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Noor's Personnel Tips on Parrot Care Topic 14

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TOPIC 14

Parrot Behavioral Problems

This is a very IMPORTANT subject for me since I do small time rescue of these beautiful parrot and for my fellow colleagues/friends who does rescue as well.

THESE ARE FEW VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WE SHOULD LOOK IN AND TRY TO HELP OUR FEATHER FRIENDS.

Before anyone acquires a pet bird they need to understand what they are getting into.

What are the problems that a parrot has in captivity?

Why do our companion birds develop "issues"?

Addressing Specific Behavior Concerns:

Screaming

Biting

Chewing on Furniture

Feather Plucking

Aggressive

Jealousy with your Pet Bird

Anxiety Attacks

Cage-bound Birds

Sexual Behavior in Companion Birds

Birds are so intelligent, they become bored easily and this commonly leads to behavioral disorders such as feather picking and skin mutilation.

Their intelligence can also get them into trouble. As an example, it is not uncommon for a bird to learn that when they scream the owner comes to the cage and they quickly become attention yellers.

They often live for decades on very poor diets, we regularly see diseases associated with severe malnutrition.

They also are very long lived.

Common Behavior Problems:

Screaming

Realize that some screaming is normal for birds and cannot be totally eliminated. Most birds will scream at dusk and dawn and an occasional scream should be accepted as a part of a healthy well-adjusted bird's normal behavior. We should keep in mind the bigger the bird the louder the scream.

Teach your bird to talk: Screamers are made and not born. Birds quickly learn that we respond when they yell which results in one of the most common behavioral problems. Teach the parrot whistling or talking. You will find that your bird's former screaming has all but entirely been replaced with pleasant chattering.

Reward the bird for good behavior. Pick a word that your bird already makes and encourage it.  EVERY time the bird repeats this word in your presence reward the bird.  Rewards can vary depending on the individual, but common ones include food rewards, toy rewards, my personnel reward is take the bird out of the cage for a cuddle that’s so cute.

Teach your parrot to talk, the parrot will express himself through talking instead of screaming.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

These beautiful Parrots are like children.  I was told by my Sensie (tutor) that medium size parrot has the intelligence of a 2 year old human baby and large size parrot has the intelligence of a 5 year old human child isnt that amazing with my parrots I can communicate with them just like my children, it is so amazing to see these beautiful parrots communicate with you.

Reacting to screaming (by yelling back or even just whispering) reinforces this behavior

Instead: Always ignore bad behavior, including screaming. Reinforce desired behavior, for example rewarding your pet with attention or a treat when your pet is talking in a pleasant manner.

Biting

No bird is  mean. They don't like to bite, but will do so in order to protect themselves or to stop behavior they are not comfortable with.

The worst thing you can do when your parrot bites (or is trying to bite) is to shriek, yell and/or pull away.

Gain their trust

Do not try touching a bird that is not bonded with you.

Even when bird are bonded, they may have their moments when they don't "feel" like cuddling

So what could the purpose of a bite be? In human terms it could be an attempt to say no to a request.

Chewing:

chewing is a natural behavior of any parrot. In the wild, they "customize" their environment by working on their nest, chewing on branches to keep their beaks in good shape. This is what they do -- and that is natural and good for them. Problems arise when they chew on their owners precious furniture or -- as we all know they do if not supervised properly -- damage electric cords etc.

Parrots, just like kids, need to be supervised.

We need to provide our parrots with "stuff" they can safe chew on example tree branches, toys etc  lots of them. Rotating toys will keep the parrots interested.

I hope this information is helpful

We love our parrots

TOPIC 14

Parrot Behavioral Problems

Continued – section 2

FEATHER PLUCKING - personally I think FEATHER PLUCKING is the major issue with the caged Parrot there are some of the reasons why they pluck their feathers.

Reasons for Plucking

The majority of feather plucking is caused by:

Malnutrition may cause birds to turn to their own feathers for entertainment (or the cage is too small): One-sided, unbalanced nutrition.

Boredom: Insufficient activities example doesn’t have toys  within the cage, cage is small the bigger the cage is better for the parrot.

Light: Birds enjoy the sun and like lots of light in their environment.  Light gives vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin

If they are kept in dark corners, they become depressed and may turn to feather plucking or even self-mutilation.

Loneliness: Parrots are social beings. In their natural habitat, most of them occur in flocks or at least with a mate. Spend more time with your parrot or provide a bird companion that does not mean breeding.

Cage Location: this is very important were you place your Parrots cage, it is important that the cage is situated in the area where the family normally spends their time. Parrots are social animals and need to be part of a family my parrots love to be with us we placed our parrot cages right in the family room where we mostly spend our time and they are very happy with us we take them out at the set time but still they are very happy to be with us. I think with a lot of care and lot of thought, these parrot issues can be  managed and prevented.

Physical / Medical / Environmental / Dietary Reasons:

Pain: Birds don't understand pain.. When birds are in pain, they may bite / chew on the area where the pain is concentrated or they may remove (pluck) feathers over that area. If you find your pet concentrates on one specific area this may be a good indication that your pet is experiencing localized pain.

The most common diseases / health problems are:

Psittacosis (human transferable disease with persistent flu-like symptoms. Easily  treat with antibiotics.

Fungal, thrush, staph infections.

Heavy metal poisoning (especially suspect in birds that like to chew).

Allergies (itching / dry / flaky / inflammed skin)  - I use 1 part of 100% aloe gel and mix it in a sprayer with 3 parts of water. Shake it up and it's ready for use this is very good for the parrot.

Dry itchy skin may also be a sign of a liver problems a vet has to check and once have been resolved, it takes a while for the itching to stop.

Food Sensitivity: Some birds are sensitive to wheat, corn, rice and grains.The itching may stop once  you figure out what your parrot is sensitive to.

Low levels of essential fats will also contribute to dry skin. Limiting or eliminating pellets and increasing foods / seeds high in essential fatty acids is recommended this is only with the advice of your vet very very important.

Hormonal: Many parrots pluck their chest area as they mature and get into breeding condition. Another typical plucking patterns for hormonal birds may be plucking between their legs.

Infections: When a bird destroys their feathers in an irregular pattern, some experts believe that they might be picking feathers over the locations of infected air sacs because of respiratory problems

Dietary Deficiencies: A diet deficient in calcium, salt and/or protein could also be a cause for plucking/chewing, I put cuttle bone for calcium for my Parrots also I crush the cuttle bone and sprinkle on the food also I break the cuttle bone into bite size my parrots love that. You can also get liquid or powder calcium at your Pet store, and also you will have to talk to your vet about this very important

Toxins: Zinc poison/toxin -  Zinc is a known toxin that will cause feather plucking in birds. Most affected birds were feather picking or showed signs of depression and loose poop. Your vet will be able to measure the your bird's zinc levels. You get zinc poison galvanized or powder-coated cages, quick-links or hardware, galvanized dishes, metallic toys - indeed any metallic, shiny object could be suspect.

Parasites: The common parasites known as Giardia picking pattern usually involves the chest, underside of the wings, insides of the thighs, shoulders and sometimes the lower back region.

I hope this information is helpful to you all

We love our Parrots

TOPIC 14

Parrot Behavioral Problems

Section 3

Aggressive/Attack Bird:

In the wild, parrots can fly away from threatening situations, In captivity other types of  aggressive biting, territorial, aggression and protective lunging/attacking, some parrots have learned to entertain themselves by lunging/attacking at people; the reward being the dramatic reaction as the human panics, turns, runs away, maybe shouting and thrashing their arms around. In the eyes of the bird, this makes for great entertainment and, therefore, encourages lunging/attacking behavior.

Reasons for Lunging/attacking:

Territorial Defense: Some parrots may encourage such individual to come over, appearing to be friendly and attention-seeking, but as the person responds and comes over the parrot lunges at him or her, often biting.

Jealousy: A bird attacks what he or she sense to be his or her rival.

Rough Play: Some owners encourage and train their birds to display this behavior by playing rough with their pets. Rough play encourages biting and establishes very bad habits that will be difficult to break.

Protection: Some times lunging/attacking can be a mate protection issue. A parrot may feel their mate or human favorite to be in danger and may attack to protect them.

Aggressive Biting: In beginning a bird's instinct to defend itself, the reward they get is the extra entertainment in form of the dramatic response by the person they are lunging/attacking at. This is how the instinctive aggressive lunge/attack to protect itself, may turn into a habit that is challenging to break.

Note:

The most common and worst response is anger or even aggression. Aggression will often result in more aggression from the bird.

My Pet Parrot is Jealous:

Pet Parrot often become jealous of other newly introduced birds or family members, which may cause him or her to show aggression towards you, the other person and/or bird.

Personally there are things you can do to help your parrot.  When you feel the parrot is jealous give the parrot more attention, gentle head scratch, hug and kisses make him feel he is very special and very important to you, long before you know it your parrot will get along with the other bird or person.  Be patient this will take time, you cannot force love and trust on any one.

I hope this information is helpful to you all

We love our Parrots

TOPIC 14

Parrot Behavioral Problems

Section 4

Phobia/fear in Birds

What is a Phobia/fear:

Phobic behavior is a “continual, abnormal” fear of something.

The main symptom of this disorder is the extreme, difficult desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one's control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, a fear that has no logical basis.

This Phobia/Fear comes in different sections:

Phobia/Fear - of something

Some birds are not socialized or familiar with humans, they are actually very terrified of humans, some birds terrified of brooms, bird nets or even any type of cloth etc, one of my rescued bird I had was terrified of a broom, she was fine till one day when I was cleaning up near her cage and she saw the broom and she got anxiety attack it took her at least 15 minutes to calm down, poor creature some birds who are terrified they behave in different ways, some will be very aggressive, some might just want to hide their face, some might start to scream, you have to be very patience with them, there are professional counsels for parrots with phobia, talk to your vet  they will help you and your parrot.  In the mean time you should be very patience and lots of love for your parrot, it will take time but the parrot will be ok.

CAGE BOUND - fear of going out:

Some birds are too scared to leave the cage.  The reason this because they were neglected and was always kept in a cage the entire time, with my rescues I still leave the cage door open, once the parrot think that this place is safe he will come out slowly when he think it is safe to do so, please do not force them that will make matter more worse be patience, with lots of love and patience your parrot will be ok mine did.  Playing the radio or leaving on the television is no replacement of a contact and a bonded relationship either with a person or another bird.

Note:   When you open the cage door for the first time just open it and walk away and just wait, It takes long time for the parrot to come out, it took 6 months for my parrot, they have to realize that he can trust humans and he is safe here,  please do not leave the cage door open 24/7, only under your supervision.

I hope this information is helpful to you all

We love our Parrots

TOPIC 14

Parrot Behavioral Problems

Section 5

Feather Pulling / Self-Mutilation /       Self inflicted injury

Feather pulling can be couple of things:

He could be sick

Stress

Poor wing clips

HE COULD BE SICK

Parrots can’t tell they are in pain, there are lots of signs that shows your Parrot is not feeling well,   If he started plucking that means he has some kind of pain,  watch for the signs stops hopping around his cage and just sits on the same perch, bird shivers when it isn't cold, stops eating and drinking, and suddenly starts being aggressive or fussy. When your parrot is perched and hangs his head low, seems to "droop" or falls off the perch, this can be a sign of illness.  An increase in the bobbing motion of his tail could mean he's having trouble breathing, please take your parrot to the vet.

STRESS

I think personally stress is the main cause for  feather plucking in a parrot.

WHAT CAN CAUSE STRESS TO MY PARROT.

There are several points which I think causes stress in a parrot?

Poor nutrition leading to malnutrition.

Sudden changes in diet or new foods.

The cage is too small.

Separation from a bird or owner. Owner spends less time in the house. Loss of mate or owner.

Too much noise.

Molting.

Digestive problems.

Infection.

Dirty cages. Some birds can't bear to step on their own feces.

Allergies or poisoning. Zinc and lead poisoning is surprisingly common.

Lack of freedom, lack of exercise, not enough to do, boredom.

Change of routine.

Too little sleep.

Sudden change in position of cage.

Loneliness.

Poor wing clips

Clipping is not permanent and if done correctly it only restricts the birds ability to fly. When flight feathers are cut too short blood feathers may break and need to be pulled. This is a painful process, poor wing clips affect a bird's balance and the ability to fall resulting in an injury.  Repeated falls causes the bird to suffer pain and decreased self-confidence and increased frustration. Feather plucking can get started by a bird wanting to remove any broken or damaged feather and turns into a habit which is extremely difficult to correct, you should always take your parrot to a vet or a pet store for wing clip.  Some people pefer for their new parrot to have wing cliped to train the bird in his new home, remember this is not a permanent and as the clipped feathers molt and the new ones grown back it may no longer be necessary to clip.

I hope this information is helpful to you all

We love our Parrots

TOPIC 14

Parrot Behavioral Problems

Section 6

Hormonal Behavior in Company Parrots.

This is an issue which exists and people do not talk about it, I think this is the main issue for pluck feathers in our beautiful parrots.  All parrots will get hormonal at times especially in summer and between the ages of 5 to 12 years,  during this time there will be 1 to 2 years This is a normal natural process.

in which they will be  very aggressive. Once they go through this, they generally settle down with little or no aggression shown when they are not hormonal and some aggression when they are.

Identifying  hormonal signals.

Hormonal feather plucking most often occurring on the chest or between the legs.

Birds acting overly sexual in response to being petting (especially on the back or wings).

Frequent regurgitating of food, panting, crouching down with wings dropped.

Increased shredding of paper or toys and increased chewing.

Nest-building or nesting; hiding in dark areas or holes and/or actively searching for them (potential nest sites).

Aggression / protectiveness of chosen nest site.

Possessiveness of favorite human (or bird companion) - while being extra aggressive toward others.

Increased screaming

Females especially may show an increased interest in cuttlebone,  as well as protein rich foods like egg or meat.

Masturbating

What Triggers of Breeding Behavior.

Extended hours of light. Lengthening days and increased amounts of artificial light will cause a bird's reproductive organs to increase in size which in turn triggers a significant increase in hormonal activity.

The availability of a suitable nest site and nesting materials. A suitable nest sites may, in your pet's eyes, include ordinary household items like cardboard boxes, areas behind cushions on the couch, even shoes. It is best to discourage them from claiming those as nests. Nesting material can be paper or a favorite blanket.

Availability of a mate (can be you, another bird or an object, such as a favorite toy)

Levels of fat and/or protein, as well as starches in the diet also encourages breeding behavior.

Please do not stroke the bird's backside.

There are ways to reduce hormonal / sexual behavior in birds:

Make sure that your pet is getting 11-12 hours of darkness per night. Limiting the amount of daylight the bird receives.  If you cannot close the light of that room please put a dark cover over the cage.

Increase level of exercise.

Avoid feeding foods that are high fat and high protein, also pellet with a high protein content, when your companion bird is hormonal.

Fresh vegetables fruits.

Moving the cage to a different location, change will be good for the Parrot.

Place lots other stuff in the cage example  sticks, twigs, branches with leaves from safe plants, paper, phone books, I usually put lots of treats in the phone books like healthy nuts example walnuts between the pages this will really keeps him busy  in different things  chewing and ripping, this will be messy to clean up but it is ok as long as your parrot is happy.

When your parrot tries to mate with your hand or arm, offer him one of the toys example keep card box or a basket full of safe toys or items that he likes to play with.

Petting the bird on the back, neck should be avoided.

It your parrot is a female and started laying eggs please give her extra calcium.

Suggestions: very important.

For all above problems or issues you will have to talk to your vet, they can give you the best advice after they examine your Parrot and find the reason either it is a medical or hormonal or habit they will let you know, this is my personnel advice and I do it for my parrots, some people think that it is very expensive to go to a vet and try homemade or other solutions that makes it more worse for the parrot, if you have a unhappy parrot it also effect you and your family just like a small child, what will do when your child is not well or having issue you will for sure take him/her to a doctor same thing apply to your parrot.

I hope this information is helpful to you all

We love our Parrots

Thanks,

Noor

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