Parrot Parenting. Carol Frischmann

bird learned to fly before his first wing clip, so that his flight skills and physical confidence were fully developed.

      •The bird was fully weaned before he transferred to his new home, so that he was confident about his ability to find food to provide for himself.

      In the 1990s many people believed that successful companion birds should be removed from their parents just after hatching and subsequently should be raised by human beings. Although this procedure created parrots who attached to human beings, the unintended consequence was that this method also created parrots who had no sense of identity as parrots. In other words, the parrot imprinted on human beings. When those human-raised parrots reached adolescence, the mates the parrots looked for were human. This created many of the behavior issues that caused parrots to lose their homes after they had made their transitions to sexual maturity.

      In addition to needing their identities as birds, parrots also need confidence in their physical abilities, including the ability to fly. Surprisingly, parrots, especially the heavier-bodied parrots, can take quite a while to learn to fly. If those parrots are not allowed to move through this normal process, which can be difficult to watch because of their clumsiness, the birds also never become fully confident in their balance, climbing, and perching abilities. This lack of physical confidence leads to all sorts of difficulties that a first-time bird owner would never imagine. A frequently seen example of this sort of trouble is that parrots become fearful of leaving spaces they know well.

      Finally, the longer lived a creature is, the longer the creature’s process of development and maturing from birth (or hatching) to a young, independent bird. A parrot’s complicated needs are best filled by his parents until he is of an age to separate. Although the idea of hand-feeding appeals to the nurturers among pet lovers, the complications that can result from improper hand-feeding and rearing are significant.

      Many species of parrot are available, and they differ in size, disposition, talking ability, and many other attributes.

      Selecting Candidate Species and Sources

      So, if you want to find a parrot companion who exhibits these three requirements—a parent-raised bird, fully fledged, and weaned—then what is the next step? The most advisable next step is to begin reading about different species of parrots, their suitability as pets, their species characteristics, and their care requirements. In addition, future parrot parents need to meet as many individual members of your “candidate species” as possible, keeping firmly in mind the notion that you are familiarizing yourself and your family with your potential companion species rather than beginning the process of selecting your dream parrot. While gathering information about your candidate species, you will meet representatives from the major sources of parrots: pet shops—specialty and chain—rescues, and breeders.

      Whether you find your dream bird in a specialty pet shop, a rescue, or a breeder, the critical point is how much support you can expect if and when you run into questions and problems in caring for your new companion. As you consider the various sources, ask yourself this question: “If I have questions or problems, can I rely on this source to help me through and succeed with my new best friend?” If you’re unsure of the answer, move on to another source.

      A second aspect of finding your dream bird species is to consider the cost of the species over its lifetime, not the initial cost of purchasing or adopting your bird. Although you might find a perfectly lovely bird of your species that someone is “giving away,” the odds are that you will, after several days, discover the reason that the bird is “free.” Healthy birds with good manners and habits are usually not given away “for free.” This is because rescues, specialty pet stores, or breeders want to be sure that the person acquiring this sort of bird cares enough to recognize his value. Specialty stores and breeders who produce only a few birds each year usually are in business to recover the costs of raising and caring for the birds. (Good-quality food and supplies are the products that allow these stores and breeders to continue to operate, not the sale price of the birds themselves.)

      Third, follow your instincts. Plan to visit a variety of sources prior to making a decision about a species. Then visit more sources before making a final decision about acquiring a specific companion. Meet many birds. Talk to these sources about the species, as well as about the individual birds. Every bird is different, and not every bird is a representative of its species’ normal behaviors. If you feel that the rescue or specialty store is not clean and the birds do not seem content, move on, even if you are attracted to a single bird. And never acquire a bird because you feel sorry for the conditions in which it is living. Although this may be tempting, birds raised in such environments are usually not healthy, may carry communicable diseases, and will be expensive and heartbreaking to care for.

      Acquiring a bird of the species of your dreams requires a bit of looking, return visits, and lots of thought. But if you follow these steps and make an informed decision, you can find the right species. By taking shortcuts, people often find species that make them feel as though they are living a nightmare.

      Once you’ve made the decision to acquire a companion bird, you will need to narrow your choice to a few species. Following this, you’ll need to locate a reliable source for your bird species and get help, including a veterinarian, in selecting a healthy companion of your chosen species. Although making each decision is exciting, move slowly and take the time to think through each step because this is an important decision. In addition, if you have a family, the agreement of everyone in the family is important.

      Do I Need to Get a Pair?

      Many times, people believe that they need to get a pair of parrots because an individual bird will become lonely. The European Union agrees and has recently passed legislation that requires birds, which are flock animals, to be kept in small flocks—in other words, in a natural family grouping.

      In general, birds are more comfortable in a small flock. However, the practical realities of keeping a small flock of birds are difficult for most people. This is one reason that the smaller birds, ones that have smaller cage and play area requirements, are easier, especially for first-time bird keepers.

      The advantage of a pair or small group of birds is that they keep each other busy. The disadvantage is that unless you handle them a great deal, they often prefer each other’s company to yours.

      The answer to whether you need to get a pair or three birds depends on your situation. A pair of budgies or cockatiels makes an excellent situation for first-time bird keepers. Similarly, two small conures, such as green-cheeks or maroon-bellied conures, would be a delightful situation.

      If you insist on a larger bird as your first, you might have a more difficult time finding two who get along, not to mention the space requirements and the handling challenges this will entail. In addition, in contrast to most dogs and cats, which eventually sort out a hierarchy, birds, especially larger, mature birds, such as male cockatoos, definitely do not get along with others and have been known to harm or kill their cage mates. This is particularly a problem when the birds feel crowded or when multiple adult birds are housed together.

      If you decide to get a pair of birds, get help from a behaviorist or avian veterinarian in putting together a pair or small groups of birds who can live happily together.

      A cockatiel is one of the very best choices for a first-time bird-keeper.

      Narrowing the List of Species

      The information in Chapter 8: Selected Species should be helpful to you in narrowing your choice to just a few species. Although the process may seem bewildering at first, the key decision points include: (1) lifespan, (2) personality and temperament, (3) noise level, and probably (4) size. If you are a beginning bird-keeper, please consider a bird that is suitable for your knowledge and abilities. If you decide that bird-keeping is for you, you’ll have many birds over the course of your lifetime; you can get that raucous pink bird or the very expensive purple bird later, after you’ve learned to