• Singing
• Verbal Praise
• Tidbits of Parrot Treats
• Neck or head scritches
• Mimic of calls or whistles
• Mutual head bobbing

Many people want to own a parrot because these bird's are highly intelligent, very colorful and because they live for a long, long time. Never the less, parrots are not considered to be domesticated companion pets. Only recently, when parrot importation was stopped, did we begin breeding parrots in captivity. An interesting fact about parrots is that many pet bird's are only one or two generations away from their wild ancestors. Companion parrot's still have all of their "wild" imprinting.

Parrots have been shown to have the intelligence of a four to six year old child but the emotional maturity of a two year old child. Many parrot species live between 30 and 70 years of age. That is a long time to have a pet that's stuck in the "terrible two's!" Similar to children, the soft, cuddly baby parrot matures into adolescence and then into a sexually mature adult over the course of three to seven years. Since adolescent and adult parrots are naturally assertive and demanding, it is of utmost importance that you socialize and properly train toddler birds before aggressive behavior becomes a habit. Using positive bird training techniques is very important for a good bird.

The time between fledgling and 18 months of age provides a window of opportunity for bird training. Parrots are learning social skills from you at this age. Training your parrot to appropriately interact with people and to be independent enough to be left with bird toys during the work day is easier if you start when your parrot is young. If aggression prevention training is neglected during this critical period, your bird is at risk for developing serious aggression problems, biting, shyness, over-bonding, screaming and other undesirable behaviors which could result in an out of home placement.

 Training birds is also important because it allows you to safely handle your pet during season or hormonal cycles which occur in mature birds annually. Furthermore, a trained bird is easier to handle during times of crisis, such as during an emergency evacuation. Reasonably enforced limits prevent aggression and help your parrot to mature into a loving companion for years to come. When limits are not enforced, however, or even worse, when we reinforce aggressive and problem behaviors, a bird will begin to fight for dominance in the human-pet relationship through biting, screaming, refusing to be handled or other difficult behaviors. Early bird training will prevent many unwanted behaviors.

 Aggression is prevented when each member of the family develops a bond with your pet and requires and maintains gentle, trusting dominance in the relationship. Consistently enforcement a few bird training exercises should begin as soon as you bring your baby bird home. Each member of the family should use positive bird training techniques on a consistent basis. An excellent resource to learn about bird training for behavior is Clicker Training for Birds. If you learn easier with visuals and demonstrations, Good Bird Basics of Parrot Training, multi disc set is an excellent bird training resource and well worth your money!

Resources

Athan, M.S. 1993. Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot. New York: Barrons.

Dicker, L.D. 1998. "Parrot Behavior Basics,"Birds USA, 1998 Annual Directory Issue.

Doan and Qualkinbush. 1994. My Parrot, My Friend. New York: Macmillan General Reference.

Hubbard, J. 1997.The New Parrot Training Handbook. Freemont, CA. Parrot Press.

Wilson, L. 1998. "It's that time again: Seasonal Behavior in Parrots." Bird Times. April 1998, p. 13.

 

Great Bird Training Resources

• Basics of Parrot Training
• Clicker Training for Birds
• Teaching Your Bird To Talk