How to Tame Your Wild or Aggressive Parrot

8/9/2019 How to Tame Your Wild or Aggressive Parrot

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How To Tame Your Wild Or Aggressive ParrotDealing With Unwanted Behaviors In Your Pet Parrot

Wewillneverlookor feelthis

goodif youdontfeedusrightaswell!

"eada#outthathere

"on Hines D$% PhD

Lotsof my articles are plagiarized and altered on the web to market products andservices. There are never ads running or anything for sale with my real articles -other than my time. Try to stay with the ones with http://www.2ndchance.info/ in

the !L bo" or find all my articles at#$$.htm.

Parrot &lients &ome to avian veterinarians with more#ehavioral health issues than 'hysi&al health issues! (venwhen 'hysi&al 'ro#lems are dis&overed) #ehavioral 'ro#lemsoften underlie them! There is a sim'le reason for that * the're+'rogrammed) 'sy&hologi&al needs of 'arrots &lash atseveral levels with the as'irations and desires of many 'arrot

owners!
http://www.2ndchance.info/birdlover.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/birdlover.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/thievescorner.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/thievescorner.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/ACC.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/ACC.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/ACC.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/thievescorner.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/ACC.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/birdlover.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/birdlover.htm


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It is easy to forget that 'arrots are wild s'irits of the tro'i&alsavannahs) not domesti&ated &om'anions like dogs and &atsthat fit &omforta#ly into the average human family! The

'arrot,s a#ility to mimi& human s'ee&h is) at the same time)its most endearing and its most de&e'tive trait! It leads us tomake the false assum'tion that a &reature that &an s'eak likeus will #e &ontent and ha''y with the same things that makeus &ontent and ha''y! Its not -ust 'arrot owners that fall intothat de&e'tion. avian veterinarians and 'arrot #ehavioralistsare -ust as likely to mis&onstrue what truly motivates andgoverns 'arrot #ehavior! If you want to get 'ast the 'ro#lemsthat #rought you to this we#'age) you will need tounderstand that!

Today) most of the /'ro#lem0 'arrots I see are not 'ro#lem#irds at all + they are the 'arrots that are the most loving) themost #onded to their human owner) the most integrated intotheir surrogate human family!

%any of my &lients thought that a 'arrot would #e lessdemanding than a dog or &at + no need to walk and groomthem) no need to &hange their smelly litter #o1es or 'i&k hairstrands out of your food! Or) my &lient #ought the 'arrot as a

&om'anion for their &hild 2whose short attention and interest span rivalsthat of the parrot3! 4ome 'ur&hased the #ird on im'ulse after asli&k sales 'it&h #y a 'et sho' em'loyee or #ird #reeder whominimi5ed how demanding larger 'arrots &an #e! In fa&t)'arrots re6uire &onsidera#ly more time and attention thandogs and &ats!

4till other 'arrot owners were mesmeri5ed #y the thought ofhuman s'ee&h emanating from a #eautiful) feathered

&reature! One that #rings a little #it of the alluring -ungle intoones 'ersonal life! I su''ose I was one of those) #e&ause ayellow+headed 'arrot shared my #oarding house room everyday of my veterinary s&hool edu&ation!

It really doesn,t matter how the 'arrot &ame into your life! It,syours now! It de'ends on you to do what is #est for it andyou &an,t do that unless you understand what makes it ti&k!

Aggression) self+mutilation and s&reaming are -ust the ti' of

a larger i&e#erg! The 'ro#lem underlying all those #ehaviorsis that domesti&ally bred'arrots are not 2yet3 domesti&


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animals! I deal with in-ured wildlife) 5oo and 'erforminganimals. so I am not at all sur'rised at what &an ha''enwhen you take a highly so&ial wild &reature) designed #y 7od

to fly free with its own kind in tro'i&al forests) and &onfine itin your home! 8ormal domesti&ated animals are tra''ed intheir youth with res'e&t to man! Their genes have #eenmani'ulated #y us to make them fit &omforta#ly into ourhuman family! This is not the &ase with most large 'arrots *their geneti&s are still wild and they have so&ial demandsthat &an #e 6uite hard 2but not impossible3 for you to satisfy!

I "eally 9ove This Bird. But How %u&h Is %yParrot "eally 9ike %e : Are Parrots 9ittle;eathered


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look0! Is the dog really fearful #e&ause he feels guilty a#outwhat he did : "ead a#out that here!

What Is %y Parrot,s 4ense Of 4elf)


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in the 'arks of 8ew ?ealand where they live! They do nothave mu&h a#ility to understand &ause and effe&t or transfer'ast e1'erien&es to &urrent 'ro#lems! You &an read a#out an

e1'eriment that tested those traits in keas here!

Parrot Behavior Is Under Tight file&a#inet0 than to attem't to make the #ird #ehave in a way&ontrary to them!

%any a#normal #ehaviors) e1'ressed in a home setting) are
http://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Gajdon2004.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luteinizing_hormonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisolhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3235067http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3235067http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18180929http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythmshttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Gajdon2004.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luteinizing_hormonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisolhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3235067http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3235067http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18180929http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythms


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normal 'arrot #ehaviors in the wild! 4aid in another way) youwill not #e a#le to easily fit a s6uare 'eg into a round holeand if you do su&&eed in 'ounding it in) you will 'ro#a#ly

&ause an e6ual amount of damage elsewhere!

I have not read studies that tra&ked seasonal hormone levelsin 'arrots! But you &an read a#out the ways they rise and e##in fin&hes and how they influen&e their#ehavior hereand here! When you are attem'ting to &hangenatural 'arrot #ehaviors) you are often #attling very dee'+seated) ingrained #ehaviors that were not >learned0 in theway >#ad0 #ehaviors are sometimes the result of learningand e1'erien&e in humans! 4o a''roa&hing the 'ro#lems

from a human #ehavioral 'ers'e&tive) using human #ehaviormodifi&ation te&hni6ues is likely to give disa''ointingresults!

What A#out Ale1 The Parrot :

The story a#out Ale1 and Irene Pe''er#erg 2ref3 is not one I&an e1'lain #ased on what I know a#out 'arrots! I have neverowned an Afri&an grey 'arrot * only Ama5ons) ma&aws and&onures! Ale1 was e1traordinarily talented) within a narrow

grou' of a#ilities! lower0 animal! When differen&es are found) they are
http://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Adkins-Regan2011.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Goodson2009.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Pepperberg2010.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-AlexClip.wmvhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Pepperberg1995.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Giret2010.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-Grahaml2006.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Adkins-Regan2011.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Goodson2009.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Pepperberg2010.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-AlexClip.wmvhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Pepperberg1995.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Giret2010.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-Grahaml2006.pdf


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e1'ressed as disa''ointments or 'er'le1ities! A resear&h'a'er entitled > How Afri&an 7rey Parrots And HumansDiffer0 is unlikely to get funded or lead to a tenure+tra&k

fa&ulty 'osition!

Wouldn,t It #e Inhumane And


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I have) on o&&asion) miss+'aired 'arrots when I #roke u' mywinter flo&ks for #reeding! I &an assure you that feathers flyand #irds have the 'otential for severe in-ury when that

mistake is made! What 'revents it in the wild is that moresu#missive 'arrots have the a#ility to #a&k off and retreatfrom a fight * something all animals 2other than humans3 do whengiven the o''ortunity! 2#vian vets commonly treat parrots whose toeshave been nipped off when they landed on another parrot,s cage.3

Will %y Parrot


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traffi&king were a heartless grou') motivated solely #ymoney! It resulted in large num#ers of wild) fearful 'arrots#eing sold as >'ets0 throughout the develo'ed World!

%er&ifully) The Wild Bird


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#ird,s #ehavior #e&ause they do not want to refund yourmoney!

"aising 'arrots with love and affe&tion is very la#orintensive! One &an only do it with a limited num#er of#reeding 'airs * generally too few to #e 'rofita#le whendealing with &ommon s'e&ies of 'arrots! That leaves the#reeder with two o'tions) sell the #a#ies when they are tooyoung or give them less individual attention than theyre6uire! 8either o'tion 'rodu&es well+so&iali5ed #irds!

%any fear+#iting 'arrots are se&ond or third hand #irds +'arrots that have moved from 'la&e to 'la&e resulting in

#roken #onds) inse&urity and fear!

All fear+#iting 'arrots #e&ome #etter 'ets when they reali5ethat you will not hurt them! That &an take a long time and itre6uires &onsidera#le 'atien&e on the 'art of the owner!However) these 'arrots rarely if ever #e&ome the loving&om'anions that #irds with early) 'ositive human e1'osuredo! But they need homes too and for some 'eo'le) they makefine 'ets!

A few unfortunate 'arrots) like miss+im'rinted monkeys)never #e&ome fully &omforta#le with either the &om'any ofanimals or humans! 2ref3

Aggressive Parrots

A se&ond form of #iter is the territorial and 'ossessive 'arrotthat is fearless of human #eings! These #irds usually have#onded to one mem#er of the family! The 'arrot &onsiders

this 'erson to #e his or her mate and allows no one else inthat 'erson,s vi&inity without atta&k! They also defend theterritory surrounding their &age! The ma-ority of aggressive#ehavior starts at the same time the #ird #e&omes se1uallymature 2- years depending on species3! I have seen this 'ro#lemmore in 8ew World 'arrots) the Ama5ons) ma&aws and&onures) whi&h mate for life and less fre6uently in &o&katoosand Pa&ifi& "im 'arrots whi&h do not a''ear to me to form as'rofound a #ond with their mates! Try not to take it

'ersonally + it is stri&tly a hormonal thing! A se&ond grou' of#irds insist on forming a 'e&k order in the family similar to a
http://www.2ndchance.info/monkeysaspets.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/monkeysaspets.htm


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'e&k order in a flo&k of 'arrots! 4ome of these 'arrots &rownthemselves >king0 or the al'ha mem#er of the family! In other&ases) only some of the human family mem#ers are regarded

as of lower status than the #ird! Be&ause this a&tion is so>hormonal0 it is very diffi&ult to modify!

Bird 'sy&hologists would have little to offer you if they didnot suggest that something you did or did not do was the&ause of your #ird develo'ing aggression! But in the vastma-ority of &ases) the reasons a&tually lie dee' within the#ird,s 'sy&he and geneti& 'rogramming + at levels wheretrivial &hanges have no effe&t!

Does A#use


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normally vo&ali5e #efore they fly! %ost house 'arrots haveflight denied to them! They also vo&ali5e -ust #efore theirnormal #ed times * as they gather to roost! %any house

'arrots are denied their normal day+night &y&les!

You &an not give your 'arrot -ungles to fly over) #ut you have&om'lete &ontrol on what it is flying for + its food su''ly! By'resenting your 'et its food in &om'li&ated and novel waysthat re6uire thought) work and de1terity on its 'art) you willkee' its #rain &ir&uits working in 'ositive ways! By adding'ositive &om'le1ities to its life and ha#itat and #y intera&tingwith your 'arrot as mu&h as you &an) throughout the day)you will give stereoty'i& #ehaviors less of an o''ortunity to

form!

4&reaming Parrots

The trinity of 'arrot &om'laints are aggression) s&reamingand 'lu&king * 'retty mu&h in that order! And -ust like theother two) &orre&ting the &ause does not) ne&essarily &orre&tthe 'ro#lem! Your 'arrot is 6uite &ontent hearing itselfs&ream! I have never seen a 'arrot s&ream when it was intenton other a&tivities) so your #est a''roa&h is to give it

a&tivities that kee' it o&&u'ied during the time the 'ro#lemo&&urs! (1'eriment with &hanges in lighting intensity) sour&eand &y&les) &onsider allowing your 'et more freedom to fly orflutter) a larger flight &age) &hange the time of day and the'resentation of food) and enri&h its life in as many ways as'ossi#le! You will not solve the 'ro#lems with te&hni6uesdesigned to 'unish or de'rive the #ird! You will not solve it#y moving the #ird to an out+of+the way &orner or a se'arateroom 2even though it is unaware of it0 it is screaming for something3!

Loud $alling is a normal parrot behavior in the morning and evening.1hen it occurs more freuently or incessantly in a parrot that wasnot taught its proper call by its feathered parents0 it can become anannoying scream. 3 believe that is often a perversion of the normal0very loud0 contact calls parrots utter for their mates (or their bonded

owner) and family group. %ou can read about parrot contactcalls here.

7iving 'arrots safe food &ontaining o#-e&ts to gnaw on andslowly destroy is another e1&ellent way to o&&u'y your 'et,s

time!
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hormonal0) you may findyour 'et more re&e'tive to &hange in one season of the yearthan another!

Parrots have a different relationshi' with every familymem#er and ea&h 'erson in the family needs to eventuallytake 'art in the training! In the #eginning) assign training the#ird to a single assertive 2confident3 individual!

The "ight Person + The "ight 4tuff

The nature of talent varies #etween humans) some of us aregood at one thing) and some at another! That is why some'eo'le are more su&&essful in modifying 'arrot #ehaviorthan others! 8ot everyone is #lessed to #e a#le to read a'arrot,s #ehaviors &orre&tly or re&ogni5e the su#tle &luesthey give! When I farmed out wild #ird foundlings to myvolunteers to raise) I did not find that edu&ation or 'riore1'erien&e with wildlife ne&essarily result in in&reased

su&&ess in raising these or'hans! Often it was the o''osite!What su&&essful 'eo'le often 'ossess is &alm and tran6uil
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'ersonalities) &om'eten&y in re'etitive tasks) and 'atien&e&om#ined with em'athy and love for animals! Are those'ersonality traits that you 'ossess:

Brenda


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in&hes #elow your eye level!

9ighting

The 'ersonality of 'arrots) and #irds in general) are greatlyaffe&ted #y sunlight! There are three things a#out light areim'ortantF its intensity) the num#er of hours it is su''liedand the wavelengths of the light sour&e! Birds have dailyrhythms and yearly rhythms and #oth rely on light to stay insyn&hrony! The 'arrots I &are for that are housed in well+&onstru&ted outdoor aviaries tend to have less 'sy&hologi&al'ro#lems than 'arrots housed indoors! I #elieve thatso&iali5ation with other 'arrots and a ri&her environment

a&&ount for a lot of that. #ut e1'osure to natural sunlight inits yearly rhythms is 'ro#a#ly an im'ortant fa&tor as well!

I #e&ame aware of the im'ortan&e of sunlight when I &aredfor 'enguins! They also suffer from feather 'ro#lems thatyou &an read a#out here! 9ike 'arrots) 'enguin mood) moltand #reeding is highly de'endent on the nature of the lightthey re&eive! Owners of outdoor 'arrot aviaries often noti&ethat their 8ew World 'arrots molt) #reed) &ongregate anddis'erse in tune to yearly &hanges in sunlight! 26ine did not drop

feathers now and then as indoor parrots do3! The World that your 'arrotsees is not the World that you see + it is &onsidera#ly ri&her#e&ause their eyes sense light in the U$ s'e&trum as well!

You &an read a#out that hereand here! That is why a well+lits&reen 'or&h &an #e an e1&ellent lo&ation for your 'arrot ifthat area still allows it to intera&t with the 'eo'le it isatta&hed to!

Window glass) in itself) #lo&ks mu&h of the U$ rays of thesun! 2ref3 When natural sunlight is not an o'tion) add full+s'e&trum light sour&es to your 'arrot,s environment! Theseare the same light sour&es used for re'tiles) you &an readmore a#out them here! Aggression 'ro#lems often o&&urwhen the hormones of 'arrots are surging * When I have#een #itten it was usually #y ma&aws defending their nests +se1ual maturity is when many aggression 'ro#lems first#egin! %ost 'arrots are &onsidera#ly more a&&e'ting whentheir gonads are 6uies&ent 2involuted3! The >free running0&lo&ks of #irds ke't under normal house light &an make

these surges un'redi&ta#le and unnatural!
http://www.2ndchance.info/molt-GnRh.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Goldsmith2005.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Smith2002.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolethttp://www.2ndchance.info/MBD-iguana.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Involution_(medicine)http://www.2ndchance.info/molt-GnRh.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Goldsmith2005.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Smith2002.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolethttp://www.2ndchance.info/MBD-iguana.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Involution_(medicine)


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9ighting &an #e used to your advantage in different wayswhen you are training a 'arrot! During initial training) many'arrots are &almer in dim lighting + the lighting of dusk when

'arrots are winding down for the night! In dim light) 'arrotsmay #e &almer and less likely to atta&k! Put a dimmer swit&hon the lighting to your training room and see how light levelaffe&ts your #ird!

4o dim light) #right light) light rhythms and light s'e&trum&an all affe&t your #irds 'ersonality! The effe&t isun'redi&ta#le) #ut affe&t it) it will and it gives you an addedtool in dealing with 'arti&ular 'ro#lems!

Treats And "ewards

Your 'arrot,s favorite food treats are your #est training tool *your se&ret wea'on! %ake them 'reservative+free fruits) notnuts) 'eanuts) sunflower seeds or other -unk foods! Putsome tid#its on the floor of your 'arrot,s &age to see whi&h itfavors most! Then offer those s'e&ifi& treats only when the#ird a''roa&hes you to o#tain them or #ehaves in a manoryou favor! Be generous in the offering #ut stingy in theamount! The slightest in&lination to do what you desire is

reason enough to give the 'arrot a food reward + training is aste'+#y+ste' 'ro&ess! =ee' the tid#it 'ortions small so the#ird stays interested!Birds loose their fear of 'eo'le when they are willing toa&&e't food treats from them!

%y favorite #ird treats are small #its of 'reservative+free)sun+dried fruit! Begin #y 'la&ing the food on a shish ka#o#sti&k or straightened &oat hanger! 4lowly shorten thedistan&e #etween the food and you until the #ird a&&e'ts thetreat dire&tly from your hand! When your training session isover) 'ut the treats #a&k in the fridge and do not offer thoseitems until your ne1t session! I want your 'arrot to asso&iatethem with &oo'eration and not take them forgranted!Unfortunately) this method has never hel'ed me inde&reasing the aggression of 'arrots!

4et "egularly 4&heduled Training Times

Parrots are &reatures of ha#it! They are most &omforta#lewhen events o&&ur in a 'redi&ta#le manner at the same time


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every day! 4o set a routine with your 'arrot that does notdiffer from day to day! %any 'arrots are most alert in theearly morning and in the late afternoon! Try setting your

training sessions at those times! If they seem more re&e'tiveat a different hour) move to that time! Try training sessions ofC+L minutes! 4to' earlier if you 'arrots interest level dro'sand kee' initial learning lessons 6uite #rief for fearful #irds!

A Hand Held Per&h

4te' u' * ste' down #ehavior in&reases all around trust!;or fearful 'arrots) I &ut an J+in&h length of #roomsti&k orsmooth tree #ran&h to make a hand+held 'er&h! It should #e

6uite thi&k so the #ird,s toes &annot wra' &om'letely aroundit! You &an leave it near the &age so that the #ird #e&omesa&&ustomed to it! %ove the 'er&h in smooth slow motions)dont -a# it suddenly at the #ird! Work with the 'er&h and'arrot during an evening training session and lower the lightin the room! With my arm e1tended away from my #ody andthe sti&k slightly raised) I say >u' sweety0 and nudge the endof the sti&k against its lower #reast or &rot&h! The #irdshould ste' u' onto the 'er&h! Do this in a slow) &onfident)flowing manner without -erkiness or sudden moves that

frighten or startle the #ird! What you say is really notim'ortant! /Wanna ste' u' :/ will earn you no more 'ointswith the 'arrot than /ste' u'/! What is im'ortant is the&onsisten&y) tone and volume at whi&h it is said!=ee' your other hand out of sight at first! You &an then walkaround the kit&hen holding the #ird! As you walk) talk to the#ird in a soothing voi&e or sing to it! When the #irdeventually remains rela1ed on the 'er&h) #egin to shorten thesti&k distan&e from your hand to the #ird!

Over a 'eriod of days or weeks you &an redu&e the length ofthe sti&k until the #ird is no more than a few in&hes from yourhand! At that 'oint) lower the sti&k in relation to you handand the 'arrot will ste' from the sti&k to your hand!


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While the #ird is still 'er&hing on the sti&k) I #egin to take itinto the living room) sit on the sofa and turn the television onto a 6uiet) monotonous &hannel! The sound of the T$ has a

&alming effe&t on #irds and hel's me 'ass the time as the#ird a&&ustoms itself to #eing on the 'er&h or my hand! Ikee' other family mem#ers away during these initialssessions + 'arti&ularly unruly &hildren! I will oftensurre'titiously tra' one of its toes #etween my fingers tokee' it still! When the #ird is &om'letely rela1ed 2as indicated byits grooming itself0 fluffing up0 and pooping3 I lower my hand slowly withthe #ird on it! The 'arrot will then walk u' my arm and ontomy shoulder! %ake no sudden moves! When your trainingsessions are over a''roa&h the &age) #a&kside first) and the

#ird will transfer itself from your shoulder to the &age! Thesign total su&&ess is a &ontent and ha''y #ird that groomsyour hair and ni##les at your ear and is willing to almost driftoff in rela1ation! 4ome 'eo'le dis&ourage 'arrots on theshoulder! A rela1ed 'arrot on my shoulder has never 'osed a'ro#lem for me! You would never want an aggressive #ird'la&ed on your shoulder or one that would atta&k your handif you tried to remove it! If it wont get off) s6uat down and itwill transfer to a higher o#-e&t! Height gives &onfiden&e to'arrots!

Tou&h and 4&rat&h

Parrots are e1tremely ta&tile &reatures! 4nuggling) mutualgrooming 2allogrooming3 and tongue 'leasures are all e1tremelyim'ortant to their &ontentment! Bonded 2human-imprinted3'arrots 6ui&kly #e&ome stressed when their owners s'endtoo little time intera&ting with them in those hardwireda&tivities!

If your 'et was raised and im'rinted on a human and youo#tain the 'arrot during its formative 'eriod) those #ehaviorswill &ome naturally to it! If it was not allowed to im'rint onhumans) was wild &aught) aviary netted or was negle&tedduring its formative 'eriod) those #ehaviors will take longerto develo' and may never fully e1'ress themselves! 4omewould &all those #irds less loving + others would &all themmore #alan&ed! A fully rela1ed ) ha''y 'arrot will &o&k andelevate its head to the side) slightly &lose its eyes and wait

for you to s&rat&h it under the &hin! It will turn its head to letyou s&rat&h all its >erogenous0 areas and may gently ni' you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_groominghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_grooming


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when it has had enough! Then it will 'uff u' its feathers)wiggle+shake) and often 'oo'! 8othing is as &ontent andrela1ed as a &ontent 'arrot! You &an read a#out some of the

things ha''y 'arrots do here!

In&reased O'tions Through (nvironmental (nri&hment

The fewer the #ehaviors your 'arrot is allowed) the moreintense and e1aggerated the remaining ones will #e&ome!The ri&her your 'arrots life) the less likely it will #e to dis'laya#normal #ehaviors! There are so many good ways to do this+ they are limited only #y your imagination! "ead a#out themonline and in an arti&le here!

(1er&ise

Do not let your 'arrot #e&ome a 'er&h 'otato! Parrots thatare ina&tive suffer from more than o#esity and the stress of#oredom! Heart disease o&&urs in 'arrots! 2ref )ref 3 There isalso a very'reliminary study that relates a la&k of e1er&ise in'arrots to some of the 're&ursor &hanges to heart diseasewe see in animals other than #irds! You &an read thatarti&le here!

What A#out Wearing 7loves :

I have never had mu&h su&&ess using leather or &loth glovesto handle 'arrots! Within a short time they #e&ome terrifiedand agitated at the very sight of the gloves * 'arti&ularly ifthey are dark in &olor! It is #etter to use the hand 'er&h untilyou &an use your un'rote&ted hand! An o'en hand is mu&hmore threatening to a 'arrot than a &losed one! 4o sto' the&harge of an aggressive 'arrot with your hand o'en) #ut

a''roa&h a fearful 'arrot with you hand &losed!

4hould %y Parrot,s Wing ;eathers Be


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3 Parrots that &an do no more than flutter to the ground at aLM angle do not fly into windows or mirrors) land on hotstoves or fall into o'en toilets! They don not get mangled #y

&eiling fans or down with the dogs and &ats unattended!Parrots that are restri&ted #y their la&k of flight to T+standsand &age to's are less likely to &hew ele&tri&al &ords or to1i&'ot+metal trinkets laying around the house nor do they &hewon lead+&ontaining 'aint or slowly gnaw away at the woodtrimmings of your home! They also do not fly out o'en doorsnever to #e seen again!

3 Aggressive 'arrots that have had their wings &li''ed donot dive #om# other family mem#ers and are less likely to

&hase them around the house!

Peo'le do not #ring 'arrots to veterinarians #e&ause theydidnt have these a&&idents. they #ring me the ones that did!4o veterinarians like me will 'ro#a#ly tell you to &li' your'arrot,s wings #e&ause we see the failures + not thesu&&esses! 9ike lifeguards at the 'ool) we are always lookingto ni' a&&idents #efore they ha''en!

But if you are K &ertain that none of the things I

mentioned will ha''en ) or if you are &ontent to live withthose un&ertainties) there are valid reasons not to &li' your'arrots wings! ;lighting a 'arrot is &ertainly one way to addvariety and se&urity to its life in an attem't to leaveunwanted) stereoty'i& #ehaviors #ehind or 'revent themfrom forming in the first 'la&e!

4ome malad-usted) unha''y 'arrots + 'arti&ularly wild&aught #irds 2broncos3 + do #etter when they are im'ed 2foreignfeathers inserted up the old feather7s cut shafts3 and released into a flightwith #irds of similar tem'erament! If you do that) #e sure thatnone of the resident #irds are nesting or feeding ea&h other! Igenerally leave the new arrival in a se&ondary &age to seehow the other 'arrots a&&e't it #efore allowing the #irds tomingle! I also im' 'arrots that are in-uring their keel #onedue to &rashing onto the floor or &age #ottom!

Aggressive 'arrots 6ui&kly reali5e when their wings have#een &li''ed and they &an no longer fly and rule the roost!

This often dro's the so&ial status of #lustery aggressive


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#irds making them more do&ile and easier to live with!

%any house 'arrots freak out when they suddenly findthemselves air#orne out of doors. 'arti&ularly so when theyhear a sudden) startling sound! I have had a &lient,s ma&awdo -ust that) only to land later in the day on the shoulder of ahouse roofer L miles away! ;ree+flight your 'arrot in anauditorium or mall #efore you trust it out+of+doors! (ven our'arrotE&o&katoo #ird a&ts at 4ea World would o&&asionally flyoff! 4ome were never seen again. for others) it took thePark,s fire tru&k and ladders to get them down from tall trees!23t would be an e"cellent idea for you to have your free-flight birds identified with amicrochip3

How 4hould I Punish Bad Behavior :

You shouldn,t !

Punishment and denial of affe&tion doesn,t work with'arrots! Parrots are very unlikely to link &ause with effe&t 2onething to the other3! They are not refle&tive and they) like mostanimals) live in the &urrent moment) the here and now!Ignoring a 'arrot is a form of 'unishment! I do not suggestyou do that! If you de&ide that a #ehavior as attentionseeking) 'erha's you -ust have not #een giving your 'arrotenough or the right kind of attention!

How %u&h Time 4hould %y Parrot 4'end InIts


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When you train or intera&t with your 'arrot) always #egin #ytrying the least intrusive and most 'ositive methods! Have'atien&e with those methods + su&&ess rarely &omes 6ui&kly!

If you will #e 'atient) most #irds &an #e &o1ed out of their&ages with treats! %any will eventually &ome out on their ownif give suffi&ient time! ;earful 'arrots that &ome out of &ageson their own a&&ord have taken a great lea' toward&onfronting the things they fear!

But some situations demand other methods) and amongthose) the use of a #ath towel is the least for&eful ando#trusive! Towels &an #e very hel'ful in 'rote&ting #oth the

'arrot and its owner from in-ury!

4ome #ird #ehaviorists are firmly) even violently) against theuse of towels in any situation! They e6uate them withstraight-a&kets and for&i#le restrain of humans! They &all thete&hni6ue >flooding0 or overwhelming of the #ird,ssensi#ilities!

These folks do not reali5e that towels offer a feeling of safetyand se&urity to #irds * 'arti&ularly frightened ones! Would a

#ird that is &laustro'ho#i& seek out a dark hole in a tree tonest in: Would a &onure that dreads &onfinement delight inroosting in a 'a'er #ag:

A''rehensive 'arrots like &on&ealment * it is #asi& to theirnature 2that is why they are green3! Deer) fawns and all vulnera#leanimals &rave &on&ealment !You will find their heart ratesdro' and they 6ui&kly rela1 + not from hel'lessness + fromrelief! I use snuggling and &on&ealment in towels effe&tivelywith wild #irds 2ref3) #unnies 2ref3o'ossums 2ref3 andra&&oons 2ref3! All of us who work with wildlife do! ?oos) andwildlife reha#ilitations &enters find towels indis'ensa#le!That is why we always have a dedi&ated washing ma&hine forthe towels alone!

Parrots are domesti&ally #red. #ut they are no more domesti&animals than those or'han animals I eventually release!There are no 'u#lished referen&es that I know of regarding'arrots and the se&urity of &on&ealment! But you &an read

one on the 'henomenon in other #irds here!
http://www.2ndchance.info/insecteater.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/raisepossum.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/raisingraccoons.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Newberry1997.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/insecteater.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/raisepossum.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/raisingraccoons.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Newberry1997.pdf


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;irst try other suggested te&hni6ues you read or hear a#outto de&rease #old aggression in se1ually mature 'arrots! Ifthey work) s'lendid! If it is a seasonal 'ro#lem) ad-ust your

lifestyle) not the 'arrot,s) to deal with it! But when thosesuggestions fail) do not feel guilty a#out trying a towel! It is&ertainly 'refera#le to 'unishment) treating the 'ro#lem within-e&ta#le and oral medi&ations or sim'ly lo&king the #irdaway! We live in the World that 7od &reated) not the World wewould have wished Him to &reate!

>"ehoming0 a malad-usted 'arrot is tragi& for everyone&on&erned! It is often a 'arrot that is most #onded to onefamily mem#er that is most aggressive to another family

mem#er! That is #e&ause the same hormones drive #otheffe&ts! If it looses the affe&tion and attention of the familymem#er it &raves) its 'ersonality will #e 'rofoundly affe&ted!Perha's it will form a &lose #ond to its new owner) #ut'erha's it will develo' other #ehavioral a#normalities! Theseare the 'arrots that get 'assed from owner to owner) home tohome! Dont let misguided sensi#ilities and things you readde'rive your 'arrot of every effort to avoid that ending!

4o #efore you resort to that or give u') try &ranking your'arrot down several not&hes on the 'e&k order and so&ialhierar&hy of your family! It ha''ens all the time in wild 'arrotfamilies! The 6ui&kest and most humane way to do this is to&at&h the #ird when it atta&ks you in a #ath or #ea&h towel!


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&hange in the #ird,s 'ersonality! If your are su&&essful) it,s#ond to a single mem#er of the household 2the one it preens3should diminish and it should #e less aggressive to the rest

of the family! When the 'arrot is at ease in the towel) #egin tounwra' the #ird when it is on its #a&k!


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seasonal aggression in 'arrots. #ut this hormone &an have anum#er of undesira#le side effe&ts as well!

What Are 4ome Of The


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seed diet! Ted 9afe#er noti&ed and &orre&ted that #ymarketing the first 'elleted 'arrot diet that was nutritionally#alan&ed! However) he did not envision the 'sy&hologi&al

'ro#lems that &onsuming a fa&tory+manufa&tured)monotonous and easily a&&essi#le diet would &ause! Thesediets were nutritionally balanced) #ut they were#ehaviorally unbalancedin the way he suggested that they#e 'resented! 4eed diets and 'elleted diets) as they areusually 'resented to 'arrots en&ourage stereoty'y! They ro#'arrots of the im'ortant a&tivity of foraging that o&&u'ies thema-ority of their day in the wild! You &an read my ideas a#out'arrot diets here!

9oneliness And 4olitude

4ome humans do well in solitude and self+&ontem'lation *#ut 'arrots do not!

A few hours a day of intera&tion with their owners is notenough to satisfy their innate needs! One sees solitaryeagles) fin&hes and herons outside of their #reeding andmating season! But one never sees solitary 'arrots! I s'entmu&h of my youth in the foothills of the 4ierra %adre

mountains of Tamauli'as + looking u' at the 'arrots in thehuge &y'ress trees along the rivers and the military ma&awsas they flew 'ast on their way to their feeding grounds! I havenever seen a 'arrot alone in the wild! There were always atleast two of them! Parrots are so de'endent on that forse&urity and a sense of well+#eing! %ost 'arrot owners notavaila#le to their 'ets G hrs a day!

7rey 'arrots are 'arti&ularly gregarious #irds! They are alsothe s'e&ies most 'rone to 'sy&hologi&al &rashes in &a'tivity!In season) they form large &ommunal roosts of thousands ofindividuals! We know little a#out how the 'arrots in thesegrou's intera&t and 'ro#a#ly never will! In 4e'tem#er of a #iologist from @ohannes#urg and an a&6uaintan&e of mine)

-ourneyed u'stream on the


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Bad0 'arrot #ehavior is often >7ood0

#ehavior in a #ad setting! A 'arrot will always #e a 'arrot!You have more a#ility to modify your #ehavior than your'arrot does to modify his! Be 're'ared to make the ma-orityof &om'romises!

Are These Pro#lems Physi&al Health Issuesor Psy&hologi&al Ad-ustment Issues :


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veterinarians &an tinker with those hormones! We now have awhole &lass of &hemi&als) the 7n"H agonists) that aresometimes effe&tive in turning hormones of the gonadal+

HPAtem'orarily off! Without those hormones) your #ird,s'ersonality may &hange dramati&ally! The degree of &hangede'ends on the degree that a #ehavior has 'ast fromhormonally+driven to an ingrained &ir&uit+#ased ha#it! Themost &ommon 7n"H &om'ound administered to 'arrots is'ro#a#ly leu'rolide a&etate 2Lupron3! We administered it #asedon its 'rolonged a&tivity in mammals 2it7s primary market is as atreatment for inoperable prostate cancer3! However) re&ent studies in'arrots indi&ate that its effe&t in #irds is mu&h shorter+livedin #irds than veterinarians though 22 weeks at the most3!You &an

read some of those studies hereand here!

Other veterinarians attem't to 'ut >mis#ehaving0 'arrotsinto the human and domesti& animal &ategoryof o#sessiveE&om'ulsive disorders! You &an read a#out oneveterinarian that &laimed su&&ess doing that here. some #ird#ehaviorist agree! 2ref3

%aking an o#sessiveE&om'ulsive diagnosis is 6uite invitingto veterinarians #e&ause it gives them the o'tion of using all

the human drugs used to fight that 'ro#lem) 2clomipramine0 0 theother ++!3s0 laviletc.3These drugs are all 'sy&hoa&tive so) nodou#t) they will &hange your 'arrots #ehavior 2stupify it3!However I do not #elieve that an o#sessiveE&om'ulsivedisorder underlies #ird #ehavioral 'ro#lems! You &an readsome reasons why I don,t here!

Other veterinarians look for unlikely &auses) of feather+related 'ro#lems + things like skin 'arasites) #a&terial or

fungal skin infe&tions) or allergies + things 6uite unlikely in arelatively young) isolated 'et on a #alan&ed diet! 2 3t is true thatmetabolic disturbances such asgout0 ovarian disease0 tumors etc. are sometimes

accompanied by plucking.3 You &an read how a ty'i&al 'arrot &asemight #e worked u') here!

%ight %y Parrot Have 4kin Allergies 9ike %yDog and I Do :

It is not only the #irds that are frustrated + the allergi& it&hing

diagnosis 2atopy3 is &urrently in vogue for 'lu&king 'arrots!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GnRH_agonisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothalamic%E2%80%93pituitary%E2%80%93adrenal_axishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuprorelinhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Klaphake2009.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Lovas2010.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorderhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Juarbe-Diaz2000.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Wilson2001.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clomipraminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amitriptylinehttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Garner2003.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/gout.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Eatwell2009.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atopyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GnRH_agonisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothalamic%E2%80%93pituitary%E2%80%93adrenal_axishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuprorelinhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Klaphake2009.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Lovas2010.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorderhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Juarbe-Diaz2000.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Wilson2001.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clomipraminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amitriptylinehttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Garner2003.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/gout.htmhttp://www.2ndchance.info/tameparrot-Eatwell2009.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atopy


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You &an read a#out that hereand here!

But I find it highly im'ro#a#le that a large num#er of 'arrots)so re&ently removed from the wild) would develo' it&hallergies unlike their geneti&ally identi&al wild #rethren! Thewild and feral 'arrots of ;lorida) Te1as and


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that hereand here! But many studies find that a 'arrots#lood &ortisol hormone levels do not &orrelate well with thelevel of those hormones in its stool and that the levels

&hange so 6ui&kly as to make a single determinationmeaningless!

4urgery

It is te&hni&ally feasi#le to remove a 'arrot,s se1 hormone+'rodu&ing organs) its ovary and testes! when it is done inmale &hi&kens) the 'ro&edure is &alled &a'oni5ation!In a 'arrot) it is a devilishly diffi&ult 'ro&edure due to theanatomy of the #ird 2very large0 fragile blood vesicles interlace the area3!

But advan&ed in mi&ro and ro#oti& surgery make it&on&eiva#le now!


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&onstant 'resen&e and intera&tion with their human /mate/and talking is one way they get it! That is 'ro#a#ly the enginedriving their in&lination to &o'y human s'ee&h! If you lessen

this #ird+to+human #ond) it may well affe&t their in&lination totalk! You &an read a#out what drives a grey 'arrot totalk here! 2'erhaps 3 am overly concerned about that0 a +wiss study found thatparent-raised grey parrots were only a bit less inclined to talk (fig


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Parrot :

Different s'e&ies of 'arrot differ markedly intheir tem'eraments) idiosyn&rasies) so&ialdemands and a#ility to s'eak! ;amiliari5eyourself with 'arrots #efore making the de&isionwhi&h one to #uy!

There is tremendous diversity in the 'arrotfamily + the needy) &uddly tem'erament of&o&katoos. the &omi&al gregarious #rassiness ofama5ons. the fearlessness of &onures and

'arakeets. the 6uiet) retiring 'ersonality of'ionus 'arrots to the high intelle&t of grey'arrots! That is #e&ause) des'ite their su'erfi&ialsimilarities) the 'arrot family has had a#out Jmillion years to evolve! You &an read a#out theirgeneti& diversity hereand here2their ancientorigins here3!

Pur&hase or a&&e't an adult 'arrot) hand+me+

down or &ulled #reeder 'arrot only if you arewilling to assume the res'onsi#ility of dealingwith the diffi&ulties su&h 'arrots often #ring!4ome 'eo'le find that giving these matureor'hans a loving home is reward enough! Butothers have e1'e&tations of these #irds that the'arrot will not #e a#le to fulfill!

8ever 'ur&hase a 'arrot from a third 'arty!Pur&hase your 'arrot from a #reeder with

referen&es + one who kee's a small) &losed flo&kof #reeding 'airs and is 'roud to take yourthrough their fa&ility! That is the #est way toavoid 'sy&hologi&ally de'rived #irds) anddiseases like #ornavirus) #eak and featherdiseaseand 'olyomavirus that often lurk in large&ommer&ial #reeding aviaries) 'etsho's and thelike! 2>ever visit more than one facility per day3

Do not 'ur&hase 'arrots that have #een tu#e+fed

or hat&hed in in&u#ators! 4tay with youngsters
http://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-Wright2009.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-Nanda2007.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-ancientparrot.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_Bornavirushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacine_beak_and_feather_diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacine_beak_and_feather_diseasehttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-Wright2009.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-Nanda2007.pdfhttp://www.2ndchance.info/parrottalk-ancientparrot.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_Bornavirushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacine_beak_and_feather_diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacine_beak_and_feather_disease


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that have #een fed from a s'oon or &ontra'tion2syringe0 baster0 etc.3 that releases food into theirmouth that they then swallow on their own!

Parrots were designed to 'rodu&e &hi&ks on&e ayear! Avoid the offs'ring of 'arrots that have#een over+#red!

Do not get talked into a&&e'ting a very immature'arrot #e&ause of its lower 'ri&e unless you aree1'erien&ed in raising #a#y 'arrots!

(very valid dis&overy is at some 'oint new. #ut

regard with ske'ti&ism anyone who &laims tohave s'e&ial 'owers) hidden or novel insightsinto the nature of 'arrots) that allow them tomake ama5ing &hanges in 'arrot #ehavior! %akethem show you hard) verifia#le eviden&e as towhy they hold those #eliefs! Testimonials)s'e&ta&ular videos) infomer&ials and di'lomasare not a su#stitute! Be 'arti&ularly &autious ifthey are attem'ting to sell you something!


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environmental issues! What I have to offer you is what youhave -ust read + nothing more!

4ometimes there is more than one road to a desireddestination! I &an only tell you a#out the things I have done!4o do try some of the te&hni6ues) like &li&kers) et&! that youread a#out online! I would mu&h 'refer those things thanhaving your #ird drugged) &ollared or sent away!

@ust #e&ause I tell you something is unlikely to work is notreason enough not to give it a try + 'arti&ularly sin&e avianveterinarians like me have) at #est) a K su&&ess rate in&uring 'lu&king and >#ad+#ehavior0 #irds! If your 'arrot,s life

im'roves with various &onditioning and o'erant te&hni6uesyou read a#out) 'erha's it is #e&ause you are now giving itthe attention it &raves! Whatever the &ause) good results aregreat however you o#tain them! @ust try to kee' youras'irations reasona#le and &ontrol your in&lination to #end7od,s &reations to %an,s desires!

If you go down that road) I would suggest &onta&ting %r!7reg 7lendell! We do not entirely agree on the &auses ofsome 'arrot 'ro#lems or how they are #est solved. #ut he

has 'ut as mu&h thought into the su#-e&t as I have and he&an guide you through the te&hni6ues that he has foundeffe&tive! 8othing would make me ha''ier than a note fromyou re'orting your su&&ess!

How to Tame Your Wild or Aggressive Parrot

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