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Over-Stimulated Parrots

 With springtime fast approaching we have to be on the lookout for “quirky” behaviors that are related to the onset of hormones. I have often compared hormonal parrots with teenagers. They both know what is right and wrong in terms of their behavior, but neither seem to be able to control themselves at times when hormones are involved. Your once placid parrot may overreact to things that he would normally overlook, and he might express himself with aggression.

Linus, my umbrella cockatoo, always seems to be walking a fine line when...

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Setting Clear Expectations For Your Parrot

Establishing boundaries for your young parrot, one that has yet to reach sexual maturity, is an important first step in laying the groundwork for a happy and healthy co-existence between parrots and people. By setting and adhering to rules consistently, you are ensuring that your older parrot (who otherwise might have become more assertive of his wants) will cooperate with your requests in pleasant and acceptable ways.

Rescues are packed to the brim with unwanted parrots. Many of them have been determined to be a “problem” later in life when owners...

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Why Are Birds So Wasteful With Their Food?

Military Macaw, Camelot macaws

I watched in amazement as Linus, my umbrella cockatoo, picked through his food bowl, tossing to the ground everything that wasn’t that exact piece of food he was after.  Because of it’s design, Linus’s is the only cage that I keep the grate in.  That means that all of that food he was flinging was falling to the cage bottom, and out of his reach.  What was he thinking?  Certainly he knows from experience that he would be hungry for these pieces of food later in ...

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What to do When Your Parrot is Scared of the Clicker

If your parrot is scared of the clicker I’ve got a few solutions for you!

However, some parrots might be scared of the sound the clicker makes which can really work against you in training. I recently worked with Patty’s goffin cockatoo Theo who had never been introduced to training before and had no idea what a clicker was. The first time we clicked it near her, her crest shot up and she was very alarmed by the sudden sound. After that, I figured out we had to find a way to make the clicker quieter so not to scare ...

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Intentionally Releasing Captive Birds

Quaker Parrot

There was a family that lived near me in Austin that had a large front yard that always seemed to be filled with playing children and puppies.  It seemed like several times a year this family was enjoying a new, cute, fluffy little playmate, and it occured to me at some point that I never saw any grown dogs.

One day, when I was walking by the house, I struck up a conversation with one the adults.  I told her how cute all the puppies I’ve seen there have been ...

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