A Bird isn't A Dog

Too often, people purchase birds thinking their level of care is that of a cat or dog. As domesticated creatures, cats and dogs (along with other pets like hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc.), have learned to live with humans. Their care consists of food, water, and the appropriate attention, which in the case of a cat or small animal, can be quite little. (I hate to say that, but my cat Tigger really doesn't want much interaction, while Nermal is a dog in cat fur.) Dogs need exercise and playtime, as well, but it's different for a bird.

Birds are not domesticated. They have not lived with humans for hundreds of years, and therefore they have not gotten used to our strange habits and lifestyles. Many birds in the pet bird trade may only be one or two generations from their wild cousins, especially the larger parrots. Budgies and cockatiels may have more of a domestic lineage, but they, too, retain most of their instinctual behavior.

Introduce Sam. He's a white capped pionus. I purchased him, along with a breeding pair of parrotlets, in November 1998. He's an older bird, and this is his second home. As a bird, he's blossomed since I've had him. Although still wary of toys, he does play with them. He loves head scratches, showers, and saying "pretty bird" to me in the mornings. When placed in the living room with Braynon, my blue head pionus, he screams for attention.

That screaming promptly got him put into the bird room, along with Braynon and the rest of my birds. "Peace and quiet," I thought to myself. Work became hectic, and I didn't spend as much time with my birds as before.

One evening after a hard day of work, I realized how I had withdrawn from my feathered children, and so I spent time in my bird room. Sam eagerly came to great me, and to my dismay, I saw in my absence he had begun plucking. I immediately began mentally kicking myself for all the things I should have done. Promptly, I rearranged my birds, moving Sam and Sally, my quaker, into the den with me. Braynon went into the living room, where he happily gets to pretend he's lord and master of all he surveys.

I also bought new bird toys. Sam had toys, the ones he loved and adored, but he needed new things to stimulate his mind. I went to Grey Feather Toy Creations http://www.greybirdtoys.com and purchased a few toys. It looks like Sam has been playing with them, and since his being in my den, I've noticed a marked improvement in his attitude. He's the love sponge I knew and loved, and I haven't noticed any picking activity as of late.

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