Liz Wilson
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 socalled "higher life forms" (and I admit I am skeptical about this) are still open to learning about the life around us.
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