left alone. But what about the bird that screams when you are on the phone or
have friends over? I have heard many people say the bird is seeking attention
or competing with the owner when this happens. What happens next? People talk
louder….and the bird gets louder! What is actually going on is that the bird is
being a good flock mate. The loud talking humans means it is time for the flock
to make some noise and the parrot is just joining in on the fun. That is why
when people get louder, the bird gets louder. Once everyone gets quiet the bird
will too. If you need your parrot to be
quiet when people are talking you can offer him a super fun toy right before
you intend to have a conversation or spend time training him that quiet
activities will get reinforced when people are talking.
Myth #4: A parrot
behavior problem is just a phase.
Many people have young parrots that are cuddly and easy to
handle. Then around 1 to 2 years old the birds starts to show aggressive
behavior. People often label this time as the terrible twos and hope the bird
will just grow out of it. Unfortunately that is not the case. Young birds are
easy to handle because they are in a phase of development that makes them open
and receptive to new experiences. We can often get away with being forceful
with young birds. But as they mature and that window of openness goes away and
they start objecting to the same type of handling they would allow as
youngsters. The best strategy is to never use force to begin with. Even if a
parrot will allow it, it doesn’t mean you should. Always let your bird choose
to participate and reward with desired goodies when he does. This should be
carried on throughout the lifetime of the bird. Do this and you will have good
behavior from your parrot for his entire life.
Myth #5: You just
have to accept that parrots will be “hormonal” certain times of the year.
Hormonal typically means the parrot is in the mood to breed
and have babies. This state means the bird has extra reproductive hormones in
its body. Besides wanting to make babies this can cause other problems like
aggressive behavior, or egg binding. Unless your want your bird to breed, your
parrot does not need to be “hormonal.” Most parrots are not ready to breed all
year long. Certain environmental triggers cause them to produce more
reproductive hormones. These include extra daylight hours, an over abundant
diet rich in fats, sugars and carbohydrates, having a mate like bond with another bird or human, and
having access to a nest like cavity. So to avoid an increase in reproductive
hormones we can make sure the amount of daylight the bird experiences stays the
same throughout the year. We can also monitor the diet and make sure the
content and amount is appropriate. We can avoid reinforcing courtship behaviors
like regurgitation. Instead we can interact with our parrots in healthier ways,
like training fun tricks. And we can take out any toys that look like nest
boxes and also block off access to any similar hiding places in the house.
These tips will help prevent your bird from going “hormonal.”
These are just a few myths about parrots. If you ever read
something about parrots that sounds a bit strange to you, do a little extra
research and you’ll discover the truth about our feathered friends.
Barbara Heidenreich has been a professional
animal trainer since 1990. Her company Good Bird Inc (www.GoodBirdInc.com) provides
parrot training DVDs, books and workshops. She has been a featured speaker in
eighteen countries and has been published in nine languages. Barbara also
consults on animal training in zoos.
