Good Bird Magazine Vol4 Issue3

Good Bird
magazine!
Volume 4-3 Fall 2008
www.goodbirdinc.com
When your Parrot Loves
you Too Much
Wrap-N-Roll Enrichment
Simpler Steps to Step up
My Summer Internship
at a Parrot Sanctuary
Teaching your Parrot
to Drop an Item on Cue
Constructs: Putting Labels
on Bird Behavior
Enrichment Solutions
to Behavior Problems
Making the Connection:
From Parrots to Children
Empower the Human/Ani mal Bond wi th Posi ti ve Rei nforcement
When your Parrot Loves
you Too Much
at a Parrot Sanctuary
Teaching your Parrot
to Drop an Item on Cue
Constructs: Putting Labels
on Bird Behavior
Enrichment Solutions
to Behavior Problems
Making the Connection:
From Parrots to Children
HARI (Hagen Avicultural Research Institute)
is a world class Psittacine captive breeding,
nutrition and disease research facility. HARIs
continuous progress in animal husbandry
have resulted in advancements that enhance
the quality of captive breeding and
maintenance of companion birds. Consulting
with Avian veterinarians, and technicians,
HARI works to develop new diets, healthy
treats, bird supplements, and is responsible
for innovations such as Tropican and Tropimix
formulas. These diets combine the highest
quality ingredients with strict standards to
ensure that your bird receives the highest
quality nutrition.
TOTAL NUTRITION Lifetime and High
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100% EDIBLE A perfect blend of Fruits,
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At the forefront of Avian Research.
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Investing in their health.
Committed to their future.
www.hagen.com/hari
Table of Contents
FROM THE EDITORS PERCH
The Very Small World
By Barbara Heidenreich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR GOOD BIRD . . . . . . . .10
FEATURE ARTICLES
When your Parrot Loves you Too Much
By Barbara Heidenreich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
By Kris Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Constructs: Putting Labels on Bird Behavior
By Bev Penny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
By Rita Sambruna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
My Summer Internship at a Parrot Sanctuary
By Kodi Pinnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
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Table of Contents
REGULAR FEATURES
PROFILE OF AN ANIMAL LOVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
HOW DID THEY TRAIN THAT? EXPERTS SHARE THEIR
TRAINING STRATEGIES
Teaching your Parrot to Drop an Item on Cue
By Barbara Heidenreich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
WHAT IS YOUR BIRD SAYING? LEARN TO READ BIRD
BODY LANGUAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
YOUR GOOD BIRD! READER SUCCESS STORIES
Enrichment Solutions to Behavior Problems
By Lisa Desatnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Making the Connection: From Parrots to Children
By Debbie Goodrich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Learning from Mercy
By Emily Gough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
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Table of Contents
OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF PARROTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
CONFERENCE, EVENT REVIEWS
AND PRESS RELEASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
PRESS RELEASE:
SENIORS PET ASSISTANCE NETWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
UPCOMING EVENTS AND SEMINARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
QUOTH THE RAVENER, WE MEAN PARROT! . . . . . . . . .21
BOOK REVIEW
The Parrot Who Thought He Was a Dog Reviewed
By Terri Thibodeaux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
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Good Bird
magazine!
Empowering the human-animal bond with positive reinforcement
Volume 4-3
Fall 2008
Publisher:
Good Bird Inc.
Editorial Director:
Barbara Heidenreich
Contributors:
Georgi Abbot
Lisa Desatnik
Debbie Goodrich
Emily Gough
Barbara Heidenreich
Cassie Malina
Bev Penny
Kodi Pinnell
Kris Porter
Rita Sambruna
Adelle Taylor
Terri Thibodeaux
Art Direction:
Persidea, Inc.
Advertising Offices:
Persidea, Inc.
7600 Burnet Road, Suite 300
Austin, TX 78757 USA
Phone: 512-472-3636
Email: goodbird@persidea.com
Photography:
Georgi Abbott
Kelly Balance
Lisa Desatnik
Matt Edmonds
Barbara Heidenreich
Grace Innemee
Roelant Jonker
Cassie Malina
Bev Penny
Kris Porter
Rita Sambruna
Adelle Taylor
Web Design:
King Ink Studios
www.KingInkStudios.com
Trademark: Good Bird
is a registered trademark of
Good Bird Inc. It and other trademarks in this publica-
tion are the property of their holders.
Copyright: Good Bird
Magazine may not be repro-

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Bird
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Front Cover: Senegal Parrot photographed by Roelant
Jonker and Grace Innemee of www.CityParrots.org
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www.goodbirdinc.com Good Bird Magazine 9
THE VERY SMALL WORLD
S
peaking engagements bring me around the world.
You would think that means I ammeeting countless
new friends. And many times I am. However I also
often am seeing old friends. Sometimes these are friends
who live within a fewhours drive frommy home. Yet we
often find ourselves reuniting half way around the world
instead of back home in Texas. InAustralia I had a chance
to catch up with favorite parrot people such as Donald
Brightsmith, Susan Friedman and Matt Schmidt. While
there I also was able to put faces to the names of many
internet friends. And if there is someone I just met, we
likely have a friend in common, as I discovered with an
avian veterinarian fromAfrica. It turned out the few peo-
ple I knew fromAfrica were people he knew too.
In addition friends in the parrot community who live
far, far away keep finding their way to the US for a visit.
What brings all these people together is a passion for
parrots and positive reinforcement training. This com-
mon interest makes this great big world suddenly very
small, warm and friendly. What a nice feeling that is. If
you are looking to meet a few new friends with a com-
mon interest I suggest looking to see if your town has a
parrot interest group. Or volunteer at a parrot sanctuary
or rescue. Kodi Pinnell shares his life changing intern-
ship at The Gabriel Foundation in this issue. See what an
impact the parrot community has made on his life.
Of course there are plenty of parrot chat groups if
you are more inclined to build your network online.
Here are a few of my favorites
General Training with Positive Reinforcement:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GoodBirdGroup/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clickbirds/
Clickbirds@yahoogroups.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BirdClick/
Feather picking:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pickinparrots/
Step by Step Resolution of Behavior Problems:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ParrotBAS/
All of these newfriends may mean lots of gift shopping
for the holidays! In my travels I often get to see the new
products coming out for companion parrot owners. Here
are a fewthat I thought were intriguing. (Andby the way,
the manufacturers dont even know they are getting a
free plug here. These are really products I use and like.)
Harrisons has come out with a birdie bread mix. I
am a big fan of making bread for my bird. There must
be something about the texture of bread because my
Amazon certainly loves breads, which makes for a
great training treat. And treat may not be the right
word, as Harrisons is famous for its healthy products.
I made a batch up just the other day. Tarah devoured a
piece as soon as I gave it to her. https://www.har-
risonsbirdfoods.com/products.asp?dept=38
Kaytee Healthy Toppings have been a round for a
while already, but they are worth mentioning again.
These toppings may be great to add a little zest to your
birds diet. But I like them as perfectly sized training
treats. No need to chop treats into tiny pieces. Kaytee
has done it for you. http://www.kaytee.com/prod-
ucts/companion_birds/?pcid=2
I also had some fun with a new toy from Natures
Instinct called Birdie Basketball. It is a half of a basketball
court with a mini gym included. It is designed for cock-
atiels and budgies and my new little cockatiel Banana
Puddin took to it right away. http://www.naturesin-
stinct.com/item.asp?n=24304&d=1&b=1
And of course I do hope holiday shoppers will con-
sider my new Understanding Body Language DVD
as a potential gift for the parrot enthusiasts in their
lives. The feedback on this one has been great and we
have nearly sold out of our first batch. You can find it
and other training DVDs and books at
www.GoodBirdInc.com.
Speaking of DVDs, my first DVD An Introduction to
Parrot Behavior and Training got a make over. I was not
too pleased with the cover so we redesigned it. The
video content is the same, just new packaging. We will
likely run some specials for the holidays. Be sure to visit
ww.GoodBirdInc.com when you do your shopping!
Happy Training!
Barbara Heidenreich
From the Editors Perch
10 Good Bird Magazine www.goodbirdinc.com
Hi There Barbara,
I can barely wait! I am coming up to Gallery of Pets
for your talk next week. I need help with my sweet
Emily (my Mealy from The Gabriel Foundation) and
my new little Lilac crowned Gabrielle)
I must tell you that your "Wow Can that Bird Scream"
article totally saved my sanity!! My stomach hurt, I was
weepy, and thought I made a terrible mistake bringing
home another sweet girl. My Emmy was so upset and
my new Gabrielle was so over stimulated. I was total-
ly melted down. I called and talked to Hilary Herron -
she kicked me (figuratively, mind you) in my hinder
and told me to re-read all my material from you and
Susan Friedman. Go to the websites - read and get
busy. Afewdays later, I was looking at one of the Good
Bird emails I get and WHAM - there was the story. I
went through three tissues reading about Misty and
Tarah. You so hit home. You knew exactly how I felt,
right down to the knot in my tummy. I couldn't even
speak when I handed to my husband and whispered
"Here's our first plan of action for Ems!"
Things improve almost daily. Of course there are
always the exceptions, but we are ALLdoing better now!
Thanks again Barbara!!
Paula
Hi Barb,
I LOVED your new DVD. I just finished watching it.
It is a wonderful teaching tool. The production values
are GREAT, and you look wonderful. The sound is
really clear. I watched it on our high def. TV and it
looked great. Lots of accessible information. I also love
the resources at the end, places for food and toys. I also
have been pushing a diet higher in pellet. GREAT job
my friend.
You are the best,
Deb Stambul
Good morning Barb,
Last night we watched your new video. It is especial-
ly important to me as we have Mijo- The Yellow
Naped coming from Wendys Parrots and I am more a
mammal kind of trainer.
The video is great!! I want more! Body language with
any species is so intricate and interesting and we
humans are so generally unaware that I, very much,
appreciate what you have put into this video.
I will now need to train myself to look at other
places rather than horses ears or dogs tails for hints
in communication.
Wish me luck.and I will be watching those DVDs a
bunch more!!
Cheers and thanks for your job well done!! Nance
Nance McManus, CPS
Artist-in-Residence
Avian Ambassadors
Tijeras, New Mexico
www.nancemcmanus.blogspot.com
Barbara,
I got the magazine today - and there was an article by
ME! You did say you thought it was great, but I didn't
know you meant it was good enough to publish!
Thanks so much. Wow.
I was so glad to see the article on record keeping and
the forms for training. I have a Training Journal Kit
that I had put together for the classes we are doing so it
is a subject near to my heart.
Seeing my article in your magazine was really excit-
ing. You made it look really good with the photos and
captions and the plug for the websites is certainly
appreciated.
Bob
Positive Reinforcement for Good Bird Inc
continued on page 67
A
h. Love. Love, love, love. You could say
Love is in the air But love is usually a
springtime thing right? And here we are clos-
ing in on fall. But guess what? My Blue Fronted
Amazon doesnt seem to care. That is right. I hate to
say it, but she is as horny as a newlywed on her wed-
ding night. I walk into the room, she squats and
clucks. I sit down to watch TV, she squats and clucks.
I wake up in the morning, she squats and clucks.
What do I do? I try my very best to ignore her.
FROM LOVE TO MEDICAL PROBLEMS
Just last year my Amazon went through a bit of a
medical crisis. I noticed she was eating less one day
and thought to myself I need to keep an eye on her.
That night while sitting on my shoulder she relieved
her self on me. She had not done that in 20 years as she
is well trained to poop in her cage. Now, I was certain
something was wrong and of course it was a Saturday
night. No qualified avian veterinarians were available.
Things proceeded to get worse the next day. She kept
Loves you Too Much
When your Parrot
By Barbara Heidenreich
Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
trying to defecate to no avail. She would strain and
push every 30 seconds or so. At one point there was
even some blood. As you can imagine by this time I
was extremely concerned about my bird. I called any-
one and everyone I knew in the parrot industry. Their
thoughts were similar to mineCould she be trying
to pass an egg?
The poor thing was starting to look exhausted as she
kept pushing. Aveterinarian friend I was finally able to
contact said There are two times in a birds life when
it looks like it is going to die. When it dies and when it
lays an egg. Fortunately it turned out my gal was try-
ing to lay an egg. That Sunday after much straining
what came out was several chunks of spongy white
matter. It was later concluded to be mummified bits of
an egg. After the material was out of her body, she
returned to her normal behaviors and fully recovered.
Finally a visit to the veterinarian confirmed all was
calm in the land of the ovaries for now. But what an
emotional roller coaster ..and one that could have
been avoided.
REINFORCING SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
I made the mistake of reinforcing my birds sexual
behavior. It is an easy trap to fall into for most parrot
caregivers. It is pretty flattering when your parrot has
chosen you as his or her valentine. Next thing you
know your parrot is wining and dining you with a
mouthful of regurgitated pellets, or showing you the
fantastic nest site he found under the couch! Then the
fun really starts. Now your bird is driving everyone
away with aggressive behavior.everyone that is
except you, his beloved partner. On the one hand you
might be secretly thinking My bird is so smart! He
picked me over my spouse. But keep in your mind,
your spouse may be getting to the point that he has had
enough and it is either him or the bird! Especially if
your spouse has been your birds target of choice for
aggressive behavior. Before kicking either one to the
curb, lets explore some strategies to consider to get this
love triangle under control.
Its all about balance. Behavior analysis has given us
the Matching Law. When faced with two behavior
choices, animals will choose to present the behavior
that results in the higher rate of reinforcement. Here is
a more formal definition courtesy of the Cambridge
Center for Behavior Studies site. (www.behavior.org)
Matching Law: A description of a phenomenon
according to which organisms tend proportionally to
match their responses during choice situations to the
rates of reinforcement for each choice (i.e., if a behavior
is reinforced about 60% of the time in one situation and
40% in another, that behavior tends to occur about 60%
of the time in the first situation, and 40%in the second).
It is pretty flattering when your parrot has chosen you as his or her valentine.
Pairing reinforcers with a person can help increase their value as shown
via the Matching Law. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
If we look at the amount and rate of reinforcers
gained when interacting with the chosen mate versus
interacting with others we see everything is usually
tipped in favor of interacting with the chosen mate.
These interactions can be reinforced by attention
received, tactile stimulation, allo preening, food and
much more.
Others in the household if already on the receiving
end of attacks have very little they can provide as pos-
itive reinforcers for calm interactions. Parrots dont
usually seek tactile stimulation, cuddles or attention
from those they are trying to drive away. This is espe-
cially observed when the chosen mate is in the vicinity.
This type of behavioral response appears to have
some basis in the natural history of parrots. In the wild
parrots will form strong pair bonds with an individual
bird. When nesting season arrives parrots will defend
nest sites and territories vigorously from other parrots.
However it is important to remember that behavior we
may label as innate is modifiable. Just because they do
it in the wild does not equal it must happen in your
home. Living in a powder coated cage in the living
room of your house in the suburbs of Anytown, USAis
already a fairly major change of lifestyle from what
your parrots wild counterparts experience. Adjusting
behavior to fit the environment and circumstances is
happening all the time in our parrots lives.
CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?
To teach our parrots to play nice with all members
of the household requires a little work on everyones
part. Especially if the aggressive behavior has already
been occurring and is persisting. Ageneral rule of thumb
of mine is to avoid situations that create aggressive
behavior. This means taking note of the circumstances in
which your parrot is likely to respond with aggressive
behavior. Is it only when his preferred mate is in the
Parrots dont usually seek tactile stimulation, cuddles or attention from
those they are trying to drive away. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
In the wild parrots will form strong pair bonds with an individual bird
and defend nest sites. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
It is important to remember that behavior we may label as innate is
modifiable. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
room? Is it near a coveted nest site, like under the couch,
near a cupboard, or nestled in the covers? Is it when he
has a box to play with in his cage? Determining the
details can help you take the first step of changing the
antecedents. In other words look at the environment and
see what you can change to make it less likely you will
see aggressive behavior. Perhaps people start by only
interacting with your parrot when the preferred person
is not in the room, or away from locations that increase
the presentation of aggressive behavior.
The next step is to find a way to increase the value of
the less preferred people in your birds life. This means
pairing the delivery of positive reinforcers with calm
bird behavior in the presence of those people. An easy
way to do this is to take advantage of those so called
stupid pet tricks. Yes, this is when cute behaviors like
waving a foot, or playing basketball, or turning around
on cue are invaluable. If your parrot knows how to do
these simple hands off behaviors for positive rein-
forcers you have a great starting point for teaching
your bird that other people have value.
When the bird is calm, the less preferred people in his
life can cue him for one of those simple behaviors. This
can then be followed by the delivery of a food rein-
Teaching parrots to play nice with all members of the household
requires a little work. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
forcer. If the bird does not take treats gently, the food
can be dropped in a nearby bowl, or offered from a
spoon. The idea is that the bird, rather than focusing on
aggressive behavior, can focus his attention on a
trained behavior he knows earns him positive rein-
forcers. In turn this pairs those positive reinforcers with
the person. Overtime the Matching Law will take
effect. The once offensive person is now someone
whose presence has value to your bird.
To go hand in hand with this strategy is a plan to
reduce the copious reinforcers delivered from the pre-
ferred person. This gets to be a bit tougher for care-
givers to apply. This is because the attention we receive
from parrots is pretty reinforcing for us too. Chosen
mates may have to back off a bit in the amount of treats,
cuddles and attention parrots receive, especially in the
presence of people who are just building their relation-
ship with the bird.
The good news is that once things are back in bal-
ance, everyone can interact with the bird. Observant
caregivers will keep an eye out for the slightest drift
towards choosing one person over another and go back
to their good reinforcement strategies to maintain that
balance.
This all too common scenario reminds me of a time
when I was regularly presenting bird shows. One very
famous YellowNapedAmazon parrot with whomI had
the pleasure to work was named Groucho. Groucho can
sing seven different songs. At the time I worked with
him, he was sexually mature and seemingly always on
the look out for a potential human mate. The way we
knew he had targeted someone as a potential partner
was that he would regurgitate for that person.
Unfortunately he often did that on stage. It doesnt
make for a good show when your parrot that can sing
seven songs comes out on stage and instead only barfs.
Whenever Groucho regurgitated on stage, the person
who was working with him in that show would stop
interacting with Groucho for a while. The other eight or
so people who handled him, would continue to per-
form with him. Over time the person who had backed
off for awhile would be reintroduced to working with
him. As long as Groucho refrained for courtship and
sexual behaviors they continued to interact.
This strategy allowed Groucho to maintain a rela-
tionship with a number of different people. Needless to
say it is not a wise strategy for a bird show to have
birds that only work for one person. Should that person
quit, or become sick, the parrot that sings seven songs
is no longer in the show!
The point to this story is that relationships with many
people can be maintained. But it requires caregivers to
be aware of the reinforcement they deliver and how it
is influencing behavior.
GOOD IDEAS, BAD IDEAS
Getting back to my beloved egg laying parrot, I real-
ized there were a number of other things I needed to
adjust to avoid another medical crisis. One important
practice I needed to monitor is how I touched my par-
rot. Many parrots find touching on the back and under
the wings sexually stimulating. While it was not some-
thing I did often, I would sometimes take advantage of
this to trim toenails. I was pairing a positive reinforcer
with nail trims all right, probably not just the best kind
of reinforcer. Instead we have gone back to trimming
nails while she sits nicely on my hand.
I also needed to take a look at how many hours of
daylight my bird was getting. Longer days can often
trigger reproductive behavior.
Attention we receive from parrots is pretty reinforcing for us too.
Next I looked for anything in the environment that
might be perceived as a nest site. This meant no empty
boxes in the cage for enrichment during certain times
of the year.
Another factor that can lead to an amorous parrot is
a rich diet. Fortunately Tarah gets a pretty healthy diet.
But over abundance and availability can also be a con-
tributing factor. By keeping a close eye on exactly how
much my parrot eats in a day I can avoid wasting food
and keeping the sex drive in check.
Thankfully my Amazon has not had another episode
like last years. And even though throughout her life I
had been fairly careful about not reinforcing reproduc-
tive behaviors, I am even more careful now as I know it
can lead to more than behavior problems. Yes, love is in
the air, but this time that is where it is staying.
Barbara has been a professional in the field of animal
training since 1990. She owns Good Bird Inc
(www.GoodBirdInc.com) that provides behavior and train-
ing products to the companion parrot community. These
products include Good Bird Magazine, books, videos, and
parrot training workshops. Barbara has been a featured
speaker on animal training on six continents and has been
published in six different languages. She is an in demand
speaker. The following represents a small portion of her past
speaking engagements: US Department of Agriculture
Inspector Training, Association of Avian Veterinarians con-
ference, The American Federation of Aviculture conference,
The International Parrot Conference at Loro Parque, Parrot
Festival, The International Association of Avian Trainers
and Educators conference, American Association of Zoo
Keepers conference, Association of Zoos and Aquariums con-
ference, The Parrot Society of Australia conference and many
more. She is the past president of the International
Association of Avian Trainers and Educators
(www.IAATE.org) and has been on the Board of Directors
since 1997.
She is the author of Good Bird! A Guide to Solving
Behavior Problems in Companion Parrots and also The
Parrot Problem Solver. Finding Solutions to Aggressive
Behavior. She is also the producer of the Good Bird Parrot
Behavior and Training DVD series.
Barbaras experience also includes consulting on animal
training in zoos and other animal related facilities. She has
been a part of the development and production of more than
15 different free flight education programs and has worked
with 19 different animal facilities. Barbara continues to pro-
vide consulting services to zoos, nature centers and other
animal facilities through her other company Animal
Training and Consulting Services (www.ATandCS.com). In
her career she has trained animals, trained staff, and/or pre-
sented shows at facilities around the world.
One important practice I needed to monitor is how I touched my parrot.
Next I needed to eliminate anything that looked like a nest site.
C
onstructs oh how do I use thee let
me count the ways. Pre my exposure
to Applied Behavior Analysis, I was
a card holding construct using expert.
Constructs are the building blocks of noth-
ing, nil, nada, zilch, absolutely nothing,
except a shorthand language built for speed.
But the price is high for the apparent ease of
communication. In psychology, a construct
is a concept used to describe a class of
observable behaviors which is then hypoth-
esized to be the underlying cause or mental
process that accounts for the observable
behavior. Constructs usually describe what
people think a bird is, rather than what it
does. Some examples of constructs include
the following: "my bird is spoiled, is aggres-
sive, or is confident." The problem with
attributing causal status to constructs lies in
the very definition of them. How can a con-
cept or abstraction cause behavior? (Source:
September 2003. Living and Learning with
Parrots Lecture 1.) Mad, angry, jealous, sad,
happy, hormonal are all constructs. They do
not describe actual behavior, but what we
think our birds are feeling.
The last time I checked, I did not have
psychic powers but by utilizing the teaching
tools from the Living and Learning with
Parrots on-line course, I have learned how
to observe my birds and describe their
Constructs:
Putting Labels
on Bird Behavior
By Bev Penny
behavior using clear, observable language to give me
information as to what they might be thinking. That in
turn, gives me the knowledge to change or modify any
unwanted behaviors that may occur or to prevent them
in the first place by rewarding the behaviors I want to
see more. Its a win-win situation for me and my birds.
For example, when I say my bird is mad at me because
she bit me I am using a construct. Only my bird knows
what she is thinking. Instead I can say what I observed
is that I tried to force my bird to step up and she bit me.
It was my use of force that triggered the bite, not
because she was mad at me. Before she resorted to
the bite, she probably presented many observable
behaviors that I either ignored or just did not see. We
humans do that a lot when it comes to our birds. Then
we say we have aggressive, bad or hormonal birds.
Our birds deserve better than this.
Constructs are overwhelmingly used to describe our
birds behavior and because we use them so much, we
fail our birds in a very big way. Once you put that label
on your birds behavior, you believe you have
answered the why of the problem behavior or behav-
iors exhibited and it lets you off the hook for solving
them. When all you have actually done is given the
behavior a label, which is a construct.
Before I took the on-line class, I was pretty sure my
birds were out to get me. And I had proof. For example,
my birds would chew up the curtains to upset me, my
birds bit me because they were bad, my birds screamed
because they are drama queens, and I was pretty sure
my parrot hated me when she chewed a chunk out of
my new $150 sandals.
In reality my birds did not chew up the curtains to
upset me. My birds chewed up the curtains because
they were there. I needed a solution: Unfortunately, I
cannot move the curtains away from the cage or the
cage away from the curtains (antecedent change) so
cheap curtains are my solution. Recently I did come up
with another solution, see Figure 1. Just kidding!!
Actually, the real antecedent change was to keep both
curtains to the left of Zazus cage. Now she cant reach
them. See how simple the solution actually is?
When my African Grey parrot Sally started biting
me, instead of labeling her a bad bird, I asked myself
when does she bite you? This was a light bulb
moment when I realized she only bit me when I asked
her to step up so I could put her to bed. My solution?
Spend more time with her before putting her to bed
(filling up the attention tank) and a pine nut every time
my hand is presented and she steps up. This has
worked beautifully and the biting has stopped except
for that rare time when I amin a rush. It is then I get bit-
ten for demanding a step up instead of asking.
Mistakes are painful. I can either give my birds the
choice of whether or not they want to step up, or they
can and most likely will, bite me. As Dr. Susan
Friedman (Living and Learning with Parrots instruc-
tor) so eloquently states past consequence is the best
predictor of future behavior. Its all about choices and
being the intelligent human being I think I am most of
the time, I opt not to get bitten. The solution was to give
myself more time to get out the door in the morning.
This is another example of an antecedent change.
My very favorite construct is hormonal. If I had 10
cents for every time Ive heard someone explain their
birds biting or screaming as hormonal, I could retire.
Dr. Susan Friedman explained it this way, Caregivers
say the problem is the bird is hormonal. Hormonal is
not a behavior problem; thus it is not a cause of behav-
ior problems. Behavior analysts say, operationalize that
please. (Meaning describe the behavior in clear, observ-
able terms) Caregivers respond, the bird bites, in the
spring, when I change the food bowls. Now that is a
behavior problem. And we can change that behavior by
changing the environment, e.g., increasing caregiver's
sensitivity to warnings vs. invitation to approach
behavior, teaching the bird to station away from the
feed doors with positive reinforcement strategies such
as shaping, etc.
Figure 1. One possible solution to curtain chewing.just kidding!
Photo credit: Bev Penny
A caregiver may say, the problem is my bird is nest-
ing, an innate drive. Abehavior analyst would say this
is not a behavior problem. What is the bird doing? The
response is, "Chewing the baseboards." That's a behav-
ior problem. And we can change that behavior by
changing the environment, e.g., we can do a FA, (func-
tional analysis) figure out what the setting events and
cues are to chewing baseboards and what about the
baseboards makes them more reinforcing to chew than
the toy box in the birds cage, etc.
Behavior analysts dont say the bird has no hor-
mones. Or that the bird wasn't engaging in nest build-
ing behavior. Only that those labels don't describe
behavior problems, i.e. behavior-environment relations
we can do something about
I guess my birds dont have hormones because my
flock which consists of one female Goffins cockatoo,
(14 years old) one female Congo African Grey parrot (7
years old) and one female Timneh African Grey parrot
(5 years old) do not bite and they do not scream. Did I
just get the behavioral lottery in my birds? No, the fact
of the matter is I work with my birds on a daily basis to
prevent biting and screaming. If I push my birds into
doing something they do not want to do, there is the
probability that at some point, they will bite. My job is
to avoid those bites by using positive reinforcement. I
also allow my birds to make choices in their every day
life. The more positive things I can include in their
daily lives, the better behavior I get from them.
So throw away all those constructs and really pay
attention to what your bird is telling you. By clearly
defining unwanted behaviors in clear, observable
terms, you can even change hormonal behavior. You
wont need to get a blood transfusion from putting
up with all the bites or ear plugs to drown out the
screaming. Youll be sitting back with a big silly grin on
your face thinking how lucky you are to have such well
behaved birds in your life. Thats what I have and you
can too. You just need to avoid constructs and labels
and learn how to use positive reinforcement to change
unwanted behaviors in your birds.
Does this body language mean my bird is hormonal? Photo credit: Bev Penny
LEARNING TO READ AND
INTERPRET BIRD BODY LANGUAGE
Training is a way for people to communicate to parrots. But how do parrots
communicate to us? They communicate through their body language.
Subtle changes in feather position, eye position and body posture can
give us a glimpse into what a bird might be thinking. Some postures
indicate fear or aggression. Other let us know our birds are relaxed and
comfortable. The greater our sensitivity is to our birds body language
the easier it will be for us to avoid doing things that might cause our
birds to be uncomfortable. In turn we can help foster an even stronger
relationship based on trust.
Look at the following photos and see if you can read and interpret the
body language of these birds. Apractice that can help you fine tune your
skills is to try to describe the exact body postures you are observing,
rather than using general labels such as content or nervous. Answers
are on page 85.
Photo Credits for photos on next page:
1. Photo Credit: Barbara Heidenreich
What is
Your Bird
Saying?
1
2
3
4
5
WHAT IS THIS BIRDS BODY LANGUAGE SAYING?
"How great the reverence I feel
when a small bird accepts me
as a friend."
- Helen Thomson
Photo Credit: Roelant Jonker and Grace Innemee
www.CityParrots.org
Quoth the Raven...er,
we mean the Parrot
M
y adventure began on June 15th
2008. Fromthere it snowballed into
something truly amazing. From
my first encounter to my last, The Gabriel
Foundation changed my life. I met people
from different backgrounds, tried different
kinds of foods, saw the best and worst in
humanity, and learned a ton about avicul-
ture. My stay at The Gabriel Foundation left
me with a lasting impression of how great
we can be for the birds in our care.
When my plane landed in Denver, I was so
scared. I was hundreds of miles away from
anything familiar, except luckily I was
allowed to bring my dog, Jaci, with me. She
is an exceptional Australian Cattle dog and a
great companion. Once off the plane, my first
mission.. rescuing her from the cargo area. Second
mission, I needed to find my ride. I was surprised when
The Gabriel Foundation founder Julie Murad called to
tell me she was already waiting for me. Jaci and I made
it outside to find a suburban with Julie driving. It was
really cool to have her pick me up. The ride fromthe air-
port to the aviary was a great opportunity to ask each of
my five million questions before we even got to the
house. Julie answered each one of them, and then some.
Once we arrived at the facility, I was immediately
thrown into the mix. Julie showed me my room and
within thirty minutes I was down at the aviaries
working.
The Gabriel Foundation has three buildings with
multiple aviaries branching out from them, and sur-
prisingly they need more! A fourth building is in the
process of having its funds raised, but they need
more money to help finance the much needed proj-
Photo credit: Kelly Ballance
at a
Parrot Sanctuary
By Kodi Pinnell
ect that will include additional space for more birds,
and an educational center.
Each of the three current buildings is assigned a letter,
so there are buildings A, B, and C. My first day I worked
in building C with a woman named Colleen. I arrived a
little after 11 AM, so all of the birds had already been
put outside into fully enriched flights. The birds that
are in Building C are pretty much all of the South
American birds (Macaws, Amazons, Conures, Quakers,
and Caiques) and some Lories and Indian Ringneck
Parakeets. My job was to change the papers, and then to
vacuum. While I was doing that Colleen was taking all
of the food and water bowls and cleaning them. This
took each of us about two hours and then it was time to
bring the birds in! What an awesome experience that
was. Each individual bird gets to have human interac-
tion each time it is brought inside or out. I am not say-
ing it is easy, because trust me it wasnt, but I cant think
of a better way to end the day.
The next few months went exactly the same,
except I didnt just work in Building C, but I worked
in A and B as well. Building B is full of Cockatoos.
Except for a flight with Blue and Gold Macaws,
building B is totally full of cockatoos. They are the
number one bird surrendered to The Gabriel
Foundation. Building A houses a wider variety of
species. There are Cockatoos, Amazons, Macaws,
Pionus, Conures, Doves and Pigeons, Greys, and it
also has a quarantine room. Every building has its
own dedicated team members. I will give you a run-
down of who usually works where. Building A is
usually Sergio, but when hes not there, Edgar usu-
ally fills in for him. Building B is almost always
Alonso, but if its his day off then Marcos will step
in for him. Building C is Colleen, Travis, or Edgar.
Then in the front office there is Patti, Karen and
Andrew. Everyone has influenced me in one way or
another whether they realize it or not.
Getting to interact with all of the different species
of parrots was the experience of a lifetime. I had the
chance to crate-train an active Goffins cockatoo
using positive reinforcement and I really enjoyed
the experience. It took about four weeks, with only a
couple sessions a day. His name is Pretty Boy
Chicken and he is available for adoption. There are
a lot of really neat birds available for adoption at
The Gabriel Foundation.
Each individual bird gets to have human interaction each time it is
brought inside or out. Photo credit: Kelly Balance
Getting to interact with all of the different species of parrots was the expe-
rience of a lifetime. Photo credit: Kelly Balance
During my stay, I had a really cool chance to do some
impromptu training with Jaci. Julie has a gate blocking
her basement from her upstairs, and I taught Jaci how
to open it. I realize nowthat it was a bad idea, but at the
time it was a lot of fun. It only took us about ten or so
repetitions and she had it all figured out. I cant wait to
get to go home so that I can use some of the techniques
that I learned while I was at The Gabriel Foundation,
especially with my own birds. I have always used pos-
itive reinforcement with my animals, but my horizons
have been expanded.
While I was here I felt like a king. I mean Julie is a
superb cook, and if she wasnt cooking then we were
out eating at different restaurants. I experienced
Thai food for the first time, had some of the best
pizza in my life, and fell in love with this little
Chinese restaurant in Parker. I am definitely walk-
ing away with a more cultured palate.
Julie also allowed me to stay in one of the rooms at
her house. I had the option to stay in a studio apart-
ment on the property but I wouldnt change the
experience for anything. The things that I was able
to be a part of are astonishing. I was able to go on
my first fourteener (climbing a mountain over
14,000 feet in elevation) while I was here as well.
Travis took me to Mt. Evans for a day and we saw
actual mountain goats! What a trip that was; we
probably traveled a total of eight miles, but at 10,000
feet it felt more like 28 miles! The most annoying
part of it was the Jaci was just literally running cir-
cles around us the entire time, and she wasnt sore at
all the next day. I also went with Julie to a MENSA
conference here in Denver. I was amazed at how
smart they were, but I was shocked at how little
common sense they actually had.
I promised everyone back home that I wasnt
going to adopt a bird, but I guess I was wrong. I
have adopted a wonderful little Lesser Sulphur
Crested Cockatoo, named Zoe. It was funny because
I only noticed her when I had about three weeks left.
I went out into the flight she was in so that we could
take some pictures, and she just came running from
the other side all the way over to me. It was really
neat, and I am glad she did. She fits in great at my
house, and she is going to enjoy a lifetime of posi-
tive reinforcement training, an outdoor flight and
tons of social interaction.
The Gabriel Foundation continues to be a driving
force in aviculture today and tomorrow. The fact is
that The Gabriel Foundation is always there and
they always deliver. No matter what; they will do
whatever they can to help parrots in the world. I will
not forget my time here at The Gabriel Foundation,
and I will not forget any of the people who helped
me while I was here. Every moment was special. I
felt welcomed and a part of the team. The summer
after High School was a memorable one that I will
never forget. I cant wait to return in October for the
The Gabriel Foundation Behavior and Training
Workshop. Maybe Ill see you there!
Kodi Pinnell is an 18 year old High School graduate with
ambitions to work in the animal field. He shares his home
with two Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, two dogs, and
his mom and brother. He enjoys learning about behavior,
nutrition, and conservation surrounding parrots. His family
just recently opened up a pet supply store, Parrots and More,
in his hometown of Lindale, Texas, USA.
S
ometimes I hear caregivers state that their parrot
ought to know how to step up because there is
a belief that it is the simplest, most basic behavior
for a companion parrot to know. This puzzles me, since
I consider stepping up on the hand or on a stick a very
advanced behavior for a companion parrot. Step up
involves: proximity to a human, accepting a hand or
stick close by (which may be unfamiliar items to the
parrot), touching and being touched; locomotors skills
such as lifting, moving and resting a foot, shifting the
weight on it, and more. If you think about it, stepping
up is a big behavior to ask a parrot, especially one who
may not have a history of interaction with humans, or
had unpleasant experiences with people, or simply did
not have time to develop a relationship with her care-
giver yet.
My point is that step up should be the last in a series
of simpler behaviors we teach a parrot. When I first
develop a relationship with a parrot simpler for me
includes no contact and may even include not coming
outside the cage. Teaching simpler behaviors first gives
us a chance to get to know the unique individual in
front of us and thus develop the most effective strategy
for teaching a behavior as complex as step up to that
particular individual. To illustrate this, let me describe
my recent experience with a pair of Vasa parrots I am
fostering long-term for The Gabriel Foundation.
Inti and Chaska
1
are a twelve year old ex-breeding
pair of Greater Vasa (Coracopsis Vasa) parrots who,
allegedly, were infertile and kept as companions by
their former caregiver. They were not handled much
and when they were released to the Foundation they
were not accustomed to humans. They leaned away
from an offered hand and would run to the back of the
cage. At the end of their stay at The Gabriel
Foundation, thanks to the socialization work done by
the wonderful staff, they were already accepting treats
from hands from inside the cage.
We picked up Inti and Chaska at the Baltimore air-
port on May 25th. After allowing them a few days to
settle in I started working with them. It did not take me
long to discover that their favorite food is sunflower
seed, indeed, any seed! Sunflower seed was promptly
Photo credit: Rita Sambruna
Simpler Steps
to
Step up
By Rita Sambruna
removed from their diet of fresh vegetables and grains
and kept aside for the formal training sessions.
At that time they were both moving away to the back
of the cage when I was approaching. I attributed this
regress to the stress of the travel and the change of
environment from the Foundation to my house. Thus,
my first goal with them was to shape proximity to me.
I started by dropping a sunflower seed in the food bowl
(located in the front of the cage) every time I was com-
ing by the cage. At first, I would drop the seed and
move back to the opposite side of the room, to allow
them to come close to the bowl, thus negatively rein-
forcing their movement toward me. Little by little, I
shortened the distance I was moving backward until
eventually I was able to stand by the cage while they
were retrieving the seed and eating it in my presence.
Soon they were taking the seed from my fingers
through the cage bars.
As a side note, I want to remark that, luckily for me,
lack of human interaction for these two meant that they
had never learned to bite. And I was going to do all in
my power not to teach them that.
Having shaped proximity to me, they were ready for
their next behavior targeting. I cannot emphasize
enough howfundamental this behavior is. Targeting (i.e.,
touching an item with a part of the body) is a no-contact
behavior, simple to teach and learn, extremely versatile, a
great way for the learner to understand the if-then con-
tingency IF I do this, THENthe reinforcer follows and
for the teacher to add value to herself through association
with the reinforcer. I taught targeting to all my parrots
before I taught them anything else. It is also a great way
to exercise a cage-bound parrot, or to interact with him if
you only have three minutes before going to work and
cannot take him out of the cage. Just move that target
around and watch those legs get moving!
Inti learns to wrap his toes around the bars.
As a target I use chopsticks, which I collect from my
Chinese dinner takeouts. I hold the chopstick at some
distance from the parrot (where his body language tells
me he is comfortable) and I wait for the parrot to come
and explore it with the beak. The second she touches
the tip of the stick I praise and reinforce. (Intermediate
steps may be required with some parrots to reinforce
approximations to being close to the chopstick, of
course.) Luckily for me, Inti and Chaska took to the
stick immediately, coming close and touching it with-
out hesitation. Voila a few repetitions and targeting
was learned!
Targeting came in handy on one occasion when Inti
escaped. I was cleaning his cage and out he went, fly-
ing around the room and landing on top. By moving
the target I gradually led him closer and closer to the
cage door and then inside.
The next behavior I wanted to shape was to hold the
foot against the cage bar and allow a nail trim, as their
toenails were quite long by now. This is another behav-
ior that can be taught without requiring the bird to be
out of the cage and is relatively no-contact. The way I
shaped it was by holding my fist with the seed in view
high up so they had to stretch up to get the seed.
Instinctively the foot closest to the bars comes up and
grabs hold; praise and reinforce. After a few repetitions
of this, I started working on duration of keeping the
foot on the cage bars, then bringing the clipper closer
and closer, then touching the nail with clipper, until I
could snip away the tip of the nail.
At this point there was no hesitation in the way they
approached me from inside the cage, and I would often
find them waiting for me on their training spot when I
entered the room. Had they shown still some hesitation
I would have continued with other no-contact, in-the-
Gradually I was able to clip his toe nails.
cage behaviors. Instead, I decided they were ready to
try to step up. And here is when my knowledge of
them as individuals, acquired during the previous
training, paid off.
For Inti, who still shied away fromdirect touch, I opted
for using a hand-held perch. The approximations of my
shaping were touching the perch with one foot first, then
placing the foot on it, then shifting his weight on the foot
on the perch, then standing on it with both feet, then
standing on it while I was slowly moving the perch. I had
to make sure my hand holding the perch was rock solid
in order to make the experience the most positive possi-
ble for him. On July 20th Inti came out of his cage on the
hand-held perch. Three days later he stepped on his gym
at the other end of the room. One week later he stepped
on the scale and I was able to measure his weight for the
first time ever a whopping 507 grams (it did not help he
had eaten half a jar of seeds!).
Things for Chaska went differently. She had started
growing back feathers on her head. Female Vasa par-
rots loose their head feathers in breeding season and
their head skin turns mustard yellow, which makes
them look like turkey vultures! As we were approach-
ing the end of the breeding season, little shiny pin-
feathers started popping out on her head. However,
Chaska is temporarily separated from Inti by a remov-
able divider, as female Vasa are well known to attack
and even kill the male during breeding season. Perhaps
because of the prickling pin feathers and lack of a
preening buddy Chaska started bowing her head and
soliciting rubbing from us through the cage bars. This
led me to believe that she could be taught to step up
directly onto my hand.
I prepared her for standing on my hand in the fol-
lowing way. I capitalized on her previously acquired
behavior of holding the foot against the cage bars for a
On July 20th Inti came out of his cage on the hand-held perch
Chaska wraps her foot around one finger. Photo credit: Rita Sambruna
Chaska wraps her foot around three fingers. Photo credit: Rita Sambruna
nail trim. I cued her for this behavior, except that at the
last moment I put my index finger between her foot
and the bar, so that she ended up wrapping my finger
around the bar; I marked and reinforced. After a few
repetitions, I started moving my finger gradually down
through the bar space, until I was holding it horizontal
on the perch. Basically I was teaching her to target my
finger with her foot. Then I added two fingers. Luckily
the cage is a big one and the space between the bars is
relatively large. Then I added three fingers through two
consecutive bar spaces. When I finally opened the door
and offered my hand palm-up Chaska knew exactly
what to do. She put her foot on it with no hesitation.
The next approximation was to have her shift her
weight on the foot on my hand. I accomplished that sim-
ply by luring her forward. Eventually she also put the
second foot on my hand. I kept my hand steady and at
rest no movement! When I first lifted my hand by an
inch I immediately gave her the chance to go back to the
perch, which she took right away. Teaching her to stay
on the moving hand proved to be more challenging than
I thought. I soon realized she was more eager to accept
vertical motion than horizontal one, so I started moving
her up and down first, then slowly shifting to a more
horizontal motion, until she was ready to come out.
On August 1st, two months after coming to my
house, Chaska had her first outing from the cage on my
hand. She sat there with her weight low, feathers loose,
her big brown eyes wandering around the room, while
I walked her to the gym and back. It was one tri-
umphant moment for me and, I hope, for her as well. I
thought about this beautiful creature, who had not
allowed human touch thus far, and who was now
standing on my hand; and I was deeply moved.
Such is the power of positive reinforcement.
Ritas passion for parrots exploded several years ago when
she acquired her first parrot, a Jardines named Reggie. Since
then, Rita has been an avid learner of all things avian. She
lives in Northern Virginia with seven parrots, two horses,
and a very supporting husband. An astrophysicist by trade,
Rita is a firm believer in the power of evidence-based knowl-
edge to improve the lives of parrots, and all animals, both in
the wild and in captivity. To this end, she co-founded the
Animal Education Foundation, a non-profit organization
focused on parrot behavior, training, and enrichment solu-
tions (www.animaleducationfoundation.org), operating in
the Washington, DC, metro area.
1. Quechua words for Sun and Star, respectively.
Teaching her to stay on the moving hand proved to be more challenging than I thought. Photo credit: Rita Sambruna
OUR FEATURED PROFILE:
Originally from New City, New York, Cassie attended the Pennsylvania State University and earned a
degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. There, she participated in field research on amphibians, neotropical
migrant songbirds, catbirds, and fox squirrels. Cassie also worked as a zookeeper, rehabilitator, and park
ranger at New York's Bear Mountain Zoo for two years. She joined Natural Encounters, Inc. in April 1998,
officially beginning her career as an animal trainer with a strong focus on birds. Since joining the NEI team,
she has produced and performed several free-flight bird shows across the country, consulted on bird shows
internationally, instructed at NEI Training Workshops, presented papers at The International Association of
Avian Trainers and Educators and American Association of Zoo Keepers conferences, and become Vice
President of IAATE in 2004. Cassie is currently the Director of Staff Development at NEI.
She shares her home with a Black and Tan Coonhound (Oliver) and two cats (Jasmine and Hendrix). In
Downtown Orlando, where shes lived for several years, she is surrounded by an incredible community of
friends and animals (including two Rhode Island Red Chicken Hens), which all share in the care of. In her
free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, going to the Dog Park, hiking, camping, wildlife pho-
tography and art, as well as... you guessed it... birdwatching!
Be a featured profile in an upcoming issue. Send your photos to info@goodbirdinc.com.
W
hy are we drawn to animals? Some the-
orize it is in our genes. Biophilia is the
word coined by E.O.Wilson for the
human propensity to affiliate with other life forms.
Wilson suggests that humans have an innate affin-
ity for living things which has evolved over many
years of learning and experience with nature.
Perhaps our genes do influence the desire to be
around animals, but clearly there are undeniable
rewards from the opportunity to develop a loving
caring relationship with a species other than our-
selves.
If we are fortunate to have a love of animals fos-
tered in our lifetimes we can learn about responsi-
bility, empathy, the value of life, companionship,
nurturing, commitment and many times uncondi-
tional love.
Have animals had a profound influence on your
life? Share your photos or story with Good Bird
Magazine. Email 300 dpi photos to info@good-
birdinc.com.
Profile of an Animal Lover
A
t a Labor Day barbeque my friends and I start-
ed sharing funny stories about our animals.
My friend Mike told a particularly amusing
tale about how his little Border Collie mix, JT, once had
a frozen cat turd in his mouth. Mike chased after JT and
the poopsicle. Needless to say this caused little JT to
run even faster. We decided that JT thought If Mike
wants it too, this must be REALLY good. The image of
Mike chasing a dog with frozen poop in his mouth had
us all rolling on the floor laughing. Mike admitted he
even asked himself at the time What am I doing? This
is ridiculous! But it is true, sometimes our knee jerk
reaction to something in a pets mouth is to try to grab
it outta there.
As Mike learned, this is ridiculous. When we try to
chase or forcibly remove something from our dog or
parrots mouth we end up teaching our animals to
either try to escape and/or hang on even tighter to
what they have got.
The good news is there is a very simple solution to
this dilemma. We simply train our pets to drop what-
ever is in their mouth on cue. Even a fabulous cat turd
can be given up with ease when we train with positive
reinforcement.
Sticking with dogs here for a moment I will share
how I trained this with my puppy, Waylon. Puppies are
notorious for chewing up all sorts of contraband.
Despite my best efforts to keep all items I did not want
chewed up from the floor, I knew there would be
moments when my favorite shoes might end up in my
puppys mouth. I decided to teach a strong drop
behavior. To do this I armed myself with Waylons
absolute favorite treats hidden in my fist. I offered
Waylon an acceptable chew toy such as a stuffed ani-
mal. As he was chewing I placed my closed fist full of
treats next to the toy, when he would stop chewing and
smell my closed fist, I bridged ( said the word good)
and opened my fist so that he could get a treat. This
was repeated several times, until the presentation of
How did they train that?
TEACHING YOUR PARROT TO DROP AN ITEM ON CUE
Trying to wrestle an item away from your pet sends the wrong message
my fist would quickly cause him to drop what was in
his mouth. I then added a verbal cue as well. I chose the
oh, so clever, word drop.
My next step was to raise the bar a bit. I offered
Waylon something he enjoys more than a stuffed toy,
his squeaky ball. This was followed by even more
enticing items, including a bone. Every time Waylon
dropped the item he received a treat, or in some cases I
simply offered back the item he had dropped, or anoth-
er fun chewable item. When the day came when he
found a shoe, I walked up to Waylon as I would under
any circumstances. This meant no chasing, yelling or
shrieks that my shoe was in his mouth. I calmly gave
himthe drop cue and the shoe left his mouth unscathed
and hit the floor. I also did not have a treat in my hand,
which was not a problem. My goal had always been
that the treat would be phased out from being hidden
in the hand. This time I gave him lots of praise and
attention, which worked fine as a reinforcer. Now I reg-
ularly reinforce with all sorts of things.a treat, giving
back the itemhe dropped, attention, another acceptable
chew toy, etc. I so enjoy that he will drop even the
smallest item when cued. And he does it eagerly know-
ing something else he enjoys is sure to follow.
So how does this example relate to your parrot? How
many have had a parrot destroy a ink loaded pen, or
grab hold of an electrical cord, or break apart a toy and
roll little dangerous bits in their mouths? I know I have
experienced all these circumstances myself. Parrots
love to explore with their mouths and dutifully
destroying things with their beaks seems to be why
they were put on this earth. Certainly I would never
deny a parrot the much needed opportunity to chew,
but I would prefer he chewon items designated for that
purpose, not my brand new phone, or the keys on my
computer.
Just like I did with my dog, I can start by setting my
parrot up for success. I can make sure he has plenty of
acceptable chew toys within reaching distance.
However unless my parrot never leaves his cage,
inevitably there will be a day when he will get a hold of
When Waylon smelled treats in my fist he would drop what was in his
mouth. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Waylon will even drop a bone when cued.
Has your parrot ever chewed on things he was not supposed to? Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
like phone equipment? Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
something not on the list of approved chew toys. This
is when the drop behavior will be important.
In many ways this behavior is trained the same as it
was for my puppy. I offer the parrot an acceptable chew
toy. Since parrots can be quite sensitive, I usually slow-
ly offer the item and read the birds body language to
make sure I dont create a fear response. Usually an
inquisitive parrot will be very engaged in exploring the
item at first. I may have to show a treat to encourage
the parrot to drop the item in his beak. Sometimes a
parrot may drop the item from his beak, but keep a
hold onto it with his foot in order to get the treat. To me
this is a fine first approximation. Often once the treat is
in the mouth, the parrot will also relinquish his hold
with his foot.
If the parrot is not interested in treats, I may hold up
another more desirable toy. Many parrots will drop toy
#1 to get toy #2. If this sounds like your bird, you will
want to have a stash of small toys to trade out every
time your parrot drops the one in his beak.
or th blinds. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Collect a few parrot safe items to use to train the drop behavior. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
I usually slowly offer the item and read the birds body language to make
sure I dont create a fear response. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
This is done by retraining the behavior with many different items. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Generalize the behavior until your parrot will drop on cue any toy
offered. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Whether you use food or another toy as a reinforcer
for the behavior, what you will start to observe is that
your parrot will soon anticipate dropping what is in his
beak to receive the next item. When this is noticed it is
time to start introducing a cue. Look for body language
that indicates your parrot is about to drop the item. Try
to insert your cue just before the drop actually happens.
I like to use the verbal cue drop paired with my index
finger pointing down.
Along the way you will want to be sure to phase out
showing the reinforcer whether it is a food treat or
another toy. Instead you will give the cue, the parrot
will drop the item, and the reinforcer will appear and
be delivered.
Once your parrot is presenting this behavior consis-
tently with acceptable chew toys, it is time to raise your
criteria. This means offering your parrot something dif-
ferent and desired by your parrot. You may see the
behavior breakdown just a little at first. You may even
have to go back to showing the reinforcer for a few rep-
etitions. But you will have taught your bird that giving
up novel items is worth his while. Raise your criteria by offering a particularly enticing item. Photo credit:
Barbara Heidenreich
Be sure to phase out showing the reinforcer whether it is a food treat or another toy. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Over time keep increasing the value of the chew item
presented. Your goal is to generalize the behavior so
that any object in your parrots beak will be dropped
when the cue is presented. And just like my puppy you
will want to refrain from chasing your parrot or trying
to grab things out of his mouth. This will only teach
your parrot to run like JT with a cat poopsicle. Now
there is an image you can cherish to help remind you to
train this behavior.
Try this one at home and share your success story
with Good Bird Magazine. See page for # for details on
submitting your story.
Barbara has been a professional in the field of animal
training since 1990. She owns Good Bird Inc
(www.GoodBirdInc.com) that provides behavior and training
products to the companion parrot community. These products
include Good Bird Magazine, books, videos, and parrot train-
ing workshops. Barbara has been a featured speaker on animal
training on six continents and has been published in six dif-
ferent languages. She is an in demand speaker. The following
represents a small portion of her past speaking engagements:
US Department of Agriculture Inspector Training,
Association of Avian Veterinarians conference, The American
Federation of Aviculture conference, The International Parrot
Conference at Loro Parque, Parrot Festival, The International
Association of Avian Trainers and Educators conference,
American Association of Zoo Keepers conference, Association
of Zoos and Aquariums conference, The Parrot Society of
Australia conference and many more. She is the past presi-
dent of the International Association of Avian Trainers and
Educators (www.IAATE.org) and has been on the Board of
Directors since 1997.
She is the author of Good Bird! A Guide to Solving
Behavior Problems in Companion Parrots and also The
Parrot Problem Solver. Finding Solutions to Aggressive
Behavior. She is also the producer of the Good Bird Parrot
Behavior and Training DVD series.
Barbaras experience also includes consulting on animal
training in zoos and other animal related facilities. She has
been a part of the development and production of more than
15 different free flight education programs and has worked
with 19 different animal facilities. Barbara continues to pro-
vide consulting services to zoos, nature centers and other
animal facilities through her other company Animal
Training and Consulting Services (www.ATandCS.com). In
her career she has trained animals, trained staff, and/or pre-
sented shows at facilities around the world.
I like to use the verbal cue drop paired with my index finger pointing
down. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
I
n the days before Barnaby, my Timneh African Grey,
joined our flock, there was just Chester, my
Alexandrine Parrot, Dreyfuss, my Maximillum
Pionus and me living together in a large two bedroom
apartment. It actually was a wonderful place with
many of the rooms being larger than those in my cur-
rent house and the large sliding glass window in the
dining room made for a scenic view of the woods. Pink
floor length curtains hung from its side with a valence
(hand made by me) stretching across the top.
Chester and Dreyfuss stayed in the dining room,
their cages arranged on a wall at either end of a table.
It made for some interesting business meetings (I work
from my home) and dinners with the family. Whoever
thought only dogs begged for food has certainly never
met my guys!
That was long before I had ever heard of behavioral
analysis, and creating an enriching environment. In
those days that meant putting some acrylic toys in their
cages, right? I got them at the pet store, and they were
labeled bird toys after all.
Enrichment Solutions to Behavior Problems
By Lisa Desatnik
Photo credit: Lisa Desatnik
I did a lot of things differently back then, and as a
result, so did the guys. Take for example those flowing,
opaque pink curtains that were no longer transparent
to the suns afternoon rays by the time I bought a
house. If youre ever looking for an awesome play gym
for your parrot, Ive got a suggestion. To Chester, they
were the greatest thing next to safflower seeds. Hed
slide down his cage stand, waddle across the floor and
climb to his hearts content. Up, down, right, left. If he
was on the outer edge, he could swing it around so that
only his head would stick out. And, if I didnt find him
while he was playing monkey on the curtains, hed
make it all the way up to the valence. I cant tell you
how many times Id walk out to find him hanging
upside down. When hed see me, hed tilt his head up
as if to say look mom, look at me!
I was so frustrated because I couldnt stop him, but at
the same time, if youve ever seen an Alexandrine
hanging upside down with such a comical look about
him, you cant help but laugh. Its just so funny.
Then there was the time when I was on the telephone
in a back bedroom and suddenly I heard
CRUNCH! That was the sound of a dining room
chair being disassembled by a beak that didnt have
anything better to chew on. Sigh.
Needless to say, I was determined when we moved,
that history was NOT going to repeat itself. And thank-
fully now, I have the knowledge to prevent it. (at least
so far and its been nine years)
Its easy to look back on the situation now and see
how Chesters environment wasnt setting him up for
success, at least success through my eyes. With a
behavioral analysis hat on, I looked at his curtain
climbing antics.
Antecedents that predict the behavior: Curtains are
in view, Chester is out of his cage.
Behavior observed: Chester waddles over and climbs
the curtains.
Consequence of doing the behavior: Desired sensory
feedback stimulation from his having to use his beak
and feet.
Other reinforcers:
Activity: He was busy and engaged
Social: If I came into the room, hed get my
attention.
Predicted future behavior: When Chester is activity
and Lisa deprived, hell continue to climb the curtains.
So, what have I done differently to set himup for suc-
cess? Well, honestly, I really just needed to do some
antecedent changes to prevent him from destroying
things here and it has solved our problem. I have creat-
ed a much more enriching environment. I even keep
their cage doors open while Im working in my base-
ment and the only reason Chester will come off his cage
is if something scares him. But Im prepared for that
too.
Chester, and all of my birds, have a lot to do during
the day to keep them busy. I spend hours each week
making strands of knotted hemp and beads that I hang
all over the inside and outside of their cages. I wrap
almonds in cloth or a box or paper cup for Chester and
Dreyfuss. I have portions of a phone book wrapped in
string on the cage floor of Chesters cage and hanging
toys for Barnaby, my Timneh Grey, to hang from. The
list goes on but you get the picture. They are busy if
they want to be, and if they want to nap, thats fine too.
But for the instance that Chester should come to the
ground (and now I put him there too when Im clean-
ing cages or watching TV), Ive made some play sta-
tions for him. I got a mirrored toy from a human baby
store and he could spend hours with it, so much so that
I got a second one for the television room. Scattering
some beads or resting a tub of activity items next to it
makes staying in that location even more reinforcing. I
bought a cheap plastic round snow sled and placed an
Orbit play gym on top, tying strands of beads to it. This
is also in the television room, next to the mirror toy.
Chester receives such positive sensory and activity
reinforcement for playing with these toys that theres
no reason for him to search out a dining room chair or
curtain.
And Id much rather laugh at him rolling his mirror
toy around the floor than hanging from my hand made
valence any day!
I
t is so fantastic to see people excited to share how
positive reinforcement is working with their birds.
It's been such a joy to read all of these stories that I
thought I would share some insight about what I've
seen as I perform educational shows with my own par-
rots. Each interaction is such a new, unique learning
experience for the parrots, the audience and me. I
could not fathom doing anything else.
All too often, we are under some form of coercion,
basically being forced to do something against our will.
It seems as though it is more prevalent than positive
reinforcement. The process begins with how we teach
our children. They MUST: make their bed; eat their last
bite, put toys away, brush their teeth, etc. Then they
grow up and go to work. They MUST: stay 50 hours,
follow the policies, be on time, etc. Where is the posi-
tive reinforcement? Yet here we are as trainers, trying
everything possible not to force ourselves upon the ani-
mals under our care.
I hope to bring to light the differences of worlds
which seem so alien from each other. The world of ani-
mal versus human, feathers versus hair, coercion ver-
sus positive reinforcement. The show I present
to preschool children is one of comparing these two
worlds using parrots. When the children decide to
swipe at the birds during the presentations, I explain to
the children that once more and the bird is put away.
They face a time out from the opportunity of being
with the birds. When they comply with my request,
the birds remain and we go on with the show with the
kids eager to see more.
The lectures always begin with what the birds are
capable of doing; speaking, flying, touching, climbing,
toy playing, roller skating and even biting. One of my
favorite questions to the children is, "Wouldn't it be
great if we could be paid to play like my birds are?" I
Making the
Connection: From
Parrots to Children
By Debbie Goodrich
The Parrot Lady
www.parrotlady.com
Photo credit: Debbie Goodrich
further explain how much parrots have similar needs
to our own. How they need toys like children, have
their own room like children, have their own "beds"
like children, have parents, grandparents and babysit-
ters. They are so much like us in their social needs, kids
are often amazed.
Yet they are so different from most children because
they are asked to do the behaviors they present versus
being coerced. Are the children asked to do the behav-
ior of sit through my presentation? From the teachers,
I often hear words associated with coercion. I use
moments with my birds to teach children the differ-
ence. When a child says to me, "MAKE the parrot talk"
I will say, "I cannot make him, but I can ask him. If he
does the thing I ask him to, he gets a reward. Do you
get a reward for doing something good?" When I ask
this question, I am so very glad when they acknowl-
edge they do. Yet I see more often than I'd like a hesi-
tation about that question while they think about if
they do or not. Then I ask them, "Do you get a piece of
candy for doing something good? Do you get a hug?
Do you get to do something special? Do you simply
get told you are doing a good job?" Then many more
hands go up as they realize they are rewarded for
doing a good job.
It's when this realization occurs that I ask for volun-
teers to come up and be animal trainers. I only pick
those that I see doing the behaviors I am asking them
to do, which is to sit quietly with their hand up. They
are rewarded by being picked. They then are reward-
ed again by interacting with my Blue and Gold macaw.
They get to cue a behavior and then they get to experi-
ence how this amazingly powerful animal can be so
gentle as he picks up the treat from their tiny hands.
At the start of the show many kids look fearful that
the birds might bite. It makes me sad to see such fear of
an animal that is not really known in the wild to be a
predatory or dangerous animal. However it really
motivates me when those same fearful children later in
the show come up to my Eclectus parrot, Rudy. After a
little demonstration on how to safely interact with him
they overcome their fears and touch his silky feathers.
They learn they don't have to live in fear of something
that they dont yet understand. They also make a con-
nection with a piece of the wild, wonderful natural
world we in which we live. A connection I hope lasts
them a lifetime.
MERCY CAME INTO OUR LIVES
AS QUICKLY AS SHE LEFT.
A
Congo African Grey parrot, sixteen years
young, she was displaced for the second time
in her life when we got the call. From the
moment the phone rang, with word that there was a
grey that needed a home; we knew she would be a
good fit. A grey was my dream parrot, and I was very
eager to experience the intelligence and talking ability
of one. When we arrived, it went without saying that
we would take this bird home. Her living conditions
were less then spectacular, and her diet was not
something to be desired.
The first couple weeks were rough. Mercy took
an instant dislike to me, and would unabashedly
insult me using rude phrases and names. She
would also not hesitate to stare me down, or send
a well placed nip my way. If by chance she did
allow me to pick her up, she only allotted a small
amount of time for me to carry her from point Ato
point B before she would begin to nip at my hand.
Try as I might, no amount of handmade toys, lov-
ingly prepared food, or favorite treats could win her
over. However, she took an instant shine to my moth-
er, and they became best of friends. Mercy would beg
to get her attention, and they would spend hours cud-
dling on the couch. My mother could do anything with
that bird- carry her around the house, engage her in
activities, hand feed her treats. Mercy happily partici-
pated in any activity that included my mom. I enjoyed
sitting by the sidelines, listening to her growing reper-
toire of phrases and sounds, and watching her turn into
a love bug when snuggle time came around.
A year went by, and our family underwent many
changes. We added another rehomed parrot to the
flock (a Caique) and moved across state. We were
finally settling into a new pace of life, when the unex-
pected happened.
Being as I am an early bird, I was up one morning
browsing on the computer in the other room as to not
wake the birds, who were situated in our living room.
I started to hear this odd noise, reminiscent of Darth
Vader. Tiptoeing into the living room, I immediately
started checking cages. Tired birds peeked out from
under their covers, feet curled comfortably against their
bodies, except for Mercy. She was swinging slowly on her
swing, and making a noise that can only be described as
a death rattle. Her whole body shook in pain and her tail
was bobbing furiously with each breath. Of course, this
all happened on a Sunday morning.
I put in a frantic call to the veterinarian on his emer-
gency line, and we raced to take Mercy in. We met the vet
at the door, and anxiously waited for him to complete a
preliminary examination. Of course by now, adrenaline
had kicked in, and Mercy had stopped making the noise
that was worrying us so. Last year, when my Amazon
parrot Paco was sick, we experienced the same frustra-
Learning from Mercy
By Emily Gough
tion, him not showing he was sick when we took him to
the vet, and the vet was unable to see and experience the
troublesome symptoms. I learned a great deal from that
experience, and so before we had bundled up Mercy and
headed to the office, I had used my digital recorder to
record the distressing noise.
When the vet sat down to talk to us, I offered him the
recorder to listen. Surprised, he listened to the recording
intently, and then patted me on the back. He had been
about to tell us that because Mercy stopped exhibiting
symptoms (as expected) he was going to have to run a
great deal of testing to find out what was wrong. But,
because he could listen to the noise that we were so wor-
ried about, he was able to eliminate a great deal of possi-
ble causes, such as egg binding, and certain respiratory
ailments. He explained that because of the way she was
breathing, he was able to identify what area was being
affected- upper respiratory versus lower respiratory- and
eliminate a list of previous concerns. That was the good
news. The bad news was that what it narrowed down to
was heart trouble. The vet kept Mercy in an ICUunit, and
set up the unit so that she could breathe in pain medica-
tion to get some relief. Until the x-rays and other tests
were back, we would have to wait.
The next day, we were able to go visit Mercy, bring her
some favorite foods, and discuss the results of current
tests run. We discussed little observations that had been
previously missed- decrease in activity, for example, with
our vet, in hopes to come to a concrete conclusion of what
had happened. The X-rays taken revealed that Mercy's
arteries were hardened and clogged, her heart swollen,
and there was fluid in her lungs. The vet explained it as
a heart attack, and we agreed that it was likely a conse-
quence of her previous diet, which was made up of main-
ly peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Mercy was at the veterinarians office for about a
week, recuperating. Our vet was wonderful, and kept
her in the ICU unit to keep her most comfortable, and
allowed us to visit her. Near the end of the week, Mercy
was starting to make some of her favorite noises again,
and interacting with my mom when we came to see
her. On Wednesday, we were allowed to bring her
home, much to our surprise.
Under careful instruction from the vet, we moved her
cage against a wall to give her more comfort, kept it par-
tially covered with a light blanket, and set up a humidifi-
er next to the cage. These changes helped keep her calm,
and breathe easier. Within a couple days, much to our
astonishment, she was on top of her cage, when she
grasped to her perch firmly and began flapping! This we
believed to be the start of the road to recovery.
Acouple days before the Thanksgiving holiday, Mercy
started to decline. She became listless, and stopped play-
ing with toys. Two days before we were scheduled to
leave town for the holiday, Mercy took a turn for the
worse. That night, the noise started again. My mom took
her out of her cage, and cuddled with her on the couch as
I called the vet. That night, Mercy suffered a series of
mini strokes and presumably another heart attack.
Knowing this was the end, we stayed up with her
throughout the night. By morning, Mercy was still alive,
against whatever odds. Knowing it was time to say good-
bye, we wrapped her in a blanket and drove to the vet.
During the car ride, I was able to pet her head, without
her attempting to bite me, a first.
At the clinic, the vet prepared the oral anesthesia that
would put Mercy gently to sleep and end her pain. As
he fed the contents of the syringe into her crop, her eyes
got heavy. After a couple minutes, the vet left the room
to get another syringe. Because her heart was no longer
pumping properly, the normal dosage was not effec-
tive, so it was doubled. For the past year, my mom had
been trying to teach Mercy to say "I love you." As
Mercy drifted off to sleep, it was the first- and last- time
she ever uttered the words "I love you" to the human
that cared about her most.
As a reminder of just how much Mercy touched our
lives in the short time she was with us, our vet removed
her band and gave it to me for safekeeping. At a later
date, he explained the importance of that week and the
revelation that had followed. The recording of Mercy's
wheezing had not only saved our family money that
would have been otherwise spent running tests, but it
helped save Mercy. Because the vet was able to experi-
ence what we had been witnessing, he was able to diag-
nose her and not have to go through trial and error to
find the cause. Mercy shouldn't have been alive after that
first heart attack- but she was. That recording had bought
us a month of extra time with the bird we had only
known for such a short period.
SUBMIT YOUR SUCCESS STORY!
Inspire others by sharing your experiences with positive reinforcement training.
PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
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The Results: Describe what the situation is like now.
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PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES FOR YOUR SUBMISSION:
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I
t has been a busy, fun and exciting fewmonths since
the last issue of Good Bird Magazine came out. It
started with a warm up presentation so to speak
at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Club. This club is proba-
bly the one closest to my home. Ashort drive south and
I am there. We spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon dis-
cussing managing flighted birds in the home.
Shortly after that it was off to New Zealand and
Australia. This trip was filled with once in a lifetime
experiences for me. It was my first time in NewZealand
and this little side excursion was just for fun for a
change. I booked a room in a quaint boutique hotel in
the historic part of Auckland called Parnell Village. Alas
my hotel was so boutique that the clerk wasnt there
when I arrived at 6:00 AM after 20 hours of flying. But
oddly enough I was fairly comfy as I sat waiting in a
chair outside the lobby and checked email on my
Blackberry. I felt even a bit virtuous. Look at me getting
work done! At 8 AM I was off to my room (which truly
was cute as can be) for a much needed nap.
Later in the day I felt refreshed and ready to explore.
Unlike North America June means winter time in New
Zealand. The weather would rapidly change from
sunny skies to torrential down pours. I found a break in
the weather to leisurely walk to the Auckland Museum.
Here I boned up on the Maori culture and took in a
dance performance. Check out the movie Whale Rider
for an entertaining introduction to the Maori culture.
Next was the natural history portion of the museum. It
was here I saw my first and only Kakapo. Stuffed of
course, but still a thrill to see at all. Kakapos are one of
the most fascinating parrot species behaviorally in my
opinion. They are flightless, huge and a mossy green.
The males climb mountains, dig out a bowl in the
ground, suck air into their air sacks and make a boom-
ing sound in search of a mate. Just fascinating. Sadly
they are nearly extinct. To learn more about what is
being done to save the Kakapo visit this website.
http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz/ You can also
hear their booming sound here. There is also a very
nice piece on the Kakapo in the Life of Birds video
series with David Attenborough.
Conference, Event Reviews and Press Releases
Historic Parnell Village in Auckland, New Zealand
Maori art at the Auckland Museum
The next day it was off to meet my contact at the
Auckland Zoo. Along the way I saw one of the coolest
birds native to New Zealand, the Pukeko
http://www.pukeko.ws/bird.html. At the zoo I had
the pleasure of being toured by bird area supervisor
Bruce. This meant some extra special treats for this bird
nerd. Not only did I get to see a trained Kakariki and
trained Kaka (super, super cool parrot) in their shows,
I got to TOUCH a kiwi!!! And I dont mean a human
from New Zealand; I mean the bird, the symbol of New
Zealand. This was truly a treat that made the entire trip
worthwhile. While they look furry, their feathers are
actually quite stiff. Their gentle girl was hand raised
and waits patiently during the show, hidden within the
hollows of a stump prior to emerging to forage about as
wild Kiwis do. Their show was most definitely a cele-
bration of New Zealand wildlife and the set made you
feel as if you were immersed in the woods waiting for
animals to appear.
Google Kakas and Kakarikis and you will found lots
of info, including some great footage of wild Kakas
boldly approaching hikers for food.
My one and only Kakapo.
He is far away, but there is a Pukeko in this photo
The super cool Kaka parrot.
Another special treat was a behind the scenes visit
with the orangutan keepers. During a training session
keepers demonstrated the excellent work they have
done with these animals. The behaviors learned includ-
ed tons of medical behaviors, color discrimination and
my favorite trade. Orangutans are famous for man-
aging to get a hold of something they are not supposed
to have. Once learned a simple verbal cue of trade
and the great apes will trade what they have for what
you have..a treat. When well trained, they will often
offer everything they can get their hands on when cued
for the trade behavior. This behavior is one I often
encourage people train their parrots to do. All too often
our feathered friends end up with something unaccept-
able in their beaks. Dropping an item on cue is not too
hard to train and much better than wrestling some-
thing out of your parrots beak.
My last day in New Zealand turned out to be a rainy
one. The ferry to the island I planned to visit for bird
watching was cancelled. This meant an afternoon
strolling the streets of Parnell and visiting shops.
Knowing how many incredible bird species are found
in this part of the world. I anticipate a return trip when
the weather is more agreeable.
I was told the trainers believe they are smarter than a Kea.
Feeding corn to a trained Kiwi.
An island pig breed called the Kunekune.
A Brolga at the Auckland Zoo.
A Heron at the Auckland Zoo.
Sight seeing in Parnell Village
Next stop, Australia! Last time I was in Australia it
was for a brief three days. This time was going to be
different. I met up with my friends Nic Bishop, bird
trainer at the Taronga Zoo and Shane Hancock, vice
president of the Parrot Society of Australia. Our first
big adventure was a visit to the Australia Zoo, home
of the Irwin family. Shane has been involved with this
zoo for many years. This meant even more amazing
experiences were about to happen. Touching a Kiwi
was pretty cool, but cuddling a Koala was pretty awe-
some too. We all also got up close and personal with
Wombats! These adorable marsupials seem to be the
fast moving ground dwelling cousin to the Koala. I
was also extremely fortunate to touch a hand raised
Tasmanian Devil. These poor creatures are struggling
in the wild due to a virus that creates a cancer around
their mouths. Some fear the Tasmanian Devil may
disappear in the wild in our lifetime due to this very
serious problem.
At the Australia Zoo we also had the privilege of
feeding and touching their elephants. I felt very much
the VIP as our group was escorted to the feeding area.
I think we made a few other guests a bit jealous.
Of course an important part of our visit was a trip to the
Crocasium. This is where guests are able to viewthe infa-
mous croc shows. But in addition to crocodiles, people
might be surprised to learn there is a fabulous bird por-
tion of the show. Macaws (which are rare in Australia) fly
in the show as do flocks of lorikeets, Major Mitchells
cockatoos, Red Tailed and Yellow Tailed cockatoos. This
swarm of birds looping the open air stadium caused the
audience to ooh and ahh. I may be a bit biased, but I think
the birds got the biggest response out of the audience of
all the animals presented. The show also included a
Kookaburra, Heron and Cormorants. With the water ele-
ment the Cormorants were able to dive and retrieve items
from water. No crocs in the pool of course at that time.
A church in Parnell Village. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
After the show I was fortunate to spend some time
with the bird show staff. We toured their collection and
brainstormed ideas for future training. These nice folks
had really brought the show to a new level and are
clearly interested in doing all they can for the birds in
their care.
Before the day was over I also spent some time with
the Tiger trainers. We talked shop about animal
training and shared a few minutes looking at different
big cat training video clips I have collected from my
travels.
Next stop was a visit with Jim McKendry, frequent
contributor to Good Bird Magazine. We were running a
bit late from the Zoo, but raced off to catch a few
glimpses of wild Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos before
the sun set. Thrilling! Next time I will get there earlier.
But can you imagine having such amazing birds in
your own backyard? After a great dinner at the
McKendry house, the next day started with a tour of
Jims aviaries. I was very pleased to entertain myself by
playing with his Glossy Black Cockatoo and Gang
Gang Cockatoos. These species are so very different
from the Umbrellas and Moluccan Cockatoos so fre-
quently seen in the US. I also very much like how Jims
birds are well trained, yet also very happy to live a
much enriched life in aviaries with other birds. There
seems to be a good balance between being an interac-
tive pet, yet independent and self sufficient when peo-
ple may be out and about elsewhere.
We were off to pick up Dr. Susan Friedman for a visit
The Parrot Rescue Centre and to Currumbin Sanctuary.
However, Jim and I received a small gift from the gods.
As we drove along some country roads, we spotted a
pair of Little Corellas in a tree. Jim pulled over so I
could get my first glimpse of this species in the wild.
Moments later we heard raucous cockatoo calls. Next
thing you know a glorious flock of possibly 100 Little
Corellas flew right over our heads and landed in the
tree next to us. Wow. They stayed for just a few
moments, and then flew off into the distance. The
moment seemed too perfect to be accidental.
The Parrot Rescue Centre allowed for a pleasant
drive through the hills. Here we found mostly cocka-
toos of many different species. We even met a Red
Tailed Black cockatoo with one leg. Staff had done
plenty of good positive reinforcement training with the
I smelled like eucalyptus afterwards due to a scent gland on his chest.
Wombats seem to be the fast moving ground dwelling cousin to the Koala
Feeding elephants at the Australia Zoo. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
The Crocasium. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
birds and we all were fortunate to spend a little time
with some of the birds up close and personal.
At Currumbin Sanctuary we made it just in time for
the bird show. And afterwards another nice behind the
scenes tour with the birds. Our group was also lucky
enough to help train a Kite. Each of us was given a
glove and a few bits of meat. The goal was for the bird
to fly to audience volunteers eventually. That day we
got to be the volunteers.
More fun at Currumbin included kangaroo feeding
time! Another first I think for me. This was followed by
the main attraction at Currumbin, feeding wild lori-
keets. Apparently many years ago the sanctuary had
been a tulip farm. To keep the lorikeets from damaging
the tulips, the owners started feeding the bird nectar.
Overtime this has turned into thousands of wild birds
that visit the sanctuary to feed from nectar filled pie
pans held by guests.
My next stop was Michelle and Camerons place.
Here I watched my first rugby game and apparently it
was an important game. The players were a bit fired up
and eager to fight! The next morning I presented a lec-
We even met a Red Tailed Black cockatoo with one leg.
Gang Gang cockatoos at the Parrot Rescue Centre
More fun at Currumbin included kangaroo feeding time!
A Bilby, an endangered marsupial. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
The Dingos recognized the staff guiding us around the park. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
ture on training to the kind folks at Dreamworld.
Michelle is a supervisor there. This park features fab-
ulous Australian wildlife and more. Here I got to
touch a precious Bilby. This endangered marsupial
was adorable. I was blessed with yet another oppor-
tunity to cuddle Koalas and this time I even held a
Wombat! I also met a Koala with blue eyes. One thing
I found interesting is that interactions with Koalas at
zoos are regulated by the government. Koalas are
allowed only so much time being handled per day
and only for several days a week. It was nice to see
such standards in place.
When I started working in zoos it was at a place
called MarineWorld Africa USA in California. This
park was particularly famous for an attraction called
Tiger Island. Here trainers would swim, play and
interact with tigers in an effort to get people excited
about tigers and tiger conservation. Some of the origi-
nal members of the Tiger Island crew came to
Dreamworld and started the attraction there. It was
fun to see old colleagues on the other side of the world
who had started in the zoo business about the same
time I did and at the same facility. This of course also
I also met a Koala with blue eyes
Getting up close and personal with a tiger. Photo credit: Dreamworld
meant a very special up close and personal encounter
with a very large tiger.
The Dreamworld staff made me feel especially wel-
come. And they were so very appreciative and atten-
tive during the lecture. I do hope I get to visit again
some day.
Next up was the primary reason for my visit to
Australia, Parrots 2008! This conference is held every
two years and is hosted by the Parrot Society of
Australia and it is not to be missed! The work this
group puts into this event is tremendous and it shows.
From the nametags to the invited speakers, every detail
is considered important. I gave three presentations one
of which included some live bird training. The ever
helpful Williamson family provided a slewof birds that
were especially cooperative. To see all that this confer-
ence entails visit this link http://www.parrot
society.org.au/Parrots2008/index.html.
Conferences always seem to go by in a whirlwind for
me as I am usually pretty busy. But some of the high-
lights were tours of local aviaries, the Fledglings work-
shop geared towards the young aviculturist, Bamaga
the Palm Cockatoo costumed character mascot, and
getting to snuggle with a friendly Fig parrot and Gang
Gang cockatoo thanks to Dr Adrian Gallagher. Of
course the most important part is the opportunity to
meet so many parrot enthusiasts. Had I been smarter I
would have added on a few more days as there was
some fabulous post conference bird watching trips
organized as well. The next conference will not be until
2010, but it is worth making a note on the calendar
now. You dont want to miss it. Seriously, dont miss the
event in 2010!
After recovering from my travels, it was time to pre-
pare for the International Association of Avian Trainers
and Educators board meeting. This meant a trip to
Cincinnati. As an added treat I was able to meet up
with the Cincinnati Zoo bird trainers at the Reds base-
ball game. They were going to fly their Bald Eagle at
the game. Sam flew like a champ and the game
began. Sadly the Reds lost, but we did get to see some
of the best fireworks I have ever seen after the game.
Part of the conference was a tour of local private aviaries. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
The Cincinatti Reds baseball game. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Sam the Bald Eagle prepares for his flight. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Time for the release. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Behind the scenes at the game. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich Sam even has his own baseball trading card. Photo credit: Barbara
Heidenreich
Scenes from Savannah, GA. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
The next day The Greater Cincinnati Bird Club and
Avian Education Rescue and Adoption Services hosted
a Parrot Behavior and Training Workshop. I spent a day
with a very enthusiastic group. We had an especially
fun time watching one owner and her Blue and Gold
macaw really have some great moments of learning. I
love it when that happens.
After the board meeting it was back home to Texas
for a local event at Gallery of Pets. This time we
focused on solving parrot behavior problems. Despite
100 degree weather we had a full house.
The next day I was on a plane to Florida, Jacksonville
to be exact. Robin Shewokis of the Leather Elves and I
presented a seminar on training and enrichment. A
quick two hour drive and we were in Savannah, GA
setting of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good
and Evil and home of southern cooking phenom
Paula Dean. But the real reason to be there was the
Association of Avian Veterinarians Conference. It has
been a number of years nowthat I have been privileged
to participate in this event and I am so happy to see
how much positive reinforcement training has been
catching on. Many of the vets I spoke with practice pos-
itive reinforcement in their exam rooms and are
encouraging their clients to learn about training. It is
exciting to see this change in the way we interact with
parrots taking hold. Pretty soon everyones parrot will
be comfy in a towel and eagerly presenting toes for nail
trims. Woohoo!
Following up the veterinary conference I had the
chance to speak with veterinary students at Texas A &
M University. These folks are very committed to help-
ing students learn valuable information on positive
reinforcement training to help thembe better doctors to
their patients. We had some nice training moments
with a few of the birds that live at the University. I am
looking forward to hearing about their progress in the
future.
Next up are visits to Las Vegas, Denver and
Shreveport. Keep an eye on the calendar for events for
2009. It is already filling up!
Scenes from Savannah, GA. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
A
ugust 18, 2008 (Dallas, TX) The future for
Dallas-area seniors pets just got a little
brighter with the launch of a new non-profit
organization named SPAN.
Seniors Pet Assistance Network (SPAN), the vision
of 77-year-old animal lover and Lake Highlands resi-
dent Adelle Taylor, was created to serve the needs of
Dallas-area seniors requiring help in caring for their
companion animals.
Mrs. Taylor became inspired to form SPAN after
being contacted by a local senior outreach organization
to help foster a pet whose owner was placed in a nurs-
ing home. Once she realized the immediate need
Dallas-community senior pet owners were facing, she
went to work forming SPAN.
I literally created SPAN at my dining room table
with the help of my daughter and a few other animal
lovers, recalls Mrs. Taylor. As we worked on the pro-
cedural aspects of forming a non-profit for a good,
solid year, we were able to raise enough money
through word of mouth to help our first client.
SPANs first client had three dogs, a cat, and a fish for
which she was the sole caregiver and was financially
unable to pay for veterinary care. She was diagnosed
with stage four breast cancer and her illness had limit-
ed her ability to bathe the pets and keep them free from
fleas, recalls Mrs. Taylor. As a result, her home was
infested with fleas, to the degree that home health and
cleaning services were no longer able to visit her home
and assist her.
Working with an area veterinarian, SPAN financially
assisted the client in securing veterinary care for her
dogs and cat, including updating all of their immu-
nizations, heartworm medication, and flea treatment
and preventative.
Her home was accordingly cleaned and the pets
now healthy, medically treated, and free of fleas
were able to return home, said Mrs. Taylor. And
home health services were, in turn, able to return to her
home to assist her.
Presently, SPAN provides financial assistance for
basic pet needs such as food, grooming, and veterinary
care with future plans to include: providing newhomes
for pets that can no longer stay with their owners, offer-
ing in-home assistance and providing transportation to
and from veterinary clinics and other pet-related
errands for seniors who are homebound.
We still have a long way to go in raising funds since
were solely funded by private donations, but through
the support of the community Im confident that this is
a cause everyone will embrace, said Mrs. Taylor.
For more information on how you can make a differ-
ence in a seniors pets life, please visit www.senior-
spets.org.
SPAN visionary Adelle Taylor
New Non-Profit Launches to Help Seniors Pets
Oct 3-5, 2008: Parrot Behavior and Learning for
the Veterinary Professional Denver, CO, USA.
This three day intensive workshop is hosted by
The Gabriel Foundation. Instructors include
Barbara Heidenreich, Susan Friedman, PhD, Jerry
Lebonde, DVM and Laurie Hess, DVM. Please
visit www.TheGabrielFoundation.org for more
information.
October 6, 2008 Bird Club Appearance Denver,
CO, USA.
Barbara Heidenreich will give an evening presen-
tation hosted by the Rocky Mountain Society of
Aviculture. Visit http://birdtee.com/ for more
information.
November 1, 2008: Parrot Behavior and Training
Workshop Shreveport, LA, USA.
Hosted by The Ark-La-Tex Caged Bird Club.
Barbara Heidenreich will be presenting a day long
seminar on the basics of training parrots with posi-
tive reinforcement. Visit www.acbc.net for more
information.
November 8-9, 2008: Parrot Training and
Enrichment Workshop Austin, TX, USA.
Hosted by Good Bird Inc and the Leather Elves.
tive reinforcement. The following day Robin
Shewokis will be presenting a morning seminar on
enrichment for parrots. Information on how to reg-
ister is available at www.goodbirdinc.com/par-
rotweekend.html.
Upcoming Events and Seminars
Have you heard all
the things Barbara and
others are up to?
January 23-25, 2009 Parrot Festival Houston,
TX, USA.
Hosted by the National Parrot Rescue and Preservation
Foundation.
This three day event includes lectures, vendor
room and evening activities. Visit www.parrotfesti-
val.org for more information.
February 24-28, 2009 International Association
of Avian Trainers and Educators Annual
Conference Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Barbara Heidenreich will be participating in this
event. Visit www.IAATE.org for more information
March 28, 2009 Flight Training Seminar Old
Saybrook, CT, USA.
Hosted by FeatherLust Farm Bird Store.
Barbara Heidenreich shares information on work-
ing with your flighted parrot. Visit www.feather-
lustfarm.com for more information
April 18-19, 2009 Parrot Behavior and Training
Workshop Barrie, Ontario Canada.
Hosted by Bird Brains Parrot Toys www.birdbrains.ca
and Bluebird Learning www.bluebirdlearning.com.
This activity centered workshop features Susan
Friedman, PhD and Barbara Heidenreich. Visit
www.parrotworkshops.org for more information
and to register.
May 9, 2009 Parrot Behavior and Training
Workshop Janakkala, Finland.
tive reinforcement. Information in Finnish can be
found at
http://forum.papukaijat.net/index.php?topic=203
60.msg94500#msg94500 Accommodations and
event will be at The Rantalahti www.rantalahti.fi.
May 10, 2009 Flight Training Workshop
Janakkala ,Finland.
seminar on training your flighted parrot.
Information in Finnish can be found at
http://forum.papukaijat.net/index.php?topic=203
60.msg94500#msg94500 Accommodations and
event will be at The Rantalahti www.rantalahti.fi.
May 29-31, 2009 The BEST Parrot Conference
Edison, NJ, USA.
BEST stands for Behavior, Enrichment. Science and
Training. This conference features lecture followed
by a truly hands on experience. After general ses-
sions delegates break into smaller work groups for
personal attention with featured experts. At this
time speakers include Barbara Heidenreich, Robin
Shewokis, Joanna Eckles and Susan Friedman,
PhD. Visit www.bestparrotconference.com for
more information and to register now.
Upcoming Events and Seminars continued
G
ood Bird Magazine takes a pretty scientific
approach to behavior. We also fully under-
stand that the A word, (anthropomor-
phism: projecting human emotions and feelings to an
animal) can cause a miss-interpretation of behavior.
But dont let that mislead you! We also enjoy a loving
relationship with our birds and get a kick out of those
stories about birds doing things that seem uncharac-
teristically human. Perhaps the tales we enjoy the
most are the ones in which a parrot seems to say the
right thing at the right time. We realize birds may or
may not understand what they are saying, but it
makes us laugh anyway.
GIMME KISS!
By Georgi Abbott
Pickles is a Congo African Grey parrot owned by Georgi
and Neil Abbott. Here are some fun anecdotes about this
chatty bird. To get an idea of just how endearing Pickles is,
visit the following You Tube links to experience Pickles seem-
ingly profound utterances. Be sure to read the subtitles
presented in the "about this video section to help compre-
hend Pickles extensive vocabulary. http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=0iYEMwx-bkc And http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=nGpodB1A0iQ
We recently built a pond in our yard. Our trout
permit finally arrived from the Canadian Ministry of
Environment so we bought fish and released them into
the pond. We took Pickles out to the aviary for his sup-
per and settled next to the pond in lawn chairs to
observe our trout.
Everything seemed just fine. Pickles was going on and
on about his supper. Supper in the aviary. Mmmmm.
What a good supper. Mmmm. But Pickles tends to
embarrass us a lot and this day was no different.
Two young girls, both about sixteen years old, walked
down the side of the road about 25 feet from Pickles.
Naturally, Pickles felt required to act neighborly. His
hellos drew no response and since he takes rejection
personal, he resorted to loud whistling. The girls glanced
around but kept walking. As some of you know, the
aviary is sort of hidden and its difficult to see an African
Grey in an eight by eight structure filled with branches
through our yard foliage.
Whistling obviously wasnt good enough so he
hollered out Gimme kiss! which made the girls giggle
uncomfortably since all they could see was Neil and I sit-
ting pond side. They continued on their way. I thought
nothing of it until Neil said that they may have thought
it was him talking to them since Pickles speaks in Neils
voice most times. I began to cringe out of embarrassment
but tried to put it out of my mind and watch the fish.
A few minutes later, the girls came back. I was just
heading into the house but stopped, figuring Id set this
right. I called out Did you hear him say he wanted a
kiss? pointing at the corner of the aviary where Pickles
sat, quiet for once.
One of the girls glanced over at me with a mixed look of
disgust, shock, hate and horror. Seriously, I was appalled.
It was the parrot asking for a kiss I called out again
but the girls had their heads together, talking and hur-
rying away. They didnt hear me.
Way to go Neil said. You told them it was HIM
and pointed in the general direction of both of us. They
think you were talking about me!
I replayed it in my mind and yup, thats exactly the
way it would have looked. Now they think Im some
weird old lady that wants them to give my 54 year old
lecherous husband a kiss.
I should buy that bird a muzzle.
Out of the Mouths of Parrots
Dear Barbara,
Thanks so much again for coming all the way down
under to our conference. Here is a video that was sent
this week to me. I have never seen such good rhythm.
(Editors note: The link is to Snowball the famous danc-
ing Umbrella Cockatoo http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=N7IZmRnAo6s )
Ron Acton
P.S. Thanks for signing our training stand.
Dear Barbara and Team,
I have already watched video #2 , Training your Parrot
for the Veterinary Exam, a few times and have started
training my red bellied poi to accept nail clipping.
Hopefully he will advance quickly as my hands are get-
ting scratched up! I was especially inspired by the equa-
nimity Barbara showed as the conure in the video would
fly away periodically. I also found the production value
and sound quality super tight. I pay attention to that kind
of thing as I am videographer by trade. With all this said
I think it goes without saying that I amvery excitedabout
the next video and cant wait to get my hands on it. The
body language column is one of my favorite sections of
the magazine. Again thank you for your clear communi-
cation and excellent contributions to aviculture. Your
dedication is much appreciated.
Sonja Watson
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for mentioning the Wings n Things radio
show in the current issue of Good Bird Magazine. The
shows are very interesting and informative. I hope that
sometime on one of the shows you can talk a little
about lunging and how to stop or control it. I have a
Double Yellow Headed Amazon that will lunge some-
times if all I do is walk by him.
Susan
Editors note: You can find the Wing n Things Parrot
Podcast at www.PetLifeRadio.com and I think we have a
podcast on biting and aggressive behaviour on the horizon.
Stay tuned!
Hi Barbara,
Thanks so much for coming all the way to Australia
to teach us at Parrots 2008! We are so delighted to have
had the opportunity to have you teaching here in per-
son as we have learned so many valuable things from
your books and DVDs and I know there is still so much
more for us to learn and improve on. The presence of
people such as yourself and Susan Freidman has been
invaluable to us all and our companion parrots!
Looking forward to the new DVD!
Kind regards,
Rebecca, Mark & the flock.
Dear Barbara
Thank you very much for your workshop at Gallery
of Pets tonight! I look forward to your weekend semi-
nar in November. I purchased all of your videos there
as well and can't wait to dig into those! I do have a
question for you since you live here in Austin. Who do
you recommend as an avian vet in this area? We are
new parrot parents and have had a couple referrals so
far, but I would really like your opinion.
Thank you for your time and again, I look forward
to seeing you again in November!!
Tracey Harrington
Editors Note: A great resource for finding a veterinarian
who treats birds in your area is the Association of Avian
Veterinarians. Visit their website at www.aav.org and click
on Find a Local Vet
continued from page 10
Positive Reinforcement for Good Bird Inc
Dear Barbara,
I want to congratulate you for making great strides
not only in the US but also abroad. As a native Italian
speaker I read parrot discussion boards in my mother
tongue and I have noticed an increasing use of positive
reinforcement techniques and methodologies on those
forums. People are quoting you and referring to your
products - from the magazine and books to the DVDs
and podcasts - and it is clear to me that your teachings
are making a great impact in Italy as well.
Despite the language barrier, as unfortunately not
everybody in Italy speaks fluent English, the informa-
tion is spreading quickly. I credit those who learn from
you for teaching others. All it takes is to reach a few
people because each one of them will in turn reach oth-
ers who will reach more and so on, creating a ricochet-
ing effect. It makes me very proud that my fellow
Italians show such a great commitment to only the best
of information for their companion parrots.
Thank you for all you do, Barbara, and keep doing it!
The Italian parrots thank you as well. Abig "Grazie and
Arrivederci a presto!"
Rita Sambruna, PhD
Clifton, VA
White Faced Heron. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Book Review
By Terri Thibodeaux
The Parrot Who Thought She Was a Dog
Nancy Ellis-Bell
Harmony Books/Random House
256 pages
Also available as an ebook
www.CrownPublishing.com
Companion parrot owners are some of the most avid
readers I know. They wait patiently month after month
for that one newarticle, magazine or book to be released.
After hearing that a new "life experience" book entitled
The Parrot Who Thought She Was a Dog was going to hit
bookstore shelves in July of 2008, I ran as fast as I could
to my local bookstore and reserved a copy.
Let me begin by saying, if you are looking for insight-
ful instruction on the how-to's of companion parrot train-
ing, sage advice regarding the nutritional needs of our
psittacine pals, or the lowdown on cutting edge technol-
ogy and breakthroughs in aviculture, this is probably not
the book for you. However, if you think you would enjoy
reading the narrative of how a unique relationship
between parrot and human slowly took shape, I think
you may find it worth your time.
To enjoy this book, the reader must definitely get past
the raised eye-brows that will no doubt be experienced as
the author incorrectly describes her adopted, one-legged,
Blue and Gold Macaw as a little raptor, or the author's
notion that because a parrot is wild-caught, it can not be
handled and yes, even the poor nutritional and training
assumptions that were made. If, and for some it may be
a pretty big if, you can trudge through the obvious (and
maybe even controversial) misinformation imparted by
the author throughout the story, what you will find is
that Nancy Ellis-Bell opened her home and attempted to
offer that one-legged, abused Blue and Gold Macaw a
positive environment and second chance at cohabitation
with humans; and therein lies the heart of this endearing,
touching story.
First, the tale is certainly one of second chances. It
brings to the forefront an issue that we as companion par-
rot owners are all too familiar with and that is the astro-
nomical number and plight of homeless parrots sitting in
rescues around the country. Second, it highlights the fact
that there are extraordinary people out there who are
willing to offer up and open their homes in an effort to
provide these very same homeless and often-times prob-
lematic parrots a place in their lives for the remainder of
their days. There are more than just good intentions at
work here; there is true, honest effort.
What I think will keep readers captivated is the rela-
tionship that arises as the reader watches both human
and parrot develop a bond of trust with limitations.
There are humorous anecdotal stories laced throughout
as Sarah (once called Peg-Leg) intrudes on the well estab-
lished territory of the rescue dogs living in the home
prior to her arrival, unearths bones each dog has so care-
fully hidden or helps dig holes for planting season in the
garden. As nice as all that sounds and feels, be fore-
warned, there are many risky decisions made and some
conclude with tragic consequences.
When all is said and done, the author walks away with
having learned some very costly, valuable lessons as they
relate to sharing a home with a winged companion for
the first time. I walked away learning to be a little less
judgmental and to look past the obvious missteps (that
we all experienced as new companion parrot owners)
and appreciate people like Nancy Ellis-Bell who at the
very least stepped up to the plate.
To learn more about Nancy Ellis Bella an her book visit
www.thebarkingparrot.com
Fairy Penguin. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
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Reading bird body language is one of the most important skills
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I
m constantly seeking new ways
to provide foraging activity for
my parrots. My most recent
efforts follow the new wrap craze
that is catching on at fast food restau-
rants across the country. I will wrap up
anything I can think of in any material I can
dream up to encourage more foraging activity.
Nuts wrapped in corn husks drying on baking racks. Photo credit: Kris Porter
Wrap-N-Roll
Enrichment
By Kris Porter
Photo credit: Kris Porter
I wrap treats in corn husks to make little tamale sur-
prises. First I soak corn husks in warm water for about
fifteen minutes to get them pliable, and then I drain
them in a colander. I take one whole corn husk and cut
or peel it into inch strips to use for ties. I wrap an in-
shell almond or walnut half (my parrots beaks are not
strong enough to crack whole walnuts) in one corn
husk and tie it up with one of the strips. Almonds are
smaller so you may find it easier to wrap if you cut the
corn husk in half first.
Once I have the tamale surprises rolled and tied, I put
them on stainless steel baking racks to dry overnight. I
like to use the baking racks because air can circulate on
all sides of the wraps. The corn husks dry quickly and
thoroughly which helps prevent mold fromgrowing on
a wet husk. I dont store them in closed plastic con-
tainers or bags either. I store mine in a plastic storage
drawer that fits under the cage. The drawer isnt air-
tight and it is easily accessible to me for on-the-spot
dispensing.
My parrots favor these tamale surprises to such
extent that I have started wrapping non-food items
inside the corn husks. I wrap up small foot toys, plas-
tic animal shapes, large textured plastic beads or pieces
of bird safe wood and mix those in with the nut filled
corn husk wraps. Sometimes they get a nut and some-
times they dont. But they are always eager to tear into
their tamale surprise to get at whatever toy or treat is
inside.
Since the birds are used to finding treats inside corn
husks, they are also attracted to toys stuffed with corn
husks. One of my African Grey Buddys favorites is a
dogs toy that is shaped like a foot ball with holes called
a Sphericon. I put a few small items inside the
Sphericon such as in-shell nuts, large beads, plastic ani-
mal shapes, small pieces of wood, etc. Next I stuff corn
husks all around the items inside the toy. Buddy will
keep busy digging and tearing at the corn husks in an
attempt to get at whats hidden behind them.
Ditto, my Eclectus parrot, with a Tamale Surprise foraging foot toy. Photo credit: Kris Porter
My friend, Lin Westgard, gave me another great idea
for using corn husks. She soaks them until pliable and
weaves them in and out of the cage bars. They dry
quickly and the parrots enjoy chewing and shredding
the corn husks wrapped in and around the cage bars.
Paper coin wrappers can be used to create foraging
activity. Dollar stores are a good source for purchasing
coin wrappers in bulk. I wrap nuts; carrot, celery or
zucchini sticks; thick stems from collard, mustard or
turnip greens; pieces of apple or other fruit in the coin
wrappers. I put them in cage dishes or toy bowls. You
can also put stuffed coin wrappers inside other forag-
ing toys like stainless steel pails, Jungle Talk Hide-a-
Treat or Parrot Islands Treasure Chest. Heres a good
tip; fill coin wrappers with veggie sticks the night
before and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator
so they are ready to put in the cage bowls in the morn-
ing. You dont need to limit yourself to food treats
either. Non-food items such as large plastic textured
beads or wooden beads, spools or shapes can be
wrapped up as well.
Then of course there is the more traditional tortilla
wrap. I place brown rice, chopped veggies, sprouts,
scrambled egg or other cooked foods in a tortilla and
roll it up burrito style. Another twist on this idea is to
use rice paper sheets that are used in making Thai fresh
rolls. You can find them in oriental stores or sometimes
in the oriental section of the grocery. Soak a rice paper
sheet briefly in hot water to soften it. Place it on a wet
paper towel being careful to lay it flat because the rice
paper will stick to itself. Put favorite food items on the
rice paper and roll up egg roll style. These sheets are
slightly transparent and you might find you have more
success with foraging using the rice paper versus the
tortilla because your parrot can see there is a food treat
inside the roll.
Youve all probably eaten tacos, burritos and pita pock-
ets, but have you ever tried lettuce wraps? Asian lettuce
wraps are a favorite of mine. It is also a great way to
lower my consumption of carbohydrates. Lettuce wraps
Buddy tearing away at the corn husks stuffed around toys and treats
inside his Sphericon toy. Photo credit: Kris Porter
Ditto shredding the corn husks wrapped around his cage bars.
Buddy trying to get at the carrot stick stuffed in a coin wrapper.
are easy to make with a range of ingredient variations.
You can make them yourself using the same ingredients
that you use in burritos, tortillas, tacos, pita bread or
spring rolls. The key to great wraps is the contrast of
warm, flavorful fillings with the cool crunch of lettuce.
I make a wrap similar to a lettuce wrap for my birds
to enjoy. Take a large leafy green (Swiss chard, romaine
lettuce, mustard, turnip or collard green) and place
veggie mash, sprouts or fruit at one end of the leaf, roll
it up and serve it to your birds. To get my parrots used
to tearing into their leafy green wraps I would fold it
loosely in half so they could clearly see the food inside.
As they became accustomed to tossing the green aside
to get to the filling, I started rolling the food up more
completely in the leaf and later tucking in the ends.
Wrap treats, nuts or pellets inside paper or
unbleached coffee filters and stuff the paper wrapped
treats through plastic chain to hang on a play stand or
in the cage. You can also put the paper wrapped treats
in a dish or toy crock placed inside the cage.
Byrd, my Meyers parrot, is after a piece of banana wrapped inside a Swiss chard leaf. Photo credit: Kris Porter
Ditto is playing with a toy made by wrapping treats in unbleached coffee
filters and stuffing them in plastic chain. Photo credit: Kris Porter
Ditto with a paper bag filled with treats and foot toys. Photo credit: Kris Porter
Buddy working at getting items out of stainless steel measure cups wrapped with newspaper. Photo credit: Kris Porter
All sorts of toys and treats can be wrapped up inside
a brown paper bag. Tie a piece of Paulie Rope or
strip of leather around the top of the paper bag and
hang it on a play stand or in the cage for foraging fun.
A favorite foraging toy at my house is a set of stain-
less steel measuring cups strung together with Paulie
Rope. The measuring cups are filled with nuts,
treats, pellets, dry whole grain cereal, tamale surprises
and small foot toys. After filling, I cover each cup with
newspaper using a few pieces of masking tape to
secure the paper covers to the cups. You could also use
a length of hemp rope to attach the paper. At first I had
to tear large holes in the middle of each wrapped cup
until my birds caught on to the idea of tearing off the
paper to get at the items hidden inside. Now they
eagerly tear into each paper wrapped measuring cup as
soon as I hang them in the cage or on a play stand.
There are a variety of ways you can hide or wrap up
food to encourage foraging activity, but please keep in
mind, if foraging is new to your bird, start slow. For
birds that have never had to forage, some give up fair-
ly easily when presented with food that is not delivered
in the manner they have become accustomed to. You
will need to work with these birds to help them figure
out how to discover the hidden treat or food item. One
of the first things you can do is cover or wrap the food
dish with paper. Let your bird see you hide the food.
Sometimes you may need to start out by loosely cover-
ing the dish with paper. Once your parrot gets used to
tossing off the paper topper try wrapping the dish by
tying the paper on with a piece of hemp rope. You may
need to poke a hole in the paper at first to show him
food is inside the dish.
As your parrot becomes accustomed to tearing
through paper to get at the food inside his dish, you
may want to try placing food inside plastic ice cube
trays and wrapping the ice cube trays loosely in news-
paper. Again poke a hole in the paper over a couple of
the cubes to show him food is inside. Wrapped ice
cube trays can be placed on top of a counter or on the
cage bottom.
I wish you great success with incorporating your
ideas for wrap-n-rolls into your parrots foraging activ-
ity. And if youve never tasted them, I encourage you
to find a Chinese restaurant that has lettuce wraps on
the menu and try them for a special treat for yourself.
Kris Porter and her husband, Jerry, live in Eagle River,
Alaska. They share a love for animals and are avid saltwater
hobbyists. They have a 280 gallon saltwater reef aquarium
in the living room and once shipped T. gigas clam that had
grown too large for their tank to Hawaii. At present the clam
is thriving in the outdoor exhibit at the Waikiki Aquarium.
They have always had exotic pets in their home at one time
living with seven ferrets and an iguana. Currently they
share their home with parrots, dogs, bearded dragons and
some very interesting fish and corals. Observing ferrets at
play was an opportunity for Kris to learn a great deal about
enrichment. She applied the same observational skills to
watching her parrots interact with their environment and
authored The Parrot Enrichment Activity Book Versions
1and 2. In these books Kris shares her ideas for providing
parrots with toys, foraging activities and alternate play
areas. Both books are available in the files section of the
Parrot Behavior Analysis Solutions (PBAS) list serve group
or you can download your free copy at either one of the fol-
lowing websites: http://www.companionfids.com/enrich-
ment/activitybooks.htm or http://www.onafricanwings.com.
Paulie Rope is a bird-safe stringing
material that is manufactured specifical-
ly for the making of parrot toys. Paulie
Rope consists of a polyethylene dia-
mond braid made with a tight tension
and no center core. This rope is easy to
knot and requires no heating to keep
the knot in place. The absence of the
center core means even less strands to
tangle and fray. Paulie Rope is fully
washable and birds love to chew on it.
Available at:
http://www.nalanitoys.com/Paulierope.htm
No time to make your own wraps?
Visit www.phoenixforagingrolls.com
to buy your ready made wrapped
foraging items.
continued from page 21
ANSWERS TO WHAT IS THIS BIRDS BODY
LANGUAGE SAYING?
1. One of the things about parrot body language
is that it can look the same but mean different
things under different circumstances. In this
example we see a Major Mitchells cockatoo
with some very fluffed feathers. They are espe-
cially fluffed under the lower part of his beak.
So much so that his beak is nearly buried in
feathers. His chest feathers are also quite
fluffed. His weight is low on the perch and his
head is low on his shoulders. His eyes are also
a bit almond shaped as opposed to open wide.
While under many circumstances this may
appear to be calm and relaxed or perhaps get-
ting ready for a nap, there is one tidbit of infor-
mation that cannot be gained from a photo that
would help in part explain this body language.
It was very cold outside! Being the photogra-
pher that day, I concluded that temperature
probably was playing a role in this birds body
language. He may also have been relaxed, but
it is highly likely that the cold weather was
another reason this bird was fluffed and posi-
tioned as he was.
2. Anice tall crest and fanned tail feathers help us
to conclude that this Greater Sulphur Crested
cockatoo is a bit excited. Usually one would
expect an excited bird to stand a taller.
However being that his perch is not a station-
ary one, it may be a unsteady. Keeping his
weight low can help him stay balanced. He also
has his mouth closed, so his level of excitement
may not yet have risen to the level it can.
3. This gorgeous Ringneck parakeet seems a bit
uneasy about the presence of the photographer.
This bird is standing tall with feathers slicked
to his body. His eye is opened wide and he
appears to be leaning back slightly. The eye
also seems to look as though there is some eye
pinning. And while the overriding body lan-
guage is a fear response, there may also be an
indication of agitation. It can be noted that
there are nest boxes in his enclosure. This bird
may be showing with his eye pinning some
displeasure with people in his territory, but at
the same time appears nervous enough to fly
away should people continue to approach.
4. Feather slicked tight to the body, eye pinning
and also the mouth open for some vocaliza-
tions say this Alexandrine parrot is a bit
aroused. Unlike the Ringneck parakeet who
seems more likely to fly away, this parrot is
moving closer to the camera. This could indi-
cate either a level of interest or perhaps the par-
rot might escalate to aggressive behavior and
make an attempt to bite. It is in moments like
these that caregivers need to be very attentive
to body language. Remember the observation
that a highly aroused parrot can sometimes flip
to aggressive behavior. In the end it turned out
this parrot was hand raised and quite aroused
by the presence of people and was seeking
interaction.
5. Here we see a comfy Cockatiel. We know by
the loose feathers on the back and chest. The
crest is down and the eyes are nearly closed.
The wings are drooped down to the side to
make it easier for this little bird to reach the
ever important preen gland at the base of the
tail. Usually a parrot will acquire oil from this
gland to run over its feathers as it preens.
Parrot will also roll the back of their heads on
the gland. This gland is a little fleshy nub that
sticks up near the base of the tail on the par-
rots back. It is a good idea to take a peak at this
little gland on occasion to make sure it is clean
and free of debris as it is important to your
birds feather care.
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D E D I C A T E D T O E N R I C H I N G T H E L I V E S O F P E T B I R D S

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