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BIRDS - GETTING TO KNOW
The one thing that I try so hard to stress to all pet owners is to remember that all types of pets look to us for security and a relationship. Even though your bird may not necessarily express feelings the way a cat or dog does, I am here to tell you that a relationship can be built, and can only be built on trust.
I think back to some of the birds that I trained for live shows in the early 80’s, and there is no question that the birds that performed in the show definitely got into a “groove” throughout the day. There were a few reasons this happened , but one of the biggest reasons was that it was built on making the bird comfortable in his environment. The time your bird needs your trust most is when he is first brought into your home. This is without a doubt the most important time of new bird ownership and your most vital opportunity to really develop that initial bond.
Remember that your bird might not be too comfortable initially, he may turn to you for comfort. If you’re there to give him that security, that is huge. In his eyes, he will never forget that because you were there for him when he needed you most. Remember that in creating this bond, it’s something that is not built overnight. It takes time.
You want to start by getting to know your bird and start getting educated. Once you put the bird or birds in their cage, I recommend just taking a few minutes and watching some of things they are doing, because this will make you aware of their natural behavior characteristics. What is great is you can start to find out things that he likes or things that are frightening to him. This of course really depends upon the type of bird you have.
If you have a smaller bird that flies around a lot such as a finch, canary, or parakeet, there is not a lot to watch other than the bird flying back and forth, but you can learn a lot from this. Many times initially, the closer you get to their cage, the more they will fly back and forth or flutter around the cage. So it makes sense that if you stay back from the cage early on and the birds are flying around less, they are probably more content with you being away from the cage for the time being.
With a larger bird such as a parrot, cockatiel, or macaw, you’ll see a lot more varied behavior. You will see these birds start to play with certain toys that you’ve put in the cage. If they are a little stressed out, they might pace around a bit or even climb up the sides of the cage. If there are certain types of nuts or food that you see the bird eating, remember what types they are.
During the first few hours, I recommend keeping all dogs and cats in another room. Because birds are all different, you never know the way they will react to a dog or cat. Since this is the crucial time in getting to know your bird, I recommend letting them get comfortable before exposing them to people and other animals. Once this happens, you are ready to begin to DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP.
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