Of course, as expected from any seasonal parrot, Peachy is “chomping at the bit” with restless, fervent chewing.  He’d rather be excavating a nest for his lady friend. Peachy is chewing through large wood bird toys at a feverish pace.  I supplement expensive bird toys with empty food boxes, washed out plastic jugs and even clean egg cartons filled with nuts and dried fruit hidden among foraging materials like crinkled paper, extra bird toy parts that I’ve been saving over the year and nut shells.  But Peachy still manages to figure out how to chew up stuff that is supposed to be off limits like the door molding in his bird room and, um, the dry wall on corners in the bird room. I’m glad that I’m handy! I haven’t seen the lunging or nippy behavior yet, like I do most years, but the flashy, brassy, piercing screaming has definitely started!  SQUAWK!! SCREECH!!! ERRRRRR!

My neighbors and friends are asking “What the heck is going on with that bird?”   “Is he always like that?” “Man, how do you handle THAT?!” I tell them, “No, this is not Peachy’s normal behavior.     Peachy is just feeling hormonal.” I imagine this hormonal mania will last between 8 – 12 weeks and then he’ll start settling down to his usual predictable self. This behavior is just Peachy’s annual biological call to mate and procreate.  Parrot lovers are well familiar with these spirited behaviors.  Well, let me tell you how I handle this time, as it will happen every year as long as I’m blessed with Peachy in my life.

SLEEP:  I make sure that that my birds get at least 12 hours of sleep at night, Peachy included.  A hormonal bird can be difficult enough but a hormonal, tired bird is much worse!  Insure that your bird has a dark, quiet place, away from the TV noise or any LED lights for your peace of mind. Cover the bird cage if necessary.

ANYTHING THAT CAN BE CONSTRUED AS A NESTING BOX WILL BECOME A NESTING BOX:  Cutting to the chase, Peachy is desperately horny!  He is yearning for a girlfriend and searching any dark, shadowy place that would make a suitable nest. He is pining for materials to shred up so his babies will be warm and safe like paper, fibers from bird toys, strings and leaves from some of the natural bird toys. Your goal is most likely to get this hormonal thing over and done with ASAP. We help Peachy by removing bird cage accessories that aggravate his current state of mind by eliciting hormone related nesting behavior!

MIX LOCATION UP:   Birds love to nest in a familiar, comfortable places.  And, with limited territory, their cage is their throne.   Peachy is no different. Simply by frequently moving his bird cage and rearranging his bird cage accessories, Peachy is thrown off kilter.  His lessened comfort level signals him get his ducks in a row and throws nesting behavior off.  This simple act encourages normal, everyday, healthy exploration as opposed to the fury of making a nest and caring for babies.

BIRD TOYS. BIRD TOYS. BIRD TOYS!  Bird toys serve a number of needs from foraging to diverting feather picking to exercise.  All those hormones make a bird sexually frustrated.  I divert Peachy’s sexual frustration by giving him an array of big chunky wood bird toys that offer minimal sexual stimulation.  Peachy is not a feather plucker, so I avoid any preening style bird toys for my seasonal parrot.  He is all about chewing and destroying, as though he were trying to excavate a nesting cavity.  He is going through much harder wood bird toy parts than usual.  As described above, I supplement purchased bird toys with home-made enriching bird toys like those described in Enriching Your Parrots Life.

SHOWER A LOT:  Similar to a cold shower your hormonal bird needs frequent, drenching showers. Skin drenching bird baths settle our frustrated Peachy down. They refocus his energy from breeding to preening.  Even though I use warm water, Peachy is feeling pretty autonomous right now, so getting him in the shower is requiring a lot of positive reinforcement.  Thankfully, I’m aware of how to train him as well as possible during the “off season” so that he is more cooperative when he least feels like it!  Showering promotes healthy preening and uses up all of that energy. Plus, many pet birds are experiencing a frustrating molt at exactly the same time.

EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE: When Peachy is drained from a shower, fervent playing and chewing and exercise, he is less prone to nipping, yelling, territorialism and tearing up my walls.  I try to allow Peachy as much out of cage time as possible as a rule of thumb, but during his hormonal season, I’m even more diligent to offer as much exercise as possible. Peachy can release his pent up sexually charged energy and decrease cage territorialism when I allow him out of cage time on his bird stand and encourage movement.  Please take some time to learn parrot body language to avoid parrot bites more than ever, at this difficult time. We use AviCalm and Herbal Relaxation Calming Formula to lessen the effects of Peachy’s sexual tension and maintain our established relationship.

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Peachy Eating Harrison’s Bird Food

Peachy is an exceptional Moluccan Cockatoo partly due to premium bird food and fresh fruits and vegetables.  You may have read Part 1 of this series and know that Peachy was adopted at age 3.  He must have had a good home, if his personality, self-confidence and his socialization skills are a measure.  But, re-homing is difficult for any parrot.  As you know, birds bond for life.  Being abandoned is painful and reattaching to a new home is scary for a parrot.

Peachy has lived up to the “normal Cockatoo reputation” in some ways. He goes through periods of screaming which I need to redirect, especially when he is hormonal.  My neighbors sometimes comment on his loud voice. And, some of the woodwork in my house is customized with beak style carvings.  (Its a cheap repair.)  I’ve learned to anticipate and prepare for seasonal hormonal surges.  And, if truth be told, the destructiveness and re-teaching expectations is not that different that what I do my son or even my dogs!

So, what do I think makes Peachy a fun to be around Moluccan Cockatoo? That’s what this series is about.  After a lot of thought, I truly believe that the foundation of a happy parrot is feeling healthy. I help Peachy feel healthy by providing him with the best nutrition known to avian vets and nutritionists.

When I was new to parrots, I thought that skimping on pelleted bird food quality was okay.  But after switching to Harrison’s Bird Food, I’ve noticed that Peachy is calmer.   Peachy has been fed Harrison’s Bird Food for about the last 8 years.  This superior, vet recommended bird food is devoid of preservatives that a parrots body just can’t deal with.  Peachy gets fresh fruits and vegetables and Goldenfeast Bird Food, but his mainstay diet is Harrison’s Bird Food.  His feathering attests to his health.

Feeling good is the foundation of Peachy’s good, pet parrot behavior. He does not suffer the ill effects of malnutrition so he can concentrate on behaving like a content parrot. There are several other things I do to accommodate life with a parrot, but I firmly believe that if Peachy were malnourished, he’d feel too crummy for any of my other accommodations to work. In addition to great nurishment, Peachy gets plenty of sleep, exercise and bird toys.  He also has a lot of socialization and out of cage time on his bird stand.

I own BirdSupplies.com and of course, I want to make a living.  But, I don’t want to make money at the expense of offering inferior bird supplies, especially bird food.  I’ve met with several avian certified veterinarians who all suggest that Harrison’s Bird Foods are the best food to feed pet birds.  It’s not the cheapest bird food, even at wholesale prices.   But truth is, after switching to Harrison’s Bird Food, I noticed less anxiety and troublesome behavior in Peachy.  Realistically, at the same time, I really got into reading parrot body language and utilizing positive behavior training techniques.  Reading parrot body language allowed me to first, not get bit, but second, not provoke my parrot when he didn’t want my interactions.  There is a lot more to it than that.  And, Clicker Training provided Peachy with perimeters of behavioral expectations and more importantly, taught me how to reinforce behaviors that I desired vs. unexpected behaviors which would cause damage to our relationship.

I’ll continue to explore how I’ve cared for Peachy to insure that he is and feels as physically and emotionally healthy as possible.

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A huge part of keeping Peachy content and well is to offer plenty of exercise.  Exercising our parrot helps provide for his needs and is part of the strategy we use to help him be his best.  Have you ever wondered how to exercise a parrot?  Just like you, your bird needs to have regular exercise to maintain it’s health.  Wild parrots are guaranteed , birds are guaranteed loads of exercise as they got about their daily activities of flying to food sites, foraging for food and climbing about trees. Sadly, pet birds must rely on their owner for everything, including getting out of cage time, providing exercise and foraging activities, even socialization.  Read on to learn how to exercise a parrot so that your parrot can be content as well, too.

1. Provide bird toys that promote movement. Some of the best bird toys for promoting exercise include bird bungees, ladders and climbing nets.  Bird swings also require movement and balance.  Chunky bird toys with a lot of chewing parts are a good option too as your bird navigates to the bird toy to bite a chunk off and then back to its perch to whittle it away.   Most birds enjoy foraging buckets, too, where they have to figure out how to get at the toys inside of the bucket.
   
2. Get a bird stand to provide a safe out of cage play area.  Whenever you’re at home and can reasonably supervise your parrot, have it out on a bird stand to play.  Peachy’s bird stand is in front of his open cage when we are home. Pet birds love socializing on a bird stand. Just like you’d do when purchasing a bird cage, buy the biggest bird stand that you can afford.  By biggest, we mean the length of perch and climbing area.  Some bird stands offer multiple levels to promote climbing.  With a little ingenuity, you can mount Java Perches to your bird stand to offer many climbing areas.  Get into a routine of having your parrot out on a bird stand as much as possible when you are home.  We highly recommend that you view the DVD Captive Foraging get the best use out of your bird stand.
3. Create games to play with your parrot.  Clever parrots love games.  We play catch with Peachy!  I throw a small wiffle ball and he tries to catch it.  He puts on quite the fanfare as he climbs about his bird stand trying to catch the ball and he is rewarded with whistles and hoops and hollers when he does indeed catch the ball. Peachy also enjoys chasing a wiffle ball that we roll across the floor .  Share your parrot games in a comment below!
4. Teach your bird tricks. Some of the bird trick props at BirdSupplies.com encourage movement and exercise, like the roller skates and bird basketball hoop.  Bird Roller Skates, for instance work out foot, leg and torso muscles.  Not only will your parrot have fun learning bird tricks, it will enjoy the the attention it gets from entertaining you.
5. Dance with your parrot!  Parrots are capable of dancing with rhythm and they love the socialization of dancing with you.  The more vigorous the dance, the better for both of you! See if you can get your parrot to step and stomp, flap it’s wings and judder about.
6. Offer a well trained parrot outdoor time and flight. Steve Martin of Natural Encounters, Inc. states that “Owning a parrot is like driving a car … anyone can do it. However, free flying a parrot outside is like driving a car in the Daytona 500. It should be reserved for only the most experienced and talented people who have the right equipment.”  If you’re not up for the task of free flying, consider training your parrot with an Aviator Bird Harness.  Available in a range of sizes, these safe bird harnesses come complete with a training DVD and allow your parrot limited flight.  While flying a parrot outside may offer the ultimate exercise, do your homework to determine if your parrot is physically and mentally up to the task and carefully educate yourself on how to teach a parrot to fly.

Providing Peachy with adequate exercise is an important part of our parrot care strategy of helping him to be a content and healthy pet.

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Parrots need about 12 hrs. of sleep each night

Have you thought much about bird sleep? Do you know how much sleep your pet bird needs?  Wild parrots tend to flock closer to the equator where climates are temperate with only two seasons, rainy and dry, and there is little seasonal variation in the length of the day vs. night.  So, you can predict how much sleep your bird needs with just a little research into it’s area of origin.  Our Moluccan Cockatoo, Peachy, is endemic to Seram and the surrounding islands.  Get your globe out!  This area is in the Indonesian archipelago island chain.  If in the wild, Peachy expect  about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night year-round.  And, if Peachy got as much exercise and enrichment as wild parrots get, he’d be worn out by nightfall.  Even though Peachy doesn’t get as much exercise and enrichment as a wild parrot, his body clock is in sync with how much light he is exposed to.

I’m lucky, because my own personal body clock is in sync with how much light I receive, too.  So often, when the sun goes down, the pajamas go on!  But, I admit, I’ve been known to enjoy having my parrots around me, even if I’m lounging in bed with the TV LED lights blaring.  I put on my little light shades, but my bird may not get that luxury.  Never the less, I know that there is a direct correlation between how much good, solid sleep a parrot gets and its ability to maintain a “fun to be around” temperament.

Parrots require a lot of sleep. Approximately 12 hrs. a night. A parrot that doesn’t get an adequate amount of sleep is irritable and may actually feel physically compromised.  Research tells us that when we don’t get adequate sleep, our immune system is compromised.  Our body clocks are out of sync and our mood is greatly affected.

As I’ve stated several times throughout the “Chronicles of Peachy” this Moluccan Parrot is exceptional.  He has been an exceptional parrot, despite the scary reputation of Moluccan Cockatoo’s for an overwhelming amount of time that we’ve shared our lives. So, in addition to learning about Moluccan’s and preparing to meet his needs, I plan to provide Peachy with conditions that consistently allow him to attain enough sleep to feel rested, healthy and alert.

Here are some tips to make sure your parrot has adequate sleep to keep it’s spirits up.

1. Quiet & Dark Area:  Just like a young child, your parrot needs to expect that it’s night hours are quiet and free from artificial light including LED light from the TV. The best case practice is to provide your parrot with a bird room with a door.  Shut the door and darken the windows from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am.  for a good 12 hrs. of sleep.  (Give or take the range of hours so that you can interact with your parrot once or twice a day if you work.)  If you don’t have an extra room just for your birds, consider bird cages covers.  There are commercially available bird cage covers, but a blanket will do, too.
2. Day Care: I work in a preschool and young children and parrots have so much in common.  A young child needs mental stimulation and socialization throughout the day and a great amount of sleep at night.  Us parents have to figure out how to work all day, yet spend quality time with our babies. “Parronting” is very much the same dilemma of trying to make sure your parrot has enough enriching stuff to occupy it during the day and spending quality time with it during your off work hours. Plan for ways to occupy your parrot during the work week.  A super resource is “Enriching Your Parrot’s Life.”  This DVD will help you find very affordable ways to provide enriching, foraging opportunities for your pet bird to beat birdie boredom.  There is another awesome resource available on the internet,  http://foragingforparrots.com/

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1. Parrots need to chew.  A lot!  Peachy is indeed a chewer and I have to provide him with bird toys that have a lot of wood parts in the wood density that he prefers.  Peachy prefers soft to medium density woods and fibers and avoids hardwood toy parts.  But he is perfectly okay with hardwood furniture or most recently, the door jam!   I accommodate by providing appropriate and appreciated bird toys and locking Peachy in his cage when he can’t be supervised.  Peachy gets new bird toys frequently. I recycle as many bird toy parts as possible, hiding them in cereal boxes, cleaned out milk cartons or reusable bird toys like the Crazy Leather Box.  If Peachy as chipped a chunk of a wooden bird toy part, so what!  I hide it in a foraging bird toy.
2. Parrots choose their mates for life and they guard that relationship fiercely.  Peachy and I chose each other!  Peachy is not an inherently jealous parrot.  He is generally very social to anyone in the family, extended family and friends.  Peachy has been socialized a lot from being at our bird supplies retail store, to being on a bird stand when friends and family are over, to entertaining guests with his silliness and cute behaviors.  The more people that interact with my beautiful white bird, the better.  We have a bird room that contains our larger parrots and so Peachy gets lots of parrot interaction.
3. Parrots defend their territory.  I accomodate the drive toward territorialism by insuring that Peachy has several hours of out of cage time each day.  He is involved in my daily activities. Not just on a bird stand near his cage, but all about the house.  Peachy even adorns a bird harness and rides about the neighborhood on my bike handlebars sometimes.  Peachy becomes much more territorial about his cage and whereabouts when he is experiencing hormonal surges and I respect that. It was critical for me to anticipate seasonal behavior and learn to read Peachy’s body language.
4. Very social parrots constantly communicate with their flock.  As a home business owner, I’m lucky enough to have a lot of time to interact with my birds each day.   Plus, my “bird room” is actually an office right off of an open concept living area with french doors, so Peachy and flock can be in an easy to clean space, with a couple of parrots while watching all family activities.  Peach and I sing and dance a lot. We have developed a special call and we wave at each other in passing throughout the day. He eats with the family and has a couple of bird baths with me each week. When Peachy engages in screaming I refer to Good Bird Behavior training techniques.
5. Every facet of a parrots body is designed for flight. There are lots of arguments for both allowing a parrot to fly or not, but research shows that every facet of a parrots body is design to assist flight including early brain development.  Birds must be able to fly both to stay safe and to find food.
6. Smart parrots need to forage.  As described above, I make a lot of affordable foraging toys for Peachy. Any toy that allow digging and exploration is filled with hidden treats, nuts or dried fruits. Sometimes I’ll put plastic bird toy parts in the bird food dish so that Peachy has to dig through his dish to get a morsel. A super reference to learn how to make your own foraging bird toys is the Enriching Your Parrots Life DVD.
7. Mature parrots also go through seasonal hormonal changes at least once a year. Expect your parrot to become more excitable, loud and potentially aggressive during seasonal hormonal surges. There are about 8 -12 weeks a year that I have to handle Peachy with increased caution. My usually easy going parrot becomes less predictable, much more irritable and much more excitable. I’ve had to learn to mark my calendar, predict and prevent bites. Since I have Peachy out and about with the family so much I have learned to read his moods.  I’m a woman and I know how hormones can effect mood and behavior. My task to accommodate Peachy is to PREVENT behavioral issues that will cause him to feel shame and cause me to fear him. Complimenting reading parrot behavior, Peachy goes through wood bird toys really quickly when he is hormonal.

Please share your ideas of what you do to celebrate and accommodate your pet birds instinctual needs.  I know that there is always more than I can do.  Wild parrots have an entire flock to enrich individual members but I know from experience that caring for parrots with passion takes a village.  Please comment and share your experiences.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFfZTyFLvmU]

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Out on a bird stand with bird toys, Peachy is socializing and chewing!

In Part One of this series, I talked about how I became smitten with Peachy but before bringing him home, I did my homework to learn facts about parrots, especially male Moluccan Cockatoo’s.   Doing my homework prior to making a lifelong commitment helped me determine if I was, in fact, prepared to care for my feathered friend.

Parrots are beautiful and endearing, but they are only a few generations away from the wild.  That’s not enough time to change an animals genetics to acculturate it to living in a house with people.  Pet birds still have strong instinctual needs that you must find a way to meet.

Parrots choose their mates for life and they guard that relationship fiercely.  Just because I choose a pet bird doesn’t mean that the bird chooses me.  That’s what’s so cool about parrot adoption.  A mature parrot can actually choose you!  Some parrots guard the relationship with their chosen person with gusto !  In the parrots eyes, it is protecting it’s family and future generations – but we humans tend to interpret this aggressive behavior as jealousy or meanness.

Parrots defend their territory.   Wild parrots must defend their home and territory against intruders.  Some domestic parrots have difficulties with territorial behavior too, unless they feel that you are a “flock member.”  Pet parrots may become defensive of their cage.

Very  social parrots constantly communicate with their flock.  Sometimes very loudly.  A major survival mechanism for parrots is life in a large flock.  So parrots need a lot of socialization.  Have you ever looked up in the sky and seen swarms of birds flying in unison or Canadian Geese flying south?  Imagine the communication that is going on between the birds to master these tasks. Each bird has to be like a switchboard customer service expert. Each bird has to develop and  maintain a team work relationship with all in the flock.  Your parrot needs you to be on it’s “parrot team.”  You have to think like a parrot because a parrot can’t think like you.

It is normal and expected that a pet parrot will call out to learn your whereabouts several times per day, most notably in the morning as it wakes and evening before it settles down for bed.  But on top of that, whistles, chatter and squawks will be heard throughout the day. It is absolutely essential to find a way to communicate and interact with pet birds several times daily so you can meet its  social and communication needs.  Still, you must learn methods to not reward your bird when it  screams and screechs for attention. 

Every facet of a parrots body is designed for flight.  There are lots of arguments for both allowing a parrot to fly or not, but research shows that every facet of a parrots body is design to assist flight including early brain development.  Wild birds must be able to fly both to stay safe and to find food. Flying provides valuable exercise, too.  In the wild, if flock mates get in an argument, one of the parrots will usually back down and fly off, keeping peace within the flock.  Pet birds still have strong instincts to fly and some argue that lack of fledging and flight are emotionally harmful.

Parrots need to chew. A lot! Did you know that wild macaws can excavate trees to make a nest?  Parrots can chew through branches, dig under bark and crack open nuts.  Parrots chew up wood to find food and make nests and chewing serves to groom their beak.  Chewing is a strong instinctual drive for all parrots. Parrots need lots of bird toys because they truly don’t understand the difference between bird toys and the trim around the door or grandma’s antique table. Keeping your parrot away from stuff you don’t want it to chew and providing safe, thought provoking bird toys that are safe for it to chew is easy, although  the second biggest expense of having a pet parrot. A pet bird that doesn’t have enough safe stuff to chew will chew furniture, walls, electrical cords or whatever else might look fun -  at the time.

Smart parrots need to forage.  Wild parrots forage for hours each day.  Foraging is literally the process of using ingenuity to search out food sources.  Foraging feeds the mind, occupies a parrot and provides exercise.

Mature parrots also go through seasonal hormonal changes at least once a year.  Expect your parrot to become more excitable, loud and potentially aggressive during seasonal hormonal surges.

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Peachy was adopted
at age 3 yrs.
This is his first week home.

I’ve got  an exceptional Moluccan Cockatoo named Peachy.  I got him in 1998 when he was 3 years old.  His family had moved and needed to re-home him.  The day that we met,  I had walked into my hometown bird store to look at a Blue and Gold Macaw and Peachy was out on a bird stand.  I looked at him in passing because he was truly a beautiful bird, but the closer I got to him, the more he desperately tried to get my attention – in a good way!  He raised his beautiful crest, danced and even said “Whatcha doin’” while waving!  I was smitten and had to stop and admire him.  But, I was a little scared of such a large bird.

I left the store with a few bird supplies and thought about Peachy, his given name a lot over the next few weeks.  But, I had two young children and my husband was interested in the Blue and Gold.   I had to be realistic, since I already had a Cockatiel, a Hahn’s Macaw and an African Grey and I’d heard that Cockatoo’s are a handful.  Never the less, I couldn’t get Peachy out of my mind.

I began feverishly learning everything I could about Moluccan Cockatoo’s and the information was a little depressing.  The literature said that these birds are known for screaming loudly, feather plucking,  and having the potential to bite hard enough to take a young child’s finger off.  Cockatoo’s in general are often described as being extremely needy and very dusty and messy.

Even so, I couldn’t stay away from the bird store even while I was reading all the precautions on acquiring a Moluccan.  I went to visit Peachy every two to three days, with kids in tow for over a month.   I became comfortable with handling a large bird and began learning to establish trust despite his large beak.  I witnessed Peachy vocalizing loudly on several occasions, but this Moluccan never showed a mean spirit and allowed my children to pet him.  We shared a mutual affection. The store workers told me that Peachy lit up like a Christmas tree every time I walked in.  I thought so to, but I didn’t know his show of affection was special for me.

Finally on the 10th or 11th visit, I realized that I had made my decision to adopt Peachy so I ordered a large bird cage and purchased extra large bird supplies in preparation to bring Peachy Burroughs home.  Peachy is an important member of my family.  He’s passed through his toddler years and is now a sexually mature male Cockatoo.  And, while I’m sure many have had difficulties with their Cockatoo’s, life with Peachy has been much more rewarding than difficult.  Some of this is due to Peachy’s temperament, but a good portion of what makes him a great pet is how I knew what I was getting into when I acquired Peachy and I’ve made a lot of accommodations to insure that he can get his “parrot needs” met in his forever home.

Follow my series on what I’ve done to insure that Peachy is a happy, healthy pet that is fun to be around, despite the distressing reputation that Male Moluccan Cockatoo’s have.

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