Parrot Parenting. Carol Frischmann

condo, or neighborhood association allows parrots. Also, even when they do, consider those who live near you. If you know in advance that there will be trouble, wait until you (or they) live elsewhere.

      Do I understand that parrots are not easy pets and that they are not people-pleasers like dogs?

      Many people are under the mistaken impression that parrots don’t require much care. Nothing could be further from the truth. Parrots are intelligent animals who need daily attention and companionship, adequate toys, and numerous food choices to keep their minds busy. Without these things, parrots begin to do things to demand your attention. When this happens, most parrots quickly lose their homes.

      Am I willing to devote the time and funds required for the proper care of a parrot?

      The purchase price of a parrot is simply the beginning. You will need an indoor cage; a way to provide full-spectrum sunlight or an outdoor cage; a continuous supply of destructible toys; fresh (or frozen) fruits and vegetables, in addition to a high-quality pelleted food; and an annual veterinary examination in addition to periodic beak and nail trims. If you don’t have forty-five minutes a day to spend with your pet, consider either a very small parrot, such as a budgie (parakeet) or a different type of pet that is more independent than a companion parrot.

      Owning a parrot requires a significant time commitment. Most species need more than an hour of interaction each day.

      Why Parrots Lose Their Homes

      Concerned about the number of parrots losing their homes, avian veterinarians Susan Clubb DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian) and Michelle Goodman studied the reasons that parrots are given up for adoption. Among the unanticipated reasons that parrots are relinquished to adoption agencies or abandoned include “changes in the family structure such as deaths, divorces, financial difficulties and moving into places that do not accommodate pets, etc.” However, in addition to those problems that cannot be foreseen, many parrots are given up because their owners’ expectations have not been met by the parrot or because new parrot people become either bored with their new pet or upset because the parrot has not behaved well.

      Clubb and Goodman found that although “not enough time” was reported most frequently as the reason for relinquishing parrots, further questioning revealed that “dissatisfaction with the relationship,” “unfulfilled expectations,” or “inability of the owner to communicate to the parrot their wants and needs” played a significant role. Goodman and Clubb believe that although the incompatibility issues that lead to negative behaviors such as aggression, noisiness, and feather destruction could be resolved through training and enrichment, in many cases the relationship between bird and owner had already deteriorated past repair.

      Before getting a parrot, make sure everyone in the household will enjoy living with one.

      To Make Good Matches, Education is Key

      These researchers concluded that the most important way to keep parrots in their original homes is to educate the prospective parrot owner about “appropriate bird choice and reasonable expectations.” Surprisingly, they found that “many [parrot] purchases are impulse buys.” Your reading of this book is an excellent first step in learning about what type of parrot might work as a member of your family and what you should expect to do to keep your parrot happy and healthy.

      Among many other educational opportunities you can explore include local bird club meetings, online communities, and visiting specialty veterinarians or rescue organizations.

      For every family that has a negative experience with parrots, you can find families who treasure their avian companions and who go to great lengths to ensure they are well cared for and have everything a companion bird could want. These parrot lovers gather at local and national meetings, through online communities, and at their local bird specialty stores and behavioral seminars. If you’ve never visited an avian veterinarian’s office, you’d be surprised at the number of people who create friendships there in the lobby waiting for their well-bird checkups or talking about the concerns they have for a bird who needs treatment.

      As with any other specialty interest, people who love parrots have an instant affinity for one another. We understand their worries, their difficulties in getting to the best veterinarian for their bird, their need for that expensive puzzle toy that will keep their cockatoo busy while they are on the telephone, the concern they have in the spring when some birds become more difficult because of their reproductive hormones, their worry when a bird begins to barber or pluck his feathers. These are concerns that those who do not have parrots find difficult to understand.

      If you decide that a parrot is right for you, I’d urge you to join with some more informed parrot owners who will be glad to share their knowledge and help you begin your long and fascinating journey into the world of the parrot.

      With so many species to choose from, each with slightly different anatomies, different dietary needs, behavioral quirks, and challenges, as well as their own endearing qualities, you may be able to find a parrot who fits your lifestyle, your home style, and your personality style. If you cannot, many opportunities exist for you to volunteer to spend your time with parrots while not taking full responsibility for an individual parrot for his lifetime. These opportunities include local rescue groups and humane societies, bird clubs, and events that support behaviorists and researchers as well as companion parrot owners. There may even be opportunities for you to work regularly with a parrot person who lives near you.

      2: Finding the Parrot of Your Dreams

      You can find a fabulous lifetime avian companion in any number of places. However, some places are more likely than others. Breeders and specialty pet stores are more likely to provide you with a healthy companion who has been socialized in such a way that his diet, manners, and experience of the world is on a track to success as a companion parrot. To continue this successful start, introducing your parrot slowly and carefully to his new environment and the creatures that will be sharing life with him is very important. Remember, you’re choosing the companion of a lifetime. Take things slowly; plan. Impulse purchases almost always create an unhappy family and an unhappy parrot.

      Sources of Parrots

      The many sources of parrots today can confuse even the most experienced bird person. Sources include pet shops, breeders, rescues, and other sources such as friends or newspaper or online ads. According to Amy B. Worell, DVM, Dip. ABVP, in an article in the Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, the sources of birds have changed dramatically since 2009, from aviculturists to major pet store chains. Worell reports that, previously, birds came into the pet trade through breeders and private aviculturists to bird-specific pet stores. Because of the economic recession, many breeders and small bird stores have given up their businesses. Karen Windsor, Executive Director of Foster Parrots, Ltd. presented a paper at the 2012 Association of Avian Veterinarians reflecting the point of view of many rescue organizations: that some breeders, more interested in profits than animal welfare, are responsible for an “overproduction” of parrots. Whether the source is an aviculturist, a pet store, or a rescue organization, most pet parrots are bred in the country in which they are purchased, especially in the United States, where, since 1992, the Wild Bird Conservation Act made importation of wild parrots for the pet trade illegal.

      In the United States, parrots are no longer imported from the wild; they are hatched out and raised by breeders.

      Desirable Characteristics of Companion Parrots

      What veterinarians and rescue organizations together have learned is that a physically and emotionally healthy parrot is more likely to stay in his original home longer and to make a successful transition to a second home, if necessary. Factors associated with these physically and emotionally healthy and therefore successful companion parrots include:

      •The bird was raised by and with his avian parents, so that