Behavior Works - Why, Yes It Does

Behavior Works is a veritable treasure trove of important information for people who live with pets, parrots in particular. The site is "owned" by Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., department of psychology at Utah State University where she's been studying and building awareness and tools for understanding animals behavor and creating better relationships between animals and people. 

Here's what ths site says about her:
Susan is a psychology professor at Utah State University. Over the last decade, she has helped pioneer efforts to apply to animals the scientifically sound teaching technology and ethical standard of Applied Behavior Analysis that is so effective with human learners.
Susan has given a wide variety of workshops and conference presentations on animal learning and behavior around the world. Students from 22 different countries have participated in her courses, Living and Learning with Animals and Living and Learning with Parrots. Her articles have been translated into 9 languages. Susan is also a core member of the US Fish & Wildlife Service's California Condor Recovery Team and has been nominated for the Media Award, given by the International Association of Behavior Analysis, for her efforts to disseminate to pet owners, veterinarians, animal trainers and zookeepers the essential tools they need to empower and enrich the lives of all learners.
 
Good woman, huh?  She's my idea of a real celebrity, so I must admit I'm a bit star stuck by the fact I even emailed with her as I was getting hooked into her online study group mentioned just below.
 
On her site are a number of what would consider to be "must-read" articles.  I've joined her Parrot Behavior Analysis Solutions online study group which is super.  It's run through Yahoo like a chat room - but IT"S NOT A CHAT ROOM. It's very well run and focused -- set up like a class. You need to follow the instructions given, so they can maintain this structure and help more people learn how best to relate their parrots.
 
I could go on, but fact of the matter is, everyone who lives with a parrot needs to read her stuff, read the stuff she recommends, and join the web study group.  I believe "just do it" is the appropriate phrase here.

Birdie Byte:
Susan recommends everyone with a parrot, and / or other animal companions, or even a kid or husband, read Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. I'm reading it now, and it's fab for sure.  Well written, good sense of humor, matter-of-fact and important. Buy it. 

Parrot University and the Aviator Harness

So I'll come right out with it and say straight up I don't dig breeding parrots as pets.  Yes, there are professional programs to breed parrots extinct, or close to extinction, in the wild and I buy into that.  But breeding thousands of parrots a year already in abundance in shelters makes me crazy.  They live long, and they're not easy to own on any front. If you wants a parrot, there are enough in rescues so everyone and, unfortunately, anyone, could own one if they chose.   And this is not good. 'Cause not everyone wants a parrot.

Ok, 'nuf said.

Regardless of this pretty strong opinion, I have come across a breeder, The Parrot University in Sunbury, Ohio, who strikes me as exceptionally responsible and could teach me a thing or two, I'm quite sure.  I haven't visited their facility, just their web site.  But they have been cited by Barbara Heidenreich, so I am willing to believe their portrayal of themselves is truthful and accurate. 

I'm always hesitant to base my opinion solely on an online representation of a breeder - many "parrot mills" operate like "puppy mills" where the perpetrators show beautiful pics of baby parrots in cushy cuddly conditions while hundreds of adult breeder parrots live "off-camera" behind the scenes in abhorrent conditions doomed to lives of misery and abuse.  Ok, so maybe it wasn't 'nuf said.  Whoops.

Based on their web site and a product I bought from them called the Aviator Flight Harnass, I'll say it appears they know what they're talking about and, better yet, it appears they have the best interest of parrots at heart.

If I didn't think this, I wouldn't have bought the harnesses for my birds. I just don't buy from unscrupulous pet operations, if I can avoid it.  And I can almost always avoid it.

So, finally, about these harnesses.

I bought them last fall -- they're about $36 each with free shipping worldwide --all excited to train my birds to wear them so we, or rather they, can go flying outside by summer. 

Boy, was I optimistic.  To put it bluntly and whinily, this harness business is hard which miffs me slightly because they make it look so easy. 

They being Parrot University, who sends you this lovely DVD aong with the harness explaining in great detail how to go about getting your bird to accept the harness. In fairness to them, they are quite honest about the reality that its much easier with young birds, and I can confirm they are not kidding.  However, I can only assume it's much easier with young birds who have yet to develop issues and who have been exposed to the harnesses since they practically popped right out of the eggshell, since this is not my personal predicament.

All but Theo, my one Military macaw, are not going for these harnesses.  For Theo and the others I started the way Parrot U said to start, and I am stil on a combo step one - leaving the harnesses lying about in non-threatending locations; holding the harness when I'm holding the birds; putting it on my head,wrapping it around my neck. You get the idea.  Some tolerate this, some can't stand the thing too close.  I have been able to drape the harness on one or two.  But that's as far as I've gotten with all but Theo.

For the first time yesterday, Theo let me put the thing on him.  Join me in a big "WOOHOO," if you would.

Now, the "putting on" was still a little dicey. I did not force. OK, well, maybe a wee bit. He doesn't like his wings messed with, so he protested slightly with that.  But it went on and stayed on for about 15 minutes. And then off.  Stupidly I did not take a picture. 

But we did it again today, and here's his pic.  You may notice that Theo's crop is a little extended which is right. He was sped fed (fed too much too infrequently as a baby which stretched his crop; he was starving to death when I got him from the rescue.).  So he needs to wear a crop bra almost all of the time except at night.  You'd think that would make putting the harness a lot easier, and it does -cause he was the first to accept it.  But it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be for him.  Still took a very long time.

Here's Theo in his crop bra to the right.  Ain't he darlin'?  He is such a peach of a bird, it's unbelievable.  A big old teddy bear, thus his name Theodore.

So while I was getting a bit depressed 'cause I want my birdies to be able to fly this summer, at the vert least be outside, now know it's possible.  It will just take more patience with the others who are older. Theo is just about six and very tolerant.  And I suck at patience, but I'm really working on it.

This one success helped muster up a more positive attitude and revive what was a waning commitment.  I just have to get the flock to agree that, "Yes!, harnesses are a good thing."  Good luck with that, huh.

Picky Purple Pellet Eaters Unite!

This is a plea to Zupreem, a bird food company most of you know. 

I buy your fruit and natural pellets to add into a mix I make myself that also includes Roudybush pellets for some of my birds who will eat those. 

My beef is with your fruit pellets, and I suspect I'm not alone.

I have a few parrots who eat Zupreem fruit pellets, but none eat all of the colors.  Mealy Amazon Fred is a picky purple pellet eater, along with his belle Callie (both pictured at left) who will spice up her pellet diet with an occassional orange or yellow. Never a red and green pellet can pass their beaks; these colors deeply offend their delicate, sophisticated palates, you see.

As servant to these two, and my other equally picky pellet eaters (does any parrot eat all of the colors?), I spend a silly amount of time picking out the purple, orange and yellow pellets for these two in particular, so I can best monitor how well they're injesting their pellets. 

To put it bluntly, this is a pain and a waste.  Only one other bird in my flock can eat a similar sized pellet, and he gets all the red and green with the occasional purple that slips by me, but he only really likes the red and purple.  Not a single bird can bear the green.

You can see my dilemma. 

Sooooooo.....Why can't you sell colors separately?  I betcha it would be a smash hit.

If anyone is out there, please chime in if you agree.

People with Picky Purple Pellet Eaters Must Unite!

Birdie Byte
Many birds seem attracted to Zupreem fruit pellets.  They are widely distributed and marketed, so it's often the first pellet new birds owners introduce to their birds. 

There's much debate about the nutritional content of Zupreem; it has a very high sugar content for one, and that's not great for our birds.

But I feed it because most of my rescues came to me already on a Zupreem diet, and I figure better they eat Zupreem pellets than none at all.  Plus I feed plenty of fresh fruits, grains and vegetables, so I think they eat pretty well.  And I offer birdie muffins made with Roudybush Crumble to everyone.

Almost all of my birds eat a dry mix I make myself that includes the pellet(s) of their choice.  I just think they need more variety than one kind of pellet.  Plus I go one size smaller than the manufacturer suggests; there's much less waste.  (Don't go too small because that could cause your bird to choke)

So here's my small bird (small to med conures, senegal) mix,  in equal parts more or less, lexcept the seed is less. I eyeball it.

Zupreem Fruit, Cockatiel, 2 parts
Roudybush Crumble, 2 parts
One of the Higgins Seed Mix (Veracruz, Celestial, Tikal), 1 part
Vita seed mix, Cockatiel , 1 part

My guys really like it.

Nightmare on My Street

It was cold and dark.  I had just pulled into my driveway after work and a quick trip to the grocery when I was accosted by my birds' daddy, Kevin, who was borderline hysterical uttering a phrase I never thought I'd hear, "Gigi got loose."

Gigi is our Nanday conure, our first bird, the love of our lives.  We love all of our birds dearly, but Gigi holds a special place in our hearts for so many reasons.   She is a friend to all - people and birds. There's not a soul she doesn't love.  She has been fighting a terrible affliction that affects both of her feet, and she takes it in stride, always cheerful, always sweet.

That late afternoon, Kevin had taken her to our vet for another of many checks on her feet.  She had been snuggled into his chest on the drive home and didn't want to go back in her cage for the walk from the car to the front door. He had succumbed to her sweetness and didn't make her.  It was about 6:00, and night had fallen. It was 18 degrees outside.

Something spooked her, he stupidly didn't have a good hold on her, and she flew away, over the garage and into the back yard.

She is not clipped. The vet and we agreed that to clip her would add unnecessary stress to her already stressed out self a a result of her foot condition and her melange of medications.   Plus I'm just not keen on clipping. (You can all criticize if you choose, but I've read plenty about the clip / no-clip debate, and despite the risk, I remain unkeen on clipping.)

After she passed over the garage and around the back of the house, he lost sight of her.  We have a large backyard surrounded by lots of trees. We were hoping she gort caught up in them, and missed the few openings that could lead her just about anywhere.

I was in shock, in panic and eventually in agony.  We manned flashlights and started looking and calling.  But I knew it was near hopeless in the dark with Gigi.  Gigi has an endearing, but in this case, utterly frustrating behavior.  She doesn't make a peep in the dark, except a charming whisper, barely audible unless she's nestled in right against your ear.  We called and looked near and far until 1:00 am.  Nothing. I knew our only hope was daybreak, and if she had heard us and the other birds from inside that night, she may stay close.

I was having intermittent nervous breakdowns.  I can't even explain the feelings, the heartbreak, the hopelessness, the anger at Kev. She's my kid, and I couldn't imagine her out there cold and scared.  It was beyond awful.

I think of myself as a spiritual person, but not a religious one.  I pray, but not often or regularly. 
But I prayed, I bargained, like I never had prayed or bargained before.  I had horrible thoughts.  I felt guilty for being inside and warm.

Oddly, in the winks of sleep I got, I dreamt of reunion, not of not finding her. I dreamt she came flying to me. 

Ok, so you may be thinking "what melodrama." But I don't give a crap. This was one of, if not the, worst days of my life.

We got out of bed at 5:30.The night had crept along at a snail's pace, and it was still creeping.  A friend had told us the sun was coming up at about 6:30 am.  We were back outside calling at 5:30, but it was still dark, so still nothing.  We checked the Weather Channel for the sunrise time. It said 7:15, and I about screamed.  It was supposed to be 6:30.  That 45 minutes was just stupidly slow. 

At 7:00 the light was showing. I was outside the minute I saw any signs of day. I called, and thought I heard a bird (it was a wild bird), so I started towards the sound, who knows why. It wasn't her.  But I called again, and my ears heard her. 

She squawked.  There she was.  Kevin was just coming out of the house, and he heard her too.  She was in the trees and shrubs somewhere on the border between our house and the neighbor behind us.

We called, she squawked back.  Kev got to her first, and saw her perched deep inside about 8 feet up in this rather inhospitable tall shrub / tree.  I got there shortly afterwards, and stood under her while he went to fetch the ladder. 

He got back and went up and grabbed her sweet little heiney right off a rather jaggedy limb and handed her right over to me.  I was elated, shocked, thrilled and incredibly grateful.  And she was clearly happy.

Surprisingly, her body didn't feel cold.  Her feet were chilly and a bit scraped and nicked, likley from both the tree and her biting at them since she hadn't had her meds the night before.  But she was alive and relatively well.  We called the vet, and he felt he didn't need to see her. She was already on antibiotics for her feet, so if she were to catch cold that was a built-in preventative I guess.

But she was alive and the 13-hour nightmare on my street was over.

Here's my sweet baby girl (pre-foot affliction)

Birdie Byte
Barbara Heidenreich has just released a DVD called Get Your Bird Back, and I hadn't bought it in time.  And if your bird is lost, it'll be too late to order the DVD.  I haven't seen it yet, but  I bet it's great and something every bird owner should have on hand.

So better safe than sorry.  Get your copy now, so you'll have it if you need it.

Rescues Are Resources Too...For More Than You Might Think

Rescues are just for adoption any more, although they are certainly good for that too. Many offer other services to raise money to help offset their costs.

Need to board your bird?
Have a concern about a behavior your bird is displaying and need some good advice?
Need supplies like perches, food or toys?
Want to take a class or attend a lecture or workshop about companion birds?
Need to find a good vet in your area?

Many rescues are equipped to board, consult on behavior and sell supplies.  Still others offer classes or hold special events as fundraisers.

I can't think of a better resource in the bird world than a reputable rescue.  Always keep in mind all rescues are not created equal, and a visit to the location and talk with the volunteers is always wise before you take any advice. And if something doesn't seem right to you about how the rescue operates or what they say, trsut your instincts and go for a second opinion.

But by and large, rescues are committed to helping birds.  So find out who and where your local rescue is and make friends.  You might consider helping them out if you have some free time or have a special skill.

And remember, by using your local and any rescue as a resource, you're helping them help birds!   What could be better than that?

Birdie Byte

When you connect with rescues and use their services, you help parrots like Patagonian conure Violet, one of my favs at my local rescue, Feathered Sanctuary.

She came from owners who covered her all of the time; they found her too noisy. (We don't think she noisy at all. She chirps away most charmingly.)

She arrived plucked on her chest and wings and very underweight. She's put on a few grams since her arrival and she has taken every cockatiel, budgie and lovebird at the rescue under her wing until they find a new home.

Unfortunately Violet hasn't found her forever home, but she will. Until then, she holds a special place in the heart of everyone she meets. If by chance you're interested in Violet, you can call Feathered Sanctuary in Lancaster, 717.284.3306, to learn more about her.  (Although I'd think I'd cry for days if she were adopted, I wish her the loving human, and cockatiel, budgie, and other small bird, companions she deserves.)

Feathered Sanctuary boards birds, offers behavior consultations for donations and sells toys, perches, cages, and food just like a pet store would. Only all of the proceeds go to rescue bird care.

Nanday Goes Peek-A-Boo

Work is crazy right now, so not much time to blog.  My birds come before my blog.  Hopefully things will slow up shortly, but for now, this video is worth a peek - a peekaboo in fact.  It's not my Nanday, but another who is a real charmer by the sound of it.

Enjoy.

Scream Fest...On Purpose

When I adopted my first secondhand parrot, Nanday conure Gigi, I read over and over again how loud Nandays can be.  I wasn't discouraged in the least, but I did read about what to do when your bird is a screamer, or loud, and since then, nine parrots later, this info has come in handy.

First thing to master is " the ignore." Do nothing save for maybe leave the room, which is probably the last thing your parrot wants you to do, but likely the first thing you want to do.  Other than leave, do not respond in any way.  Do not change what you're doing. Do not look at your parrot, tell your bird to be quiet or gently coo to your bird.  Do nada.

The second, more proactive approach is to work a Scream Fest into your daily routine with your bird.  This can be unbelievably satisfying for your bird(s), and if you have a job like I do, it can be a lifesaver in the sanity department.

So how does one go about a Scream Fest?

When I get home for work, all birdies come downstairs and go on their playstands.  After fresh food and water are doled out, and they've had a chance to snack a bit, I grab a bird to help me conduct the evening's symphony (or should I say cacophony?).  I sing loudly to start it off, dancing with conductor bird of the evening on my arm, and then call each bird's name and imitate some sound I know they love to make.   It doesn't take much to get the flock to going.

They scream, sing, whistle, bang bells, and have a grand 'ole time, really, really loudly. The whole affair is ridiculous...looking and sounding.   But who cares?  Our house, our asylum.

We do this for 10 minutes, sometimes 15, if I've had a day from hell.  Then we settle down, the denouement as it were, and it's over.  They go back to eating, preening or playing, and I do what I need to - in relative silence. 

This has worked for me. If you have a problem screamer, let them get it out and have fun doing it with you.  But make the Scream Fest something you initiate, preferably soon after you've come home from work, or returned from errands when your parrot friend is expecting a little acknowledgement and attention from you.

It's not a good idea for you to allow your bird to commence a Scream Fest. This could be confusing - how will your bird know when it's ok and when it's not? 

But do have one regularly, and you'll be amazed at the results.  A Scream Fest a day, keeps crankiness away!

And always keep in mind intense vocalizations we think of as sreaming are completely normal and, one could argue, very appropriate, at dawn and dusk. These are the times parrots are noisy in the wild.  I haven't attempted to change this in my parrots because it doesn't bother me, and I think they should be able to answer nature's call and be parrots.

Birdie Byte
Incidentally, I lucked out because my Gigi is not a very loud bird; I love every last noise she makes.   In fact, I haven't found Nandays to be particularly loud.  My Mitred and Gold-Capped conures can beat a Nanday any day on the vocalization front.  And don't get me started on cockatoos....you cockatoo owners know what I mean - see the video below if you doubt the vocal prowess of a Too.

But ALL BIRDS MAKE NOISE, and frequently they're loudest when it's most inconvenient for you - when you're on the horn with your kid's doctor, or you've just connected with a real live person on the phone after navigating umpteen voice prompts. 

It's really a question of tolerance level.  Before you decide to bring a bird into your life, be sure you know what that species can sound like at its worse.  Visit your local rescue to get acquainted with different species or talk to your avian vet.  If you feel you must have a baby, a sign of a good breeder is one that addresses this question and wants to help find a companion that's right for your temperment.