What will you do when you are gone...

[Terri]

I have a SC2 & a M2...both which have the capability of being EXTREMELY loud. I truly believe that because they both do it at similiar times of morning & evening that it is instinct. RARELY is there any type of screaming during the day - I have a baby (my 3rd child) on the way and am not concerned at all with the birds waking them up. Most children tend to sleep thru anything.

If there is a time when I know Carly is going to scream...I can tell by her body language as she climbs to the top of her cage to hang upside down - the screaming will soon follow...I try to redirect her just by talking to her and this brings her back down and stops her from screaming. I do believe they "need" to vocalize and scream occasionally - we all need to vent & communicate at some point. Yes it can become too much for certain families to handle but I agree with John that if it becomes too much there is a reason - not enough attention, something has changed, they are scared...something will bring it on. Just like people...babies cry for a reason...we just have to figure out what it is.


The BEST parronts are the ones that try not to make the bird fit to their lifestyle...but also don't let the bird be in control...there is a compromise and an understanding that God built them with wings to fly and gave them all the energy that they need to do this. So we have to understand that their bodies & energy level didn't change when we domesicated them so we have to find compromises - like letting them out of their cage for hours on end (daily) and give them other sorts of enrichment to can be healthy not only for their body for their spirit.


I am not an expert - but have fostered many animals that couldn't & didn't adjust to what their family believed they should. These animals THRIVE in the right environment that is positive and understands their needs better.


Many people give up on their animals too fast - it is the easy way out. How many people pick the hard road in any situation - as humans we like what is the fast, easy answer and for animals it is to "off" them like trash many times because they have not "conformed" to our lifestyle. These birds have made sooo many compromises before we even buy them - they are caged, do not have a flock, most will never breed, etc. The most we can do as intelligent people is educate ourselves as best as possible BEFORE making the lifetime commitment to be a parront and except that the relationship may not always be perfect, relationships take work from both ends and you usually get out of one what you have put into it.


Sorry for the rambling...my animals are near & dear to my heart. My family is my priority but my animals are a close 2nd.

 

[Ziggymon]

No one said anything about them being in charge. What they are saying is to give the bird "choice" and show mutual respect for the signals they are giving you. They must have boundaries of course but they must be free to do and behave as they wish inside those boundaries. They don't scream for no reason. It's our job to find out why they are screaming and adapt the situation and how we handle/interact with them so they don't have a reason or want to scream.

It's no different than a relationship you would have with another person. You do not control them by being the boss. You respect each others wants and wishes and at times it may require you to compromise to make the other person happy.

This.

 

[Holiday]

Okay, I don't have 'toos, and I'm usually not over here on the "Causeway," but some of this discussion is relevant to parrot keeping in general, so I'll say a few words. Seems to me that there's some misunderstanding going on here. One side seems to think the other is all about punishing birds, and the other thinks their "adversaries" are milksops who let the birds do whatever they want. No. People who use aversives don't enjoy punishing birds; they just don't realize there are more effective methods (or they aren't convinced that other methods will work better). People who use positive reinforcement aren't wusses; they've just read and used the most up-to-date information and know what works.

I, like many others on this board, don't use aversives/punishment, because even when they are effective (and they can be in the short term) they have unwanted side effects (squirting your bird with water will make him stop what he's doing, but over time, it will also make him have negative associations with water and with you--not a great idea overall). Everything you can do with an aversive you can also do with positive reinforcement, and you'll always get better long-term results and fewer side effects.

I would put my birds up against anyone's for being well behaved, quiet, and doing as they are asked (and, yes, sometimes I do insist that they do something, like step up to go back to the cage or get towelled for medication). I never use punishment, and I don't have to. Period. My Elvis is the best behaved bird I've ever seen. I triple dog dare anyone to show me a better behaved bird. And Max steps up into his towel twice a day for his sinus meds, like a little trooper. And it was all done through positive reinforcement.

Think of it this way: Why do the pro animal trainers like Steve Martin and Barbara Heidenreich, who make the big bucks, use positive reinforcement? Because it's a wussy trend? No. Because they are in the know. They can be counted on to use the most effective methods with the least side effects because they are paid to know these things. They are professionals. We can take a page out of their books to use in our own homes, and we and our birds will be better off for it.

And now, I'll head back over to the Motorway where I belong, LOL. Hope you 'too folks work out your differences My best to all.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Nice post Holiday! Very well said!

And now, I'll head back over to the Motorway where I belong, LOL. Hope you 'too folks work out your differences My best to all.

I think our discussion should have been in the "general" bird area, not just in the 'toos section. Our discussion was about parrot behavior and birds in general.

 

[Karen]

Nice post Holiday! Very well said!

I agree!

I think our discussion should have been in the "general" bird area, not just in the 'toos section. Our discussion was about parrot behavior and birds in general.

I'm glad you said that. I posted here not realizing it was the Too section. My exp. is limited to Macs.

 

[robin's my baby]

well i feel this is a great thread vary informitive and gives good ponts and imformed views on behavior and training i feel people should alwas consider the points of: what will happen if somthing happens to me, is my bird happy, wye is my bird doing what its doing, dose a bird belong in my life because of my situation...etc i also feel 'Too's are not the only birds that have these problems and that this should be moved to a place whare its a nutral for every one to see and gives there viws.