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Written by Claire Davies
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 I just picked up a new 'child'! In my job I counsel a lot of parrot owners who didn't realise what they were letting themselves in for when they took on their new pet. I often have to try to help them deal with behavioural issues in, at best, a five minute conversation. Many of the same issues come up time and time again, biting and screaming being two of the most common. Socrates, my new charge is seven years old and already on his third home because of these typical and natural parrot behaviours.
Socrates is a Moluccan Cockatoo, a critically endangered species from the islands of Indonesia. Socrates is of course a captive bred bird. These birds are very popular as pets, mostly because they are beautiful creatures that are a soft white with a stunning salmon coloured crest. If they talk they tend to have sweet childlike voices, and they have large dark eyes. They also love to cuddle and spend time with their people to whom they often become devoted. In fact if they could be surgically grafted onto the chest of their human they might just about be satisfied! It struck me how suitable the name Socrates was for a bird like this. By all accounts Socrates the philosopher was no great beauty, so they don't have that in common. I am thinking more of Socrates' ethical teachings. He believed that all vice is the result of ignorance, and that no person is willingly bad. Those who know right will act rightly. Virtue is knowledge. Hmmmmm. sounds a lot like good training. Good training should supply the animal with information about what is right and what is wrong, or what is safe or not safe.
Animals really do not act up because they want to be bad, they actually don' t want to show us up and embarrass us. When a dog goes to the toilet in the house its because he hasn't been trained not to. When he pulls on the leash its because he doesn't know any different. He is just being a dog. When a parrot 'screams' or makes a lot of noise he is just communicating as a parrot does out in the wild. He doesn't know any different. Its our responsibility to determine what the bird is trying to communicate and why and then respond appropriately. Sometimes we need to teach the animal another way of communicating to us. With parrots who naturally and normally get very rowdy at sunup and sundown we can teach them that other vocalisations are more welcome than typical parrot noise, encourage them when or if they talk. Remember that we can still expect them to make some parrot noise, that is what they are!
Many parrots, and cockatoos typically fall into this group, learn to cream to get attention. Parrots are mostly flock animals so they find it unnatural and disturbing to find themselves on their own. They call out to their flockmates to find out where they went. In this kind of situation its my opinion that it would be inappropriate to ignore this call, the bird can end up being very distressed. What we have to guard against is having the bird train us to come when called (or squawked!), believe me this happens a lot! What we need to do is teach the baby bird that it's okay to be alone for short periods, that they can learn to play by themselves for a while with their toys. That they will have a routine that includes plenty of time and attention from their people flockmates and that they are in a safe and nurturing environment (if this sounds a lot like good parenting then be assured the similarities don't end there).
Most people are surprised to learn that biting is not really a natural parrot behaviour. It is a reaction to the way we keep them and another way of expressing themselves. There is always a reason for the bird biting and the reason is nearly always human in origin. Its our fault! We need to try and understand what's going on with our bird that he feels he needs to react in that way. Often the first thing a new parrot owner teaches their bird, unintentionally of course, is to bite them! What we actually intend to teach them is to step up onto a hand when its offered, but a parrot, and especiall y a baby, explores its world using its mouth. So I can almost guarantee that when you offer your hand to your bird the first thing that is likely to come towards your hand is not going to be his foot but his beak! He needs to test out this new perch. Many people are surprised and intimidated by that big beak and, fearing a bite, pull their hand away almost on instinct. Well next time the bird sees that hand he will want to take the opportunity of exploring it before it disappears and will very likely grab it and hold on hard! Just like every time he sees your hand after that - especially if it gets a nice big reaction, they love drama!
I am going to discuss more about these particular 'problem behaviours' in my next article, but this gives you some idea as to what's going on. Of course Socrates the philosopher was condemned to death because people misunderstood him. Many companion animals suffer the same fate every day.
Claire Davies, Copywrite 2002
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