SEX AND THE
PSITTACINE
Are we Keeping Our
Companion Parrots Sexually Over-stimulated?
By Shari Beaudoin
Parrot Island, Burnsville, Minnesota
www.parrotislandinc.com
“My bird loves me…but
hates my husband.”
“She is so cute she loves to snuggle with me and will
lay there for hours while I pet her.”
“Her favorite thing is to sneak
under the pillows or the blanket, then she comes out to show me all of
her pretty feathers and actually tries to feed (regurgitate to) me. Then
she backs up under the pillow again clucking at me. It is so cute!”
“He
loves to play on top of his cage and ‘patrol’ the area. He gets so
intense that if we try to take him down from the top of the cage he will
bite us.”
“Our bird loves her little snuggle hut. We could never take it
away from her.”
“She has always loved us, but one day out of nowhere,
she became such a mean bird. I don’t know how much longer we can take
this!”
And the list goes on…
These are all frequent comments that those of us working with people and
their parrots hear almost every day. It is critical that we help parrot
caregivers gain a better understanding of their bird’s behaviors and
most importantly, their part in them. One of the most important things
to understand is that parrots are not domesticated. They exhibit all of
the natural and instinctual behaviors of their wild counterparts!
Parrots do not think like we do. Birds have no frontal lobe (the logical
portion of the brain) but rather, they have large hypersensitive
emotional centers. This leads us to believe that birds perceive our
interactions with them much differently than we may want them to. Birds
interact with each other visually, verbally, and empathically. This
makes it imperative that we take on a consistent leadership role that
will gently guide our birds to adapt to lives in our homes. Parrots do
not know how to live in our homes and it is our job to teach them how.
The two main questions we must ask ourselves as companion parrot
caregivers are as follows:
1.) What do our companion parrots perceive to be happening during our
interactions with them?
2.) What do we perceive to be happening during these same interactions?
Often these are two completely different things.
Our parrot’s perception of any given situation is the most valuable tool
we have. We must pay close attention to how we interact with our
companion parrots. We must also understand how they are affected by our
interactions with them both medically and behaviorally. How do we
determine our parrot’s perception? One of the best ways is to observe
outdoor birds. Whether you are lucky enough to watch parrots in their
wild environment or spend time watching native birds in your own back
yard, you will find that most of their behaviors play a major role in
helping them survive in the wild. With that said, I would like to break
down the above comments to find the natural and instinctual reasoning
behind them.
“My bird loves me but hates my husband.”
It is unlikely from what we have learned about the parrot’s brain that
your bird “loves or hates” either of you, at least not in the same sense
that people love or hate each other. It does however make perfect sense
that a companion bird would attempt to choose someone in the household
as a potential mate. Remember we are thinking natural and instinctual.
Once a bird has identified a mate, any others making advances towards
them or their mate would be perceived as an intruder. The parrot’s job
(to be successful in the wild), would involve driving the intruder from
the territory. This is accomplished through posturing in an attempt to
look larger, color display, and vocalizing. In most cases the perceived
intruder will leave and the dispute would be considered settled.
Occasionally, the first bird may be the one driven off by the newcomer.
In either case it is almost unheard of for any actual physical contact
(like biting) to take place during the confrontation. Once the dispute
is settled the pair can than continue nest building, courting, and
rearing their young.
In our homes when a bird has come to perceive someone in the household
to be their mate they are often geared towards driving perceived
intruders (other family members) away – especially when their perceived
mate is in sight. It is easy to see why it is very confusing for parrots
when the perceived intruder does not take such a blatant hint to leave.
The situation is not considered by the parrot to be settled and the
territorial behaviors used in the attempt to drive off the perceived
intruder may be regularly repeated. These futile attempts to drive them
from the territory may lead to frustration and desperation in the bird.
In the home, as in the wild, the bird will posture, show colors,
vocalize (scream repeatedly) and now may even bite. This may even cause
the bird to bite their perceived mate in an attempt to get their
assistance. This can be severe if the perceived mate is interacting with
the perceived intruder rather than helping to defend the territory.
I would like to offer a description of the positive developing
relationship that my Double Yellow Headed Amazon, Lt. Columbo, has with
my husband, Terry and I. Columbo has been my companion parrot since he
was only a few weeks old and I am his favored person. Terry was involved
in his initial raising and development before he came to live with me
(this was before we were married). Terry and I were married in 1999 and
Columbo is now 9 years old. I am sure that many of you have heard the
myth that male Amazons 5 years and older can be unmanageable. Many
breeders and even some veterinarians commonly recommended (some still
do) that these birds needed to be put into a breeding program. They
considered them only suitable for breeding purposes and not as
companions. Or they would recommend keeping the bird and finding it a
mate. Finding a mate is not the easiest thing to do either. It is not
much different then an arranged marriage in humans. Parrots do many
things to attract the mate of their choice and it is unlikely that we
will be able to guess what bird that may be. Other potential problems
with finding the bird a mate are; possible injuries to one or both of
the birds during a dispute, concerns about disease, breeding, the birds
bonding to each other and becoming more aggressive to people, and
potentially adding more to an already exasperated caregiver.
Columbo has at times clearly perceived Terry as an obstacle in his path
to forming a reproductive bond with me, yet he has always viewed Terry
as a flock leader as well. Several times each year (usually in the
Spring), Columbo, while on his play tree, will literally wait for Terry
to walk by him (he never does this face to face) then just as Terry
passes by, Columbo will lunge out (not actually touching Terry) in
display with outstretched wings and a fully flared tail. He always waits
until he thinks Terry is not looking and he will then check to be sure
that I have seen him. In his mind he has shown the competition that he
is the boss. He is also showing his prospective mate (me) his ability to
defend the territory and drive off the perceived competition. When he
does this I try my best to ignore it. When Terry notices he will either
completely ignore it or he will talk to Columbo calmly for a minute or
so asking him to do some of his tricks (like hanging by one foot). Terry
will regularly take Columbo to another room (away from me) and spend
time with him. Some of this time is just spent with Columbo in the room
while Terry works on his computer, watches television, or reads, every
once in a while looking up and talking to and acknowledging Columbo. The
rest of the time is spent teaching him things - all of it is meant to be
non-confrontational and is instigated by Terry. It also involves a great
deal of praise and positive attention. Terry has these types of
interactions with Columbo throughout the year, not just when Columbo is
exhibiting hormonal behaviors. Although Terry wants to be perceived as a
leader, he also wants to remain Columbo’s flock mate and friend.
“She is so cute she loves to snuggle. She lays there for hours while I
pet her.”
Understanding that this can be the cause of many problems for companion
parrots and their caregivers is very difficult for many people to
accept. We have spent a lifetime hugging our children and others that we
hold dear. We have always stroked and petted our companion animals,
primarily dogs and cats. So how could it possibly be a problem to
interact this way with our companion parrots? We want them to know that
we care for them and even love them! Shouldn’t they receive the same
care and attentions as the others we cherish? Again, we need to take a
look from our parrot’s point of view. Take another moment to observe the
birds outside. What do you see? Most often, unless mating or raising
young , you won’t see birds, even a mated pair, in direct contact or
stroking each other. Touch on the back generally implies courtship,
leading to mating and rearing young.
Many people are unaware of how birds mate (believe it or not – we get
asked this question by companion parrot owners regularly) I would like
to give a quick (non x-rated) explanation of how parrots mate and help
clarify what certain types of touch can imply. When parrots mate there
are generally two methods that are employed:
1) The male bird actually climbs onto the back of the female and then
wraps his tail around the females tail to initiate contact and a rubbing
together of their vents.
2) Larger species (like Macaws) will stand next to each other and the
male will wrap his wing over the hen’s back and they will each tilt
their vents towards each other initiating contact and a rubbing together
of their vents.
From these explanations it is easy to see how our birds might get the
wrong idea while we are “petting” them! One of the more extreme
situations we hear about regularly is where someone describes how much
their bird enjoys it when they stroke them with their entire palm down
the back and then continue on to wrap their fingers around the birds
tail in order to continue the petting all the way down. Sally calls this
the “full body stroke” and it usually involves (although not
intentionally) direct contact with the vent area as well as the back of
the bird. After the above description of bird mating behavior I am sure
you can see how this full body stroking might give a companion parrot
certain ideas! Truthfully, about the only other time that a bird in the
wild would feel this type of touch on the back would be from a predator
coming down upon them. Sally Blanchard has taught us for years about the
need to nurture and guide our companion parrots. Nurturing must be
carried out in an instructional manner with the caregiver portraying a
leadership role. Then our companion birds can interpret the interaction
as it is meant to be. I also refer to this form of nurturing as “Guided
Leadership.” It is very important for parrots to view us as effective,
confident, highly seasoned flock leaders. Flock leaders that will keep
them safe and teach them how to survive in our homes and to become well
adjusted, independent secure birds. If our parrots view our touch and
attentions to be sexually stimulating rather than instructional, it is
we who are giving them the idea that we want to be looked upon by them
as a mate. I am not telling you that you can never touch your parrot. It
has been stated by many people that there are certain times of the year
that you should just not touch them at all. The problem with this “all
or nothing” thinking is that it does not teach your bird anything and
often leads to a cage-bound bird with caregivers who are afraid of them.
I am telling you that you must pay close attention to where and how you
are touching your parrot and most importantly how your parrot perceives
your touch. If your parrot perceives your touch as sexual, STOP that
form of touching!
“Her favorite thing is to sneak under the pillows or the blanket, then
she comes out to show me all of her pretty feathers and actually tries
to feed (regurgitate to) me. Then she backs up under the pillow again
clucking at me. It is so cute!”
This is serious business for your parrot and not in the slightest bit
“cute”! She is in sexual overload, a condition that could trigger her
into a constant reproductive state ultimately leading to Hormone and
Adrenaline Toxicosis. There are ongoing studies by some wonderful
veterinarians that have led them to believe that this state of constant
reproductivity is very harmful to these parrots. Some of the other
health problems seen in these types of birds can be extremely high
levels of Cholesterol and Triglycerides, Heart Disease, and Feather
Picking that can be brought on (or a current feather destructive problem
worsened) by an inflamed reproductive system.
It is best for birds to play in an area that is not perceived by the
bird as a potential nest site. This behavior in the wild would be geared
toward her mate to indicate approval of the possible nest. Many female
birds will back up and cluck or pant in a mating display indicating
breeding readiness to her mate. She may also raise her tail feathers or
avert them to the side for mating. Regurgitation is used primarily to
strengthen the bond with a mate or to feed offspring. These behaviors
are almost exclusively used for purposes of courtship and reproduction.
They have no place in our personal relationship with our parrots.
For over fifteen years (before that most people did not recognize what
was occurring) we have heard of people saying that when a bird exhibits
reproductive behaviors it is best to allow (and to actually aid them) in
following their hormonal reproductive drives to whatever conclusion was
as natural as possible in captivity. These same people would state that
not to allow this was to deny the bird’s ability to be a self-actualized
parrot. How would they suggest aiding these birds in becoming fully
self-actualized parrots? Many would go as far as recommending
masturbation and offering toys to masturbate on. We have actually spoken
to many people who allow their birds to masturbate on their hand, their
shoulder, etc., convinced that this is the best way to fulfill their
parrot’s needs.
In all of the years of numerous people attempting these methods, we have
yet to hear of one situation that did not lead to behavioral problems in
the bird by developed such a strong sexual bond to the owner. In a
number of cases severe medical problems occurred as well. It is
unfortunate that many of these old ideas that have no research backing
them are reappearing today. Not only reappearing, but being presented by
people perceived as “experts” as new “state of the art” information. Our
philosophy at Parrot Island has always been one of doing no harm.
Many people say, “What is the harm? It is not as if the bird can
actually produce young.” In this case they are absolutely right, the
bird cannot produce young by masturbation. This in and of itself is the
harm. These bird’s bodies remain in a constant state of hormonal
inflammation. Female birds can lay eggs without another bird in the
house! They can also continue to lay eggs over and over until they
become very sick. Chronic egg laying and other repetitive reproductive
illnesses contribute to many of the major health problems and untimely
deaths of companion parrots today. Why if we know this do we continue to
do things that can harm our parrots? I believe that any caring parrot
owner would never intentionally harm their parrot. It is critically
important to gain a better understanding of how our actions affect them
and to learn how to properly interact with our parrots in a manner that
is healthier and more natural for them.
A description of our life so far with Sam, our 14 year old female Double
Yellow Headed Amazon may be helpful in understanding some of the affects
of excessive reproductivity and stimulation as well as some ways we have
found to prevent it. Sam (as all of our birds) spends many of her days
at Parrot Island with us while we are open for business. When she was
between four and five years old she began to show distinct changes in
her behavior as she gradually played less with her toys and seemed very
interested in direct physical contact – with Terry (my husband and Sam’s
caregiver) or especially with any blonde haired woman. Most days at the
store she would spend a great deal of her time sitting around and simply
waiting for the next female customer (hopefully blonde) to come into the
store. Immediately upon seeing a woman her entire demeanor would change.
She would become very active climbing about and talking, cooing, meowing
and doing anything she possibly could to get their attention. Of course,
most people go right over to her upon hearing and seeing her reaction to
them. She plainly wanted their attention – something most people are
immediately drawn to. What more could Sam hope for? She displayed and
perceived potential mates flocked to her.
We have always believed in weighing our birds regularly throughout their
lives to track any weight losses or gains. Terry quickly came to realize
that when Sam would go into these “broody” periods, with no changes to
her basic diet, she would gain 60 grams in about 2 weeks! Her normal
weight has always been around 425 grams and she would climb all the way
up to 480+ grams! This is a physiological change that many female birds
go through as their body prepares for the rigors of producing eggs and
caring for offspring. We have found that through lowering the fat
content in Sam’s diet and increasing her exercise (primarily through the
use of “Assisted Flight Aerobics”) as well as limiting her time at the
store on busy weekends, and educating our customers about the effects of
their interactions with her, that we have been able to greatly reduce
the risks of over-reproductivity for her. Her mother (the hen that
produced her) actually died due to a combination of reproductive health
problems including egg yolk peritonitis so we have been very aware of
potential problems with Sam. Over the last several years of gaining a
better understanding of how we can help her she has become a much
happier, playful bird – especially at home. As a side note: all Terry
has to do is hold Sam for a few minutes and then place one finger on her
lower back for her to fully display and cluck at him in an attempt to
mate! Terry’s interactions with Sam are limited to just hanging out
(ambient attention), instructional play, and limited scratching of her
head. The more of these types of interactions she gets the more she
prefers it and she is definitely more content.
“He loves to play on top of his cage and patrol the area. He gets so
intense that if we try to take him down from the top of the cage he will
bite us.”
Isn’t this parrot doing a fantastic job protecting his perceived nest
site? There he is on top of his cage, defending his perceived nest for
all he is worth. In the wild the defense of the nest is essential in
warding off intruders and successfully producing and raising offspring.
Take a moment to think of a parrot in the wild. Picture him out on a
branch a few feet from the nest opening carefully watching the area
around him. Is this behavior really any different than what your bird
perceives he is doing in your home on top of his cage? Probably not! A
play tree or gym away from the cage rather than on top with many
interesting things to do is essential to a parrot’s emotional
stimulation.
Male birds may react differently than female birds when they are
hormonally driven but they are certainly not immune to the affects of
hormonal toxicosis. In male birds it may often appear to us that the
bird is more aggressive when they are really in a state of extreme
confusion and frustration. In our homes both male and female birds can
suffer from hormonal toxicosis. This condition inflames the reproductive
system and with no natural form of release it becomes a key contributor
to many serious behavioral and health problems for parrots.
“Our bird loves her little snuggle hut. We could never take it away from
her.”
When a bird is acting sexual in response to a sleeping tent, toy, perch,
mirror, shredded paper, wooden toys, etc. they are triggering your bird
into reproductive behaviors. Anything that appears to trigger your bird
into reproductive behavior should be removed from the cage. This can be
determined by your observing your bird rubbing on, shredding or tearing,
regurgitating onto, displaying at, vocalizing to, or being aggressive
around the object. Some toys and perches can be perceived mates, a bird
seeing himself in a mirror can be perceived as a mate, and sleeping
tents can often be perceived as a nest site. Birds are truly at their
most vulnerable to predators when in the nest so it is almost assuredly
our perception rather than the birds that they “need a sleeping tent” to
feel safe. I am not telling you that no companion bird can have a
sleeping enclosure. I am saying that it is your job to pay attention to
how your bird reacts to the tent and to you.
My Hyacinth Macaw, Mateo, has a certain toy that he particularly favors
and at times, perceives as a mate. During the fall and winter months he
can play with this toy and act like his usual, gentle self. In the
spring and summer he will act very differently around the toy and he
sits very close to it. If I (or anyone) try to remove him from his cage
when the toy is there he will lean back and posture with wings slightly
away from his body in an attempt to look bigger and rock back and forth.
If I continue to push the issue to remove him from the cage he
ultimately may bite. If I remove the toy (perceived mate) first, he will
step up and come out without a problem. It makes sense to not give him
this toy during certain times of the year and avoid this confrontational
situation all together. Watch your bird to determine if anything in the
cage or surrounding area is a hormonal trigger for your bird. If it is
remove it.
Other birds in the household or even outside can be a trigger for
reproductive activity and sometimes the cause of health issues in our
parrots. We have two Black Capped Caiques, Scooter (8 year old female)
and Skeeter (4 year old male) who have been around each other for four
years. Skeeter initially viewed Scooter as a parent but as he began to
sexually mature (at about 1&1/2 to 2 years of age) his view of her
gradually changed to that of a potential mate. He would pester her when
given any opportunity and beg to be scratched or fed as well as attempt
to feed and mate with her. Scooter would rarely get a minutes rest when
he was around, yet they really seemed to enjoy being together. After
about a year or so of this developing behavioral change, Scooter began
to have seizures occasionally. We had no idea why and brought her in to
our Avian Veterinarian, Dr. Tammy Jenkins, immediately. The only thing
the doctor was able to find to be out of the ordinary was that her
ovaries and reproductive tract were greatly enlarged and inflamed (this
was found on x-rays). Through observation we were able to determine that
Scooter’s seizures seemed to happen when she was agitated by Skeeter’s
advances. Through keeping them in separate cages and separating them
completely from each others view at times – we have been able to keep
Scooter seizure free now for the past 2+ years and her reproductive
tract and ovaries have returned to a more normal size.
As a side note, an additional question that might be asked is “How come
these birds seem to be so easy to trigger into a reproductive state?
We have two theories that we have come up with (along with a number of
other people and veterinarians who are interested in this topic):
1) There are so many triggers constantly present for reproduction in our
homes for our companion birds that they would only have during their
breeding season (usually once per year) in the wild. They have a perfect
temperature, an unending supply of food (sometimes high fat content
foods or sprouts that would only be available before their breeding
seasons). Their lighting cycle or photoperiod in our homes is very
different than the yearly changes in length and angulations of sunlight
that occur in the wild and many have both a perceived mate and nest
site.
2) It is also a realistic theory to say that the last 30+ years of most
breeders naturally choosing pairs of birds that proved to be the most
successful, productive parents would eventually genetically select for
offspring that would become easier and easier to trigger into
reproduction. The most obvious argument for this in a commonly kept
companion bird is the cockatiel. Many of you probably realize that it is
now more difficult to prevent excessive egg laying and breeding
behaviors in cockatiels than it is to get them to start!
“She has always loved us, but one day out of nowhere, she became such a
mean bird. How much longer we can take this!”
Of course this does not come upon us out of nowhere. If we pay attention
to our bird’s behaviors, no matter how slight, we will clearly be able
to identify changes in their hormonal behavior and work towards
diminishing sexual related behaviors.
What about “Nurturing Guidance,” “Guided Leadership,” and “Healthy
Interaction”?
Sally’s term “Nurturing Guidance” has paved the way for parrot owners to
understand the importance of trust building interactions. Many people
hear the word nurturing and place human emotions on it (hug, hold, love,
etc.). When Sally refers to “Nurturing Guidance” she explains it as a
way to interact with our parrots in a trust building manner so that we
can gently guide them along to become well-socialized, independent, and
confident birds.
When I use the term “Guided Leadership” I use it in much the same way. I
do not mean that we need to rule or dominate them but to guide our birds
towards proper interactions by teaching them proper ways to interact
with us. This is much the way a flock leader would behave. Flock Leaders
are the birds the other’s trust and follow and are in effect followed
because they are trusted. They are the ones to lead the flock safely to
eat, drink, bathe, play, and roost. This is not to say that their
leadership role may not be tested from time to time, as ours will be,
but we as they must maintain this role for our birds to feel safe and
view us consistently as leaders. As flock leaders we must teach our
birds, usually verbally, what we are doing from one moment to the next.
Just because you may not have one of the birds known as the “big
talkers” does not mean that they are not listening and able to
understand! It is important for our birds to develop a routine that
gives them a basic idea of what to expect. This routine should be
altered enough from time to time so that the bird is able to handle some
flexibility and be secure enough to deal with change. It is important
that our birds feel safe with us no matter what we are doing. Truly the
most nervous birds that we see are those with the most nervous
caregivers. Our birds travel to and from Parrot Island with us on a
regular basis and have been taught to not only be okay with change but
to actually enjoy it.
Instructional Attention – Teaching them things is great fun and a good
way for your bird to learn new things. Allow everyone in the family to
participate by regularly playing on the floor (bed, etc.) with your
parrot and a large variety of toys. Reward your bird when he does things
that you like. There is no greater reward than praise from everyone.
This is an excellent way to interact and play, much better than having
them sit directly on us on the couch (giving them mixed signals). It is
also better exercise and much more mind stimulating for our parrots.
Parrots are highly intelligent animals and many of them enjoy
interactive toys and will learn colors, counting, and playing catch.
Many parrots love to play hide and seek with their human flock mates.
Give them the best play area away from their cage that you can. Avoid
using the top of the cage as a play area from the beginning and the
chances of your bird showing aggression and protectiveness of the cage
and surrounding area will be greatly lessened. This also gives your bird
a chance to play in different areas of the home and be more connected
with the human flock. Avoiding a potential problem from the beginning is
much easier than correcting a problem once it already exists. If you
have a cage that has the play area on top try and remove it. Many cages
with play tops allow you to move the play top off of the cage and put it
elsewhere.
Ambient Attention – This is when you are directly in sight of the
bird while the bird plays on its own on a designated play area. You are
not actually instructing the bird but glance up from time to time and
say “Hi” or “Good Bird”, etc. As I am writing this article I have four
of my birds playing on their trees and watching me. Every once in a
while I look up and acknowledge them. I even ask their input from time
to time, whether or not they are inclined to give it. I always clap and
praise them when they play hard with a toy or hang upside down. Whatever
they do that is good I always take time to enforce and praise. These
types of interactions can both be perceived as normal flock activity and
are both ways to maintain “Healthy Interactions” with your companion
bird.
Focused Attention - You can sit with your bird and scratch his
head if you like and wrestle with him a bit. It is just important that
you watch how your bird is reacting to whatever it is you are doing. It
is you that will ultimately be able to determine what is and what is not
“Healthy Interaction” with your parrot. The better you are (and everyone
interacting with your bird is) at paying attention to your bird’s
perception of various activities the more likely that you and your bird
will live a long, happy, and healthy life together.
Since the beginning of Parrot Island, 95% of our business has been
derived from a combination of veterinary and customer referrals. We are
also extremely lucky that these veterinarians and customers (many of
whom have worked and lived with companion parrots for 15+ years) through
their research and observations have become a tremendous resource and
have helped us gain a better understanding of the effects of captivity
on these birds.
Our opinions about these things have not come lightly or from a few
people’s observations about their parrots. The methods we have employed
for many years with both our own birds as well as hundreds of our
customer’s birds continue to show us that we are on the right path to a
better understanding of the overall care of companion parrots. Terry’s
interest in birds began in 1970 with native birds, particularly birds of
prey, and then a 7-year old male Cockatiel named Chester entered his
life.
Most of Terry’s education and interest in birds was developed by a
combination of veterinarians, biologists, and other people with a strong
interest in bettering the lives of birds, as opposed to those with only
an interest to produce birds for the pet industry. While volunteering
for numerous bird related study programs, such as The Macalister College
Field Station and the Wildlife and Raptor Rehabilitation Programs
through the University of Minnesota, Terry also attended college courses
in biology, ornithology, animal physiology, zoology, and all classes
required for the Pre-veterinary program at The University of Minnesota.
Terry was working as a Veterinary Technician at Kenwood Pet Hospital and
spent much of this time in aviary management. Terry became so involved
with educating companion parrot owners that he decided to open Isles Pet
Supply, now Parrot Island, in 1987. At that time two of his partners
were veterinarians.
I was so impressed by his obvious care for these birds that I left a
career of 17 years in banking (and all the perks that went along with
it) to share his passion and become his business partner in 1997. In
1999, we were married.
I want to thank my husband, Terry, for his patience and willingness to
teach me, and so many others how to properly care for and live with
these magnificent animals. I feel fortunate to have found Parrot Island
(then Kenwood Pet Clinic-Isles Pet Supply), so many years ago. When I
first entered Terry’s store, as a customer, I was very impressed. The
wealth of knowledge I received was amazing. Not only was I taught about
the importance of diet, caging, socialization, and veterinary care, but
I was also informed about proper interactions with my bird. Even then,
some 11+ years ago, Terry was already instructing customers about the
problems that could occur from forming a sexual bond with their parrot
and how to recognize and prevent that bond from occurring. He even
kidded me back then — that it was okay for me to Love my parrot – just
not to LOVE my parrot!
I cannot end this article without thanking Sally Blanchard for sharing
with us her 30+ years of studying parrots (and many other bird species)
to help us understand our relationships with them as companions. Also
thanks to Dr. Tammy Jenkins, of St. Francis Animal and Bird Hospital,
who has tirelessly and patiently shared information with me. Both Sally
and Dr. Jenkins do this genuinely out of their dedication and care for
companion parrots and the people who love them!
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