In our seminar DVD set, I talk about the Gypsy Experience as a means to training your bird.  It refers to my lifestyle – everyday a hundred new mile markers roll by, every night my birds are in front of more than 5,000 people.  Every day they experience different people, places, and things.  For a species that spends 80% of its day foraging for food and having to figure out new things, this is the next best thing to a magic potion for success with your psittacines.

Whether I’m traveling by land or by sea, I always try to “add value” for my clients by offering to do a free animal training seminar.  To my clients, I’m going above and beyond by doing more than they hired me for, and secretly I’m doing wonders for my flock!  They get to meet people of all ages and races.  The more you can expose your parrots to these new experiences everyday, the more confident they’ll be throughout their lives.  Additionally, it adds invaluable training time for them.

Inevitably, birds seem to think that a trick is completely different when you add a dozen (or 5,000) people into the equation.  It’s as if they do the trick perfectly on stage with full lights, sound, and pyro… but when you add applause into the equation it’s no longer the “pick-up-your-foot-and-wiggle-it-back-and-forth” command.  Similar… but now it’s the ”pick-up-your-foot-and-wiggle-it-back-and-forth-with-applause” command… totally different!  ;o)

If you can find yourself in a position to be able to get your birds in front of more than a couple people, do it!  It doesn’t have to be fancy, and it doesn’t have to be perfect.  That’s the beauty about doing an animal seminar.  You can educate people about your parrots, talk to them about training, and the audience can see them during the learning process.

I wanted to get Rocko in front of an audience, to test how he would respond.  The following video showcases that beautifully.  The angle isn’t the best, but due to laws we couldn’t include kids in the video without written consent from each parent.  Clearly that wasn’t an option, so we shot it from the side.  In this video you’ll get to see what it looks like when we’re training our birds a new behavior.  Sometimes it requires a lot of patience… I use these opportunities to get my birds ready for the big stage, socialize them, build confidence, and entertain/educate my audiences.

Enjoy Rocko’s first animal training seminar, and a sneak peak behind the scenes of my training.

Photo by Dave
Location: Centralia, WA
Snuggling up: Blue throated macaw “Jinx”

I am really uncomfortable meeting other people’s birds when I see that the human companion doesn’t hold the bird’s feet when they have them on their hand. Usually the person will have the bird loose on its arm, towards the middle of the arm or something where the person has no control over the bird whatsoever.

Too many times has a bird been spooked or upset, and flown at someone. The owner at that point can’t really do much because good luck catching up with a flighted (or in some cases just pure determined) parrot!

I keep my distance if I realize the person has no control over the bird they have. You can usually tell pretty quick who is in charge; person or bird.

We always train people, especially those doing our freeflight course, the important of holding your bird’s feet. The biggest reason we do this with our birds is how much easier it makes it to read the parrot’s mood or pick up on subtle body language. You can feel everything in your bird’s feet… every mood change, every little thing that is setting them off or starting to make them feel uneasy.

The simple act of shifting weight or a slight lean can be felt through your bird’s feet and can say so much. You can foresee situations coming and avoid disaster or freak outs. You can also keep your bird in one place and have time to calm it down should it become upset, without having it flail around and possibly get hurt. It’s also a good way to move your bird from one place to another, and is how we transfer our birds when having to go outside without a travel carrier or harness (from house to aviary – and be cautious as accidents happen and you may not always have your bird’s feet as well as you think you do!)

I’m very comfortable in socializing situations with my birds as long as they are on my hand and I have their feet because I know I know what my bird is feeling like and how to best handle the situation.

Sometimes I have someone approach me with wacky clothing or accessories that make my birds a little leary and they’ll lean just slightly at the sight of it. Feeling that, I know to either move my bird to my hand furthest away or hold the bird farther away than normal, or put myself in between that object and my bird until I feel them be less tense and get used to it. It makes desensitizing and socializing a breeze because you become so in tune to your bird and your bird in turn feels more comfortable in those situations with you knowing you will take care of it and be dialed into their feelings and discomforts.

To train your bird to let you allow his feet to be held you can do through a few days. If your bird is fully flighted you can use flight training to teach it by having the bird land in your hand and closing your hand over its feet while you treat the bird and set him down.

When holding feet you don’t want to cause your bird to fight it, you want to reward your bird for being okay with it and not push it too far. You will start with getting your bird used to being in your hand and slowly closing your fingers over its toes while rewarding. Some birds may want to use one foot to eat their reward, in this case close your fingers around your bird’s feet for a second and set him down on a perch to get the reward. Then have him come to your hand again and continue to extend the length of time that your fingers are over your bird’s feet to eventually getting to the point where you can put some pressure on the feet.

Once you’re there you can start moving with the bird (baby steps, remember!) don’t go too fast or your bird will become scared. Again, you don’t want your bird fighting it, you want to reward them when they are content so work with small, small approximations. When you start moving with your bird you will need to merely lean or move your hand and not the rest of your body and then reward for a job well done of not freaking out.

The key to a successful training session is ending the session before the bird does, ending on a positive note, and keeping the training fun (and SHORT) for your bird so you leave him wanting more and looking forward to the next!

Photo by Dave
Location: Centralia, WA
On my back: Blue throated macaw “Jinx”

I’ve personally worked with a lot of adopted parrots, and they’ve always had extreme issues from an insane amount of aggression to extreme amounts of fear, to horrible diets, large amounts of weight loss to being obese, to hating women or men specifically or plucking themselves, among tons of other issues popular among captive parrots given up for adoption.

Because I had never worked with an adopted parrot that was just nice, with no issues, I assumed they literally did not exist among rescues and bird sanctuaries.

 Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Everett, WA
Outside of Apollo’s Bird Store

Until I went to Zazu’s House in Washington state. Someone on our facebook told us about it, and we thought likely on it, until we were recommended to go to a bird store named Apollo’s Bird Store where they highly recommended Zazu’s House. Finally, we decided to go and this experience really opened my eyes.

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Bothell, WA
Zazu’s House Special Needs Aviary

I met birds ranging in species from African Greys to Amazons to Macaws. The ones I was most impressed with and assumed I would be sad to see (but wasn’t) were the birds in the “special needs” aviary.

These special needs birds completely blew my mind and threw my misconception about adopted out birds out the window!

I was able to hold a handful of the birds given up – though I only chose to hold one as I’m a total wuss when it comes to other people’s birds until I’ve gotten to know them better and vice versa. Volunteers there were able to walk around like it was no big deal with 3-4 birds on them at a time, and the owner we met could handle EVERY… SINGLE… BIRD… THERE. That is amazing. Just amazing. I was shocked, and in awe, and totally impressed.

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Bothell, WA
Zazu’s House Special Needs Aviary

I realized the number one misconception of adopted parrots, because it was the same misconception I had and was a huge reason why I was kind of… not sure what the term is… but I’ve always been nervous to permanently take on other people’s baggage with birds because I work with them so often and see how long it takes and how hard it is. On the bird and person. That’s why I prefer to train people on how to change for their birds, and then take on their birds to do the heavy work and give them back for them to do the rest. I like to get people started in the right direction with a heavy push. But a huge reason I’ve always felt that way is because of this misconception.

That misconception is that all birds given up for adoption are bad, mean and bite.

That couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth… the stories I heard were nothing near, “The bird was mean and they gave it to us.” In fact, I didn’t hear that once! The one person who gave up their bird to this facility that did have a mean bird that bit everyone actually had their bird step up fine for the people there, and hated the owner every time the owner would come to visit. The bird was so much happier in this new environment, it wanted nothing to do with its old one. Which isn’t always the case, so don’t get down in the dumps if that’s your situation…

Photo by Dave
Location: Centralia, WA
With me: Blue throated macaw “Jinx”

Here were some of the reasons people gave up on perfectly friendly parrots:

1. Suicide or unexpected death of the owner or family member
2. A growing family
3. Believing the bird is lonely
4. Not having enough time to devote to the parrot
5. Someone else in the family not getting along with the parrot
6. High medical bills/lack of being able to afford the bird’s expenses

It really turned my mind around about rescue/adoption parrots and how great they can be when you first get them. Always consider volunteering first to spend time with the bird you’re thinking about adopting and learning the in’s and out’s of parrot companionship.

Hyancinth photo by ZakVTA @ flickr.com

Q: Do any of the anti-plucking products available actually work?
Gary M., New London, CT

A: There are two types of products on the market that address the issue of plucking: one approaches the problem medicinally, the other physically prevents access to the affected areas.

The following is my opinion. It is based on research of the ingredients in the herbal products and on the opinions of trusted sources who have used them and other products:

Ingestible remedies:

There are a few varieties of these products available, but there is one main brand whose name you would recognize. I am not going to mention this name (you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure it out) because I don’t wish to give any atrtention to a product I disapprove of. This un-named product is distributed by a company whose main product I LOVE, own and would recommend to anyone. It is a strange affiliation that I have never understood.

This product is an herbal liquid that is added to the bird’s daily drinking water. The company does provide some testimonial claiming that it works. I know of a few cases where owners have seen results. It seems reasonable that the product has had some successes, but at what cost.

This product contains ingredients which cause lethargy It’s aim is to stupify. Plucking is most often a behavioral problem. To the manufacturers way of thinking, the best way to eliminate a behavioral problem is to eliminate the behavior. Unfortunately, it eliminates many behaviors, even those that aren’t problematic, leaving a bird that is too zoned-out to enjoy the good parts of its life.

This product has been “reformulated” to address biting and screaming issues. The bird that is too stupid to pluck is also too stupid to bite or scream. Further, some of the ingredients in the formulas are considered toxic to birds. These ingredients aren’t present in large amounts, but there is no room for toxicity in any bird product – ever.

Blue and gold macaw

Anti-plucking “suits”:  

There are several of these available online. They are simply garments that are worn by the plucking parrot that cover his “areas of interest”. There are patterns, templates, out there that can teach you how to make one of your own. Some people just use tube socks with holes placed in the appropriate places. However, any self-respecting parrot could have his way with any one of these in a very short time.

People’s opinions on plucking suits vary. Some have found success with them. Some think they irritate the plucked areas thereby calling attention to the very place you would like your parrot to forget about. Others think they work great – until they come off and the parrot resumes its unwanted activities.

Umbrella cockatoo

Both of these options fail in one key area: they solve nothing.Your bird has a plucking problem – accent on the word PROBLEM. It is the problem which needs your attention. There are no quick fixes out there. You cannot give your bird a pill or a bandaid to make this go away.

The idea of medicating a behavior away is insane to me, and covering a problem with fabric to prevent access to it won’t fix anything, The problem will still be there when the suit comes off or the drug wears off. If you need to eliminate a behavior, find the source of the behavior and eliminate IT.

**NOTE – ALWAYS have your bird vet checked for any possible medical cause for the plucking problems. There are certains illnesses and conditions that might be responsible for this behavior.

Harlequin macaw

When we have behavioral problems with our birds, it can be very hard to think clearly and sometimes our own behavior is irrational. We love our parrots as our children. We watch with pride as they learn and explore their world and brag about their acomplishments. We grow as humans in watching them grow as parrots. But we are also affected when they hurt and suffer right alongside them. Sometimes it is difficult to free ourselves emotionally at those times when we really need to be at our best

This post is just a reminder to keep things simple.

I know that some of the worst decisions I have made in my life have been a result of over-thinking and over-exaggerating my problems.This is also true when it comes to parrots. The best solutions come most quickly when I stand back from the problem and observe it with simplicity.

For example, when I rehomed Linus, my umbrella cockatoo, he was a ball of pent of anger and frustration. While trying to resolve his issues (screaming and biting), it dawned on me that I was making things too complicated because I was looking for the answers to too many questions. The only question that needed answering was WHY might he be feeling so horrible about his new life. I made a list of the likely causes. In the end, trust issues were the common denominator. From that point, it was very easy to devise a course of action.

Blue throated and camelot macaws

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to solve OTHER people’s problems?  A friend comes to you in tears and you seem to have the answers right there at your fingertips, but that same problem in your own house might send you running to a psychiatrist. Emotions can cloud our judgement and cause us to overlook the obvious.

With your birds, try to train yourself to stand back and look at problems with detachment and objectivity. Keep matters uncomplicated by pushing aside your own fears, anger and disappoinment. Walk away for a while, if you must, and return with fresh eyes and an uncluttered mind. The best solution is always the simplest one.

Yellow naped amazon

I have written a number of posts urging people to consider rehoming a parrot from a rescue rather than purchasing a baby from a pet store or a breeder. On my Facebook wall this morning, someone provided me a link with which to help spread this message along to other bird lovers.

At the end of this post is that link. There is a video contained within that very poignantly describes how and why it has happened that rescues and sanctuaries are bursting open at the seams. Here are some statistics pulled from the narrative:

• “…It is estimated that nearly all parrots will be in at least 5 homes before they die prematurely or find a permanent home.”
• “…Sanctuaries report that they get an average of 1,500 calls per year from people wanting to give up their birds. Those sanctuaries that have not already had to close their doors report that they can accept an average of 5 to 30 birds per year and get 4 to 6 calls per day regarding birds they cannot accept.”

Goffins cockatoo

Apart from issues developing due to most people’s inability to provide proper care, a parrot’s long life span might play the largest role in the ongoing cycle of rehoming:

• “…Large species of parrots can live up to 85 years of age. Some smaller parrots can live up to 25 to 50 years. Most people don’t consider their bird’s life span as it relates to their own…Many parrots will outlive their guardians leaving the birds, more often than not, homeless and unwanted.”

Here is the link: Exotic Birds Campaign. Click on the video to view. It is NOT graphic, but very informative..

The only thing I wish to elaborate on is that we should all have a plan in place that will see to the needs of our birds if we should die or become disabled in such away that it is not possible to continue caring for our birds. This post will help you consider the many different angles of this particular topic.