Parrot Basic Instincts: Part 4 (Almost Done!!)
Eye contact is also crucial. With a trusted individual, direct eye contact is often welcomes and even requested by the bird. However, in a first meeting, it might be a good idea to avert your glance and allow the bird to determine when the eye to eye contact occurs so as not to place undue stress on an already stressful meeting. With some birds, it is a good idea to work into eye contact and proceed forward slowly, towards a more physical response.
Another parrot quirk is their visual preferences. Yeah I know, but believe it or not there are proven studies which indicate that parrots have color prefernces, particularly in the area of food selection. Now I KNOW this is true, because my birds (yep....we got 2 NOW) have VERY specific preferences for their toys and their food. (Connie likes green food; Stinger prefers orange). In addition to this, they may react differently to their owners as well, depending on the color and texture of their clothing. Which leads me to tactile. Yes, touch. All parrots use their sense of touch recognize their surroundings and make choices especially in food, learning to sort "good from bad" by the feel. They not only use their feet but their beaks and tongues as well. Problem is, the parrots don't feel a thing when they pinch a bit too hard....but YOU do, dontcha? Many experts agree that when it comes to "beaking" behavior, a parrot owner should discourage it totally.
(7. Parrots are messy, even in the wild
Ok......Hehehe...here's a newsflash for ya! Yeah right. Well, if you are a new bird owner, and you are a "neat freak," then maybe a parrot is not for you. You see, like I said before, parrots touch stuff. Then, normally, they throw things. Heck, in the wild, that is their job! Their discards (the pods, seeds, fruits husks and ewwwwww...... droppings) go everywhere, helping to keep the forest healthy.
Given this, their messy housekeeping is just something we have to live with, and deal with it as best we can. Allow your parrot to shred, crumble, ignore, toss or otherwise decimate food and toys as they see fit. It is part of their daily natural lives. There are things one can get (cage skirts, special feeders and hehehe.... a good supply of cleaning products) to control the mess. BUT you can't and shouldn't even try to eliminate it.
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