Phobic aggression and your parrot
Quite often
I get calls saying that a parrot has started biting for no reason. A parrot
never bites for no reason, most times the parrot was either over stimulated,
afraid, or is showing displaced aggression. Parrots do not become aggressive
for no reason and many times they are not displaying true aggression but fear.
Living with
a companion parrot may be very trying at times with the busy life styles we all
lead. What we need to remember is that we chose to have them come into our
lives; they did not choose to live their lives in a cage or on a play stand.
Although many parrots live long happy lives within our households given the
right environment, many lead very unhappy lives within our households. We need
to learn to recognize that it is not the parrots’ fault about 90% of the time.
We are to blame not the parrot. When a parrot suddenly becomes a biter we need
to sit back and take a look at the whole picture.
Is my
parrot receiving enough exercise? Is my parrot on a good diet? Do I spend
enough one on one time with my parrot on a daily basis? Do I have unrealistic
expectations for this particular bird? Is his environment stimulating enough
for him? Does he receive enough sleep? Do I send mixed signals when handling
my parrot? Does my parrot trust me?
Although we
try and do what we think is best, often times we are not meeting the basic needs
of our companions.
More times
than not I see owners who have lost the bond of trust with their parrots and
they feel it is the parrots fault. It is never the parrots’ fault in this
case. You may never know exactly what broke the bond of trust; the important
thing is winning back the trust you once shared. In order to do this it takes
patience, consistency, and love.
If your
parrot now fears you handling him or bites whenever you try to handle him, you
need to take a step back and evaluate the situation.
What is
my body language saying to this bird? Am I stressed out more often than not?
Am I sending aggressive signals to the bird? Often times owners tell me “I am
doing everything right”, well obviously not if you are having difficulties.
We tend
to forget that these creatures are not domesticated and therefore need to be
handled with respect. Dogs have been domesticated for over 14,000 generations;
parrots are only three generations out of the wild making them still a wild
animal. You would never expect a baby lion to grow and live within your
household like your cat. So we should not expect parrots to love us
unconditionally like a dog or a cat. Love and trust needs to be earned, it
should not be expected.
What can
I do to repair the damage?
First we
need to evaluate cage placement, diet, health, exercise, stimuli, and whether
or not your lifestyle is conducive to living with a companion parrot. Once
these things are in order you may begin behavior modification.
If your
parrot is biting you out of fear, you will have to stop forcing yourself on the
bird. Start sitting next to the cage and watching TV or reading without making
any motions to disturb the bird. Simply allow your parrot to adjust to being
near you without being handled. Once your feel your parrot is comfortable with
you near his cage you may start to talk softly without making eye contact.
Start feeding him favorite foods through the safety of the bars while talking to
him. Always work with the bird when you are calm and not stressed. Parrots
read our body language better than most animals or people. Continue over the
course of several weeks making no attempts to handle the bird. Once you see the
parrot responding to you, you may attempt to pet or scratch him through the bars
of the cage. Never forcing yourself upon the bird at anytime.
The next
step will be to have the parrot step up onto your arm or a Booda Perch (only if
they are comfortable with this type training). When they do step up praise,
praise, praise and ask them to step back down, praise. Do this over the course
of a week without attempting to pet or touch the bird. You are taking small
steps to ensure your parrot feels safe being handled by you again. The
following week you may have the parrot step up, praise, step down, praise, and
step up again, praise. At this point if the parrot seems relaxed you may
attempt to have them sit with you on a T stand or play gym in another room near
you. Praising and talking softly the whole time you are working with the
parrot. After a short period ask the bird to step up again and return him to
his cage, praise. Continue these small baby steps until your parrot is asking
for love and affection from you again. When he does allow you to pet him
showing no fear or aggression, move slowly and stop the affection before he asks
you to stop. Remember you can never praise a wanted behavior enough. We tend
to be quick to discipline and slow to praise. Parrots do not understand
discipline therefore you should always only praise wanted behavior and redirect
unwanted behaviors. If while working with the bird you are bitten, remember not
to give a response of any kind or you will have to start all over again with
building the trust bond. Parrots also enjoy a strong reaction and will repeat a
behavior if they receive one.
Living with
a companion parrot can be a wonderful experience only if there is a mutual
respect between owner and bird. So the next time you are upset with your parrot
stop and take a good look at the situation and yourself.
R-REDIRECTION, NOT REACTION
E-EXERCISE
S-SLEEP
P-PATIENCE
E-ENTERTAINMENT
C-CONSISTENCY
T-TRUST
Thank You
Michelle
Karras
Avian
Behavior
Consultant The Polite
Parrot
