This question seems to be coming up a lot recently on the birdtricks facebook page and other places I visit regularly. I appreciate that people have the good sense to ask, but it’s a very difficult question to answer without knowing the person asking it, without getting a sense of the person or what their lifestyle is. I normally spend more effort trying to talk people out of getting birds than recommending a species to them.

Owning a bird takes a lot of time and work:
Are you up to it? Those of us with birds understand the higher level of care they require compared to our cats and dogs.  Aside from daily cleaning chores that come with having a bird, there are dietary requirements that take more time and thought than just opening a can.  With their great level of intelligence, they need constant mental stimulation.  And being social creatures, they require out of cage time with their flock and family member. Without attention to these details, a bird can easily become aggressive, loud and/or feather destructive. No one will be happy with this outcome, not you, not your bird.
Since no one can answer this question for you, it’s time to take a good look in the mirror and decide what kind of person you are, and how much of yourself you are willing to give to a parrot.  If you are a good, attentive owner, plan on getting up a little earlier for work and making some changes to your social calendar.  This might be tough on a younger new owner.

And a lot of money:
Birds are very long lived pets. They require lots of toys to keep them mentally and physically active.  Store bought toys are expensive, and if they are good toys and you have chosen them well for your parrot, they are promptly destroyed.  This is the point of toys.  Birds require fresh foods everyday, a good brand of pelleted food, some species require seed and nuts, others have specialized diets. You will be spending some time in the kitchen if you are feeding your bird correctly.  A good quality and appropriately sized powder coated cage for a large bird will cost $1000 or more.  This is tough on an owner of any age.

But mostly, a lot of patience and good sense:
It takes a lot of thought to raise a bird to be happy and independent and a welcomed part of the family. Parrots have the knack for throwing curve balls at their owners. Just when you think you’ve got them figured out, they will begin a behavior you’ve never seen before. Or decide they now hate their favorite food, toy or person.  You will learn to explore why your bird does something before you even try to understand how to go about finding a solution to a problem. You will have to know your species of bird well, in both captive and wild settings. After a while, creative thinking will be second nature.  You will learn that it truly takes a village to raise a parrot. You will find the advice and wisdom of those experienced with the type of bird you have selected to be helpful and comforting, and you will seek these people out.
Does this sound like nonsense to you?  Get a fish.

Still want one?
Which bird? To begin with, I don’t believe that there is any species of parrot that should be considered a “beginner bird”. Smaller birds are just as in need of enrichment, good food and love as are the big birds. The only difference is the volume with which they can state a complaint, or the severity of the bite they may issue when you make the mistakes we all did as beginners. If the beak intimidates you, you already know you want a smaller bird.
The very best way to determine which bird is right for you is to talk to someone who has the species you have in mind.  There are sites pertaining to EVERY species on the internet. Google conure, for instance, and you will find more info on the many species of conure than you can process in one sitting.  Go onto the bird forums and ask if anyone has a green cheeked conure because you are thinking about getting one. They will be happy to share info with you about the good, bad and ugly of that species. As your research continues, you might stumble across a bird species you hadn’t considered that would fit nicely into your life.
Know that the traits listed are what is typical of the species.  It doesn’t mean that every bird reads the manual. Some african greys don’t talk, some scarlet macaws aren’t nippy, not all cockatoos need to run the world.
If you decide to rehome your first bird, you should be aware that you are taking on the product of any mistakes or wrong-doings made by previous owners.  Often these birds come baggage, some bags are heavier than others. These birds sometimes need special considerations in terms of patience, and may need a push in the right direction in the areas of diet and socialization.
A lot, if not most, of how your bird turns out has to do with your technique of raising the bird and your willingness to put the time and effort into him. You will have your bird with you for a very long time. Take all the time you need now to choose carefully.

Photo by photographytips.com

Should I use any soap or shampoo when bathing my bird?

-Karen F., Hanover, MA

No. Not only is it unnecessary to use anything but water when bathing your bird, it is counterproductive to a bird’s natural cleansing process.  Most birds have a preen gland (uropygial gland) which is located at the the base of its tail.  When a bird is preening, it pinches this gland which then excretes an oil that is spread throughout the feathers.  This oil gives helps to keep feathers in proper condition.
In waterbirds, the preen gland excretes more oil giving them their waterproofing.  The oils also have anti-parasitic effect, helping wild birds keep lice at bay and an antibacterial effect that keeps down feather degradation. The action of the bird running its beak through the feathers distributes these oils, keeps feathers in position and removes any dirt and debris.
Using soap or shampoos will wash away these oils and the feathers condition will deteriorate. It will also dry out their skin. Itchy birds have been known to pluck.  I know that there are bird “shampoos” on the market, please don’t buy them.  It’s just another way of getting bird owners to spend yet more money, and they will prove to be harmful to your bird.
Bathing your birds often will inspire them to preen and distribute these oils.  I bathe my birds at least three times a week, never less than two. Some birds prefer mist or spray baths others prefer to take a shower in our bathrooms, others still like a nice bowl of cool water to take a dip in.  If your have small birds, try adding some fresh parsley or kale leaves to the water. They love to roll around in the greens.  Be prepared for a mess, though, my quaker can spray water 8-10′ with her little wings!

We’ve been keeping “travel diaries” for ABC while on the road with the circus and our flock. We made a fun pit stop in Waynesboro, VA to freefly our birds outside with some friends who took the Freestyle Flyer’s Club Course with Dave and I. We had a great time and of course while we were there, I got to say hello to my favorite buddy Storm the blue fronted Amazon parrot.

And I decided to do a travel diary with him in it, but of course, he always has to do ALL the talking…

Take a good look at your parrot. You will notice he has wings. You will see that they, and most of the rest of his body, is covered with feathers of varying length and size. If you were to look inside his body, you would find hollow bones and a unique respiratory system and muscular structure.  All of these things contribute to a single outstanding ability: FLIGHT!
Birds are meant to fly, and I encourage you to let them do that. Flight is what differentiates birds from all other creatures on this earth. It’s what they were born to do and I believe they feel handicapped when it is denied them or when they are scolded for this most natural activity.
I am adamant that it is imperative to a baby bird’s overall and ongoing mental health to be allowed to fledge. Even if the prospective new owner never intends the bird to remain flighted, learning to fly is a necessary exercise in discovery and confidence building. The bird that never brings itself to take that first step off of a solid surface will never reap those benefits of trial and error learning and never experience the joy of that accomplishment. It might go on to be a bird that is insecure and unwilling to explore new things. That first flight is a leap of faith that follows weeks of flapping and testing out its wings with the expectation that they will carry him safely to the ground. Imagine not being allowed to learn that you do have the courage and the skill to make that come to fruition. Imagine having wings and never getting to experience flight.

When I first got Theo, my goffins cockatoo, she was a timid, perch bound little thing who had barbered her wing feathers down to the skin. To my knowledge, she had never taken a single flight in her, then, 22 years. Within a year or so, she had regrown most of her flight feathers and months later took her first leap into the air.  She flew about 6 feet, and landed softly on the floor. The expression on her face was nearly human with her surprise, joy and pride. I will never forget it. Something special happened to her that day and it changed the way she looked at her world. From that point on, she was into everything, sometimes flying there, sometimes climbing.  She developed a keen interest in everything around her, and began acting like a goffins is supposed to.

I am not anti-clipping in cases where where a bird needs to be clipped. My cockatiel, Tinky, was my first bird.  He reached a point in his accident prone life where I felt the need to clip him. Sometime after knocking himself silly by flying into a mirror, he received a nasty concussion when my young daughter accidentally closed his head in the bedroom door as he made an attempt to follow her out of the room.  He recovered, with the help of his vet, but I was still uncomfortable with the idea of clipping his wings and they remained intact.
In the not too distant future were two more separate events that involved him being stepped on and sat on. We decided he needed to be more stationary and out came the scissors. To our great surprise, and dismay, he was still quite capable of flight, just to a lesser extent.
Of course, I know now that Tinky was neither accident prone nor misbehaved.  It was our allowing him free reign of the house that led him to places where injury occured. It is impossible to keep track of every movement they make under those circumstances, and until we learned that lesson well, Tinky would remain at risk or stay clipped.  The arrival of our second cockatiel, DeeDee, helped to keep Tinky in one spot a bit more often with other activities. We adjusted our lifestyle with the birds, imposed more limitations and both are now fully flighted.

Before you clip, think carefully about the emotional impact of grounding your bird. Knowing that they can escape a dangerous or frightening situation if the need arises, or even an interaction that they simply wish not to participate in, gives a bird the room to make choices that bring about trust. You’ve heard the expression Fight or Flight. When the option of flight is removed, sometimes it leaves a wary bird only the option of fighting when it feels insecure.  A bird might be quicker to bite when there are no other options to explore. Trust is gained when you respect and accept their decision to move away.
Sometimes, when a previously flighted bird is suddenly grounded, it can change it’s personality. Aside from feeling insecure, it can become depressed, sometimes lethargic, as if it has lost its zeal for life.  I know some of you are thinking that this may not be such a bad thing for your over-active or nippy birds. It is not a good thing.  Please consider addressing the behavior with training and restrictions before resorting to a clip.

If you do decide to clip, be certain is is done in a humane fashion. The wings should not be so severely trimmed that the bird is unable to glide gracefully to the ground, which will be his first stop following a clipping.  Poorly clipped wings can result in injury to your bird, so let your vet or professional bird groomer handle it until you feel confident in what you are doing.  Start with a light clip.  You can always trim more later if necessary.
NEVER trim a single wing.  A bird’s wings provide overall balance whether it be on the ground or in the air.  This is why they molt and regrow their flight feathers evenly on each side.  Trimming a single wing can cause a bird to perch unevenly, causing pressure sores on its feet which can then develop into skin and bone infections.
Also avoid what is referred to as a “show cut”.  This is when the wings are trimmed leaving the first two feathers on each side intact. Because they now jut out awkwardly, they are easily caught on toys and perches and can cause injury.Your birds appearance is not important. Its safety is.  Most people don’t even notice that a bird is clipped if it is done properly.
There is only one reason to clip your bird’s wings: if the safety of the bird/s or the people in the home are at risk.  If your bird does not seem to get the message after repeatedly flying into windows or mirrors, then a clipping is a good idea.  If your bird is trying to injure a member of the household or another bird, then sometimes clipping is necessary while you assess and gain control of the situation.  It should be done as part of an multi-tiered plan to correct your bird’s behavior and make changes to your own lifestyle. Sometimes a light trim with take the edge off an ill tempered bird by limiting its abilities, while still allowing him flight. This bird will sometimes get the message, but often there are better alternatives to clipping.

5 reasons NOT to clip:

• 1.  Flight gives a bird confidence and keeps it mentally and emotionally balanced. Aside from knowing it can get itself out of harm’s way in a pinch, it is how a bird naturally gets around.  Sure, they can walk and climb, but they are built to fly. Anyone in wheelchair understands what I am saying about the loss of an ability.
• 2.  Given the muscular structure of a bird, flying is the best form of exercise they can get. This is why they flap their wings in their cages.  It probably feels good, but it isn’t enough to keep those muscle toned.
• 3.  A flighted bird can escape to safety in the home, if he finds himself in trouble.  If you have other pets, this is a consideration.
• 4.  If lost outside, an uflighted bird will not have the ability to outfly a predator.  A determined clipped bird certainly CAN fly, and they go up, but seem to be unable or unwilling to come down.
• 5. Your bird will always have the option to choose to avoid an altercation with you by flying away instead of biting.

**NOTE:  Never attempt to fly your birds outside without extensive professional freeflight and recall training.

We wear many hats as bird owners: we’re cooks, toy makers, housekeepers and behavioral analysts.  I once read: “Yur day job iz how ya ern muney, yur reel job iz to spend it on yur handsum burd”  by author Mango McCaw. If your parrot had to go out and find work (oh, the indignity!), what would he do?
I think this is what best suits my birds:

Theo, goffins cockatoo, 24
I used to think of Theo as a philosopher, quietly contemplating the things around her.  Lately, though, I have thought of her as more of a novelist.  Her active imagination has more than once created a scary monster out of an inanimate object, the latest being the bath brush in the shower. Yesterday it was a scaly, howling beast intent on savaging the world (or at least the bathroom), today it was just a personal hygiene tool.  I also think that her remarkable measures of patience and tolerance would make her a valued school teacher, although story-time might cause the children to have nightmares.

Linus, umbrella cockatoo, 18
Linus, would be a fine woodworker,  but I think engineering is his true calling.  This bird can do things with his cage cover while I’m at work that defy the laws of physics. Cockatoos are known for their skills in this area, and for their flare for the dramatic, but that he is able to weave the fabric through a dozen cage bars, around his perch and meticulously through the eye-screw hole just baffles me. Then there was the knot I found tied at the end. He is very talented.

Libby, quaker parrot, 4
Quakers are uniquely qualified in the field of architecture, with a little interior designer thrown in.  If you’ve ever seen one of the huge, multi-roomed, condo-like structures that quakers build on city transformers, you’d know what I’m talking about. Libby apparently didn’t get that contractor’s gene but is still an interesting and well rounded little bird.  I think she would do any job well.  As long as she was the boss.  And the food availability was non-stop.  A girl’s gotta keep up her strength.

Nikko and Visa, budgies, 2
Jamie and Dave’s budgies are hard to figure out.  I have always seen them in the roles of the drowning swimmer (Nikko) and the lifeguard (Visa).  When I first came to Orlando, Nikko had contracted a infection which required months of medication.  After the Womachs left for their tour, I was the evil stranger who reached into the cage with a huge hand to capture and torture her. Visa took up the role as bodyguard and positioned himself between my hand and Nikko, threatening to bite if I proceeded.  Recently, I found Nikko in the cage with a toe injury. Visa was standing guard over her.  It was days later that I discovered that Visa also inflicted the injury. So, who knows?  Nikko has had hard life health-wise and might find it satisfying and rewarding to help the less fortunate.  Visa would make an excellent prison inmate.

Tinky and DeeDee, cockatiels, 16
The cockatiels are not suited to work outside the home.  Instead, they would prefer to be kept in the manner to which they are accustomed.  The pampered life as the wives of an insanely rich man would work well for them.
It’s career day. What line of work is your parrot best suited to?

The following are five thing we all need to know how to do to give us the advantage in day to day life with our birds:

1. TARGET TRAINING

Target training might be one of the most important things you do with your parrot. This activity, which many parrots literally pick up in minutes, is the first step in training. The joy felt by both the owner and the bird during that first AHA! moment when it makes the association between the requested behavior, the click and the treat is unparalleled and opens up a world of possibilities.  Besides the many, many tricks your parrot will learn in the future, it is the precursor to teaching your bird behaviors that will be necessary during it’s life, such as going peacefully into a carrier, willingly taking medications, and getting him safely into his cage during an uncooperative moment.

2. TOWELING

In a perfect world, no bird would ever need to be toweled.  In the real world, however, it is likely to be necessary at some time during your parrot’s life.  If, for instance, your bird is injured, it may require restraint during the trip to the vet so as not to further injure itself (or you). Some birds require toweling for grooming, and some, unfortunately, need toweling for behavior issues.  In any event, it is something you would be wise to learn how to do effectively and safely. Teaching your bird to accept this practice will greatly reduce its stress during any procedure or experience. This link will provide you with the definitive description of how to properly towel and restrain different sized birds:  CLICK HERE

3. HELP YOUR BIRD TO ACCEPT A MEDICAL EXAM

A good avain vet, along with the help of his trained technician, will manage to control a parrot, even one who wishes to kill them for taking too many liberties. However, the level of stress to your bird during even a routine exam can keep them from getting testing they require and puts a bird in an unnecessary state of frenzy. The key to getting your bird to tolerate a physical examination (no one says they have to like it!) is in keeping it well socialized by being handled by different people including strangers.  Your bird should also be used to the idea of being touched on different areas of it’s body, having its wings extended manually, and accept having its beak opened.

It is also important to understand your bird’s unique needs.  For example, my very well socialized cockatiels will go to anyone, but they don’t like being apart. When Tinky needed to see the vet a few years ago, I knew to bring both cockatiels with me for this reason.  The vet took Tinky into another room to draw blood and his reaction to the separation from his lifelong cagemate was so extreme that it resulted in him needing fluids and being held for observation. They did not get the blood they needed during that visit. Most bird’s do not like to go to the vet, and who can blame them.  Make the experience as easy on everyone as possible.

4. READ BODY LANGUAGE

Body language is the posture or expression one gets during or following an experience. In a person, shoulders might sag when depressed or the face might get red when angry.  A bird’s body language reveals its best kept secrets. By watching your bird’s reactions to the things around him, you will be able to tell if it is happy, angry, fightened, stressed, and much more. The different species of parrots have different signs that depict their moods and responses.  Get to know the signs typical to the species of bird you keep and take into account your bird’s personality. Some are harder to read than others, and you have to remember that pinning eyes and a flaring tail signifies excitement, but excitement comes in different forms: happy excited, angry excited or frightened excited, for example.  By being observant, you will learn the difference and will be able to make judgement calls much more accurately.

5. OBSERVE ILLNESS IN YOUR BIRD

Anything you see, hear, smell or feel on your bird that is out of the ordinary should send up a red flag. A healthy bird is consistent in how it eats, how it behaves and vocalizes, and how it poops and anything outside the norm lasting more that a couple of days could be the onset of an illness. Your ability to identify a problem quickly can save your bird’s life.   8 Signs That You Have A Sick Bird.