Thinking of Hand Rearing a Parrot

8/2/2019 Thinking of Hand Rearing a Parrot

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Thinking of Hand Rearing a Parrot?

by Rob Harvey

I have many phone calls from customers who want to hand rear a parrot as a pet orstart to hand rear parrots as a hobby. There is a lot of work involved and a lot of knowledge required before you even start. This fact sheet is just to give you an ideaof what is involved and should not be used as instructions on how to hand rearparrots.

Equipment: You will need a brooder that can be easily adjusted as temperature needs to be veryaccurate indeed. To start with the chicks need to be at 36.5C after hatching andthen after a few days the temperature is slowly lowered. You will need somewhereto hand rear that can be kept very clean as young chicks are very prone to bacterialinfections and you will also need a pair of scales to keep an eye on the weight thechick is putting on . As well as this you will need to spoon feed or syringe feed thechick - we recommend spoon feeding as the chicks end up tamer this way. Broodersand scales do not come cheap so be prepared to spend some money on equipmentas it only takes one mistake to kill a young chick, so it's always best to go for qualityequipment.

Time: You should be prepared for this to take over all your free time. To give you an ideaof the time required lets look at what time it takes to hand rear an African GreyParrot. To start with you will be feeding the baby chick every 2 hours from 5am to11pm if you want the chick to do well and have a good weight gain each day. Onlyafter 2 weeks do the feed times drop to 2 hours between feeds. It takes 12weeks before the chick can be weaned from the hand rearing formula and duringthat time the feeds drop until you are only feeding once a day during the weaningstage and this can be a very difficult time as sometime they do not want to eat ontheir own.

Hand Rearing Food: This is one area where life has been made much easier nowadays as you no longer

have to mix your own diets to feed to the growing chicks. We have always used Avi-Plus Hand rearingFood and when I was curator at Birdworld we used this foreverything from Cockatiels to Hyacinth Macaws with great success. In South Africawhere it is produced over, 10,000 large parrots a year are raised on this food so it iswell tried and tested. They produce two sorts, one the premium mix is for the first10 days of life and the normal mix is for the rest of the hand rearing period untilweaning. It comes in sealed one KG bags which once opened can be kept in thefridge.

Knowledge: This is your main problem as you have a steep learning curve if you want to handrear parrots successfully. We recommend a video so you can see exactly how to feed


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the chick as just one mistake when feeding can drown the chick. The Hand Rearing Video with Rosemary Low, who is one of the worlds leading experts is recommendedas it shows you everything from the first feed to weaning. One of the best ways tolearn is to find someone who is already rearing baby parrots and try and visit themto see how they do it. Be warned, it seems very easy when you see an experiencedhand rearer at work but there are so many things that can go wrong and with thesevery small chicks, you do not normally get a second chance - one mistake and theyare dead.

It may seem that I am trying to put you off hand rearing, but too many people just jump into this head first and learn by a lot of mistakes which means a lot chicks arelost to start with. Hand rearing parrots can be and is very rewarding indeed but alsoextremely tiring and needs a lot of time and dedication. I have come across manypeople who hand rear but only a few who I would describe as experts at handrearing. Please contact us if you would like some more advice. 01420 23986 email us

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Pet Shop versus Parrot Breeder? Most purchasers immediate contact with a baby parrot is generally via a Pet Shop. It is muchmore likely that your average baby parrot purchaser is going to come into contact with the localPet Shop than the actual parrot breeder. In fact, the ideal place to purchase a baby parrot is viathe breeder.

Often parrots in Pet Shops have been neglected over a period of time as staff are not able to findsufficient time to entertain what is an intelligent creature that has the potential intellect of a 4 yearold child. This means that the parrot could have already developed behavioural problems prior tofinding a home.

The question worth asking at this early stage is the method by which the parrot has been handreared, was it via a syringe and tube or the spoon fed method? This may seem relatively trivial,
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but it is an important area where the young parrot has had greater contact with the hand rearer iffood has been administered via a spoon. In addition to that the bird has had the opportunity totaste the food as it is consumed. Via the tube method food is injected directly into the crop and itis a method which we have never indulged in or found acceptable and having always adoptedthe method of hand rearing via a spoon. This is a much lengthier way of hand rearing a baby

parrot, but ensures that human contact is regularly achieved. The Pet Shop will be unable toanswer this question, but the breeder certainly will.

Selecting Your Parrot/Making The RightDecisionWhen selecting your baby parrot look for a bird that isactive, alert, healthy and will engage you with eyecontact. A hand reared baby parrot after a few minutesgetting to know him should be able to step onto yourhand without any danger of inflicting an injury from abite. If he cannot do this, it means that the parrot has

gained a slight mistrust for humans and maybe a littleolder than the post weaning stage. Dont purchase y ourparrot until you are absolutely certain that he is compatible with you. You may hear He will settledown in a few days once you get him home. These are the words of someone who wants to sellthe parrot and doesnt really care if you and the parrot hi t it off in the future.

Wing Clipping? That leads onto the question as to whether the owner should clip the wings of a parrot thusensuring that the parrot cannot fly around the house, or God forbid out the door and disappear.Your parrot will have no will to fly away but on occasions it does happen that parrots get out andare surprised by a sudden noise or movement and disappear over the roof tops. It can be quite

difficult to retrieve your parrot as tame parrots can be picked up by anyone and there areunscrupulous people who will not hand the bird back. It is also easier to teach your parrot thedisciplines of the house if he has clipped wings, but you will not have the enormous pleasure of aparrot flying from his cage onto your hand from some distance away. It is not advisable to clipyour parrots wings until he has learned to fly. Some of the countrys leading Vetinerary Surgeonshave found that during the fledging period (the age when a bird naturally leaves the nest) a birdsbody is still developing and as the bird learns to fly it develops the muscles of its heart and wingsand the ability to breathe as a normal flying bird. Birds prevented from going through the nromalfledging stage are likely to have weaker hearts and wing muscles than properly flighted birds.This may remain the case for the rest of their lives and such birds may never be able to becomefully fit and healthy. It is therefore a recommendation of PARROTCARE that wing clipping should

become a thing of the past for all newly weaned birds. There are certain circum-stances where itis necessary to clip a birds wings, if you find that the bird flies from its cage and attacks either astranger or a member of the family then this cannot be allowed to continue and the only way toavoid this in the future is to restrict the bird by lack of flight.

A relatively new innovation is the parrot harness. This is a commercially produced product andreadily available. Harnesses come in several different sizes from the smallest Conures through tothe largest Macaws. It is important to introduce your pet parrot to the harness at the earliestpossible stage in its life. The preferred time is at the end of the hand rearing process when thebird will take naturally to wearing the harness. The basic reason for wearing the harness is toallow your pet parrot to accompany you on excursions into the garden or even farther outdoors.

The principle is the same as a dog on a leash. The most important ingredient as far as theharness is concerned is the birds abil ity to accept it and also your parrot must be completely


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tame. If your parrot is not completely tame, forcing him to wear a harness will be extremelytraumatic and could be positively dangerous if he panicked outdoors. The intention of a harnessis not to secure your parrot to a perch in the garden and then leave him to his own devices. Yourtame parrot should never be left outside unattended as this would be a recipe for disaster.Accidents could occur, or predators may cause serious injury to your bird without you being able

to intervene.

What is a good diet? The diet we feed at PARROTCARE consists of a good qualityparrot mix with fruit and vegetables. The fruit consists of apples,oranges, bananas, kiwi fruit and any other fruits that may be inseason. Vegetables consists of brussels sprouts, carrots,cabbage, peas, beans soaked for 24 hours and any othervegetable in season. Parrots also enjoy berries such ashawthorn and rosehip, they will also find time to chew theattached branches. The parrot food, fruit and vegetables should

be mixed together so that the juices from the fruit cause themixture to be moist. It will then be possible to add anysupplements which will ensure the health of your parrot. Wefind that the powder can be easily administered via addition tothe mix. All parrots have a requirement for calcium. There are anow a number of premium brands produced in liquid form thatcan be added to the drinking water to the prescribed levels. Inaddition to the aforementioned mixture, pellet diets are now readily available. Pellets should beavailable throughout the day. Most parrots enjoy fruit and vegetables and seed mix in preferenceto pellets, but pellets contains the complete diet required for your parrot, although I believe apurely pellet diet would be extremely boring and would not provide sufficient mental stimulation

on its own. The combination will provide a comprehensive diet on which he will thrive. Werecently boarded a parrot while his owners were on holiday and he enjoyed nothing better than asmall bowl of weak tea and half a slice of toast each morning. Obviously, this is something hehad got used to and it would be extremely stressful if he had not been allowed to have this whilstin our home. Whilst this parrot enjoyed tea, it must be remembered that both tea and coffeecontain caffeine which may have the effect of hyperactivity and cardiac problems in parrots ifgiven in large quantities. Also creams, milks and butters in large quantities can cause digestiveproblems. do believe it is not unreasonable to give a very small bowl of weak tea and toastwithout wedges of butter. A highly toxic fruit which can cause rapid death in parrots is advocado.Often overlooked in a number of parrot journals but is worth stressing in regard to a hand rearedbird who may be offered a piece by its owner. Rhubarb is excessively acidic and although often

cooked can retain toxic properties. Aubergine or egg plant contains great levels of solonincausing digestive upsets in parrots and yet completely harmless to humans. Asparagus can alsocause the same stomach upsets. Theobromin contained in chocolate can be toxic to your babyparrot and as we are all aware is almost addictive in humans. There are lots of good foods sostick to them and avoid those which would cause harm. Branches from trees such as lilac andlaburnum must be avoided at all cost as they are poisonous.

Another useful food is tinned sweetcorn or corn on the cob. A particular favourite with ourEclectus, Amazons and Cockatoos. The occasional digestive biscuit is also relished. When youfirst obtain your pet parrot it is so easy to spoil him by having the bird out of the cage more oftenthan he is in. Initially over the first few days this is the wrong thing to do. I often use the

expression "More hands off and less hands on" as a way to describe what should happen whenyou first acquire your bird. Give him a chance to settle down and learn about his new


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environment before exposing him to the rigours of the family and the home. Routine is good,birds and animals prefer a routine life rather thansudden or dramatic changes.

Stop Boredom

Boredom is something that must be guarded against atall cost. The repercussions of a bored parrot can befeather plucking. Feather plucking is not only a majorvice that can be stressful for the bird but also the owneras the parrot can become denuded and featherplucking on the breast is one of the major problemsthat can occur with boredom. Once this habit has setin, it is very difficult to break and therefore preventionagain is better than cure, so plenty to do in terms of toys, ropes, fresh cut branches primarilyfrom fruit trees should be continuously given to the bird for entertainment. It is better to overdothis aspect of keeping your bird than underdoing it. It goes without saying that cleanliness is of

the utmost impor-tance. Food, water, cages and perches should be changed or cleaned daily.Thorough disinfec-tion of the cage on a regular weekly basis would be advisable. As humans weare lucky to be custodians of some of the most beautiful creatures in the world it is thereforeincumbent on us to ensure that they remain mentally and physically healthy throughout their longlives.

Training Your Parrot One often hears patience is a virtue. When it comes to training parrots, patience is a necessity.Repetition without boredom would be the best way to describe training. Remember we aretalking about training and not taming. Your hand reared parrot will already be extremely tame ifyou have taken the precautions for buying outlined in the previous section. One of our friends

owns a parrot called Angus who is approx. 2 years old. In his vocabulary he now boasts 58separate phrases. A phrase for instance would be the first two or three lines of a nursery line.This gives you some exam-ple of what can be achieved with patience and effort. This bird isobviously exceptional and a credit to his owner.

It is important to maintain contact with your parrot even when you leave the room It is possible todo this by whistling tunes which builds up a rapport with a solitary bird. Amazingly, if you teachyour parrot the entired whistled tune it will be possible for you to start with the first couple of linesand he will often finish it off. Now due to my friends endeavours he is reaping the benefits of anextremely entertaining and amusing pet.

Toilet Training One of the first things you need to teach him to do is to use his cage as the toilet and not theremainder of the house. This is much simpler to achieve than would first appear, particularly ifyour parrot is as described in the previous section as hand reared and just weaned. Whenparrots decide to deposit their droppings they tend to squat down and it becomes very obviouswell in advance that your bird is about to do what nature intended. As soon as you notice youshould immediately take your bird to his cage. Once he has deposited a dropping, take him outimmediately and tell him what a good boy or girl he or she is. When this has been repeated on anumber of occasions your parrot will actually fly back to his cage to do his droppings. He mayindicate in some other way that he wishes to use the toilet. It is up to you to observe what this isand take the appropriate steps. A little effort on this particular area will save a lot of hard work

cleaning up parrot droppings around the home


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M O N D A Y , J U N E 2 5 , 2 0 0 7

How To Raise A Well Adjusted African Grey ParrotHow To Raise A Well Adjusted African Grey Parrot

Ive recently been handling lots of new clients in my parrot training business,

coaching them through issues and spending a lot of time thinking about why parrots

end up having problems when it hit me African Grey Parrots are the 2nd most

likely parrot to develop behavior problems; Second only to the Cockatoo. But unlike

Cockatoos who are in my opinion are not a good bird for the regular parrot owner toown because of its nature African grey Parrots dont share the Cockatoos same

nature. So why do I ha ve so many clients whos African Greys have problems?

So I thought Id share some of my thoughts on this topic with you

There are a lot of things involved in keeping an African Grey Parrot happy than

normal people would like to believe. Most of my clients think they can just walk

into any pet shop that sells hand fed baby African Greys and think their bird

will end up being perfect. Oh if they only knew how much more was involved.

African Greys can tend to be a skittish type of parrot that spooks ea sily, getsstressed easily and develops lots of phobias and behavior issues. But there also

the smartest breed of bird and through proper handling, similar to the ones

described in this article and on my website

athttp://www.birdtricks.com/african_grey_problems.htm, can be nothing short of

amazing.

So even though I could sit here for weeks writing 743 articles on all the

different things you need to do to make sure your African Grey Parrot is happy.

But instead Im going to focus on just one thing TOYS! Now dont go clicking off the page just yet because you think you know that your

African Grey needs toys. Im not trying to be condescending, and I know you

already know that toys a re important.But do you know how often your African Greys

toys should be rotated or changed? And better yet are you changing your birds

toysfrequently? Has your African Grey had a toy in his cage for longer than a month

or two? These are all important questions to ask, because African Grey Parrots are

extremely intelligent and need to be placed in stimulating environments to

remain happy.This means they need their toys constantly rotated in and out of their
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cages. They need their toys hung from different parts of their cage.

You should be constantly searching for different shapes and textures of toy for

your African grey to interact with. Toys that are chewable, destructible, touch

to chew, easy to chew etc.The key to a great stimulating environment boils down to

rotating your African Greys toys at least ever 2 weeks. And if you see a toy isnt being

touched or destroyed first see if changing up its placement in the cageworks often

thats enough to get the bird to start playing with it.

If rotating t he toys location doesnt work, and you still dont see the toy

getting destroyed, than you should give up on that toy, remove it from his cage

and replace with something different. If you dont you risk the chance of an

otherwise intelligent creature getting manic and bored and a bit psycho on you in the

near future.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Author:

Chet Womach owns and operates a parrot training newsletter packed with tips

for African Grey owners which can be found at

http://www.birdtricks.com/african-grey-parrot.html

P O S T E D B Y B I R D M A N AT 3:16 AM

Training African Grey Parrots

T H E A M A Z I N G A F R I C A N G R E Y PA R R O T

At BirdTricks.com, we are proud to be able to present you with all the information you need regarding both

species of African Grey Parrots... the Congo & the Timneh. Whether you are interested in specific talents orbehavior problems certain species tend to exhibit we'll give you everything you need t otrain your African Greyand build a lasting bond .
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The African Grey Parrot has been donned with twonicknames. The first is The perfect mi x of brains andbeauty, and the second one is The Cadillac of Parrots. One reason African Grey Parrots have these

nicknames is because of their ability to talk. They farexceed the talking capabilities of other parrots.

Speaking words is not the only talent of the this amazingparrot. They are also known for being able to imitate thingslike phones, microwave ovens, answering machines, otherbirds, and chain saws. Come See How Dave Trained His

African Grey Cressi

African Grey's Intelligence:

African Grey Parrots are so intelligent and observant that they often notice everything that goes on in the

house. They study every movement and reaction, plus they know how t o get their owners attention whenever they want it. They are even capable of cause-and-effect thinking. Because these bird are so intelligent it'simportant to keep them stimulated while you're away. Natural parrot toys are a great way to accomplish that.

For example, many African Greys observe their owners running tothe phone whenever it rings or to the microwave whenever itbeeps. Then, they learn to mimic those sounds in order to maketheir owners run to them.

The most incredible aspect of African Grey Parrot is how they bondwith humans. They can interact so completely that many people end uprelating to them as if they are human. They are, however, still wildanimals and it is important to be careful as you grow with them and trainthem to be good members of your family.

Training African Grey Parrots:

Due to their wild nature still being intact, however, many African Greys are called nervous andfearful. This is especially true when they are near unfamiliar objects. We have put a lot of time, effort,and research into making our now popular Taming and Training Video designed especially for thosewith African Greys.

You can help your Pet Parrot make amazing changes quickly and easily by watching this trainingvideo and then working one on one with your African grey. To discover new and interesting thingsabout your African Greys , please join us at our website called Bird Tricks to learn more amazingtraining tips and tricks!

Congo African Grey:

The CAG as they are lovingly referred to is one of the sub species of the African Grey Parrots . The Congo'sare highly susceptible to developing bad behaviors and it's very important you stop these when they start. Some

of the common problems you might run into are:
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Feather Plucking Biting Screaming

All of these are very possible to overcome. For more information on the CAG and some really cool videos of our Congo flying free in the sky check out the rest of our Congo Agrican Grey pages.

Timneh African Grey:

The lesser common of the African Grey Parrot sub-species the Timneh, is often considered the more nervous of the two. Typically they require a considerable amount of attention and can develop some behavior issues if thatattention is not provided to them. The TAG are excellent talkers most of the time and quick to learn.

They are very likely to love spending time in training sessions because they will have your full attention. Getmor eTimneh Grey info on our other pages. Look no further for the bes tparrot training information out there onAfrican Grey Parrots !

Thank you for visiting the 'Grey Parrots' website.

The purpose of this site is to inform pet parrot owners on how to deal with a number of typical parrot behaviourproblems appropriately, without the use of force and conventional punishment, in order to improve the quality oflife of captive birds.Please note that most of the information on this site is not specific to grey parrots. You will find that the advisegiven on behaviour and diet, for example, applies many parrot species.Before you browse the site, here are one or two points that you should consider before you buy any kind ofparrot.

A word about greys... The grey parrot has undoubtedly become the most popular pet parrot in the UK . Thedemand for hand reared African grey babies seems insatiable. One of the reasons must be their legendarytalking abilities, with many grey parrots' vocabularies containing many words and phrases. However, it is

important to understand that not every Grey can or will talk. Hand reared babies are of course friendly towardshumans from the outset and craving their attention often drives the youngsters to talk. In many cases, however,hand reared greys don't start to talk until they are about one year old. However, these birds have so much moreto offer, from the way they interact with their human flock, their intelligence to their characters. The ability to t alkshould really be considered a potential bonus, not a requirement. Macaws and cockatoos can also learn to talkand often start at a very early age. However, more often than not, these kinds of parrots only learn a few words

and phrases.Professor Irene Pepperberg has shown in her studies in the US that these parrots are able to understand the

meaning of words and to use these in context. Professor Pepperberg has been working with several greys for anumber of years now. Alex was the first Grey she has worked with in this research, which was started some
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twenty years ago. Alex sadly passed away, however, he leaves a tremendous legacy. He was able to count tosix, name objects by their shape, colour and size, he understood the concept of same and different, he could

spell and request the items he wanted to play with or eat by name. Professor Pepperberg's work continues andnew and amazing facts about grey parrots cognitive and communicative abilities keep emerging.

Thanks to Irene Pepperberg, there is a solid amount of research available that tells us more about the cognitiveabilities of Grey parrots. Although, there does not seem to be quite as much scientific data available in the

popular press on cockatoo cognition, they are nonetheless equally as famous for their anecdotes regarding theirintelligence. In fact, many will argue that white cockatoos are one of the most intelligent birds around.

Parrot behaviour! With more and more people sharing their homes with such intelligent creatures there is an ever growing need tolearn more about a parrot's psychological and physiological needs. To keep a parrot, macaw or cockatoo lockedaway in its cage day in day out can only result in an unhappy, unfriendly and depressed bird. All too often peoplesimply don't know how to properly deal with their feathered companions because they have not been given anyadvice by the breeder or pet shop staff or even worse, have been given bad advice. Please make sure that youhave read and learned all you can before buying or adopting a parrot. Parrots do not make good pets for peoplewho are out of the house most of the day. These animals require stimulating activity for a large part of the day. If

you wish to own a parrot you really must be prepared to spend several hours per day with your pet.

One-person birds? Many people are under the impression that grey parrots, or even parrots in general, are one-person birds. This is

not true! Most parrot species live in flocks and need to get on with a large number of individuals. It wouldtherefore make absolutely no sense for a bird to attach itself to one individual to the exclusion of all others. Thatsaid, greys, and many other parrot species, are very shy birds and like all other parrots love routine. Any strange

object or human will therefore be treated with great caution. Emotionally sensitive creatures, such as GreyParrots (or cockatoos) require for us to gain their trust. This also applies to hand reared parrot youngsters. Trust

is gained by learning that the behaviour of one individual towards the bird always results in a positive outcome forthe bird. This means that a person that has never dealt with a particular individual will be treated with caution until

that person has gained the bird's trust. Provided that all family members interact with the bird equally from themoment the parrot enters the household there should be no reason why the bird won't accept all. It is advisable

that any parrot you keep learns to interact with a variety of people.

Enjoy browsing the site!GREYS

The grey parrot is primarily shades of grey, with a white, bare skin area around the eye, and a bright red tail.

There are two types of grey parrot commonly kept as pets:The nominate race African Grey ( Psittacus erithacus erithacus ) (often referred to as The African grey, or theCongo Grey) and a subspecies: the Timneh Grey ( Psittacus erithacus timneh )

The Timneh Grey Parrot has a maroon coloured tail and is of a slightly smaller build. Although there are twoscientifically recognised subspecies, the appearance of the nominate race of greys differs significantly,depending on where the birds occur. Generally the farther east they occur in Africa the larger they are in size andthe lighter in colour.When people use terms such as Ghana, Togo, Cameroon, or Congo Greys they may think they are referring to aspecies of parrot, when in fact they are referring to the region from which the birds originally came. These are notsubspecies.These are all one species - Psittacus erithacus erithacus.

As Pets

The African grey parrot is probably the most popular pet parrot in the UK. One can only assume that this isbecause of its amazing talking abilities, which are legendary. However, it must be kept in mind that not every greyparrot will, or can talk. There are some, however, that the owners say, talk within perfect context. Alex the worldfamous African grey is known for his ability to count, reason, and name colours.These birds are not only fantastic talkers, but are also devoted to their carers and can show their intelligence inmany ways. Like all parrots, greys do need toys and a lot of attention to prevent them from becoming bored.Provided that you play with your bird on a daily basis and show him/her plenty of affection you will have a happyand well-adjusted bird. Introduce him/her to many different things (toys, household i tems etc.) and locations aswell as people at an early age. This will prevent him from becoming startled at new items/individuals later on inlife. Above all, it is a good idea to introduce many different people to a young bird as often as you can. This will

prevent him/her from becoming a one-person bird if there are more people living in your household.African greys have very gentle and somewhat fragile personalities. They are easily frightened and are probablymore emotionally sensitive than many other parrot species kept as pets.


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As with all other parrot species it is recommended that you read as much about the species as possible beforeyou bring your baby home.

DIET

One of the most confusing aspects of pet parrot care is without doubt the subject of diet (well, along withbehaviour issues).There are now a huge amount of different ready-made parrot foods available. These products range from straightforward seed and nut mixes (parrot mixes) to vitamin fortified seed mixtures, from coarse, organic pellets toperfectly shaped pellets that smell like a pack of wine gums, from dried fruits to gourmet cooking mixes. Someproducts are sold as complete foods others require supp lementation.Then, of course, there is the debate of natural, raw product such as fruits, seeds, nuts and grains, versusartificially produced foods such as pellets (even organic pellets are an artificial food).

Like most other living creatures parrots require a certain amount of minerals, vitamins, protein andcarbohydrates. No one food item provides all of these ingredients (except in artificial form, i.e. pellets). So, varietytruly is the key. This is not only necessary to meet all of the birds nutr itional requirements but also to provideinterest in food, stimulation and psychological well-being.

Know your parrotNutritional requirements vary greatly amongst some of the parrot species most commonly kept as pets.It is essential that you speak to the breeder and your veterinarian about the type of parrot you wish to keep as apet before you fill his food bowls.It would take several articles, preferably written by parrot nutritionists, to explain all the different dietaryrequirements of different species (if known at all) but to illustrate my point here are some examples to show thisdiversity: Galahs (Rose-breasted cockatoos) require a diet very low in fat (no more than about 5%), in contrastHyacinthine Macaws require quite a substantial amount of fat in their diet. Fig parrots in captivity are often knownto suffer from a vitamin K deficiency and grey parrots require more calcium in their diet than for example anAmazon does.

Food Items

Pellets Pellets are a much spoken about parrot food i tem. Some people love feeding them, others hate them. Older birdsthat have been fed on seeds and nuts all their lives are often hard to convert onto pellets.Despite the fact that some pellet manufactures would lead us to believe that their product is the perfect, completefood for all pet parrots it must be remembered that with over 300 different species of parrots it is outrightimpossible to produce one food that is perfect and nutritionally complete for all. Even the pellets that areproduced with macaws in mind, or ones for African parrots, or ones for cockatoos may only live up to the basicnutritional requirements of such species groups. On the other hand, without a vast amount of research into eachindividual parrot species we will never know what each species really does require.There is a huge variety of pellets available on the market these days. Some are organic, others contain additivesand preservatives. Some are left natural, while others are flavoured and coloured. So, what are the differences?There are several ways of producing pellets:

Extruded pellets are made from a mash of ingredients or a meal-based product (sometimes processing left-oversinstead of whole grain products). These are pressed into little shapes under the influence of high temperatures.Some pellets are only exposed to very high temperatures for brief moments. However, the higher thetemperature and the longer this is applied, the greater the biscuit effect of the end product. If thetemperature/duration of this process is excessive many of the vital vitamins, enzymes and probiotics die, whichare later sprayed onto the pellets, often together with scents and colourings.

Compressed pellets appear more natural, coarse looking, as they are produced at lower temperatures. However,this type of pellet is therefore considered less safe from a bacterial and toxin point of view. Compressed pellets

are less palatable than extruded pellets as the heat that is applied in the extrusion process (unless excessive)makes the pellets more digestible.Harrison's Organic Pellets, for example, are produced under low heat extrusion.


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Several studies have been conducted by scientist on behalf of some of the major parrot food producers toresearch in what quantities parrots require protein, carbohydrates, vitamins etc. As a result most complete,balanced pelleted diets contain around 15% protein, 5 -10% fat and about 3% fibre. Some pellets are producedwith a specific group of parrots in mind and therefore contain a little more or less calcium or fat or protein, forexample.Generally speaking, pellets contain all the vitamins and minerals parrots require which means that no extrasupplementation is required.I do, however, not recommend that you feed pellets exclusively. Fresh foods do contain levels of nutrients thatsimply cannot be retained in an artificially produced, or cooked food and do add variety.

Vegetables Other than avocado you can feed your pet parrot pretty much any vegetable that you can think of. Try feeding thenutritional things such as greens, tomatoes and peppers. Salt is a killer for parrots so stay clear of things such asolives (usually preserved in salt). Although garlic and onions are full of goodness they are really rather aggressiveon the tummy, so these are best left out of the food bowl as well.Apart from providing some fibre and carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables provide much needed vitamins andalso minerals.

Parrots are much more reliant on vitamin A to maintain a healthy immune system than they are on vitamin C.

In vitamin supplements vitamin A is present in a complete form. This means that if too much vitamin supplementis added to a birds diet it is possible to overdose vitamin A. On the other hand, this is not possible when freshfruit and vegetables are fed. Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A and is changed inside the body into theessential vitamin A. As soon as the birds system has produced enough vitamin A it will simple discard anyexcess beta-carotene without any harmful effect.

Fruits and vegetables high in beta-carotene are: Carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, winter squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe and mangoes. Dark green leafyvegetables such as kale, collard greens, spinach, Swiss chard and broccoli.

Other good vegetables to feed are: Beans, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet corn, green peas, cauliflower, red and green peppers, celery,zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber and cooked white potatoGreens: dark leaf lettuces, dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, beet greens

Fruit Its worth remembering that most of our fruits are bred for appearance and sweetness. This is often to thedetriment of vitamins and minerals as well as fibers and I therefore favour feeding vegetables. Still, a parrots dietshould not be without fruit. Tropical fruits are best - Try and get organically grown fruits if you can.

Good fruits to feed are: Apples, oranges, pears, apricots and peaches (stone removed), pineapple, passion fruit, bananas, mangos,melon, cantaloupe, papaya, coconut, plums, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and blackberries aregood for your parrot.Pomegranate is a great favourite when in season.

Nuts Many nuts such as cashew, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecan or Brazil nuts are very nutritious, contain a goodamount of protein, but also do contain quite a high level of fat which can be harmful to many parrots if fed toexcess. Nuts are also a good source of essential oils, such as omega 3 and 6 and also provide vitamins. Omega3 & 6 oils are polyunsaturated essential fatty acids which are important to maintain a healthy heart and benefitthe cardiovascular system. Flaxseed/linseed oil is very high in both of these oils. Most nuts contain more omega6 than omega 3 oils. However, walnuts are a good source of both.Many parrot mixes contain more peanuts than any other type of nut. The reason for this is that peanuts are cheapto produce compared to, for example, Brazil nuts, which only grow wild.The problem with peanuts (which incidentally are not really a nut at all, as they grow in the ground and arebotanically classified a legume) is that the red skins often harbour harmful aflatoxins (a by-product of a fungus). Ifyou wish to feed peanuts I suggest you buy the blanched, skinned kind (available in health food shops).It is also advisable to ensure that all other nuts fed to parrots are fit for human consumption.


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Seeds Although seeds are a source of nutrition, some can be high in fat.

Sprouted seeds: Seeds can be an important part of the diet, but must be from a clean source and be fresh. Seeds can providevitamins such as niacin, riboflavin as well as essential amino acids and minerals. When you sprout a seed, itcomes to life, changing its entire chemical composition. The fatty oils found in the seeds are converted toessential fatty acids.Sprouts are an ideal source of protein that can also help the body to cleanse itself. Besides providing protein,sprouts are rich in almost every nutrient, vitamins (especially vitamin A, B vitamins, C, D and E), enzymes,essential fatty acids and minerals (including iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc andchromium) all of which are natural antioxidants that strengthen the immune system and protect against toxicchemical build-up. The few calories that are found in sprouts come from simple sugars, which make them a quicksource of energy.

Parrot mixes Many parrot mixes contain a very high amount of oily seeds (any type of sunflower, from small, striped to largewhite, safflower seeds etc.) and peanuts.On the surface parrot mixes seem to contain much of what a parrot needs, including carbohydrates and protein,however, most do not provide the necessary amount of vitamins.The main concern with these mixes is that many of the ingredients are simply inedible in the form they are

delivered. Groats, barley, dried maize, rice and mung beans are wonderful and healthy but in their dried form (aspresent in parrot mixes) are rock-hard, almost tasteless and thoroughly unenjoyable. All these ingredients requireto be soaked in order to become palatable and tasty. Due to some of the other ingredients present in parrotmixes it is not possible to soak the entire mix, making the aforementioned ingredients simply redundant.

Pulse and rice mixtures ...are often greeted eagerly. These should be cooked. Homemade mixtures would consist of several varieties oflegumes along with rice and grains. The mixture should be soaked for at least 6 hours, then boiled for 10 min.and simmered for 20 more min. and cooled before serving. Legumes, grains and potatoes are cooked toneutralize enzymes that inhibit digestion and also to neutralize toxins. You can find many of these bean and grainmixtures available premixed, look for the low fat ones.

Pulses: Pinto beans, black-eyed peas, adzuki, green and yellow split peas, garbanzo, black beans and lentils.

Grains: Wheat, barley, brown rice, millet, oats

Other good foods include Cooked wholemeal pasta, wholemeal bread, cereals, nutsOccasionally:Low-fat yoghurt, lean boiled chicken, white steamed fish.

Millet A good low fat seed at about 4% fat. There are several kinds of millet. Some birds tend to prefer the largermillets. Millet is one of the oldest and most nutritious foods we know. As a grain, it is nutritionally balanced, non-acid forming and is rich in high-grade protein (containing 10 essential amino acids), minerals, vitamins andlecithin. You can buy millet sprays at a pet shop or unshelled millet at your health food shop.For variation, you can plump millet sprays by simmering them for about 10 minutes. You can also sprout millet.

Water Fresh drinking water must, of course, be available to your bird at all times. Change the water twice daily toprevent bacterial growth.

Foods that should NEVER be offered are:Chocolate, avocado, alcohol and caffeine

Other foods to avoid are: Refined sugar, dairy products (with perhaps the exception of low-fat yoghurt and small occasional amounts ofcheese), salt, fried foods.

Vitamin supplements Adding a vitamin/mineral supplement to your birds diet is essential if your parrot does not eat pellets on a regular basis.


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However, it is important to remember that feeding too much vitamin/mineral supplement can have toxic effects.Do not exceed the manufactures recommendation.Many supplements are available in powder form, which can be sprinkled over soft, moist foods. I do notrecommend water-soluble vitamins as they cause bacterial growth in the water within around four hours and quiteapart from that, parrots do not consume enough water to benefit sufficiently from the added vitamins.Some birds are put off by the flavour of vitamin supplements on their fruit and some supplements even causediscolouration of fruits and vegetables. In this case it is best to administer the supplements in a hidden form.You can mix a pinch of supplement into a spoonful of yoghurt and serve it on the spoon, or in an eggcup.Alternatively you could insert a pinch of supplement into a grape with the use of a sharp knife tip or mix it into asip of orange juice (served in an egg cup).

Medical conditions Many pet parrots that are allowed to overindulge on seed mixes are overweight and some even obese. Speciessuch as Amazons, Eclectus and cockatoos (particularly Galahs) easily become overweight if the fat content intheir diet is not controlled. African greys may require more oils in their diet, however, as many of these birds arepicky eaters and often stubbornly ignore most things other than oily seeds and nuts, they also tend to becomeoverweight.

The lack of vitamin A in a birds diet can easily lead to respiratory complaints, infectious diseases, pressure soreson feet, dry skin and various other health complaints.African greys often suffer from a calcium deficiency, which can lead to seizures and even death.

Again, it is important that you know and understand the particular dietary requirements of the parrot species youare keeping. Your breeder and your vet will be able to advise you on this matter further.

The problem with getting it right

If all of the above food types are fed in the right quantities you will have a happy, healthy parrot. However, this isexactly where the problem begins. What are the right amounts? A little of everything would probably provide asomewhat balanced diet.

Most pet parrot owners are well-meaning and really do offer most of the above ingredients on a daily basis. Yet,many complain that their bird only eats the sunflower seeds and peanuts, nibbles a little at some apple, or orangeand igno res the rest of the fruit, vegetables and pellets most, if not all of the time. And so, it doesnt take longbefore the bird develops nutritional deficiencies and with that even behavioural problems.Some parrot species are harder to persuade to dig into their greens and moist foods such as African greys, forexample, and it is for this reason that we have to make sure that we provide the right amount of the various foodsto eliminate the possibility of selective eating. Most of us half fill or even fill the food bowl in the cage with parrot(seed) mix and provide another bowl of fruit and veg along with water. The bird has now full control over what itwants to eat. There are sufficient oily seeds and peanuts in the bowl to feed the parrot for several days. As thesetwo foods are by most parrots perceived to be the tastiest there seems little reason to eat any of the other foodsthat are offered.Phrases such as; oh, but he likes the sunflower seeds so much!, or but he wont eat anything else! almostalways lead to these foods being fed to excess and dietary deficiencies are subsequently inevitable.If, on the other hand, only a heaped tablespoon of seed mix is put in the bowl the bird remains sufficiently hungryto also eat some of the pellets as well as the fruits and vegetables.Many readers will consider this outright mean, after all, a tablespoon of parrot mix doesnt look much, does it?However, if you compare a bowl full of parrot mix to the size of the bird you suddenly realise how out ofproportion and therefore unnecessary this is.

Ways to feed

There are two ways of feeding your pet parrot that allow for variety both nutritionally as well as psychologically.

Option 1 is a diet consisting of a good quality seed mix, nuts, soaked pulses and vegetables and fruits (thismixture of foods will require supplementation with a vitamin/mineral supplement).


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Option 2 is a diet consisting of a good quality pellet together with fruit and vegetables and possibly nuts as treats.

Note, the only difference between the two suggested diets is the fact that the seed/nut mix, pulses and vitaminsupplement are replaced with pellets.

Most would agree that Option 2 is favourable for pet parrots.Pellets contain protein as well as a balanced amount of vitamins and minerals, making the need for cookingpulses and adding supplements redundant.

Option 1 is a great way of feeding your parrot but you will have to be strict (not overfeed a particular item),consistent and go through some cooking procedures to always provide fresh pulses.

Ways of feeding variety

A good way of feeding your parrot is in stages throughout the day.

Always offer the most important and nutritious foods in the morning when your bird is at its hungriest.Fruits and vegetables can be divided into two portions and served, one half first thing in the morning and theother half (kept fresh in the fridge) later in the day.

The only food item left in the cage at all times should be organic pellets. There is no harm in pet parrots havingconstant access to these as long as the daily ration (as suggested by the manufacturer) is not exceeded toprevent overfeeding.

If you wish to feed pulses you should also offer these in the morning. Remove all fresh foods after 4-5 hours asbacteria easily breeds on these.In the afternoon you can then offer the other half of the fruits and vegetables along with a small amount of seedmix (only for those birds that refuse the pellets).

Nuts are loved by almost all parrots. Coarsely crush some nuts and offer these nut-bits throughout the day whenyou train your birds, or just because they are being good and are well-behaved.

Summary

Please remember that every parrot that refuses to eat the good stuff and wont take his head out of the seedbowl can be persuaded to eat a variety of healthy foods simply by adjusting the amounts that are offered.

A medium size parrot, such as a grey parrot, or an Amazon does not require any more than 1-2 tablespoons ofseed mix per day. Feed this later in the day to ensure that some of the healthy fresh foods are eaten first. Bepersistent, even if your parrot ignores the fruit bowl for a while. Use a small amount of nuts as treats and offer

healthy titbits to add more variety and excitement.

And finally, if your bird persisten tly ignores the fruit & veg bowl you can always try making things a li ttle morefun: Thread some fruit chunks onto a bird -friendly skewer which can be hung inside the birdcage or even on aplaystand, or you could hide some in a box which your bird needs to crack to get to the food or you could makelittle food parcels by wrapping fruit and vegetables in a large leave of spring greens which is tied together with

some string and hung inside the cage. Be creative - there are many ways of persuading a parrot to eat healthilyand the easiest is to make it fun for both him and you.

SCREAMING - and what to do about it


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Parrots vocalise for a number of reasons; these include, making contact with a mate, making contact with anotherflock member, fear, aggression, joy, morning and evening calls, boredom, attention seeking andpatterned/habitual screaming, to name but a few.Most parrots kept in captivity as pets can be very vocal, outright noisy and very loud, depending on the species.Those living with a conure or a caique, for example, will testify that size truly does not matter, as even smallparrots can be incredibly loud.Screaming, together with biting, is probably one of the most common and challenging problem behaviours facedby many pet parrot owners. Noisy parrots have caused many problems amongst neighbours and have evencaused rifts within relationships and families. Sadly, however, more often than not, the noisy parrot is eitherrehomed or banished to a quiet room or garage and left on his own. There are other alternatives!

Screaming a behaviour

One of the most important things to remember is that screaming is a behaviour just like eating, climbing or flying.Every behaviour is directly related to the consequence that follows.Behaviour science has demonstrated clearly that behaviour, including screaming behaviour, is not random orperformed for no reason. Behaviours such as screaming are related to the outcomes produced by performingthem. Those behaviours that result in desirable consequences are repeated. Also important is what happensbefore the behaviour. Some events or conditions, called antecedents, set the stage for particular behaviours suchas screaming. Caregivers benefit from understanding that behaviour is related to antecedents and conse quences

that come from the environment in which our parrots live.

We can modify and even eliminate behaviours by either changing what directly precedes the behaviour, the antecedents , or by changing what follows the behaviour, the consequence . A behaviour will either be maintainedor increased as long as the consequence that follows is considered reinforcing (rewarding) by the parrot. Forexample, if a parrot who likes human attention screams (the behaviour) and you immediately attend (theconsequence), the behaviour has been reinforced (the parrot got his wish) and he has therefore learned toscream again in the future every time he wants your attention for as long as you reinforce the behaviour byattending. On the other hand, if you were never to attend again when your parrot screams for your attention, thebird would learn that screaming for your attention has become fruitless and the behaviour will therefore decrease.

Rewards/Reinforcers

When training parrots it is important to reward behaviours that we would like to see repeated or even increased inintensity.The parrot decides what he considers most rewarding and therefore reinforcing. It is important to pay closeattention to the individual bird in order to assess what he does and does not find rewarding. Many parrots lovehead rubs, some love cuddles and most enjoy special food treats. Nuts usually work well. (In order not overfeedyour parrot on nuts it is a good idea to crush nuts to break them into tiny pieces.)

Considering the basics

The environment

All too often parrots scream incessantly simply because they are incredibly bored.Your parrot is a very intelligent creature, capable of many astounding things, from speech, to counting, to workingout puzzles. Irene Pepperbergs work with Ale x the Grey Parrot undoubtedly proves that. Leaving a parrot in hiscage with one toy for hours on end, restricting the bird to one and the same location, never having the opportunityto forage, as well as the lack of a variety of different play areas all contribute to being a bored parrot. Make sureyou birds environment is set up properly, with various toys which you should rotate frequently and freshbranches for chewing. Provide a number of play areas away from the cage.

Diet

Birds on an inadequate diet may feel physically uncomfortable, or unwell and are often prone to developingproblem behaviours, including screaming.Provide your bird with a variety of suitable foods which should include fresh fruit and vegetables, some cookedpulses, some pellets, a controlled amount of nuts and a small amount of seeds as treats. If your bird is a seed

junky speak to an experienced breeder or your veterinarian and get advice on how to adjust the diet.


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Loneliness

Some parrots often scream when they are lonely.Parrots should not be kept on their own for the majority of the day. If you leave the house at eight o'clock in themorning and do not return until six o'clock in the evening and your parrot is left on his own for the entire period,you should arrange for someone to drop in and keep your bird company for some time halfway through the day.Alternatively, consider getting another bird to keep your parrot company. Even birds of different species that arehoused in separate cages and never become friends can provide a valuable degree of ambient companionshipfor each other.

Habitual screaming

Screaming can easily become a habit. Many parrots love noise and drama and more often than not join in byvocalising wholeheartedly. This could be caused by the family dog barking at every passer-by, the noisy watertap, the vacuum cleaner, or a particularly noisy spin drier to mention but a few. If your bird is stimulated by anysuch noise and starts to vocalise i t is possible that this type of vocalisation will increase screaming as any of theabove-mentioned items will be routinely used in a household. The most straightforward way of breaking patternedscreaming is to determine the initial trigger ( the antecedent ) and to eliminate it if possible.Of course I'm not suggesting that you find a new home for your dog, however, you could teach your dog toremain quiet by positively reinforcing him for being quiet when people pass the house.You could construct yourself a little portable, collapsible T-stand (I made one using a cheap camera tripod to

which I fixed a small perch at the top), which will allow you to take your parrot into another room, away from thenoise source, such as spin driers or other noisy household apparatus.Of course you can't move your parrot to another room every time you run the kitchen tap or use the coffeegrinder, however, in order not to set the occasion for habitual screaming to develop you can ensure that yourparrot has something to do that he considers more reinforcing than screaming itself and therefore isnt inclined tostart screaming along. Whenever I needed to run a sink full of water or use the vacuum cleaner in the presenceof my pet macaw I gave her a nut in the shell or a new little foot toy, such as a plastic bottle top, a wine bottl ecork or a large piece of Lego, to capture her imagination, get her excited and for her to therefore show a greaterinterest in playing than in screaming.

A replacement behaviour

One way of dealing with a behaviour that may become patterned, such as screaming, is to teach a replacementbehaviour. A form of vocalisation that is easier to bear, or even pleasurable to listen to, for example, couldreplace the screaming. Fortunately, this is fairly easily done.

There are two ways of teaching such a vocal sound. You can either pay attention to your parrot and choose asound that he makes that you enjoy, or you could teach a brand-new sound.

Reinforcing a sound the parrot already makes:

The instant you hear your parrot make a sound that you like, praise him immediately and straightaway follow thepraise with a favourite treat.The faster you deliver the praise and treat after your parrot has made the sound you wish to reinforce, the quickerhe will produce this sound more often.

Teaching a new sound

Teaching a new sound is time consuming and it is by far easier to teach your parrot to replace screaming with asound that he is already able to reproduce than with a sound that needs to be learned first. However, if you dowish to teach a new sound heres how t o do it.Teaching a new sound doesn't differ from reinforcing a sound your parrot already makes. The only difference isthat this time you come up with a sound yourself. For example, you might choose to teach your parrot how towhistle a little tune. Start by whistling a tune and as soon as your parrot begins to whistle along, even if he is notcompletely copying your tune just yet, immediately reinforce his efforts with a treat. Over time, provided you carryon whistling the same tune (this could be as short as two notes), your parrot will step-by-step improve hiswhistling skills and the tune you are teaching will become clearer and clearer until eventually he can copy yourtune like for like.Be sure to treat your parrot every time he whistles and don't wait to treat your bird's efforts until the tune isperfect. Learning a new behaviour such as whistling a tune, does take time and every single step taken by yourparrot must be reinforced in order to maintain his interest in learning and performing the new behaviour (in thiscase, whistling a tune).The more you reinforce a new behaviour the more your parrot is likely to exhibit that behaviour. Do make sure

that whatever sound you choose to teach your bird is a sound that you can happily l ive with for a long time anddoesn't become too annoying when it is repeated over and over again.Please keep in mind that this was just one example of taught vocalisation and that not all parrots will whistle.


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Typical scenarios

Screaming for attention

It is easy to teach a parrot not to scream for attention from the outset, that is, from the moment the bird firstenters the household. However, once a parrot has learned to scream for attention and his demands have beenrepeatedly met it can be very difficult, or should I say time-consuming, to change the behaviour.Most parrots naturally remain reasonably quiet for the first few weeks in a new household, even when left in theircage for some time. This is partly to do with the bird being a little nervous and unsure of its new surroundings. Astime goes on the bird will become braver and gain more confidence in his surroundings. Now he may come todemand to be let out of his cage, for example, as he might have already learned that being out of the cage is apleasurable and therefore reinforcing experience. He may also start to vocally demand to be played with or to becuddled.It goes without saying, that every pet bird requires and should receive a certain amount of direct attention everyday. It is unreasonable to expect a parrot to sit quietly and play patiently by himself all day, every day. If,however, you are paying your parrot plenty of attention and he comes to demand more and more by screaming,you need to set some strict guidelines for yourself, before your b ehaviour (the way you respond to your birdsbehaviour) results in the bird developing bad habits.

What to do

If, for example, you have paid your parrot some attention and put him back on his playstand, or in his cage andhe immediately screams for more, I would again advise to absolutely ignore the screaming. Some parrots do givein easily, however, others do have considerably more staying power; be sure to absolutely ignore the screaming.It is natural for the screaming to intensify before your parrot eventually gives up.Should you weaken and give in because you feel the screaming has become too loud and return and attend toyour parrot at this point, you will have taught your bird that screaming louder is what is required to get yourattention. From now on your parrot will remember to always scream loudly. Be persistent dont give in!

However, you do want to teach your bird that being quiet and playing by himself is a positive thing. As soon asyour bird has settled down and is quiet approach him, give him a little stroke on the head, or even treat him, andtell him what a good bird he is. You have now reinforced his being quiet. Your feathered friend has learned thatscreaming got him nowhere, yet being quiet got him something nice.

A parrot should be allowed to request some attention if he hasn't recently been attended to. And again, I wouldsuggest that you teach your bird a mutually agreeable sound as described earlier - that is, a sound he can easilyreproduce and you find easy to bear.

But what if your parrot has already been taught to scream for human attention?In this case you will need to take two steps. Firstly, teach your bird the call sign of your choice: a whistle, a word,a grunt etc. Dont put too much emphasis on a particular type of sound. Again, remember to respond to the callsign when your bird first makes it and reinforce every attempt.Secondly, ignore the screaming and from now on only respond to the call sign (or attempts of the call sign) youare teaching.I cannot emphasise enough that you must not, under any circumstances, give in and return and respond to thescreaming, even if your bird is capable of screaming for long periods - you will reap the rewards in the end.

While you are teaching your bird not to scream for attention an effective response to decrease the screaming isthe withdrawal of your presence. Most parrots love nothing more than being in company and if you leave theroom and return as soon as he is quiet to praise him (in the case of real persistent screamers this may only be afew seconds) he will quickly learn that being quiet is considerably more rewarding than being noisy.

Contact calls

Many parrot species live in large flocks and most parrot species form strong pair bonds between two individuals.This means that a parrot is never really on his own. As a prey animal a parrot must constantly be on his guard,ever vigilant in order not to fall prey to the next predator. This would be almost impossible for a single individualand living in flocks or pairs therefore is about more than just company.More often than not, we are unable to spend all day of every day with our pet birds. Although parrots can learn tospend a considerable amount of time on their own, entertaining themselves, these periods should not last toolong and ideally should be of varying intervals. During these periods parrots often sound a call to make audible


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contact with their flock (the family) or their chosen mate. These types of calls are important as the response tothis call will put the parrot at ease, telling him that he is not on his own and that you are nearby.You can simply respond by calling Im here from wherever you are or, again, you could whistle. Many ownershave developed a fun little game with their parrots in this way - each party whistles a little tune which is thenrepeated or extended by the other.Be careful to differentiate between a simple contact call, meaning Where are you?, and screaming for your attention. If your parrot is not content having heard your reply and carries on screaming, he more likely than not isscreaming for your attention. In this case wait until he is quiet before you attend to him.

Fear

Fear screaming is often more easily dealt with than a form of habitual screaming. This is because fear screamingis usually instantly eliminated by removing the cause.Most hand reared pet parrots rarely scream routinely out of fear. If they do, however, you must examine theenvironment they live in, as well as discuss the issue with all the people th at are in the birds vicinity, or in facthandle the bird. It is essential to find what caused the parrot to scream out of fear. This could be a new object inthe environment, an environment that continually changes, or a person that may have caused the bird harm.Parrots often become extremely fearful of a seemingly harmless object, such as a new picture, vase, a new toy ornew item of clothing. Placing the object far away from the parrot often remedies the problem.Parrot toys can be introduced by leaving the toy several yards in visual distance from the cage and graduallymoved closer and closer over a period of days. Watch your bird's behaviour and his body language carefully as

the toy is edged closer to the cage. If he doesn't show any signs of distress you can eventually hang the toy onthe outside of the cage. As soon as he shows an interest in playing with the toy through the bars you can hangthe toy on the inside of the cage.Parrots are often fearful of strangers and any stranger should therefore approach with caution and not get tooclose to the bird initially. The more frequently a parrot is introduced to strangers without being handled badly, themore he will lose his fear of strangers. If a particular person seems to repeatedly trigger fear in a particular birdyet this person has never handled the bird in an inappropriate manner, it may be that the parrot is simply afraid ofan object on the person. This could be any item of clothing, spectacles, make-up, nail varnish, or a hat. Again,simply removing the object often solves the problem.In some cases, parrots appear to be frightened of a person without there being any apparent reason. Such aperson can still conquer the parrot's trust with a little patience and training. A good ice -breaker is for that personto approach the cage slowly and calmly with their head lowered and their arms behind their back, holding afavourite treat. Drop the treat into a food bowl and retreat immediately. Over time the parrot will probably lookforward to the person approaching rather than fear it.

Early morning/evening calls

Most birds vocalise in the morning and again late afternoon. This also applies to parrots whether they live in aflock or as an individual in the household. Although we are able to modify and change almost any behaviour withappropriate training techniques, I do consider it important to allow our pet parrots to act out what comes naturallyto a degree. Morning and early evening call sessions usually are reasonably short lived and many parrots thathave learned to speak a few words often feverishly repeat those words over and over again in place ofscreaming. If, however, your parrot is of a species able to produce a lot of noise, such as macaws or cockatoos,an early morning screaming session may well unsettle your neighbours. In such cases it might be best to divertthe parrots attention away from the thought of screaming altogether.A friend once told me that she creates little treasure boxes (small cardboard boxes will do) filled with toys andlittle titbits which are placed in the bottom of the cage for her birds to investigate. Rummaging through theseboxes is probably somewhat similar to foraging behaviour. By placing interesting little foot toys and veryimportantly some food items in these boxes the parrots interest can be maintained for considerable periods of time. It is of course necessary to change the contents of these little treasure boxes every morning in order forthem to uphold their appeal.

Noise stimulation/Drama rewards

Many parrots are stimulated to vocalise when sufficient amounts of noise are audible in their environments. Thiscan be any type of household apparatus (as already described above), a TV set or radio that is played too loudly,or people chatting loudly and laughing.If you enjoy listening to loud music but are unable to do so because of your parrots participation I would suggestthat, as mentioned above, you engage your parrot in an activity that he considers more fun than screaming alongto music. A behaviour that is incompatible with screaming would be ideal. Chewing would be one such behaviour.A whole nut, for example, can keep a parrot busy for quite some time.The key as always is to find an activity that your parrot enjoys, not one that we think they should enjoy.It is important to be realistic in what you can expect of your birds. If your parrot delights in joining in with the

music youre playing it is unlikely that he will keep quite for the entire duration of Beethovens 9th, even if he hasbeen given a favourite toy to play with. If you keep noise sessions to a reasonable limit and greatly praise andreward your bird for having played quietly while you played music or used the vacuum cleaner, it is possible that


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he will learn to remain quiet for longer periods.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is to yell and scream at their bird whenever the bird misbehaves or isbeing vocal. Screaming and shouting is reinforcing to many parrots. The moment you begin to be noisy yourparrot is more than likely going to delight in joining in. Screaming sessions will therefore be on the increase ratherthan subside.

Conclusion

When attempting to train and modify a parrots behaviour it is important to remember that we are dealing with wildanimals that have their own characteristics and exhibit behaviours that are naturally part of their being. Tocategorically deny them such behaviours would be to rob them of their identity. We need to be realistic in whatwe expect parrots to learn and how we would like them to behave. Certain species, such as a Sun Conure, forexample, tend to always be more vocal than a Senegal Parrot, for example.All parrots should be allowed to indulge in a few vocal sessions here and there (after all, it is a parrot thing) andby following some of the suggestions mentioned above you empower your parrot to choose not to scream, notforce him.When training parrots you must be patient and not expect too much too quickly. Breaking a behaviour such ashabitual screaming takes time but with the right attitude and a little effort your patience will certainly be rewarded.

BITING - what it means and how to deal with it

A parrots beak is an incredibly versatile tool. It is sensitive, powerful, gentle and sharp; it can be used for ea ting,preening, caressing and defending. One of the most important and interesting uses for any parrot beak is for non-verbal communication. For example, a parrot might lunge at a person to get them to back off. If you dont observeand understand this communication, a bite will often follow.

In this article I would like to discuss two main categories of beak use: 1) Exploration & interaction 2) Back-offwarnings/defence lunging and biting.First, however, I will talk about some tools and background information that are required to successfully change aparrots biting behaviour and to help us understand the motivation behind it.

Behaviour Reinforcers Warning signs

Behaviour & Consequence

Any behaviour, biting included, is the function of its consequence. In other words, the function of a bite is to eitheravoid or elicit a consequence (e.g. being put inside the cage, or getting you to scream out (loud vocal replies arerewarding to many parrots)).You can ensure that the outcome of any behaviour you request from your bird is reinforcing for your bird andsubsequently alter his behaviour and avoid the bite. For example, you can teach your bird not to bite when he isplaced inside the cage by changing items inside the cage and adding new exciting items every time you placehim there. In other words, give your parrot a reason (a reward) for doing what you want him to do.

Learned behaviour

Parrots will most often bite when we try and make them do things they dont want to do, or confront them withitems that make them uncomfortable or even frighten them.For example, if your bird is truly reluctant to step up, or leave a favourite perch, or to give up a favourite toy andyou force him to do so anyway, you are likely to get bitten. This may well cause you to shout at your bird or even

retreat. The problem is that you have taught your parrot that if he bites he wont have to leave his favourite perchas the bite caused you to retreat (the reinforcing consequence). This was a positive outcome for the bird and willtherefore increase the behaviour of biting.


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This also goes for stepping up. If you push the point despite your birds reluctance and provoke a bite, your birdwill learn that biting is required to get you to retreat every time he doesnt want to step up.

A much more productive way of getting your bird to follow your wishes is to make every behaviour you want tosee repeated on cue, e.g. stepping up or even leaving a favourite perch, so much fun (reinforcing) that he simplycant resist complying . Do this by always rewarding him in the way he enjoys the most. This could be by means offood treats, delivering a favourite toy or by physical affection.Of course you dont have to treat your parrot every time he steps up. Once the behaviour has been f ully learnedand has been put on cue you can simply give a verbal praise every time he complies. From time to time,however, you should reward any behaviour with a favourite treat just to make sure that it remains properlyreinforced.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Reinforcers

What are the most effective reinforcers (rewards) for your bird? Only the learner, in this case your parrot, cananswer this question. Observe your bird closely in order to determine what his favourite food items are, where hisfavourite perch is, what kind of toys he loves playing with the most and to what degree and in what way heappreciates physical touch. Don't be tempted to think in terms of most parrots love this so he must, too, as thisstrategy may well fail. It is important that you stick with rewards that your parrot showed signs of enjoying in orderto modify behaviour successfully.

The more reinforcers you have identified, the more you can reward your parrot without these becoming repetitive,boring or predictable for him and therefore weakening or even losing their effectiveness. In other words, thegreater the spectrum of effective rewards, the more you will be able to vary a positive reinforcement schedule,and subsequently increase your powers as a teacher.

Rewarding aggressive/frightened birds

Many frightened or aggressive birds wont tolerate any kind of physical closeness. So how can we reward abehaviour in a parrot that we wish to reinforce if we get bitten every time we deliver the reinforcer? One way ofdealing with this is to deliver the reinforcer with something other than a hand. The use of a wooden cookingspoon could become a very useful tool in such a scenario. First leave the spoon for several days near the cageso that the parrot can see it. Edge the spoon closer and closer to the cage over a period of days, until eventuallyyou can hang the spoon on the outside of the cage. With a little luck the parrot might begin to play with and chewthe spoon through the bars. If he is not showing any interest in the spoon you could tie a little nut or other foodtreat to it. Once the parrot has been desensitised to the spoon you can remove the spoon from the cage and useit to deliver food treats every time you wish to reinforce a positive behaviour.

Body language

It is much easier and by far more productive to avoid a situation that will result in a true bite than it is to unteachbiting once it has established itself and become a habit.Parrots rarely bite without giving the game away with their body language first. Observing your bird in order tointerpret his body language is therefore crucial. This may sound difficult at first, however, you will be amazed athow quickly you will pick up on the nuances.You quickly learn to recognis e clear body language, such as your parrot stepping away or looking for an escaperoute as you approach to ask him to step up, pinning eyes, slick feathers, or erect nape feathers with fanned tailto be signals that indicate that you should retreat or the bird wants to be left alone.

Interaction versus Back-off!

Exploration & interaction

There is no real definition that would outline the exact characteristics of a bite.A nibble or other use of the beak that feels hard and unbearable to one person might not affect another personas much, if at all. However, I do think it is important to distinguish between a parrots innocent use of the beak asa tool, even if the pressure is somewhat strong, and a clear warning, indicating that you should back off, or aprotest bite (e.g. when put inside the cage).


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But, just because the use of the beak in play, or as a tool for exploration, may be innocent and not intended as abite, it may well be hard and painful on your fingers. You do not have to put up with this as you can easily teachyour parrot to use his beak on you in a gentle manner.

Step-up

If you present your hand to your parrot and request for him to step up and he first leans forward and grabs hold ofyour fingers with his beak, this is not likely to be a bite but a way for your bird to test the security and stability ofthe presented perch (your finger/hand).Many parrots wont use their beak to steady themselves in the step -up process once they have learned that yourhand is truly a steady and reliable perch.If your bird, however, still leans forward and grabs your hand with his beak first, it is likely that you are holdingyour hand too low which requires the bird to step down, a rather difficult manoeuvre for birds. Lift your handslightly, be su re it is not too far from you birds body and hold it steadily and firmly so that your bird can step upand onto your hand without using his beak. Be sure to reward and praise him for his new way of stepping up.

On the other hand, if you pull back frightened of getting bitten when you first teach your bird to step up, you willhave reduced the bird's confidence in your hand as a perch. He may well try and grab your hand harder next timein order for it not to slip away. Should you then pull back again in fear and even yell ouch, or shout at your birdyou may have rewarded his innocent but firm test of the perch (your hand) with drama which may well reinforce

his behaviour. What started as a gentle test of your hand as a perch has now developed into a biting game.Please remember that the problem is not your parrot having become vicious but you having unwittingly taughthim a biting game. The behaviour of biting will be maintained or intensify the more you reward this behaviour byyelling or screaming at him.Using a handheld perch in such a situation may not be a bad idea in order to increase, both yours as well as yourparrot's confidence in this manoeuvre. Wait for him to lift his first leg and put it onto the new perch. Now praisehim lavishly and reward him with whatever is most reinforcing to your bird. In most cases the bird will then followon, by transferring his body weight and lifting his second leg onto the perch. Again, praise him and reward him. Ifyou are using a handheld perch you can, over time, slide your hand along the perch so that less and less of theperch itself remains exposed. Eventually when only one or two inches of the perch are exposed and presented toyour bird he might automatically climb onto your hand instead.

Lying on backs

Many parrots enjoy lying on their backs. Senegal parrots and macaws are famous for this.In this position many parrots naturally nibble their owners fingers harder than they would in any other type of play, but again, I would not class this as deliberate biting. When the pressure of the nibbling gets too strongduring such play simply say Too hard! in a firm voice as you pull your finger away and stop playing or cuddling.You can then resume play within moments and repeat this stop start trainin g as needed. Most parrots learnwithin just a few sessions what too hard means because you are making it clear that the reinforcer (cuddles, play,your fingers) are withdrawn if the pressure gets too much.

Overexcitement/play biting

Many parrots, when engaged in play with their owners, from time to time, get overexcited. This is often the casewhen parrots are encouraged to chase little rolling balls or are engaged in other types of action play. In thosemoments some parrots seem to suddenly forget themselves and appear to senselessly bite their owners or otherpeople present. Always watch your parrots body language, as such overexcitement might well be exhibited inone way or another first, for example by pinning eyes. Stop the game, talk softly and allow your parrot to calmdown before you attempt to pick him up. Again, the key is avoidance of the bite.

Back-off I dont want to know

Getting into the cage

Many parrots enjoy spending time outside their cage and are often difficult to persuade to get back inside. Beingput inside the cage often results in protest biting.The reason for this is simple: being outside the cage and having access to different toys and being a direct part of


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the flock (the family) is more reinforcing to such a bird than being shut inside the cage and not being able tocome back out of his own accord. Parrots are very observant and can tell when they are about to be put backinside the cage by watching their owners behaviour and looking for changes in the environment that occur inpreparation of the looming in-cage time (such as a cage door being opened or some toys being put away). Makesuch moments less predictable!When it is time fo r your parrot to go back inside his cage, put him there and dont react to any potential bites.Distract him from biting at this time by holding a desirable object (a toy or nut etc.) in your other hand. As soon ashe steps onto the cage perch, praise him and give him the treat. This should only be necessary a few timesbefore he forgets to bite you altogether because from now on you leave the cage door open and let him climbback out at his own free will.Once he has climbed back out leave him outside for quite some time and repeat this schedule and let him climbback out again. Vary these intervals and repeat this exercise several times every day and you will find that whenyou really do need to close the cage door you will be able to do so without problem.Now that we have taught the bird to step down inside the cage without being bitten we also need to give him areason to enjoy staying inside the cage. For parrots that really dont enjoy being inside you could always makesure that their favourite foods and toys are only available inside the cage. Also dont forget that an environment or routine can become predictable and boring very quickly so be sure to change the cage environment around aboutonce a week or so.You could also create little treasure bo xes as mentioned in my last article about Screaming. Fill little cardboardboxes with favourite foot toys and a favouri

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Thinking of Hand Rearing a Parrot