What do you wish you'd read?

[Pwca]

Hi, I'm new to the board. I don't have a bird yet but I'm researching and hoping to bring one home late this summer or next fall (possibly even waiting till next spring- I've got plenty of time and would rather be REALLY sure of my decision than make a bad one.) after I get settled in to a house of my own with no neighbors on the other side of the wall to be bothered by critters. :) I have dogs and rats and grew up with a parakeet, but would like something a little bit bigger and longer-lived (Petey lived to be 10) this time. I'm not terribly concerned with talking ability but also don't want a hugely loud bird. At this time, I'm mostly interested in the Pionus family- but I really like lovebirds even if they ARE little and kind of spunky, adore my friend's caique, and don't particularly care for cockatiels or quakers. (I'm interested in reading more about mynahs as I've come across a lot of reference to them in older books but very little about what they're actually like- I love softbills but worry they may be too difficult to care for properly.)

My main concerns are finding a bird who would be a good choice for a nearly-first time parrot owner who wouldn't be TOO stressed by a busy environment- obviously none of my other pets would be allowed to be loose around the bird but the dogs ARE in the house (2 collies and a mittelspitz- the collies have NO prey drive to speak of and the spitz does but is all of 11 pounds and ignores chickens, ducks and small fuzzies, so I don't see a bird indoors being any more difficult.) and will be hanging out in the office where I plan for the bird's cage to be, as that's where I spend most of my time during the day.

So far, I've read "Parrots for Dummies", " Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior" and "The Alex Studies". (I don't want a Grey but it looked interesting.) What other books should I be looking for? :) Any good books on clicker training with birds specifically? I use clickertraining with my dogs and rats and LOVE it- it's such a GREAT toolset, and I think it's a great way to communicate with a critter and learn to read their behavior properly.


Cait

[Izzy]

I would highly recommend anything by Barbara Heidenreich - there are currently two books out by her I think (check Amazon). She also has a magazine called Good Bird which is highly recommended-I love it, and it's way better than Bird Talk!

There is a book on clicker training birds by Melinda Johnson I think. I think there might be a few more, but you should be good if you're experienced with dogs and rats. Clicker utraining is a great way to work with birds.

Check out the DVD Captive Foraging, as well as Barbara Heidenreich's DVD's. They'll help a lot! Also, check out Susan Friedman's online class at behaviorworks.org. It has a long waiting list, but is SOOOO worth it!

Good luck!

[huntress]

Study native habitat of each species you choose and native foods and instictive behavior. Aside from all the "pet" books. Go to every forum you can and just "lurk" in each species specific thread - listen to what they talk about and complain about and love about there bird. Look at your lifestyle and the things you can and cannot tolerate in your home and then compare that to your species of choice. Consider the fact that you will be adding a two year old that never grows up and never moves out,lol.

[Freedomoflight]

I second what huntress said. Unfortunately for the two species you like- pionus and caique- there are not that many texts out there. But some good websites are:
pionusstrut.com
pionusparrot.com
phatparrot.org
caiquecrazy.org
caiqueforum.com

[sugarbeth]

I think this one is a must-read, and it's FREE! :)

http://www.phoenixlanding.org/PEAB_V2.pdf

[Tom Lawless]

I have not delved too deeply into books but as far as clicker training goes, I know Chet Womack has a whole DVD series on parrot training based on clicker training. I have just begun watching them so I can not tell you if ultimately I found them useful or not. It is research I wish I had done before I got my Hahns Macaw (but so far he is doing very well anyway) and I plan on having done it or more of Barbara Heidenrich's course (I have her DVD too) before I bring my Congo Grey home. Chet Womack's website is: Parrot Training Tips To Fix Your Pet Parrots Problems. I warn you that I found I got inundated with too much information at first and I ended up backing away from all of it for awhile. That may not be true for you. I hope some of this will be helpful or someone else can add a response with more information about either course that will clarify or correct anything I have said.

[Tom Lawless]

I forgot another website recommended by an animal behavior specialist, Catherine Crawmer, I heard speak on this topic. She recommended a website: Clicking with Birds. I checked it out. It has both books and DVD's on clicker training by a trainer named Linda Morrow. They weren't horribly priced.

[SDavid]

Here's one link to some training resources and suggestions on what to look for in those you learn from. Hope it helps.

Parrot Training: Behavior, Flight and Enrichment

[Astrid660]

All About Cockatoos - MyToos.com


it kind of makes me question why people have parrots trapped in cages, or even in captivity at all. The site also makes me want to save every cockatoo I see.

[kellywess]

I enjoyed reading "The Parrot Who Owns Me" by Joanna Burger. Its a story about a relationship. A true story. Would make anyone want to run out and get a bird, especially a Red Lored Amazon.