Book Reviews | Suite101.com

It's book review time, where I pull out some great books that should definitely be considered to adding to your Avian Book Library. I offer reviews from various people, telling you why they thought that book was so great, or sometimes, why it wasn't.

If you have a bonzer review for a book you think is just dying to be read, send it to shanet@gte.net.

Guide To A Well-Behaved Parrot

by Mattie Sue Athan

In less than four years, I have spoken with over 500 companion parrot owners that keep Guide To A Well Behaved Parrot close by. Many of the copies are smudged with coffee stains, bird droppings, and bite marks. Some are so wrinkled and swollen from repeated use so that they are barely legible. Considering the publication date, it is my opinion that Mattie Sue Athan was way ahead of her time. And ours. In her most recent books, Guide To The Quaker Parrot, and Guide To The Senegal Parrot And It's Family, it becomes apparent that Ms. Athan is an expert behaviorist and author who is not only keeping up with, but staying ahead when it comes to writing about companion parrots. I read Guide To A Well Behaved Parrot shortly after I purchased my first bird. There was nothing on the market that gave even the first clue on living with parrots in the real world. I had a shy Timneh African Grey who would not come out of her cage. Two weeks of practicing some of the suggestions made in this book, and I had an outgoing, adorable little bird.

Any book read eleven years after publication will have some outdated information that ultimately will be taken out of context by those that have crowned themselves The Experts in the field of avian behavior. I sell many copies daily as even novice owners have a great deal of succes with Ms. Athan's advice. The book is easy and fun to read. It follows many basic, need to know guidelines to living with a parrot. My favorite chapter is "Passive Games to Play With Your Parrot." I love the way this author captures the reader's attention from the preface, and carries them right through. If learning is made fun, it becomes much more easy to retain. I am constantly amazed at how many times I catch myself using the treasures that I found in Guide To A Well Behaved Parrot.

My own successful behavioral practice was launched by the workings of this book. I continually refer back to it for tidbits