Parrots are flock animals with an innate need for companionship and social interaction. A parrot derives it's greatest sense of physical and emotional security from living within a flock. Parrots are rarely alone in the wild. The social nature of a flock is very important to a bird's emotional well-being. Flocks participate in many activities together such as eating, traveling, preening, bathing, climbing, playing, roosting, vocalizing and socializing.

A bird left in isolation without love and attention will have a poorly developed sense of security or belonging. Parrots are social beings and isolation can lead to the development of negative behaviors, depression and even insanity. Being locked up and abandoned in a cage to spend hours alone does not make for a very rewarding life.

Fortunately, our birds exceptional intelligence in combination with their innate social nature enables them to relate to their human family as their flock. Within our homes we need to take an active role in meeting our birds need for social connectedness.  

You can help your bird feel as though he is part of your flock by:

• Respecting and interacting with him as a full fledged, equal member of your family.
• Including your bird in routine day to day activities. Even folding laundry can be great fun to a bird.
• Sharing meal time. Eating is a flock behavior and your bird will relish opportunities to share healthy meals with the family.
• Establishing fun rituals to enjoy with your bird every day (interactive games, songs, greetings, goodbyes).
• Acknowledging and responding to your bird's contact calls to reassure him when you are in other parts of the house.

How much attention is too much? What type of attention is best?

There are three levels of attention that you should integrate into your daily routine:

Quality One on One Time (recommended 10-15 minutes twice a day) - This is where your undivided attention is focused on your bird without competing distractions. This time is great for training, cuddling and playing with your bird. Engaging in interactive play such as playing simple games with your bird will help to not only stimulate their bird brains but also foster a healthier relationship. Favorite games in our house are peek-a-boo, ball toss, hide and seek and “gonna get a bird”.

Shared Attention (recommended minimum 20 - 30 minutes a day) - This occurs any time you spend while in physical contact or close proximity to your bird while you are also engaged in other activities such as watching TV, talking on the phone, washing dishes, interacting with other family members, taking a shower, etc.

Indirect Attention (recommended minimum 2 hours per day) - Parrots love to observe other flock members and their daily routines while quietly amusing themselves with a toy on their T-stand. Just taking a few minutes to talk or hand out a treat will help remind your bird he is an integral part of the family.

Parrots also have the need for social connection thru vocalizations and contact calls. Sometimes all your parrot wants is a reassuring call back from whatever room you are in. Simple hello and goodbye greetings also fall in the category.

What is Security?

For a living being, security is the condition of feeling safe and protected against danger. We all have the innate desire to feel safe and secure in our environment.  Not feeling safe can negatively impact your birds health and mental well-being. Birds that live under stressful conditions often start to exhibit undesireable behaviors like screaming, biting and feather picking.

What would cause my bird to feel unsafe?

Parrots are prey animals which means that predators in the wild, such as hawks or snakes, are always looking to make them into a meal. This one factor influences parrot's behavior in captivity more than any other. Have you ever noticed how frightened parrots get with sudden load noises or movements from above or behind? Ever make the mistake of letting a helium balloon float by your bird's cage? Even the snakelike vacuum cleaner cord/hose can evoke a negative reaction. Our parrots are instinctually hardwired to be on alert for danger from predators 24/7. Because of this, it is up to us to realize how instinctively vulnerable our birds feel and to help them feel as safe as possible.

How can I help my bird feel secure?

Fortunately, there are many simple things that we can do to help our birds live with less stress while living in our homes. One of the keys to understanding your bird is to carefully observe their body language so you can find out what situations may cause a fearful reaction. This knowledge will help you to make adjustments in your household to avoid undue stress in your bird. It is important to note that not all birds react the same way to a specific situation. For example, some may be terrified of the vacuum cleaner but others are absolutely delighted by the noise of the vacuum. 

To reduce the potential for stress in your bird, here are some things to consider:

• Cage placement -

  Placing at least one side of your bird's cage against a wall may help your bird feel sheltered from predators (a corner position is even better). Placement opposite the entry to the room allows your bird to observe who is approaching and what is going on. Avoiding cage placement in a room with a ceiling fan or directly in front of a window may also help them to stop worrying about flying predators.

• Cage accessories -

  Utilizing cage covers, sleep tents or a perch surrounded by lots of toys can also provide a parrot with opportunities to hideaway and feel more secure when they want to sleep.

• Be a responsible flock member - 

  A parrot derives its greatest sense of security from living within a flock, they are emotionally geared to live as part of a group. In the wild, activities such as feeding, flying and grooming are performed communally. Parrots left in isolation without the benefit of direct contact and interaction do not develop a sense of security. Daily interaction on a one-on-one basis and inclusion of your bird in family activities are essential to your bird's emotional well-being.

• Establish routines 

  Parrots are less stressed when there are household routines that provide them with the opportunity for regular sleep hours, regular feeding and watering times and special one on one time. Since they have no means to do it for themselves in captivity, parrots are entirely dependent on us to provide them with clean water and a nutritious diet. They need to know they can rely on their human flock for this.

  Interactive rituals also reinforce your parrot's sense of security. For example, greetings in the morning, goodbyes when leaving for the office, game playing when coming home, silly songs during activities such as feeding or bathing all help to reassure your bird.

• Expose your bird to new things - 

  The earlier in life that you start to expose your bird to changes of a non-threatening nature, the less likely they will be frightened by things commonly encountered in life such as household moves, family additions, time away from their flock (vacations, business trips).

  Variations in diet and toys, travel, and exposure to new people and places all help to make your bird more flexible and adaptable to change. At the same time, if your bird is fearful of certain situations then remove him from that event and provide reassurance using a calm tone of voice.

Our pet birds are dependent on us to ensure they are kept safe from harm in our homes. Just like little children, our bird's curiosity can help them find very creative ways to find trouble if they are left unsupervised. Most household related deaths are the result of either exposure to a toxic substance or due to a physical trauma.

There are many household items that are toxic or potentially toxic to birds if they breathe in the fumes:

• Household cleaners (kitchen, bathroom, furniture polish, fabric protectors)
• Teflon fumes (non-stick cookware, irons, self-cleaning ovens, etc.)
• Aerosols (cleaners, hairspray, deodorant, perfumes, etc.)
• Insecticides (bug bombs)
• Paint Fumes
• Tobacco Smoke
• Smoke from poorly ventilated woodstoves and fireplaces.
• Mothballs
• Garden chemicals (fertilizers, insecticides)
• New carpet fumes
• Scented candles, Incense, Potpourri Air Fresheners (aerosol & plug-in)
• Carbon Monoxide
• Adhesives

There are also many household items and foods that are toxic if swallowed by your bird:

• Foods include:
  • Avocado
  • Chocolate
  • Alcohol
  • Caffiene
  • Dried beans
  • Fruits pits and seeds
  • Tomato leaves, vines and stems
• Toxic house plants
• Metal items containing lead or zinc
• Human medicines
• Pesticides on unwashed fruits and vegetables

Many birds have also suffered fatal or serious physical injuries when left unsupervised by:

• Drowning in an open toilet, sink or fish tank.
• Flying into window, mirror or moving ceiling fan.
• Suffering heat exposure in a car.
• Getting burned from a stove, boiling water, wood stove or fireplace
• Other animals or small children - knocking over cage, playing rough, scratches, bites
• Suffocation in bed by owner
• Crushing injuries by being stepped on
• Strangling in unkempt rope toy
• Escape through open window or door
• Killed by hawk or other predator
• Entrapment due to overgrown toenails or beak.
• Electrocution by chewing through an electrical cord.

Most physical accidents are the result of a lack of supervision when your bird is out of its cage. By exercising good judgement, bird-proofing your house and being vigilent all of these tragic scenarios are avoidable.

Hygiene, by definition, is the practice of cleanliness that prevents the spread of disease and ensures the preservation of health. In captivity, our birds depend on us to ensure their needs are met when it comes to good hygiene.  

Good hygiene, as it relates to our birds, encompasses two primary areas:

• Environmental cleanliness
  • Keeping your bird's cage, dishes, perches and toys clean.
  • Using safe methods to control pests.
• "Personal" bird hygiene (grooming)
  • Providing daily opportunities for bathing.
  • Maintaining trimmed nails and beaks.

Cleaning

In the wild, birds are not "required" to live in close proximity to their droppings. They have a continual supply of fresh unspoiled food to choose from as well as access to fresh water when they need it. In our homes, our birds depend on us to make sure these needs are met. Maintaining a clean environment helps to prevent the spread of disease which can spread very easily via contaminated drinking water, droppings and feather dust.

Probably most of us wish we could just tell our birds to "CLEAN YOUR ROOM!" Unfortunately, it is up to us to not only clean their "personal space" but, also to scrub the food stuck on the walls, the poop off of the floor, the seed hulls stuck in the floor boards, the feathers in the heating vents....you get the picture. Keeping up with the mess is a seemingly never ending chore.

Fortunately, there are many bird-safe or natural alternative cleaning products available that, when combined with a routine cleaning schedule, will make this thankless job much more manageable.

For helpful tips on cleaning, check out our related article,Cleaning Tips

Pest Control

Insects and other pests can spread disease to humans and animals through their droppings and saliva.  Ants, fruit flies, fleas, mosquitos, moths, flies and other creepy crawlers are also a major nuisance.  Employing bird-safe pest control measures helps to prevent the spread of disease. Because most commercial pest control products also present hazards to our bird's health it is important to research natural, bird-safe remedies to deal with any pests that may be present in your home.

Bathing

Parrots spend several hours a day preening and grooming their feathers. Systematically their beaks travel from feather to feather removing dirt and putting everything back in place. During this process they often fluff and shake to get rid of dust, dirt and loose feathers.

In the wild, parrots have many opportunities to bathe in the tropical rains or various bodies of water. In our homes, we need to provide ample opportunities for our birds to bathe.  This will not only help keep them clean but it will also promote good health and keep them in beautiful feather.

Birds often have preferences on how they like to bathe. Here are some ways that your bird might like to bathe at home:

• Wading: Many birds are pool bathers and love to splash around in shallow water. Try a birdbath, bowl or pan of water no higher than your bird’s legs, placed at the bottom of its cage. Some bird's even love to bathe in a sink with the water running gently.
• Misting: Most birds prefer a gentle falling mist like spray. Point the mister in a fashion that allows the water to fall down gently like rain. Be careful not to spray directly into the face as this is uncomfortable and may frighten your bird.
• Showering: Many birds like the sound of running water and the larger drops of a shower. Shower perches are available that provide non-slip surfaces for your bird to grip. A few hints about showering:
  • Try showering with your bird and have a fun time together "singing in the rain."
  • Place the perch off to the side not directly under the spray.
  • Allow your parrot time to adapt to the shower on its perch while it observes you shower.
  • Gradually introduce your parrot companion to the water.
• Rolling in Leaves: For small birds, try placing wet lettuce leaves or large leafy green vegetables at the bottom of their cage. Many small birds love to roll in the leaves and get some good nutrition at the same time.

If your bird appears reluctant to bathe using one method then don't give up, just offer up a different bathing option.

For more tips on bathing, check out our related article, Bathing Tips.

Check out these videos of birds using different methods of bathing:

Beaks and Nails 

In the wild, a parrot's beak and nails are maintained naturally in the course of chewing, nut cracking, nest building, climbing, tearing apart fruits and vegetables, landing and walking on rough branches, and swiping beaks frequently on hard, rough surfaces. All this “parrot work” assists in manicuring their beaks and nails.

Domestic parrots don't have as varied an environment or activity level. Therefore, some level of human intervention is required to achieve what is accomplished naturally by their wild counterparts. You can help your bird keep their beak and nails trim by:

• providing your bird with a variety of perches (natural branches and a grooming perch)
• giving your bird plenty of destructible toys and shelled nuts to promote chewing
• taking your bird to the vet or a bird professional for nail and beak trims