Workshops | Parrots As Pets | Q & A | FAQs
PARROTS AS PETS
 Parrots As Pets: Rules For Success
Few pets are as misunderstood as parrots. Their beauty, intelligence, ability
to mimic sounds and innate entertaining nature have made parrots one of the fastest
growing group of pets. Those of you that own one know, however, that these independent
creatures can be a source of frustration and anxiety.
Our experience training parrots has helped us develop techniques utilizing positive
reinforcement to maintain a better relationship with our parrots. Following are
the principles we live by when we train parrots.
For Every Action There Is A Motivation
Parrots, like people, do things for a reason. Understanding
and applying this concept is key to understanding your parrot.
If your bird bites you, something motivated him to bite.
Ask yourself, "What was the motivation?" Many of
us just blame bad behavior on our bird and merely accept
that getting bitten is part of owning a parrot. Actually,
a parrot should never bite you. If are bit, you motivated
the parrot to bite you. Take responsibility for the behavior
and determine what caused your parrot to bite.
Take Responsibility For Your Bird's Behavior
You must accept the fact that you have shaped
and molded your bird's behavior, for better or worse. When
you remove the excuses, you can quickly hone your sensitivities
and training skills. If your bird does something you don't
like, take responsibility for his actions. Ask
yourself what you could have done to make him react in
that manner. You will also begin to understand what motivates
your bird and how you can use this motivation to better
train your pet parrot and develop a better relationship
with him.
Never Make A Parrot Do Anything It Doesn't Want
To Do
We live in a society that trains us to recognize bad behavior and punish it. Punishment, however, has been shown to lead to a number of undesireable side effects, such as aggression or a generalized fear of the environment. In addition to this, punishment does not tell an animal what it is supposed to do. The key to successful training is to focus on and reward the positive. Reward your bird
when it does something you want and ignore it when it does
something you don't want. The reward can be anything that
your parrot will perform for: a nut, a scratch or even,
just praise.
Do These Principles Really Work?
Yes. The parrots, and all of the birds in our show, are free-flighted. If they
wanted to fly away, they could. But, they don't. They want to do what we ask
of them and we reward them for doing it. They have no motivation to fly away.
We are proud to say that during more than twenty years of bird training, Natural
Encounters, Inc. has never lost a bird.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, there are no magic methods for curing these or any other problems
you have with your parrot. The key is a better understanding of what is causing
the problem and how to deal with it through positive reinforcement.
Want To Learn More?
The video tape series, " The Positive Approach To Parrots As Pets," gives
you the tools necessary to interpret your bird's behavior, solve problems and
train your bird to do almost anything you can imagine. The videos are available
through many pet stores, bird clubs, Bird Talk magazine and through our
Online Store.
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