I guess my birds are weird (long)

[Guest mb]

I have been reading all of the so called information being passed out in this group. I cannot believe that my birds are the exception to many of the things being said here. My CAG gets along well with both my husband and I.

She has been known to go over and sit on total strangers. She has never attacked a stranger. She seems to enjoy it when we have visitors and will talk and whistle non stop. She spends the majority of her day outside the cage and perched on her playstand or some other spot above my head. She doesn't bite me or refuse to go in her cage when I tell he I have to go to the store or the barn. It never occurred to me that I had to prove my

"dominance". She doesn't pluck and is a total joy to have around. My U2 spends most of her time on my lap or shoulder. I wander around the house with her on my shoulder. If she is not on me she is usually on her cage above eye level. She, too, seems to enjoy most people. My birds have never been punished by me, except to the extent of walking out of the room if the

U2 decides to scream because she isn't on my shoulder. It took a long time, but now she "makes pretty" 99% of the time instead of the dreaded screech.

Her previous owner did physically punish her. They sprayed her with a squirt gun, so it took me over a year to get her to feel comfortable having a bath.

They threw tennis balls at her and it causes her no end of distress to see one. They threw tennis shoes at her and she will attack anyone's feet if they wear white tennis shoes. I am sorry to ramble, but I think people should think this whole punishment concept through. Think of the consequences down the line.Just my 2 cents.

[Guest javacrypto]

Psitticines break the parent/baby bond after weaning and fledging. After that point the parent bird gradually becomes just another flock member, with no special significance, and the "baby" grows to eventually form a pair bond with another bird.

 

In addition, there is PLENTY of recent scientific literature, peer-reviewed articles, field studies, etc. being published. And, BTW, it confirms that, while "pecking order" might apply to chickens (the phrase was coined to refer to barnyard fowl, not intelligent psitticine flocks with unique social structures), it doesn't apply to parrots.

[Guest phishbook]

It's no good Debbie, he said the same to me too and didn't respond when I told him that mine weren't reared by me either. Like you, I have secondhand birds.

 

As we both have Umbrella cockatoos and keep them succesfully with the minimum of screaming, perhaps our birds are unnatural, or we are just brilliant birdkeepers ;0)