New Owner w/ Qs

[padkison]

Hi,

I just got a baby Jenday (3 mo) and had a couple Qs about the care info I read.

1) The parrot behavior text author believes that allowing a parrot to perch on ones shoulder leads to behavior problems and has the slight risk of a viscious bite given the right trigger and circumstances. Comments?

2) Can the parrot be bathed each day? Not that I plan on bathing him each day, but if I wanted to bath him back to back days for entertainment and to have him burn off energy.

Thanks

[Monica]

Letting parrots ride on shoulders is a controversial subject... main thing is, if you trust your bird, and there are no problems what-so-ever from getting him off your shoulder or when here are people around it's not an issue... however if your bird is biting, screaming, not willing to come down once up there, then he shouldn't be allowed there, unless he learns to behave himself.


As far as birds being bathed daily, yes you can do that. At least a few good bathes a week is fine, and daily certainly wont hurt them! Heck, some people have some birds that will bathe up to 2 or 3 times a day! And it's the birds choice!

[bekfreak]

It depends on the bird. A large Macaw, Too, or Amazon I'd be leary with on the shoulder. Though I've heard Greys are one of the few of the larger birds that aren't very height dominating.

[homebird]

What I've learned is training is a big issue. [& not just your fid ]
Step Ups and using a perch/stick as well as your hand is a great idea - in case someone else has to handle the bird, or it gets hormonal on you. Another training thing is to get them to come to you. In this area its like having an untrained dog - who wants that - it takes all the fun out if the companion thing, if the animal doesn't have boundaries & starts to dominate the situation or misinterprets your desires. So don't forget the verbal &/or hand jestures so they aren't confused.

Socializing your bird is also a big deal - so they're fun to have around friends & other caregivers.

Play time alone is also good - so they aren't too needy when you leave the house or room. Here the use of mentally & beak satisfying toys are the best - there are lots of things to see in Species, Cage or Bird Talk forums.

Some great bath toys too - the 'underground pool' & the dog/cat drinking water 'fountain' was hilarious, creative & popular. They're around here somewhere - if you can't find them I'll do a search ...

Good luck with your baby ... so where are your pics ... I think we need some.

[Captain Jack]

I am no expert, but some bird things seem to be very "taboo." As for your question about birds on the shoulder, I let Capt. Jack our Scarlet Macaw on my shoulder all the time, but we have rules. First off he needs to be invited, especially since Amber doesnt allow him on her shoulder. Second no yelling. He enjoys "helping" me do things, and its an easy way to include him in my daily chores. But every bird is diffrent and so are their needs, so the rules you enforce are diffrent for each bird. The best advise is observe your bird, and use your best judgement.

[Irish]

My Sun Conure, Petey McSweet, loves shoulders, but we don't let him up there. He's ok for awhile, but once he gets bored, he's inclined to reach over and give a neck a nasty nip.

On the other hand, Bob rides my shoulder when invited, but he is very well trained to step up by hand or by stick, and never refuses the command. He loves to reach over and lick. However, he's just a baby, and I suspect that as he reaches the "terrible twos" or puberty, the shoulder rides may become more restricted or just not allowed. We'll see what happens over time, and pray I get to keep all my facial features :-).