Heckled By Parrots » Entertaining a Bird Brain

Toy Making Party

rebecca — Sun, 02 May 2010 13:03:50 +0000

Parts and Pieces

Making your own toys can be a lot of fun and save you tons of money.

These are some parts from Rose’s Pet Emporium

Constructing

Sunday morning is my favorite time to make toys. A cup of coffee, a power drill, what morning could a girl ask for?

I could give you some instructions, but with drilled tongue depressors, wooden pieces, leather lace and some imagination, you can make a wide variety of toys. Don’t forget that you can also save pieces from other toys that have been mostly destroyed and re-use them.

New toy!

Of course, the real fun is when the toys get doled out…

Mixed Up

rebecca — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:06:35 +0000

I was recently asked what to do when living with a mixed flock and wanting your birds to interact. There is no simple answer to this, because all species interact differently and your birds will have their own group dynamics that you need to read yourself, but here’s a couple of things to consider.
The first thing to think about is what species do you have in your home? And then look at their habits in the wild. Many of the South American parrots actually travel in groups of mixed species and perhaps have a propensity to interact without too much fuss. However, African grey parrots travel pretty much exclusively in a flock of greys. They may not have as much tolerance for other species. Does this mean its simple to mix macaws or impossible to have a mixed flock of African parrots? No, but it may give you a way to gauge what your up against in training.

The next thing to consider is size difference. A big macaw can do a tremendous amount of damage to a pionus or some other small parrot. It isn’t unusual for veterinarians to deal with broken and damaged beaks in cases like this. Is it worth it to you to take a chance? Are you that confident that the birds can get along?

Remember too that sexual maturity and the breeding season can change the dynamics of relationships between birds. Just because your mixed species flock is getting along as babies doesn’t mean that this will continue when they are adults. Nor does it mean a steady relationship all through the year.

If you do see aggression, get the parrots away from each other right away. Don’t allow it to escalate. Aggression begets more aggression. If one of the parrots wants the other out their space, make it happen. And make sure that you are not a part of rewarding the aggression. Don’t play with the parrot displaying aggression to distract him, this is only rewarding the behavior.

I do firmly believe that anything can be trained and that appropriate behaviors can be shaped with effort. However, whenever you have animals involved, you never know what will happen. So mixed species, sharing space should always be supervised. You never know what will tip the dynamics in a relationship between two birds. In the wild, one would display agressive body language and the other bird would heed it and get the heck out of there. However, our parrots may be confined or clipped, so offender may get hurt before he can give his buddy space.

So in the end, I suppose you have to ask yourself, do your parrots need to physically interact with one another? If they have a tendency to display aggressive body language to one another, what are they really getting out of being close enough to touch one another? Safety first and then decide what makes the most sense for you in your home. The answer may be different for everyone.

‘Tis the Season – Spring and the Mature Parrot

rebecca — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:00:37 +0000

If your parrot is one of those species that breeds in the spring, you might be dealing with some behaviors that are less than desirable lately. I seem to be getting more requests than usual for ideas on managing broody and suddenly territorial parrots. A bird that a chosen a mate in the household and is setting up nesting space to defend can be more than a handful. So here’s a few quick tips.

Yes, breeding is a natural behavior. No, parrots do not feel like they have less of a life if they cannot raise a brood of chicks. If you are worried about your parrot’s mental well-being make sure that it has plenty of activities to keep his or her mind occupied on things other than setting up a nest. Stimulation in the form of enrichment is incredibly important, but breeding does not have to be the enrichment of necessity. If you want to be anthropomorphic, then look at it this way, do you really want to torture your loved ones with your PMS? Well, your parrot probably doesn’t either.

So what can you do to battle something that is biological? Just be careful not to exacerbate the problem. It can make a huge difference if you don’t encourage breeding behavior in any way. If your bird is a hen, you really don’t want to stimulate egg laying. Egg binding can be difficult to spot and many a parrot has died from an impacted egg. So what can you do?

Avoid touching your bird on the back, below the belly or anywhere that seems to encourage the presentation of mating body language. (wings out, body hunkered down, skirt puffed up, regurgitation for example.) And when you see any of these behaviors prompty put your bird away. This isn’t punishment, it’s simply not encouraging the behavior.
Remove any toys in the cage your bird has become extra “friendly” with and replace them with other toys.
Avoid allowing you bird under the couch, in a drawer, in a box or anywhere that simulates a nesting hollow.
If your bird has chosen a person in the house to bond to, then limit the time she spends with that person.
Give your bird space if he is wound up. Don’t give him an opportunity to bite and lunge.

Do encourage play that is nonsexual and try to give your bird as much to do with his time as possible. The more enrichment the better. Forgaging and puzzle toys are a great diversion. Spring will come and go quickly and your birds hormones will subside, returning that nice bird you remember before the breeding season started. In the meantime, good luck!

Reading Outloud is for the Birds

rebecca — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:56:39 +0000

Children in a school in Los Gatos, California read to an African grey parrot in order to gain confidence in their reading skills. Starbuck, the parrot of a parent volunteer probably really enjoys it to. Looks like the little Timneh is pretty into it!

I completely understand. Although I’m way to old to be concerned about my reading outloud skills, I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you really want to proof your writing, nothing beats reading it outloud. I read my manuscripts to my parrots when I’m proofing them or preparing for a presentation.

It might be the only time they don’t heckle me, bless my feathered entourage. Although they are probably just listening intently for the next great word with which to annoy me.

Anybody else read to their birds?

Some Thoughts for the New Year

rebecca — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:15:12 +0000

Make your pets a part of a better year. A few thoughts from Mind Body Smile.

Your pets in the New Year, getting more grins

There’s no doubt about it, the New Year promises potential added stress for all. There is already plenty of swirling doubts and worries in the outside world, so why not make an effort this year to make your home a sanctuary for you and your pets. How do you do that? Easy, pets are fun!

1. Leave your Worries at the Door.
Remember that happy pets live their lives stress free and mirror them. Your dog isn’t worried about the economy. He’s happy if you are happy. His great day just got better because you came home. Isn’t your day better because he is happy to see you?

Read the whole thing here!

Another Smart Amazon Parrot

rebecca — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:25:42 +0000

Not to be outdone, my pal Matt Edmonds shows off with his Amazon parrot, Moby!

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FIRE!!!

Matt and I just saw each other for the first time in about 8 years, volunteering our time teaching at The Gabriel Foundation Behavior and Learning Workshop for Professionals. We were too busy to watch each other train (even experience trainers learn a lot from watching one another!). So it’s serious fun to get to see him working with his Amazon.

From Opera to Rap to Americana: Amazons Sing!

rebecca — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:05 +0000

I’ve always loved working with Amazons. I’m a Grey Girl at my core, of course. The reserved and serious demeanor of my thinking parrot suits me better than the party parrots — dancers like cockatoos or singers like Amazons. Still, nothing steals a scene like a crowd pleasing Amazon. If I had more cocktail parties in my home that involved loud music and lampshades, I might switch allegiances.

Every parrot species has its tendencies towards different strengths and quirks. However, every parrot is an individual. Not all Amazons sing. Plenty of cockatoos are standoffish. Some greys never utter a word. So its worth noting that you should know your species from top to bottom before you get a parrot. And then don’t get a parrot because you want one…get a parrot because you could not live without the company of one.

Lecture done…on to the fun stuff! Canta Menino!

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What a finish!! Then you’ve got Cosmo with a rap video that’s going viral:

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Okay, so really the only thing Cosmo has down is “Apple Bottom Jeans” but he still rules. Now if only he had some backup dancers…

But Groucho with my pal Barb is my favorite. I did many a show with that scene-stealing green guy.

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NEXT POST: HOW DO YOU TRAIN THAT??

Parrot with A Cool Job

rebecca — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:56:06 +0000

Little boys all over the world want to grow up to be magicians. Maybe they need to take lessons from Luigi “the psychic parrot” He’s the most famous parrot in the world of magic.

From the OC Register:

HOLLYWOOD It is a packed house in the Palace of Mystery at Hollywood’s Magic Castle – the most famous magic nightclub in the world. The crowd is here to watch a “psychic” parrot that does, well, absolutely nothing, to be honest.

RTWT Here

Maybe he does “nothing” but apparently he has won some top awards in the magic industry and the audience loves him. But then, doesn’t everyone love a psychic parrot??

I bet as well that Luigi is well adjusted and living large. I was often asked by people with sour faces at the end of a bird show why our birds didn’t fly away, why they didn’t reject being asked to “perform.” I can’t really speak for the parrots, but I’ve always thought they loved it! I saw it in their shiny perfect plumage, bright eyes and animated body language. These birds have something to do with their day. Something to ponder. A reason to keep learning. And their interactions with people almost always involved a treat, a smile, laughter and noise. What a life!

Truth is, it was a great life for me too. That’s why I still train my own animals even though no one pays me to do it. I decided I could make a bigger impact on conservation by writing and fundraising (there are many fantastic performers and better animal trainers out there!) All the same, training animals (and boyfriends ssshhh! don’t tell them!) is so rewarding I can’t stop myself. Have you taught your parrots to do something fun? If not, what’s stopping you?