Want the truth? Parrots are messy, noisy, and destructive… it’s their natural way of life! BUT ! …Parrots are so intelligent that they can be trained to turn those three negative aspects of their life into a positive with gentle, affirmative persuasion and guidance.
Messy! Parrots are great throwers! They will fling food, toys and anything else they can get their beaks on! Placing newspaper under a T-stand, old wooden chair, or whatever else is used as a perch will help to keep mess to a minimum.
Noisy! Parrots are a flock animal, and you and your family are the human flock members! They will “call” at sunlight, sundown, when happy, excited, frightened, and for attention. These calls can be whistles, screams, songs, words or environmental sounds they have learned.
How noisy your parrot becomes depends on how you educate and train your bird!
A LITTLE SCREAMING EACH DAY FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES IS SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE AND NORMAL BUT CONSTANT SCREAMING IS A NO-NO AND INDICATES THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THE OWNER TO TRY TO DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND TO CORRECT IT !
Most parrots will talk or whistle a tune if you spend time daily teaching them. Much like a 5 year old child’s requirements, gentle and loving treatment of your parrot will result in a pleasant learning experience for all ! DO NOT SHOUT AT or STRIKE your bird for any reason. Parrots do not forget !
Some parrots are especially adept at speech such as the African Grey parrots, who don’t just mimic sound, but replicate it with understanding!
“Busy Beak – Happy Bird”
Happy parrots should destroy toys! That’s what those beaks were designed to do! CHEW! Chewing keeps their beaks in good trim and condition so that professional beak trimming becomes unnecessary. (Unless there’s an underlying medical problem) Rotate toys for your parrot to keep him active both mentally and physically. In this way, your parrot will be happy, content and won’t get bored!
Boredom leads to unacceptable behaviours such as biting, noise and feather plucking
BITING! A large parrot such as this macaw, or a Cockatoo is capable of +/- 200 lbs per sq.” of pressure with it’s beak! That could give you a nasty cut requiring stitches! Parrots rarely bite in anger unless frightened or if they feel threatened.
Parrots use their beaks and tongue to “test” the sturdiness of things… your finger, for example. They will reach out and “test” your hand for strength and steadiness as a perch before stepping up. When using ‘step-up’ command always place your forefinger and second finger together against birds lower tummy encourage ‘step-up’.
~Beware of open windows, doors and air conditioning vents that create drafts which can seriously compromise your bird’s health. Many parrot owners cover their bird’s cage at night with a medium weight blanket or cloth for warmth, to provide a feeling of security and to make sure their feathered companions get the 10 – 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep they need.
Companion parrots should have their flight feathers kept groomed to prevent loss of the bird. Parrots that fly around the home are a hazard to themselves and to you. Grooming flight feathers is entirely painless, much like cutting your hair or fingernails would be. Far too many pet birds are lost due to flight grooming neglect.
Tame parrots do not need to fly. They are part of your family and want to be with you, not flying into curtains, windows, a pot of boiling water, down the toilet or up in a tree outside where they can’t get down and are afraid, or worse, panic flying and landing on a road where they are in danger of being run over. A wing groomed parrot is a tame well behaved parrot!
TOXIC GASES!!
Candles ( Any Type), Non Stick Pots, Second Hand Smoke, Aerosol Sprays, etc. are all toxic hazards and should not be used in the vicinity of Pet Companion Parrots.
(Remember, when coal miners took canaries down underground in the mines to test toxic gases! and how many came out alive!)
IN CONCLUSION
A COMPANION PARROT is a most wonderful, Intelligent, Affectionate Life Long Friend, that you will enjoy and cherish.
You are soley responsible for your Parrots well being and Habits. There are very few BAD parrots – like a four year old child, the more time and interaction you have with your Parrot, the more happy you and your COMPANION will be – you have a Friend for LIFE !! (and Parrots have very long life spans!! 15 to 85 human years is not uncommon, depending of species)