Virtually any rehomed parrot can be trained to be a great addition to the family.

Do Hormones Contribute to Rehoming Parrots?

Parrots, like any pet, will mature and develop hormonal or seasonal behaviors.  Hormonal parrots strut, flat back and become more temperamental.  They are more territorial than usual, too, making the parrot difficult to handle.  Do hormones contribute to rehoming parrots or placing them for adoption?

Most women can attest that hormones play havoc with moods.  Parrots, thankfully, experience hormonal behavior only once or possibly twice a year.  The hormonal behavior lasts several weeks at a time and are associated with the seasonality of daylight.  It is easy to forget during difficult weeks that the rest of the year a parrot is not hormonal.  Usually a parrot behaves according to the training and relationship it has established with it’s family.

With several pet birds, I experience parrot hormonal behavior every year.  The only time I’ve ever been bitten has been during seasonal hormonal behavior.  Smokey, my Congo African Grey bites quickly and what seems to be less predictably.  He breaks the skin when he bites.  Peachy, my Moluccan Cockatoo bites less than once a year when he is hormonal and his bites leave a bruise.  Learning how to read my parrots body language has been incredibly helpful.  As an inexperienced” parrot newby,” I was bit several times a year.  Now, I’m only bit once or twice a year total between my 7 parrots!

The screaming, destruction and biting that hormonal parrots engage in may result in rehoming parrots.  These behaviors are really irritating.  You may not be able to change your hormonal parrots agitation but you can manage it.  Learn to read hormonal behavior and train your bird to be gentle the rest of the year.

How do you know your bird is hormonal?

• Your bird tries to regurgitate as a sign of love.
• Your bird pants while crouching with a lowered head and wings dropped.
• Your bird shreds soft materials like paper and leafy bird toys in its drive to make a nest.
• You find your bird seeking out dark, confined spaces as though it were wanting to nest.
• Your bird lashes out realizing that you are not a “real” mate.”
• Your bird rubs it vent in effort to relieve stress of sexual desire.

If your bird is displaying these behaviors in late winter or early spring and it is of age, you can bet that it is hormonal.  Seasonal hormones are temporary and not a reason for rehoming parrots.   If you are experiencing this situation and fearful of your bird,  I suggest that you learn to read parrot body language and initiate bird training as soon as possible.

But, how about those parrots that have already been placed in a shelter?  These birds are perfectly capable of integrating into a home where they are loved.  Respectable parrot shelters train you on how to bond with a parrot.  Just because a parrot has been relinquished doesn’t mean it will be a temperamental or aggressive pet.  On the contrary!  Rehoming is usually the human at fault.  Parrot adoptions from a shelter are a successful match for both you and the parrot in need of a forever home.

• Read this article to learn more about training a rehomed parrot.  Adopt an older bird that needs to be rehomed
• Prepare for annual hormonal behavior by learning parrot body language and eliminating sexually stimulation as much as possible.
• Train your bird with proven bird training techniques to build trust when it is hormonal.

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• Planning
• Problem solving
• Comprehending questions and giving reliable  answers

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Tk0-85ZSE]Dr. Irene Peperberg , a world famous animal behaviorist who holds faculty positions at Harvard University and Brandeis University   notes that parrots ”understand things like categories of color, material and shape, number concepts, and concepts of bigger and smaller, concepts of similarity and difference, and absence; things we once thought that a bird could not comprehend, these parrots are showing us it’s possible,” says Pepperberg in an article published by the National Science Foundation.  In the move Life with Alex : A Memoir,  Dr. Irene Pepperberg and her team at  Harvard and Brandeis Universities shows the world how Alex the African Grey Parrot has learned colors, shapes, textures as well as counting.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEqFV_3tUX8]Another fascinating example of parrot intelligence is “Pepper” the African Grey Parrot that is learning to drive a parrot sized Bird Buggy!  Pepper, an intelligent parrot with separation anxiety had beset his owner, Andrew Gray, with ear splitting brash  screeches any time he was left alone.  Andrew, an engineering graduate student at the University of Florida responded to his parrots needs by developing the Bird Buggy.  This little gadget is a joystick operated bird buggy that Pepper can navigate about the house in search of his Pal.

Wild birds are also known to be intelligent.  Researchers at the University of Vienna and Oxford have conducted trailblazing research on the problem-solving abilities of New Caledonian Crows and Kea’s by presenting birds with an acrylic “puzzle box “ that contains food.  In video footage, these two species show how they use a variety of tools and problem-solving strategies to “forage” for food.  The researchers are publishing two new studies — one in cooperation with members of the Behavioral Ecology Research Group in Oxford — in the scientific journals PLoS ONE and Biology Letters

So, what does this have to do with you?  Just like a young child with nothing to do, your parrot will find a way to stimulate its mind and solve its loneliness, possibly in ways that are problematic.  Under-stimulated parrots tend to engage in attention getting behavior or anxiety related behaviors such as screaming and feather picking.  Parrots quickly learn that negative attention is better than minimal attention and boredom.  One of the fastest ways to encourage problem behaviors in our parrots is to provide attention for attention getting behaviors.  We often do this unwittingly.

Provide mental stimulation  and learn about the intelligence of birds first hand with foraging bird toys, bird puzzles and teaching your birds tricks.  We’ll address foraging bird toys and bird puzzles in this post and bird tricks in a subsequent posts.

REFERENCES:

Alice Auersperg, Auguste von Bayern, Gyula K. Gajdon, Ludwig Huber, Alex Kacelnik. Flexibility in problem solving and tool use of kea and New Caledonian crows in a Multi Access Box paradigm. PLoS ONE, June 8, 2011 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020231

Irene Pepperberg Article University of Chattanooga Animal behaviorist Irene Pepperberg to present parrot research posted March 23, 2012.

BirdBuggy - https://sites.google.com/site/birdbuggy109/home

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   Expert tips for training your parrot to talk!

   Some of the best talking parrots are African Grey Parrots, Amazon Parrots, Eclectus Parrots, Indian Ring Necks, Quaker Parrots, some Macaw’s and American Parakeets!

2. Birds learn words that they hear in heightened states of emotion, so say “Gobble, gobble” in a very excited voice, much like a turkey actually gobbles.
3. Once you have your parrots attention, combine saying “Gobble, Gobble with using a clicker and a favorite treat.
4. The trick to teaching your parrot to say any phrase is to repeat it and make it fun for him.  Gain your parrots interest and curiosity,and he’ll be saying fun phrases rather quickly.
5. Click Here to get the Train Your Parrot to Talk DVD for expert tips. Train Your Parrot To Talk

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Genetics Could Explain Parrots Ability To Talk (via redOrbit)

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports – Your Universe Online Scientists say they have put together a more complete string of genetic letters that may control how well parrots learn to imitate their owners and other noises. Researchers unraveled the certain regions of the parrots’ genome using a new technology…

Related articles

• Why Do Parrots Imitate Humans? (slate.com)
• Wild Parrots Learn to Swear- Read, listen and learn a little English! (tinytexts.wordpress.com)
• Three cool animals that start with ‘T’ (hadnoclue.com)

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We attach a Clicker to a Teaspoon on our coiled wrist bracelet to teach Smokey new bird tricks.

No doubt about it.  Animal training techniques have been studied to a science.  Research shows that positive animal bird training techniques work. Zoo’s do it.  Animal shows in Vegas and on ships do it.  You can train your parrot to be a fun pet bird and wonderful companion easily with just 30 minutes or less a day.

You don’t have to be a scientist to train your pet bird.  You just need to learn and use research based, proven bird training techniques that are broken down in easy to understand language.  One of the best resources that we’ve found is Clicker Training for Birds.  But, Good Bird Training DVD’s are exceptional, too!  All proven bird training programs use bite sized favorite treats to immediately reward desired behaviors.  Bird training is no exception.  We know each of our parrots favorite bird treats, but chopping up treats into easy dispense sizes that a bird can quickly gobble up is time consuming and we’ve found it easier to use dried fruit and nut bird treat mixes like those from Goldenfeast.  Note in the picture above how we’ve attached a treat dispensing spoon and a clicker to a coiled wrist bracelet to use when we are training our birds.  Smokey understands that when he hears the click of the clicker, he will be getting a delicious bird treat.

So, getting to our top selling bird training treats??!!  Bite sized bird treats that are bursting with flavor are preferred for teaching bird tricks.  You need to be able to offer the bird treat as fast as you can click your bird training clicker to reward desired behavior.  But just like humans, birds have taste preferences.  Some birds like nuts. Other parrots love seeds and some love fruits.  Here are top bird treats for our flock of seven parrots!

1. Treat Petite from Goldenfeast
2. Chopped Sunflower Seeds
3. Papaya
4. Fresh Edime Bean
5. Tropical Fruit Pudding from Goldenfeast

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Small Parrot Bird Trick Toys

Imagine little Parakeet, Cockatiel or Lovebird shooting hoops like a pro! Or, bowling a strike? Parakeet  sized bird trick toys are hard to find.  But we know where to get them!

Most bird trick toys are made for medium to large parrots. But, we’ve found a new source for small or parakeet sized bird trick toys. Basketball, Bowling and Skeetball. Gosh, your small pet bird just might make the Parrot Olympics cut!

Parrotlets, Parakeets, Cockatiels and Lovebirds can be trained to perform bird tricks just like their larger cousins with bird trick toys. Most people underestimate these tiny, little parrots since they are designated as “beginner” birds. All that really means, is that small pet birds and parrots are not only better domesticated, they of a size that makes troublesome instinctual behaviors much more tolerable! Chatter, nipping and mess.

But, these little pet birds are still pretty darn smart. Did you know that the American Parakeet is one of the best talking parrots around? Or, that the loving Cockatiel is not only a cuddler, but a wonderful whistler and companion. Whatever the species, birds and parrots survive best in a flock. Pet parrots and birds see their guardians as their flock. A well loved parrot that is properly trained using positive bird training techniques will come to crave performing tricks on command simply to entertain and bond with YOU. No matter the size of the little fellow.

That is why we find these new bird trick toys so important. Yes. These bird trick toys are affordable. But, more importantly, this new line of bird trick toys helps the pet bird guardian / owner to experience an unimaginable bond with their pet. And, what more could you ask for a small $5.00 investment?

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One of my latest reads, ALEX & ME, was over-whelming in terms of my enthusiasm for animal parrot research but it is  also a love story.  I imagine that if you love parrots, you’ve heard of Alex, the African Grey Parrot.  Dr. Pepperburg has painstakingly devoted her entire life to show the world that animals are more intelligent than anyone has EVER imagined. (DONATE HERE)

Dr. Pepperburg’s research is part of a growing mound of evidence that parrots and many other wildlife are intelligent and cognitive creatures with the ability to communicate.

What color?

So, we challenge you to read ALEX & ME.  You’ll walk away with a deeper appreciation of your parrots cognitive abilities and a desire to communicate more intelligently with your pet.  Check out the bird training props at Chirp n Squawk Bird Supplies, like The Ring Teacher.

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Let me introduce you to my flock of talking parrots.  I’ll go from largest to smallest:

Peachy is our 14 year old Moluccan Cockatoo. I got him when he was 3 years old. I had gone into the pet store to look for a Blue and Gold Macaw for my husband, but every time that I walked by Peachy, he’d say, “Hey, come here.” I visited him a couple of times a week over the course of a month while doing a lot of research on Moluccan Cockatoo’s to make sure he’d be a good fit in my family. The bird store personnel told me that he acted much more animated with me than with other customers. I guess he originally picked me. Peachy is a good talking parrot. He says: Hi, whatcha doing (whatcha doing doing!), hey come here, mommy, Max (my son), Hello, step up, and he is always quick to yell out our dogs names to scold them when they bark too much! – The correct name for the dog that’s barking.

Smokey is an 11 year old Congo African Grey. I got him as a young baby and I have to admit, he is pretty spoiled. He is out on his Parrot Tower Bird Stand a lot. When he is around me or others he is a whistler and beeper. He’s also quite the prankster. Several years ago he learned my husband’s cell phone ring. You can imagine how many times Jim answered the phone and no one was there. He also learned that my husband would call me “Hey, Diane!” and I’d answer. One time, I kept hearing my name called from upstairs. I’d answer and get no reply. This happened over and over again until I was starting to get mad! What the H#%** do you want!” Turns out it was Smokey! Other than Hey Diane, Smokey says hello, hi, step up, chow chow, Timmy, Sissy and more.

Timmy and Sierra are 6 year old Timneh African Grey Parrots. I got them both as a young babies and even hand fed Sierra. Sierra is also is a mostly whistler and beeper. She knows a lot of words but prefers to communicate with her people flock  in a series of whistles.  Timmy, on the other hand, is a serious talker.  He says so many things that I don’t have room to list them all. I’ll bet, Timmy can say at least 30 phrases. He also whistles “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.” One of the funniest (and embarrassing) things he often asks the dogs is “Do you have to go pee pee?”  I guess he is determined to keep our carpet smelling fresh!

Mandolina a.k.a. Mandy is a 6 year old flighted Orange Winged Amazon. I hand fed her from the time she was featherless until she was weaned. The most popular talking Amazon Parrots are the Yellow Napped and Double Yellow Head Amazon’s. Mandy thinks she doesn’t need her cage.  She has an open playtop bird cage and so she goes all over the bird room and the basement.  Mandy does not speak as much parrots of those species, but she knows several phrases. She also has several whistles and coo’s that she uses routinely to determine my whereabouts in the house or to just let me know she loves being out and following me about in flight, as I go about my business.

Skeeter is a 6 year old Red Bellied Parrot. She is also flighted. She had come from an abusive background but she totally loves me! It’s mutual. Skeeter loves to ride around on my shoulder and preen my hair. Her cage usually has an open door policy as does Mandy’s so they hang out together most of the time. Skeeter loves to explore and can be a little mischievous, too. She has a larger vocabulary than Mandy, probably having about 8 phrases that she says consistently.

Mika is a 3 year old Pacific Parrotlet. Unlike the other birds in our flock, who have their own bird room, Mika’s cage is upstairs. I’ve had a lot of customers who tell me that they have talking parrotlet’s, but I’m not sure if Mika talks or not. She tweets a lot, but her little vocal cords are so tiny that I can’t decipher if she is actually talking. Mika loves to ride around on my shoulder. She is pretty feisty and territorial. She’s flighted, too.
So, how did we get so many talking parrots? One of the earliest things I learned in my friendship with parrots is how important it is to prevent problem behaviors including screaming and biting. Parrots that talk and whistle to communicate with you are much less likely to scream for attention. While not every parrot is a proficient talker, there are a number of things you can do to promote a talking parrot.

1. Develop a training schedule.  Parrots are quick learners with short attention spans.
2. Study Clicker Training techniques.
3. Learn to read Parrot Body Language.
4. Match your parrots voice inflection training in the same tones or vocal capabilities that your parrot has.
5. Teach bird tricks to your parrot.  Each new learning experience adds to the learning momentum.   The more you train your parrot the faster it will learn the next, subsequent trick.

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Learn to read parrot body language

Reading you parrot’s body language is one of the most important skills you can learn to help you build a relationship with your parrot. Parrots have a unique body language all their own and unless you really know parrots, you’ll have to train yourself to read parrot body language.

Learning to recognize your parrot’s normal body language will help you know when he is feeling fine or when he’s ill or even agitated.  Also, you’ll learn what your parrot is trying to tell you.  For instance, is your parrot screaming because he is hungry or angry?  Learning to read parrot body language is critical to a mutually satisfying relationship between parrots and humans.  Plus, this skill will help you avoid a painful bites.  Parrots bite when they don’t feel understood.

Most parrots communicate their mood and feelings through body language just like people do. Once you know the signs, it’s easy to tell when your bird is happy, sleepy, terrified, or simply excited just by noticing his stance.  Parrots communicate by stance, feather positioning, eye contact, and sometimes sound.

In the Understanding Parrot Body Language DVD professional animal trainer Barbara Heidenreich guides you through the process of looking at a combination of body parts and what they are doing under different circumstances to give you an idea of just what might be going on in those very special bird brains.  When your parrot knows that you know how to read parrot body language, it will form a deeper bond with you.  It’s like you’ll develop a mutual communication and improved trust with this new understanding.  A parrot has the intellectual intelligence of a 4-5 year old child yet the emotional regulation skills of a 2 year old child so it can’t be expected to learn to read your body language.  It can understand your voice tone, but a harsh or loud voice tone will scare your parrot and damage the trust.

Parrots communicate quite effectively with their body language.  This bird training DVD will literally take your relationship with your parrot to new levels.  Your parrot will want to please you when it feels understood and many problem parrot behaviors will resolve.

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Aviator Bird Harness

The Aviator Bird Harness for parrots combines a harness with a leash.  The Aviator attaches with a single – no buckles, no clips, no snaps, or heavy hardware for a secure fit.  Made from sturdy nylon strapping, the Aviator  Bird Harness is flexible enough to be comfortable. The leash allows for some flight and the length can be increased by adding a flight line or even a retractable leash – giving them even more flight distance.

Why We Recommend the Aviator Bird Harness

Most bird harnesses have several buckles and clips making them difficult to figure out how to use. The  Aviator Bird Harness has 4 basic steps to putting it on your parrot and nothing requires fastening hooks.  The Aviator Bird Harness attaches by a pull tightening system, causing minimal stress during attachment.  The design of  the Aviator Bird Harness also makes it great for small birds where our bigger fingers make bird harness attachment difficult.

Recommendations

Buy a toy parrot like the one used in the video to learn to quickly put a bird harness on your parrot.  The design of the  Aviator Bird Harness is simple and the bird harness is easy to use, but practicing on something with moving wings is upsetting.  After all, you want your parrot to quickly understand the reward of flight with the Aviator Bird Harness.   The first time I put the Aviator Bird Harness on Mandy I was all fumble fingers because I knew theoretically how it went on but was really slow in actually fitting it to my bird.  I’d watched the DVD of how to put  it  on, but I did not have the grace borne of experience those first few times.  Mandy, my Orange Wing Amazon Parrot was not happy.

We associate putting the Aviatorbird harness on with outdoor “walk” time for birds or parrots. Once securely on, we always go immediately outside so that our parrots associate this bird harness with a fun outdoor activity including flight and socialization. Parrots quickly learn that they get to go outside when they see you get the Aviator Bird Harness on.

As a bird owner, I cannot say enough good things about the Aviator Bird Harness.  This product is highly recommended as attested by the smiling feathers around Mandy and Peachy’s beaks.

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