Chicago Parrot Bird Boarding, Training and Behavior Specialists

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Monday March 26th, 2007

Hi Judy,

My name is Pablo, I'm a 9 month old Meyer's Parrot.  I have been in my new home about a month now, before, I was in a college house with many people who I think teased me.  My new parents are very nice, they feed me a varied and yummy diet, and let me out of my cage to play all the time.  I am very cute and playful and love being on my back and playing with my toys, but I also love to bite them.  They first tried ignoring me while I was biting them, like they didn't notice it, but they could only stand this for so long before it really started hurting.  Now they use a glove to pick me up, I don't bite the glove and they thought maybe I was broken of my bad habit, but as soon as the glove is off I start biting again. It's started to affect how much attention I get from them, and as a result I've started screaming to try to get them to pay attention to be.  When I scream they put me back in my cage, or if I'm already there they cover my cage, but it's starting to work less and less and they don't like to leave me covered all the time.  I really like when they scratch my head and pet me, but that doesn't happen very often because I bite them before they can get their hands behind my line of vision.  The more attention I try to get, the worse I am, and the less attention I actually get.  Please help me bond with my parents!

Snowballing out of control,
Pablo

Hello Pablo,

 

I am so glad you were able to find a new home where you can be loved and respected.  I am sure you are very handsome and are not intentionally biting your parents.

 

  I bet they forgot that we fly anywhere from five to twenty miles a day in the wild.  Although we were not born in the wild or have we lived in the wild, we still have those same instincts. 

 

 I would suggest that your parents get you a Booda rope, hold it in a U shape and ask you to step up onto that instead of them using a glove.  Once you are up on the Booda rope, tell them to gently move the rope up and down to make you flap your wings.  Once they see you are tired, because you will hold your beak open slightly and pant, they should then have you step up onto their hand.

 

  They should praise you when they exercise you and make it a lot of fun!  Tell them this is very very important to do so that you will always want to exercise and then be able to be handled lovingly.

 

  Exercise will also cut down on your screaming. 

 

Right now your parents have actually been giving you negative reinforcement.  This is why you are getting worse not better.  When you scream and they come over to you to cover you, you are actually getting exactly what you wanted.  For them to come over to you, negative or positive, attention is attention. 

 

If you have them exercise you in the morning right when they let you out, and then give you a nice misty shower, you will not feel the need to scream or bite. 

 

I am attaching some articles for you to have your parents read so they may understand you even better.  Keep me posted on how everything goes.  I am always happy to help out a fellow Meyers as we are the best parrots in the world.

 

One last thing, tell your parents that gloves are very scary, so you are not being nice because you respect the glove but because it scares you.  Us Meyers can become phobic very easily.  I included an article on The Towel Game so that you get used to a towel in case of an emergency.  Have a great day!

 

Feathered Hugs,

Judy

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Hi Judy,

 

I have an African Grey female about 4 years old and I am at a loss on feeding. I keep African Grey food in her cage all the time although she usually throws it. I used to feed her fruits & veggies in the am and in the pm but it seems like she just throws it. One day she likes something, the next day she doesn't. I just don't know what and how often to feed her. Also, she doesn't talk very much. What am I doing wrong?

 

Sincerely,

 

Kim Higginbotham

 

Dear Kim,

You are not doing anything wrong.  Parrots' in the wild throw their food to replenish their food supply so even in captivity they will continue this instinct.  As for liking one food one day and one food the next, this is also very normal.  You said you feed an African Grey mix?  Is this a seed mix or a pellet diet?  If it is a seed diet you need to change over to a good pellet mix without seeds.  Seeds should be given in ration, I make my own parrots' work for seed in foraging toys which are now very readily available on the market.  It is important to make your Grey forage for favored foods so that you are keeping her stimulated and promoting a natural behavior.  As for her talking ability, just give it some more time and I know from experience she will talk much more than she is already.  My Grey's had a fair vocabulary at the age of four, now they are up between seven and ten years of age (I have five) and they all talk non-stop, along with all the other noises in the household.  You may try to read to her at night, reinforce words that sound like something to  you and then praise her to help her talk more.  Give her time she will talk.  If you have another person in the home it also helps to use Dr. Pepperberg's rival technique.  I would continue to offer your Grey different foods or you can do a mash of several different veggies and freeze them.  You may also mix this with some seed just to entice your Grey to dig through the veggie mix.  I like to use birdie bread, you use Jiffy Cornbread mix and throw in a bunch of veggies, and or fruits and put it into small cup cake tins and cook.  They freeze nicely and there is little waste.  I hope that this has been somewhat helpful for you and please feel free to let me know how she is doing.  One last thing if your parrot is throwing the food they are also eating the food.  Playing with and throwing the food is a sign of interest in the food.

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Date July 24th, 2005

Hello, Judy! 

 I had a few questions about my new quaker baby!  We got
"Franklin" 1 week and 2 days ago.  He has been to the vet for a check
up and
is starting to open up!  He has not ate any of the fruit or veggies I
have
given him, but is eating his pellets.  Any suggestions on getting him
to eat
his fruit and veggies?  Franklin refuses to step up off of his cage! 
Any
help you could give me would be appreciated.  Also, when he does step
up and
we are walking around or just sitting with him, he bites and chews on
our
shirts, how can we get him to stop that because he accidentally bites
us in
the process.  Also, he always wants to get up on our shoulders and we
really
do not trust him up there just yet because he bites our shirts, and
hair. 
Which is fine but he gets our skin as well!!  Any suggestions?  Also,
what
are some signs that he is happy?  We want our new baby to be as happy
as
possible with us! 

 Thank you very much!!!

July 27th, 2005
Hello Kelly and Franklin,

 

Sounds like Franklin is being a typical little Quaker.  I would not worry too much about him not eating too many of his fruits and veggies just yet, as long as he is eating his pellets.  Many times birds will be very finicky in the beginning as to what they will try.  You may want to make a mash of veggies for him and even warm it up just a pinch.  As for the biting of the shirts, you will quickly learn that you will have a wardrobe of bird shirts and then the shirts that you put on just as you walk out the door.  It is a natural thing for him to do this because he is preening you and this does include your shirt.  A fun thing to do for him is to take a sweatshirt and sew buttons, pieces of straws, small toy pieces, etc... to the sweatshirt to help redirect him and let him know that this shirt is acceptable for him to chew on.  Having him on your shoulder is a personal decision, my feelings are that if they do not bite at you and they step-up when asked there is not a problem, again this is a personal decision.  As for his body language of him being happy, head bobbing means he is happy and so does tail shaking.  I am enclosing some articles for you to read over and hopefully they will help you out with your new addition to the family.The files are in microsoft word. 

 

Warmly,

Michelle Karras

Avian Behavior Consultant

 

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A WORK IN PROGRESS

WE DESERVE

Fresh water :  You do not drink from the same glass of water all day without washing and refreshing your glass, We deserve the same.

Fresh food :  You do not eat from the same plate, or eat stale food, and your bowls are washed daily.  We deserve the same

Safe treats :  You have access to treats, and we deserve to have access (workable) to favored treats.

A safe environment : You have a safe place to call home, We deserve a safe place to call home too.

A clean environment :  You are able to flush after yourself, We deserve a clean living space.

Playtime outside of our cage:  You have the choice of going out to play, we deserve the right to PLAY outside play too.

Playtime within our cage:  You enjoy your private time and so do we.

Toys to play with and stimulate our minds:  You have all sorts of toys to play with and keep your mind sharp, We deserve to have the same option.

Exercise:  You have the option to go out and run or walk, We deserve the same option to get out and exercise.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO BE PARROTS', WE ARE MESSY, WE ARE LOUD, WE WILL DESTROY YOUR WOODWORK,  WE WILL DESTROY YOUR FURNITURE, WE WILL BITE, WE WILL NOT LIKE EVERYONE WE MEET, WE ARE NOT A DOG OR A CAT.  WE ARE WILD ANIMALS AND WE DESERVE TO HAVE OUR NEEDS MET IF YOU CHOOSE TO BRING US INTO YOUR HOME, WE DID NOT HAVE A CHOICE.  MOST OF ALL WE DESERVE LOVE, TRUST, AND RESPECT.

 

Article Morris Daily Herald

Attention

Recently my mom visited a home where the woman was taking in unwanted parrots' and calling herself an avian rescue.  The birds were being kept in cages that were improper, on poor diet, no toys, and covered for most of the day.  So I wanted to take a moment and educate everyone on how to look for proper placement for your bird in the event that you can no longer care for them.  One of the first things you should look for is non-for-profit status, being a non-for-profit organization requires licensing from the state, and these organizations are inspected on a regular basis to assure the care of the birds.  Once you have found a non-for-profit organization go there and inspect the facility on  your own.  Make sure the cages are clean with fresh food and water, make sure there are plenty of toys, out of cage time, daily handling, and ask how they screen for adoptive homes.  Don't be afraid to say no thank you if you are not satisfied with the care you see.  Don't just give your bird to anybody especially to people who advertise in the newspaper that they will take any and all unwanted parrots.   I myself was a rescue bird and I am so thankful that my old owner didn't just dump me into a strange persons home without researching first.  So please even if your bird is driving you crazy, do your homework and make sure they get a wonderful new chance at life in a good loving home.

Thank You,

Judy

Question:

Hello Judy,

You are a very pretty girl.  I am a Male Jardines parrot named Neechi and was hatched on March 3, 2003.  My momma's name is Maria.  I love her very much, but when I call to her, she ignors me and sometimes tells me to use my "indoor voice".  She gives me lots of attention, especially now that I know that if I step up off her shoulder when she asks me to, I get to be there more often.  I was wondering if you could give my mommy some tips on getting me to use my indoor voice.  I just want her to be with me all the time, but I don't always get my way. I think her family will pay attention to me more when she is away if I speak softly more often.  I just need to know what are the volume levels. Can you help her train me on this.  She encourages me to speak, just walks away when I get really loud. Thanks.

Always a Friend,
Through to the End.

Answer:

Neechi,
It sounds as if your mommy is a really great person.  I myself am a pretty quiet girl but my brother Tookie used to be a screamer, he is an Umbrella Cockatoo.  What my mom did with him to teach him to use his quiet voice is use a distraction noise whenever he started screaming.  Noises such as knocking, a bell, a clap and this would distract him from screaming and he would stop, then my mom would go in and tell him "good quiet" and she would give him a nice misting with our spray bottle singing softly to him.  Then he would be quiet again for a while, in the beginning she had to do this a lot but now Tookie understands what mom expects of him.  She gives him lots of exercise away from his cage and gives him lots of toys to chew and he gets a shower everyday in the big shower.  Now when he is in his cage he just sleeps because she tires him out so much. He loves all the attention he gets during his exercise sessions and all the praise he gets through out the day for being well behaved.  I have attatched some articles to help your mom understand you better.  Let me know how things work out.

Feathered Hugs,
Judy
African Meyers Parrot

Question:

Dear Ms. Judy:

What a dilemma my U2 has caused in the last 2 years from her feather picking. Lots of tests at her vets, even a thyroid and all came back as normal. So we tried everything and I mean EVERYTHING ever written on this horrible habit. As you see we decided it was a "habit" and a bad one at that. Trying ever so hard to rectify this for the first couple of years, then came a collar!  I actually felt it stressed her out so much more that off it came in a fortnight.
You, being such a smart bird maybe has the answer? Please remember I have tried all sorts of meds, from prescription to holistic and all to no avail.
I do know she must resent other birds joining the family........Does that mean she would be better off with a family that has fewer birds? That has no other birds? Where she would be the only one?
She surprises me in not wanting to "mate" with a male U2, although this is not ever encouraged, I do find it a bit odd that at her age she has never even laid an egg and shows no signs of interest in the most "charming" male.
Looking forward to your response,
Jaz

Answer:

Jaz,

Feather picking can be one of the most emotional and heart breaking behaviors to deal with.  Never understanding quite why it is happening.  I watch my mom deal with my two sisters, Rocky B&G Macaw and Chloe CAG, both of which were rescues.  Both of them came to my home with the issues already happening.  Mom has been working with Rocky for about three years and Chloe for about one.  I am going to tell you what she does for them.  She makes sure that they both get twelve hours of quiet uninterrupted darkness each night, she wets both of them down with George's distilled aloe vera several times a day and at night before bed.  She keeps their cages packed and I mean packed, with lots of paper products such as adding machine tape, toilet paper, paper towels, newspaper, shredders, corn husks, and brown paper bags.  She weaves some in the bars and some she just hangs all around their favorite perches.  When she sees them picking she knocks or snaps to distract them and goes over and wets them down.  They are both also on Bach Flower essences in their drinking water and their misting water.  She keeps the back half of their cages covered at all times and they are not in a direct traffic pattern.  She also does wing flapping exercises with them daily and gets them out in the natural sun light as much as possible.  The more tired they are the better they do with their feathers.  Rocky is very close (knock on wood) to being fully feathered now, and Chloe was all the way feathered but mom made the mistake of taking her to see her old family when she was feathered and she started pulling them out immediatly, so now she is back at square one.  Mom also says that if your parrot has been picking for a year it will take a year to fix it, two years, then two years to fix and so on.  I am attatching some articles to help you along.  Please let me know how she does.
Feathered Hugs,
Judy
African Meyers Parrot
The Polite Parrot

Question:

Patti,

Congratulations on your new family member.  Excellent choice if I may say so myself.  You will find that living with one of us is absolutely delightful. Meyer's parrots body language is usually pretty easy to understand.

Tail shakes: mean we are happy.
Dilating eyes : Mean a few different things like:  Be careful I might bite you, or I love you soooo much and I am sooo happy to see you, so you have to use your judgement on whether or not to pet me when my eyes are dilating.
If my body is low with my wings slightly out from the side and I am leaning forward that means please come pick me up, or can I have some of that.  Basically we are begging for something.
Grinding beak:  We are sleepy and content.
One foot up and grinding beak, slightly puffed means "Good Night".
One foot up, just relaxing.
Rubbing beak against things means it's mine.
Rubbing beak on  you means you are mine.
Regurgitation:  I really really love you!
Puffed up with body low and eyes dilating means I am going to bite you.  If this is done to a new person that means she does not like them.

So you see we are pretty easy to read, so pay attention to her and just watch what she is saying through her body language and the two of you should do beautifully together. 

As for a good book on Meyer's, haven't found one yet they are all pretty basic and outdated. But let me know if you find one.  A word of advice, don't believe everything you read, go with your own instincts and use a common sense approach.  Watch the birds outside, pay attention to their routines and apply them to your own.  Almost forgot, we do not need grit in our diets and it can actually be harmful to us.

Feather Hugs,
Judy
African Meyers Parrot
The Polite Parrot

Question:

Marci J. Robertson 

Answer:

Marci,
You did not mention your Conure's age but it sounds like he has hit full sexual maturity.  During this time they feed almost everything, become easily aroused, and get very vocal.  One of the best ways to keep these behaviors under control is through exercise.  Wing flapping is a great way to exercise him as this is also a natural behavior and something he would be doing if he was living in the wild.  Our Mom wing flaps all of us every day by placing us on her hand and asking us if we want to fly, then she gently moves her hand up and down and back and forth praising us.  We all love to fly daily to the fun music she also plays for us.  She makes it so much fun and we are exhausted afterward so we give her some quiet time afterwards.  She usually does this before our dad gets home because he is tired from his day.  Many times she will give us a light misting afterwards to cool us down.  Sometimes I am so tired I don't call to her until the next day when it is time for play again.  I hope this helps you out with your little guy. 
 
Happy Flying
Judy
African Meyers Parrot
The Polite Parrot

Question:

Hi Judy, I just brought home my 4 month old African Grey named Roscoe. What I have noticed so far is that Roscoe insist on being on my shoulder. I set him up on my hand and he then immediately makes a "B" line for my shoulder either by running up my arm or jumping onto my chest and clawing, beaking and using his wings to get to my shoulder.
I have read many behavioral articles and books and all of them say "not to let an African Grey on your shoulder". How do I stop this behavior now before it becomes harder to change? Also when he is on my shoulder he will not step up so getting him down becomes a game of geriatrics! Help!
                                         Patty

Answer:

Patty,
It is natural for your Grey to want to run up onto your shoulder because it is a higher area and it is close to  your neck and face where they can cuddle up and feel safe.  The mistake many people make when handling a new baby is they hold them on their hand away from their body and the parrot feels unsafe.  So when you pick him up bring him directly into your stomache or chest and let him know to snuggle into this area and he will not run right up onto your shoulder.  He will feel safer and your arm will be bent making it more difficult to get to your shoulder.  You can also take him out and have him sit on your lap while you are sitting and interact with him this way so he gets comfortable being down lower.  I have five African Greys in my flock and none of them prefer to be on my mom's shoulder, they all like to be where they can see her face to face.  My mom is not against shouldering your bird but she believes strongly that it is a privlidge to be on her shoulder and we must always step up to come off of her shoulder or we lose our privlidge for a day or two, and have to do a whole bunch of step ups for a couple days.  We always step up for her because we know that this is the routine and we have great respect for her when she tells us to step up.  I am going to forward you an article on shouldering your bird, best of luck with your new baby.
Sincerely,
Judy
African Meyers Parrot
The Polite Parrot

Question:

Hi Judy,

  We've recently purchased a Blue and Gold Macaw from a woman who is a "bird person" through and through. Armed with this knowledge, we felt very comfortable with our purchase...feeling sure that the bird had been well taken care of. She's a beautiful 16 month old with lots of love for us all. We've two children, 7 and 4, everyone's been "accepted." This is my wife's second Blue and Gold...her first was a 12 year relationship.
The question I need help with is the screaming. How do you begin to modify the loud jungle screeching? Or can you? Her first one did not have this problem. She, Molly, lays into a litany off 80 decibel screeches and screams whenever she's left alone in a room on her stand. And sometimes when there are people in the room. What can be done? Any and all suggestions are welcome.  
  Thank you. Sincerely,
Joe LeCron
Atlanta, GA.

Answer:

Joe,
Congratulations on the new addition to your family.  I understand your frustration with the loud noise of a Blue and Gold Macaw as I also live with one.  Know that the noise can be contained although she will still do some vocalizing in the morning and the early evening.  We often forget that in the wild these magnificent creatures would be flying from five to ten miles a day, not to mention building nests and raising young.  So in captivity we cannot expect them to just sit and behave out on a play gym or in their cage, we need to offer them an outlet for the excess energy.  You should do some wing flapping exercises with her daily along with doing lots of step-up training.  If you have stairs in the house teaching her to go up and down the stairs is great exercise.  If you give her daily exercise time you will find that the screaming will cut down dramatically.  Exercise her prior to putting her out on a play gym or leaving the room so you can set her up to succeed in being quiet and you can then praise her for her silence.  We are often very quick to try and discipline our parrots and they do not understand.  Therefore we need to anticipate and redirect unwanted behaviors.  I am enclosing some articles on screaming and exercise for you, I hope they help.  Keep me posted on her progress.

warmly,
Judy
African Meyers Parrot
The Polite Parrot 

Response:

  Thank you so much for the advice and the articles! The exercising makes sense, along with the praise to back it up. It's much better advice than I got recently from someone else..."spray it with water."  That didn't sound right to me and we've not done that to her. Thank you again for your quick response and advice.
Sincerely,
Joe LeCron

Question:

Hi Judy,

Could you help me?  I recently got a Senegal parrot who has a completely unknown background.  He has a band on his leg that appears just to be a piece of wire around his leg with no writing.  The person I got him from says that means he was from over seas.  She got him from someone else.  I feel very bad that he has been tossed around so much from home to home.  My home is his forever home now (whether or not he ever warms up). 

He is generally very gentle, and appears like he will be a very nice boy once he gets used to us and gets a little training and taming. 

One thing I am having a particularly hard time with is teaching him to step up on my arm or finger.  He absolutely refuses to do it.  He will scurry up to my shoulder, if he for some reason is desperate to get back to his cage, and hide under my hair in the crook of my neck.  I have decided that I do not want him doing that until I have established some sort of bond with him since I have heard that this can make them feel that they are in charge. 

I have tried and tried to get him to step up on me.  I have enticed him with peanuts and nutri berries, which are his favorites, to no avail.  He gets very uncomfortable if I put a little pressure on his breast and legs to get him to step up and will sometimes bite me. 

Help!  What should I do?  Do I keep trying, and hope that persistence will pay off?

Thanks for your help!

Heather

Answer:

Heather,
How wonderful of you to give this little bird a good home.  It usually takes a couple of weeks for a new bird to settle in, so do not push the little guy just yet.  He is scared and does not understand why he has been bounced around so much.  Keep him in an area where he can see everything going on but is not in a direct traffic pattern.  Keep the back half of his cage covered so he will feel safe.  You may try offering him your hand with your hand flat instead of your finger.  Once he does get up onto you take him into another room with no distractions and work on the step-up command using lots of praise.  Sit near his cage a lot and just talk with him or read to him so he adjusts to your company.  Continue feeding him food from your hands that is a great way to build trust with him.  If you have not had him to the vet yet do take him in right away and I would recommend having that band removed before he gets it caught on something and gets hurt.  I am forwarding some articles to you and your new companion, I hope they help you out.  I look forward to hearing how he progresses.
warmly,
Judy
African Meyers Parrot
The Polite Parrot

Question:

Dear Judy,
        When you were very young and you were brought into a brand new place that your NEW parent said was your new home, what made you feel comfortable? What scared you? What can make this transition better?
         I will be bringing Roscoe home very soon, he is just weaned and ready to go, I just want to make the transition as gentle and uneventful as possible. Can you instruct me?
                                                        Patty

Answer:

Patty,
Congratulations on your new baby!  My situation when I came to live here with my mom was a little different being that I was a rescue bird but I believe that what my mom did with me will also be good for your new baby.  She placed me in a quiet area of the house and kept the back half of my cage covered.  She did not over handle me the first couple days, instead she let me get used to my new cage and just sat near me and talk to me a lot.  She also gave me lots of fun food from her fingers to try.  She always took me out when she could devote all her attention to me so I could learn to trust her.  After a few days she started letting me out of the cage on my play area and letting me get to know the home and learn how to play independently with all my new toys.  She started doing step-up exercises with me after a few days but always making sure she did not tire me out too much.  I am going to attatch some articles to help you out with your new addition.  Please feel free to e-mail me with further questions.
Sincerely,
Judy
African Meyers Parrot
The Polite Parrot

Resonse:

Thank you so much Judy, You let me know so important concerns, one of them being how should I interact with the new arrival

thanks again               Patty