How NOT To Tease Your Bird

[Phenomenon]

It distresses me to hear/read of so many owners giving up their birds because the birds have dysfunctionally "bonded" to the owners and are attacking children and mates/boyfriends.

The below link details the kind of "pets" and caressing/behaviors we should CUT OUT of our interactions with our FIDS if we want to raise well-socialized and behaved birds.

How Not to be a Tease

[magdalena]

That's a great read for any who haven't seen it yet. My grey should read it. She doesn't attack others but she nips me if she thinks the neighbor's little boy is posing a danger to my well being when we are outside and he is running around. So kind of her. :D

I've always followed those guidelines just as common sense but they are good to read and reread. I know even after reading that article I was still often at a loss when about to be thrown up on. I think when you read something online and you know it and then when it happens to you your brain shuts off and you go into a coma (and get thrown up on). We're uh doing better though.

[Phenomenon]

It definitely was interesting. I came across this link while researching for distraction strategies for birds that are already 'teased' and expect it. I do have one rescue:

Bobbie is a (Jenday) already grown and set in her ways. She won't attack strangers..but she will bark at them and refuse to step up to any strange arm. She will nip if anyone persists (which has only happened once). She has not drawn blood yet. I simply tell everyone to respect her space, she knows if she wants to be bothered or not.

She definitely was heavily sexually stimulated when I got her, I think it was actually a relief to be in my home and be able to relax. When I first got her, she was constantly trying to back up into my hand from day one. I have been distracting her by singing and dancing and getting her involved. She dances up a storn and works off the negative energy and forgets what she was about to do, and then I put her on a playground or her playtop.

She is a perfectly adorable bird for a rescue.

[magdalena]

My grey is a rescue too, I guess I'd rather have a masturbator than a biter. :D

[NotEnoughTime]

The whole rationalparrot.com ( The Rational Parrot ) website is well worth the read...

[SDavid]

The article is good but I don't think it's the "full picture" of what's really happening within the bird-actually a small part imo. The article is good for insight into what to avoid but bonding happens anyway from what I can see. Maybe someone could shed some light on this but I don't think that all bonds are mating related or human caused. I mean that parrots can and do choose a favorite person early on in their lives (way before they're sexually mature and without sexual provocation from the human) and nip at anyone other than that favorite person. And many become set in their ways as they get older (rescue or not). Dont humans as well, isn't it a part of aging? When was the last time your grandfather changed his favorite brand of shampoo, how often do you prefer the same parking spot?.....lol. My Timneh prefers me if given a choice and although she will go to my wife as well she nips my wife alot more. She has regurgitated for both of us on different occasions (rarely though).

All species are different and the mating desire in some is very strong-it's survival. Regardless of how much we try to avoid sending out any signalls if they are kept singly then we are the only ones in that birds life (it's flock mate)....so we are IT when the season/urge arrives. We all interact with our pet birds-that's why we have them in the first place and I think that any interaction or companionship can result in them choosing us as a mate or bonding to us. So I think the article is implying the imo incorrect notion that it "has to" be the humans fault while it may not be-many people know what to avoid beforehand. The articles metahpor of humans to parrots makes a point but is flawed in that parrots are not far from the wild (few generations) and have their strong natural mating drives very much intact.

It's a very common source of frustration among owners who much of the time claim that they did nothing differently in handling (and/or feeding, caring for the bird) than other members of the household. And so wonder why the bird has mysteriously chosen one member of that household and become saddened over it. Again, probably due to things we haven't learned about them yet.

"She is a perfectly adorable bird for a rescue. "

What's your birds back story if I may ask? Just curious, is she truly a rescue or a rehome? Why or do you think her previous owners encouraged her sexual over-stimulaion?

[Lisa B]

yep, just what SDavid said. they are still wild animals....

I saw a video of a so called behaviorist, poking her too with a banana. the bird was obviously afraid, foot up defending, leaning back, mouth open, crest up....and this behaviorist just kept laughing and poking. Thats a perfect example of how NOT to tease your bird!

[NotEnoughTime]

Originally Posted by Lisa B

I saw a video of a so called behaviorist, poking her too with a banana. the bird was obviously afraid, foot up defending, leaning back, mouth open, crest up....and this behaviorist just kept laughing and poking. Thats a perfect example of how NOT to tease your bird!

Hmmmm - I would need the context - but that would not be a "behaviourist" from the context that you've presented.

I get pretty tired of hearing this "wild animal" thing all the time. It seems like a cop-out to me. Parrots respond well to a positive environment, they do not respond well to a negative environment. As do most animals (including us human ones).

Although it may not be the "whole story" the article How Not to be a Tease provides a good introduction to the behavioural issues that parrots go through when it comes to mating behaviours.

If someone is looking for a more "in depth" analysis then buy "The Manual of Parrot Behavior" edited by Luescher. There are several articles on parrot mating in the book and one article is: "Problem Sexual Behaviors of Companion Parrots" by Fern Van Sant. Basically, in this article, it comes down to us:

- Curtailing Cavity Seeking - do not allow the bird to wander looking for "hidey holes"

- Watching Physical Contact

- Adjusting Feeding -Vary foods and use meal feedings instead of open feeding. Encourage foraging by hiding food morsels.

- Providing Opportunities for Exercise - "It is worth considering that a lack of physical exercise and the subsequent disuse (atrophy) of the poorly defined but unique cardiovascular adaptations that allow for flight might predispose an individual to untoward effects of chronic hormonal stimulation of the circulatory system." (p243)

- Using Clicker Training

- Addressing Problematic Bird Husbandry - "In many homes, owners have adopted the notion of consistent cage arrangement, a wide variety of foods chosen by preference instead of nutritive value, and quality time usually consisting of late nights and cuddling ... Changing environmental conditions, minimizing pair bond formation, and recognizing and addressing reproductive behaviors early could change the lives of birds—and their owners— dramatically." (p243)

[Lisa B]

Originally Posted by NotEnoughTime

Hmmmm - I would need the context - but that would not be a "behaviourist" from the context that you've presented.

)

oh I certainly dont consider her a behaviorist, she considers herself one. Infact calls herself a guru.

[SDavid]

"Infact calls herself a guru. "

Lisa, I can top that one.....I saw a book by a woman who called herself....ready?.....SUPREME BEING. Could it be the same person?


"It seems like a cop-out to me."

I honestly believe that if given some more time and/or hands on experience with owning the larger or more challenging birds and it wont "seem" that way to you so much. Isn't it a cop out to say that people cause their own problems - a way to avoid acknowledging certain facts about birds. On the flip side of what you said, I feel the attitude of overestimating how reaslistic and practical all the behavioral advice out there is only makes it easy for people who rehome to be demonized by others. We need to stay away from that and keep an open mind imo. Most of the time the people doing the demonizing have limited or no first-hand experience (especially with the more "challenging" birds) and are being more idealistic than realistic (I know I've been). People who rehome are made to feel unnecessary guilt. If more of them didn't leave this forum out of shame (which I suspect they do) we'd hear more real experiences and effort/results/difficulties in applying that theory and see how often unsucessfully. Right now it seems (and it's an internet wide thing) we have more of people simply spouting the theory they're read as if it's going to work like a switch on every bird. In other words we hear from the "internet experts" of which, I admit, I'm one of to an extent. Not proud of it because in the past I've given advice under the impression that a bird is a bird. What applies to a conure will apply to a macaw to a budgie, to a timneh and if you rehome it's your fault. There are different shapes, sizes, difficulty levels, etc. of birds and no theory applies all accross the board. You have a small bird, life with your fid is enjoyable and easy (as you've admitted), you're doing alot of reading and research, and now can't understand what the big deal is with owning birds why they're not domesticated and how they can possibly not be a "breeze" to own. I understand that.

There are many factors at work when it comes to why a beloved bird companion is rehomed. It's not as easy as "do this, avoid that, and THEN if you fail and rehome youre a jerk" which is what I feel is an ignorant attitude. You've said that you believe/suspect people create their own problems. To that I'd say don't get too cocky. Before you begin telling people they created their own problems (which can be an insult to them) I'll remind you that youre not a behaviorist who's seen hundreds of clients and their troubled birds first hand and fealt their heartbreaking stories. Neither you nor I have walked in their shoes and I don't want to. Birds ARE "captive wildlife" whether you like it or not.....I think you should deal with it, get over it, move on, whatever you need to do. We have not genetically engineered birds. We caught them wild, we breed them-yes, we sell them-yes, we house them-yes. We are fascinated by them because of their charisma and human like qualities (which is why we don't have seagulls as pets for instance).

Doing research is a good thing. I do it myself and interesting to think about these things and discuss them as long as we're not too sure of ourselves. But, theory is not a closed science, it's ongoing and not definite knowledge-especially when it comes to the birds we choose to keep as pets. There are many people who do know these things, who do their best and end up rehoming anyway. I'm not going into the "why's" of it but the fact is it happens alot. That tells us that birds are simply not easy to "modify." Not as easy all all the written theory would imply.