Brad from San Jose Writes: "Dear Blue Hair Bob, I heard that parrots need a lot of interaction or they develop behavior problems

Brad,   These are great questions - ones I wish every potential exotic bird owner would ask before getting a bird.  Some of these are a bit controversial as well.  There is the "old school" answer and then there is the "latest available data" answer.  I will give you what I think is the latest data answer. 

First, every few years they run a series of "intelligence" tests on a large number of species.  In the latest test (2005 I think), Parrots, Chimps, and Dolphins scored in similar ranges.   It is difficult to rank them overall at that level because one would score better in certain areas.  At this point, I think they tend to put parrots just above chimps but a just bit below dolphins. 

Anyone who has a well socialized parrot doesn't need scientific tests to tell them parrots are smart.  One of mine forms new simple sentences from words he already knows in ways that he is not simply mimicking.  One example is that he knows what a dog is.  He knows what "come here" means.  So, he will say, "Dog come here" - even though none of us in the house ever say that.  Carol will whistle for the dog and the parrot, Kilo, will start "Dog come here".  He has associated the sound of her specific whistle with wanting the dog to come - even though she does not whistle and call at the same time.  He will sometimes call, "Bob come here" as well.  No one in the house says, "Bob come here" but he knows who Bob is. 

Parrots are very easy to train using "operant conditioning" (even if the person doesn't know that is what they are doing).  The first thing I have to train a new bird is not to lunge and try to bite me if I come near the cage to put new food in.  The very first thing is "table manners".  It is pretty easy.  I bring the food bowl and when they back away from the door I move forward.  When they come toward the door, I back up.  It only takes a little bit for them to figure out what is going on - much faster than a dog (I am currently teaching 6 week beginning dog training classes on Saturdays).  We work on this twice a day.  My most recent "vicious" bird took about 6 days before he would very calmly sit and wait for new food to be put in his cage.  Prior to this he would try to bite through the bars if approached.  After the table manners are established, we can work on other things. 

Parrots are not pack animals.  This is one of the "old-school" controversies.  People (who have not studied parrot behavior) have taught for years that dealing with parrots is a matter of dominance - that you have to show them who's boss.  It isn't true.  Parrots like to be up high because it makes them feel safe - not because it makes them the leader or dominant.  Parrots are flock animals - very social.  In your home, you don't worry about who is the leader - you work as a family.  I don't dominate my flock (my family). 

Actually, the most current thinking is that dogs are not as pack oriented as we had believed.  The domesticated dog now appears to be so far removed from wolf ancestry that pack dominance is not an issue to pet dogs.  They also really work better in a family environment - rather than a pack.  I used to train dogs using dominance techniques but now I find it so much easier to train using "humane" behavior analysis and throw out the dominance stuff.  The thing that changed me was really looking at how God deals with us - though He certainly has the power, He does not dominate His creation; He gives us choices.  In my training, I don't even think of giving commands - I ask for a behavior and make it worthwhile and fun to do it.  I tell my classes that I don't teach obedience classes. 

Parrots will develop severe problems if left alone in a cage with nothing to do and no social interaction.  In most cases this takes the form of screaming, biting, or self-mutilation.  The worst cases are where a parrot will pull out all of its own feathers - I see it all the time.  I would say that about 10%-15% of all birds I see have become feather pluckers.  There are two reasons for this: neglect and breeding.   

Unfortunately, parrot breeding has been done exactly the opposite from every other captive bred animal on the planet.  In every other case, you take the best behaved, best looking, healthiest animals and breed them.  It is a matter of genetically improving the breed.  With parrots, they have taken the worst birds - the ones no one else wants because they scream or pluck or bite and they breed them.  We hear it all the time - "This bird is just no good, we will just make it a breeder."  A few people are trying to change that, but it is going to be very difficult. 

Most behavior problems are fairly simple to solve.  Carol has been able to greatly reduce the screaming of one of our birds in about 10 days.  Most self-mutilation can be solved just by making a bird work harder for its food.  In the wild, they take big portions of their day foraging for food - if we just make them tear open a cardboard box or search among shredded paper for food, a lot of times the plucking will cease. 

Biting is a simple issue as well.  All of the birds I have been given (as a last resort) have been biters.  I have been bitten about 5 times in the past 9 months.  I am still learning - those were all because of mistakes I made.  I have friends covered with Band-Aids and scars - they just take it for granted.  Here's the secret I learned from some really great trainers - never force the parrot to bite you.  The parrot will almost always warn me before he bites.  If I listen to the warning, he doesn't need to bite me.  It is rare that the parrot needs to do something that he doesn't want to do in my house.  When it is time to go to bed, my birds want to go to bed.  It was the same with Bobby - he looked forward to bed time: we read stories, we snuggled, we laughed. 

I rarely need to force the bird to do something (only when medically necessary) so if he says, "please don't put your hand there right now", I can listen.  My birds to learn to enjoy being on my arm or hand or lap and will often ask me to pick them up.  Kilo will actually say, "Step Up" when he wants to be picked up. 

I don't let them on my shoulders - they say that is why pirates wear eye patches.  It is too easy to end up in the emergency room or even lose an eye or ear if something goes wrong.  But they do sit in my lap or on my arm. 

I don't think the amount of time is as crucial as the quality of the interaction.  They especially enjoy any time training (tricks or "husbandry" behaviors like allowing a vet exam).  They do need interaction when possible even if they are not actually playing with you.  They will call out and want a response - they just like to talk. 

Some Parrots can live 50 - 80 years and do not go through puberty till they are 8 - 13 years old.  When they do, they act just like teenagers and have the same hormonal issues.

I hope to see you soon,

Bob