Parrot owners want a good relationship with their birds, and so everyone should. However, this can only be earned out of love, respect and understanding. A parrot may be able to be taught to be obedient and respond to command using force and punishment methods, but this leaves the bird unhappy and does not form the good loving bond that owners should seek. Do you want your parrot to respond to you out of fear or out of mutual love and respect? I choose the second option. If you choose the first option, YOU SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO OWN A PARROT. Parrots are intelligent, sensitive creatures that require your patience, understanding, respect, love, time and devotion. None of these requirements are negotiable.
You should respect your parrot’s wishes. For example, if you try to get your parrot out of its cage, and it doesn’t want to come out, DO NOT force him to come out. He obviously wants to stay in the cage for a reason, and no matter how much you’re in the mood for a play session or a cuddle, you must respect that your parrot doesn’t want to, and leave him be.
If your parrot is sleeping, eating or grooming, you must wait until he is finished before you pick him up. These are all very important things to a parrot, and it may upset them to be disturbed or forced to stop. Wouldn’t you be?
When you take your parrot from his perch or wherever he is, when it comes time to put him back, it is good manners to return him to the same spot you picked him up from.
Parrots seem to get into routines very easily. If your parrot is in a routine that he is happy with, try not to change it in any way. It may confuse or upset the bird if he has come to expect things at certain times and in certain ways and all of a sudden things are different.
If you notice that your parrot responds badly to you doing something, whether it be you petting him in a certain place on his body or putting him down in a particular spot, he obviously doesn’t like it! Strangely, some owners, even though they are aware that their bird doesn’t like such things, will carry on imposing these things on the poor bird! Why would you do that? What possible benefit can be had for either you or your parrot? Contrary to some beliefs, such behaviour will not prove to the bird that you are the boss and he must submit to your wishes. It just weakens your relationship. Your parrot will resent you for this, so simply don’t do it!
When a parrot exhibits undesirable behaviour, some owners respond with methods of punishment designed to upset the bird, such as hitting, throwing the bird off balance, dropping the bird to the floor or getting very angry. NEVER RESPOND IN THIS WAY. At least not if you want your bird to be happy, healthy and still love you! Your parrot will lose his trust in you and will not feel safe with you. My Grey associates me only with safety, security and love. If he falls or feels unsafe, he immediately comes to me and asks to be picked up because he knows that I will take care of him. That is the way that all parrots should view their owners. Could you even imagine how you would feel if for the whole of you life you were in the ‘care’ of someone you were scared of, feared, unhappy around and generally made every day of your life miserable? You would turn aggressive against that person wouldn’t you? Bite them when they came near so to keep them at a distance? Of course you would! What an awful relationship to have with a parrot. But looking at it from their point of view, you can see why some parrots act aggressively. You must choose different methods to modify your parrot’s behaviour. Non-aggressive methods that only enforce a good relationship between you and the bird, built from trust and understanding.
It’s the little things you do that can make a big difference to your parrot. Be careful how you act towards you feathered friend. Respect him and he will respect you. A person who earns the love of a parrot is a very privileged person indeed!
