“My bird hates me!”

“My bird refuses to listen!”

“My bird is a hopeless case!”

We hear it all the time, but none of these statements are actually true.

It’s fair to say that everyone who gets a parrot has the hopes that theirs will be a playful and interactive member of the family. Many people are disappointed to find that isn’t the bird that they got.

In actuality, EVERY bird is the one you hoped for. Birds are very social by nature – in the wild they choose to live in communal societies. In our homes, they want the same. Deep inside of each bird is a playmate and best friend just waiting to come out. Most times, there is something there preventing it from happening.

Since we, as owners, are fully in charge of the environment our birds live in, it is up to us to structure their lives in ways that bring out the best in them. In order to thrive, a bird needs, WANTS, to be social and friendly. Its a sad and lonely existence when this is not the case.

Many people bring birds into their lives based on the happiness they see others experiencing in their videos and photos. Very often, owners do not know what to do to bring out those same qualities in their own birds.

One of the most common problems people have with their birds are issues related to fear. People have the tendency to blame their bird’s personality for these problems and they throw their hands up in the air thinking that their bird is evil.

In truth, there is something that is causing their bird to stress out and react to their fear. The result is usually screaming and biting. Screaming and biting are not problems in themselves – they are simply a bird’s response to the REAL problems which go unidentified.

Most owners misunderstand this and try to implement solutions that don’t get to the actual cause of the biting and screaming issues. It’s easy to see why their efforts would meet with failure. The biting won’t stop until the bird’s source of distress is eliminated. Problems with birds only escalate as they go unsolved.

In their new DVD reality series, One Day Miracles, Dave and Jamie Womach go into the homes of 12 bird owners, identify their bird’s issues, and show them the way to success with their bird. Each bird in the series has a common problem that is made unique by the environments they live in, and the people who own them. There are situations that every bird owner can identify with and learn from:

• Identifying the environmental causes of problems (even when it’s YOU)
• What changes to make to eliminate the stressors that cause biting and screaming
• How to stop the One Person Bird syndrome
• Why diet and enrichment affect behavior
• How to use training to keep unwanted behaviors gone for good

It’s helpful to read about the trials and tribulations of other bird owners – it helps us to not feel alone with our problems, but it’s especially educational to get to see the behavior in action and watch the progress made towards a solution with real birds in a live situation.

One Day Miracles went live an hour ago. The first 500 customers will be entered to win an in-home consultation with Dave and Jamie Womach – this is valued at $6000! Please click here to see a preview of the series: One day Miracles. You don’t want to miss this one!

Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.