Pet parrots, whether they have been hand reared or parent reared, often surprise their owners when they react with fear towards an item, sound or even person without there being any obvious reason. What causes a parrot to take one event in its stride yet another to overwhelm it completely is privy only to the bird himself. This can often be confusing for the owner, rendering him/her puzzled as to why a particular reaction has been exhibited. Take one of my pet Greys, Babu, for example. He doesn't like change and anything new, from people to toys seems to be regarded as frightfully dangerous by him. Babu likes 'helping' me prepare the breakfast for all the other birds by sitting on the kitchen worktop and playing with the various fruits and vegetables that are on offer and enthusiastically slinging them against the wall. It is not uncommon for him to come across a fruit that he doesn't know and that causes him to fly off in fear. This happened recently with a papaya. The day after, however, he chose to land on the kitchen worktop next to a giant stainless steel cooking lid that I am certain he was not familiar with yet.. He appeared in no way frightened of it. On the contrary, he soon started to investigate it and quickly learned that lifting it slightly and dropping it again creates a fabulous crashing sound which he clearly enjoyed. Why did he show a fearful reaction towards a fruit yet was more confident in handling an alien object such as a metal lid? This is one of those puzzling moments that we will never be able to clarify in full; only Babu knows what went on.

So, how should we deal with the introduction of news things/people to nervous, or should I say, more cautious birds?

The following discusses advice often given to remedy fearful behaviour in pet parrots. Although following such ideas and methods might, in some cases, prove successful I certainly don't consider these to be kind, guaranteed to work or even necessary.

I have tried to outline a few alternative ideas that might be of help and do not require the need of force or overwhelming a parrot.

Expose him to as much change as possible!

This is advice often given and can work if the learner in question is an adventurous soul. But what about those that are not? Parrots are prey animals, just as mice and deer are, for example. As such, parrots are pre-programmed by nature to be ever vigilant and regard anything new as potentially dangerous, even life threatening. Escape manoeuvres and sudden take-off are good indicators of that. I personally don't believe that just because a shy parrot is continuously exposed to change it becomes more comfortable when faced with yet more change.

It is of course unreasonable to expect a parrot's environment to remain stagnant and to never change. That in itself would not be very healthy either, however, change can be introduced gradually.

Changing anything from toys to plants, from perching places to people in a parrots environment on a regular basis can be stimulating and confidence building. The key, however, is not to 'break' a parrot by continuing such exercises until he calms down but to stop immediately when he shows any signs of nervousness.

Pass him from person to person

This method is often suggested to be used with parrots that are shy of strangers.

Whether the bird wants to or not he gets passed onto every person that enters the household. This is in my view not only cruel but even dangerous. What if the parrot chooses to bite one such person? This can result in a stressful experience for both the person and the bird. I know of a pet parrot that does routinely get passed onto any guests that enter the household. Many have become reluctant to hold the bird because it is not uncommon for him to bite. Clearly the bird is trying to communicate something. Such situations are so easily avoided; parrots rarely bite without showing signs of disapproval in their body language first. And even if these are overlooked, after having bitten more than once in such a situation I think the bird made it quite clear that he is not keen on being passed around like a joint at Woodstock.

Babu is one of the shyest birds I have ever known, whilst Georgie, another pet Grey in our care couldn't be more welcoming and friendly. These are character traits that I feel ought to be respected. I have never observed Baby suffering under his shyness, nor can I say that Georgie leads a better life because she is more accepting of strangers. I am happy for Babu to stay high on his ropes when people come to visit and I do make a point of asking people not to get too close in order not to invade his comfort zone.

I am not suggesting that shy birds should never be encouraged to accept and even be handled by new people. I do, however, feel that this should be done on the bird's terms. With a little patience and a sharp eye we can often see little signs of curiosity and contentment emerging from underneath that cloak of shyness. These moments should be recognised and rewarded. In fact, any mild sign the parrot shows that seems a step forward can be praised and rewarded to encourage yet more positive steps. These small signs can be as slight as the parrot observing the stranger from a distance, moving slightly in the direction towards that person or, for example, the sounding of screeches or whistles that show that the bird is not stressed but quite comfortable. Don't expect too much from the outset or for such moves to happen in great leaps and bounds. When my mother came to visit and met Babu for the first time I asked her not to get too close to him. She fully respected my wishes and whenever she chose to sit and read in the conservatory (where Babu spends most of his time) she greeted him from a distance and sat down reading. After just one day Babu learnt that my mother was in no way a threat and he chose to play closer and closer to where she was sitting. My mother rewarded his efforts by making clicking noises with her tongue, one of his favourite ways of duetting. On day two he chose to sit on the bouncy rope right next to my mum's reading chair, which she then rewarded with nuts and more clicking.

Take him to unfamiliar surroundings

This advice is often given when the pet bird appears shy of a certain member of the household. By taking the bird into a room that he isn't familiar with it is easy to get his attention to focus on the person with him. Presumably this works because the parrot in question is so stressed by the strange surroundings that he will choose to focus on the person instead, as they resemble the only bit of familiarity in strange and potentially dangerous surroundings.

My partner was unable to handle Babu. However, when Babu flies into an area/room he is not so familiar with and appears startled and stressed he will readily step onto my partners hand (this is not uncommon). Of course we could have staged or induced such situations until Babu trusts my partner enough to even step up in familiar surroundings. However, forcing trust in such a way is unnecessary and coupled with much stress.

Instead we decided to teach Babu that my partner can be trusted on his terms. Anything that Babu enjoyed doing was taken over by my partner. Coming out of the sleep cage in the morning was one such event. My partner reached inside the cage and presented his hand for Babu to step up onto. The moment he displayed the slightest signs of discomfort (leaning backwards, raising feathers, stepping sideways) my partner retreated and shut the cage door and tried again a few moments later. It didn't take many attempts for Babu to learn that, not only would my partner respect his wishes by not pushing the point, but also that he had something fun to offer: the hand that carries him outside.

Recognising body language

Extreme stress is easily recognised in parrots because many simply scream and/or fluff up their plumage or growl or hiss. It is hard to miss such obvious signs, however, there are a number of more subtle signs in a parrot's body language that indicate discomfort and stress. If we can learn to read such signs and react accordingly we can build trust between the bird and ourselves without exposing the pet to unnecessary stress.

When a parrot becomes alert he will usually hold his feathers tight to his body and open his eyes wide. This can be followed by becoming restless, stepping on the spot, stepping sideways or quite plainly running or flying away. Even just turning the head from one side to another, looking for an escape route is a clear indicator of discomfort. Vocalisation often follows. There are different types of vocalisation used by different parrot species to communicate fear and discomfort. Screaming when absolutely stressed is of course common to all parrot species, however, before that African Greys often click or growl and cockatoos, for example, often hiss.

Introducing the new - Reward every step

Every time your parrot does not react with fear in circumstances where he normally would have done be sure to reward him with a morsel.

If you wish to introduce a new toy to your bird yet he reacts with fear at the sheer sight of it be certain to leave the toy at a visible yet comfortable distance from the bird. As he gets accustomed to the sight of the toy you can edge it closer and closer over time.

As soon as you find him simply looking at the toy reward him and praise him. Next, you can reward him for moving a little in the direction of the toy, then for tapping it with the beak and so on…

Find a suitable food reward

Reinforcing (rewarding) positive behaviour is usually easiest done with food treats. Good rewards also come in the shape of favourite toys and perches for example, however, when working with frightened birds food treats do provide the most effective tool.

It is advisable to single out 2 or 3 items that are clearly relished by the bird and are only offered as rewards, in other words, are no longer available in the food bowl.

Do experiment with food treats; you might be surprised what your parrot appreciates. The easiest way to asses what he adores is to keep a keen eye on what he picks out of his food bowl first. Often these items include nuts or dried fruit. If for example the favourite items are almonds there is no harm in removing those from the food bowl and offering them as treats only.

Other food items, depending on the individual of course can include:

Scrambled or boiled, chopped egg, cooked pasta, fruit compote, toast with peanut butter or jam, pomegranate, nuts in the shell or a little cheese.

A sense of familiarity

Adding a touch of something familiar can also help to break the ice. One such item could be a reward cup.

A macaw I once worked with was too shy to even move about much. She preferred to stay in her cage environment even though the door was left open for her. Eventually I bought a little plastic food cup that could be hung onto the cage bars. I bought a very small one that would normally be used for small birds.

I hooked the cup inside the cage and dropped a favourite nut inside it for the macaw to see. I repeated this a number of times over a period of days. Eventually I moved the cup closer and closer to the cage door. She followed the cup in eager anticipation of the much adored Brazil nut. Eventually she made it out and sat on the cage door.

I then used the same method to introduce her to toys that she was nervous of. The toys were always placed at a great distance from her and the reward cup between her and the new object. Over time, I attached the cup along the rope she sat on, closer and closer to the toy and eventually even onto the toy.

Each bird is an individual and the reaction towards new items can vary from object to object. There are no time limits so please work at your parrot's pace.

I generally have no trouble introducing toys to Babu. Georgie, who is welcoming of all strangers on the other hand, does not accept new toys readily. That said, once I introduced a new toy made out of woven willow to Babu and it took even him weeks to become comfortable enough with it to be near it. Now it is his favourite toy.

In my experience, simply allowing a pet parrot to chose when he wants to approach and get to know new people and/or when he is comfortable enough to engage with a new toy can over time build confidence. Experiencing the introduction of the new over and over again in only a positive, non-intrusive way is likely to teach even the most bashful of companion parrots that change can be good and doesn't need to be dreaded.

Copyright © 2004 Sonny Stollenmaier

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