What is this Bappy Word?
by Sally Blanchard

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Interestingly, the word "Bappy" is both one of the most loved and hated aspects of the Pet Bird Report.

Some people love the word and have started to use it freely—not just in the PBR. Others hate the word and some even use it as a way to attack the Pet Bird Report and its entire contents.

One self-proclaimed expert on the Internet continually attacks the word whenever anyone uses it proclaiming that anyone who would be idiotic enough to make up such a word has no credibility about birds.

When I first introduced the word in an article in 1992 (issue #6 of the Pet Bird Report) in an article entitled 'How's Your Bappy?' (article follows), I was using it only as a suggestion to make a point.

Some people loved the word and considered it an endearing term for their beloved parrots. It caught on and several writers use it in their PBR articles now. Through the years, I have received several letters on this topic. Most, whether positive or negative, have been logical and friendly while others have been mean-spirited or dismiss the entire Pet Bird Report simply because of its use of the word. While many readers were uncomfortable with the word at first, several letter writers report becoming fond of the term "bappy" as they have become used to it. Since I make a policy of not editing the content of most of the articles in the PBR, I always leave it in while other bird magazines edit the word out because it is not a universally accepted word.

My feeling about the word "bappy"?—if you like it, use it—if you don't like it don't use it. But certainly whether a person uses it in their articles or not should not be the decisive factor in determining their credibility. I certainly have no ego-investment in the use of the word "bappy" but find it a very convenient term when I write articles about what makes the parrots we share out lives with so special. The following is the article in which I first presented the word "bappy".
 

How's Your Bappy?
by Sally Blanchard

Reprinted from The Pet Bird Report Issue #6, July/August 1992. May not be used without permission.

Puppy, Kitty?

There is nothing cuter than a frisky little puppy except maybe a furry ball of a kitten. I've often heard folks lament, "the trouble with puppies (kittens) is that they grow up to be dogs (cats). The same realities are absolutely true with human babies that are "oh so cuddly" but eventually grow up to be either well-adjusted or juvenile delinquent teenagers (or something in between) on their way to adulthood.

Mammal babies are quite different in appearance and behavior from their adult counterparts. It is very obvious when they are babies and quite evident that they will not continue to look or act the same as they grow up. There are even words for the babies of dogs and cats which we humans often keep as pets.

What Is A Baby Parrot Called?

We generally call them the usual, not too imaginative "baby parrot." Sometimes we call them chicks. But then, that is what most baby birds of all species are called—aren't baby parrots something special? Since there is no specific word for a baby parrot, I made up the word "Bappy". I may start using it in my articles. People may think I am crazy? If you all don't like the word—that's fine. If you have a better suggestion—send it to me. I think that I've thought of most possibilities and personally dismissed them for one reason or another but I could be wrong. The word "Bappy" probably sounds funny just because it really isn't a word—yet? The dictionary is full of all sorts of new words that sounded strange when people first started using them. Some of them still sound strange!

Why Does It Matter?

Why does it matter if there is an actual word for a baby parrot? We can continue to call them baby parrots, can't we? Sure, if we want to. But I think that the fact that there is no special term for a baby parrot may create some misconceptions, especially for the novice bird owner. After all, if you don't really know that a bappy (baby parrot, OK?) is soft and cuddly with velvety shiny feathers, clumsy little rubbery feet and innocent inquisitive eyes that can melt the heart of all but the most "production oriented" breeders, then you may not be able to tell the difference. After all, once a "bappy" fledges or starts to fly, it has all of its feathers and is about the same size as it will be as an adult. Of course, those of us who have been around parrots for awhile know that those intensely curious eyes change colors in some species as a "bappy" matures. But many people have to be around parrots for awhile to learn the real differences and novices simply may not realize that their new parrot will change behaviorally as it gets older.

Why Does This Create Problems?

One of the major problems I see in working with behavioral problems in human raised parrots is that the owners weren't able to think of their new parrots as babies. Well, they actually knew that they were babies but somehow the connection was not made in their consciousness that baby parrots grow up. Perhaps because the changes in appearance as a "bappy" matures are not as obvious as with other pets, people assume without thinking that their behavior will not change! This is a major misconception that creates endless problems for bird owners with their parrots. I always tell my clients with "bappies" that providing guidance, rules, and using the "UP" and "DOWN" commands will establish a "Nurturing Guidance" that will keep their parrot tame and loving as it matures. But too often, I am called a year or so later to deal with a biting, screaming, one-person, cage-bound, confused "monster" in control of its own life (and doing a poor job of it!). The response of the equally confused owner is that since the bird was so sweet, he or she didn't need to use the "UP" command or set rules. Somehow or other the connection was not made, no matter how hard l tried to make it, that their parrot was a baby when they bought it and it WOULD grow up and change behaviors just like the kittens and puppies they were more acquainted with.

What Something Is Called Defines It

I have been convinced for a long time that the labels given something have a great effect on the way that we perceive things. For example, for years the bowls that birds eat out of have been called "seed cups". I am convinced that this is at least one of the many reasons that seed has been mistakenly thought of as the correct food for caged birds for so long. For that reason, I try to be very careful to say "food cup" instead. Everyone always talks about "fruits and vegetables" when in reality, it is the vegetables that are the most important source of nutrients for captive birds. So maybe we should try and say "vegetables and fruits" instead. If we had a word for a baby parrot, it might help the novice differentiate a baby from an adult parrot. It might also help people stay in touch with the fact that their new parrot is still a "bappy" until it is anywhere from 6 months to 2 years old de-pending on the species! It just makes sense to me that if there are special names for baby dogs and baby cats, its about time that we had a special name for baby parrots!

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