Ask An Expert: Phoebe Green Linden

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hi and thank you for writing World Parrot Trust about your Cockatiel's diet. It can be super-frustrating to try time and time again with the pellets and still have her refuse to eat them. Food fights can be common with parrots, so the first thing I’m going to recommend is that you take a break from the dietary concerns. Relax, and let go of any preconceived notions you have on how long it should take, how many she should eat, etc. Presumably, she’s healthy, so you can trust her wild wisdom.

Because you write that you've tried many things already, you probably already know that a lot of parrots like to dunk their pellets. So, if she doesn’t already have a bowl of shallow water right beside the bowl of pellets, add one and the problem may be resolved. Lots of our parrots only eat pellets that they've dunked in water. We call this Pellet Soup. Don’t worry about the water getting too dirty: you may need to change it a couple of times a day, but that's doable. You can use a hook-on cup right next to her pellet bowl and put in it just an inch or so of water so she can retrieve the pellets once they are wet to her satisfaction. Another thing that helps is having a separate bowl for pellets, another for seeds, another for veggies and nuts and at least one, usually two, for water, per cage. The smaller water bowl is placed by the food bowls intentionally, for soup-making, with the larger water bowl in another location for big drinks of fresh water or bathing.

Also, be sure you have several varieties of high-quality pellets on hand. Buy small bags of different kinds and sizes. Be sure they are scrupulously fresh, too. To help you keep track, feed only one kind at a time, but over the weeks, definitely mix it up. When you notice that she’s dunking or pulverizing a specific type, keep feeding that type for a while. Once your Cockatiel eats one kind/size of pellet, she’s more likely to try another kind. However, she may also become loyal to one brand, so be ready to change your mind along with hers. Keep watching for and taking her signals. This reminds me that parrots in the wild eat seasonally. No boring hum-drum diets for them, but fresh offerings that coincide with rainfall, sunlight, winds and capricious availability.

The more generally adventuresome your Cockatiel is, the more likely she is to try new things, including foods. Foraging, foraging toys, the acts of foraging – these are essential elements to good eating habits. Therefore, plenty of space is essential not only for foraging, but also for exercise as the more calories she expends, the more foods she’ll eat. A large cage (what’s commonly called "Amazon-Sized") works well for exploratory confident 'tiels and, properly perched, affords her lots of opportunities for an enriched captive life. However, it's not only about the cage.

What I find with my flock of companions is that they do their most adventuresome eating when they are not near their regular food bowls. Away from their cages – that’s where a sense of adventure and an exploratory nature best thrive. (The only thing more boring to eat than a bowl of pellets? Eating those pellets while stuck in a cage.) Can you imagine eating the same dried food every day while in the same location? Blech. So, let her in to the kitchen with you and watch what she samples. In my kitchen, there’s a basket for parrots, a table-top stand with bowls, a large windowsill dedicated to parrots (no nick-knacks) and plenty of counter space where they walk around and spread, toss and sample foods. I'm ostensibly cooking and they are ostensibly helping me. What’s really happening is mulch-making.

This is one of the many things my parrots have taught me – once past babyhood, they no longer view me as the ultimate authority on everything: they like to discover their own preferences. It's my joy and job to provide them with environments in which they discover what they like to do and how they like to eat. If you give your 'tiel the space and materials, she'll show you what she likes.

Sometimes, they eat pellets (or other foods) that they've first wrapped up or poked into fabric or shoelaces. They take the pellet (or nut or celery stalk or whatever) and poke it in to fabric, then eat the bits and crumbs. It's a combination of playing and eating. My little Rosie Cockatoo, Nikki, likes her pellets squished among the strands of a Ring Around the Rainbow made by Star Bird (http://www.estarbird.com/products/Ring-Around-the-Rainbow.html) which I keep on the kitchen counter especially for this reason. Only yesterday Nikki munched on a huge macaw-sized pellet that she’d stuck into her rainbow strands. Granted, this might be the only pellet she eats for several days – and mostly she pulverized it – but she definitely ate a pellet. You might try cutting 2” x 4” strips of cotton and seeing if your cockatiel likes to make wraps for her foods. Lightly mound a few strips, a piece or two of her favorite nut and a couple of pellets on a flat surface and let her explore. Cockatiels love walking around while they eat and they eat best by picking at foods scattered around in what might seem to us a haphazard manner, but if it makes sense to them, let’s learn from that. She probably loves dropping stuff on the floor, too, which is part of cockatiel eating. Think of it this way – if she drops 50 pellets on the floor, she has 50 chances of tasting one! So, let her play the wrap-it-up/forage/mulch/toss games and see what happens.

By expanding the idea of 'converting her to a pelleted diet' into 'providing her with opportunities to be creative' you’ll enrich both of your lives. Eventually, given the right choices in the right environments, she'll eat a diet that’s smart for her. Messy for you, but smart for her. Good luck and have fun.

All best,
Phoebe Linden and Flock

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hello Nic, and thanks for writing World Parrot Trust. By becoming a supporter of World Parrot Trust, you've already made a good decision that can have far-reaching positive ramifications for your captive cockatoo companion, so kudos! Stay interested. Keep questioning.

Here are some recommendations to help you and your captive cockatoo live together in companionship and understanding.

1) Learn everything you can about parrots – become a well-versed generalist. Read extensively, especially everything on the WPT site which is like being in Parrot University, plus watch videos of parrots in the wild, and then become active in an issue surrounding captive parrots which is meaningful to you.

2) Along the way, develop a keen specialized knowledge of the species of cockatoo you intend to keep captive and know their wild habitats, habits, flock sizes, seasons, indigenous food preferences (if known) and so on.

3) Participate in conservation efforts that enhance the lives of your captive's wild cousins. This will help deepen your compassion for the type of parrot you keep.

4) Establish a friendly and supportive relationship with an avian veterinarian and her/his staff and discuss specific medical, social, nutritional concerns with her/him. Follow her/his advice but don’t be shy about getting a second opinion, especially if the advice you first receive is contrary to what’s documented on this site.

5) Take the on-line class Living and Learning with Parrots, no matter who teaches it. Participate in on-line discussions (even if you just lurk at first), attend seminars, go to conferences, think deeply well into the night on issues.

6) Before you buy the cage, stick your head and shoulders in it and look around. If it’s not big enough for you to do that, the cage is too small.

7) Once you’ve got a big enough cage, stick your head and shoulders inside it, or sit on the stoop and check out the interior: notice where the bowls, perches and enrichment items are and envision how a smallish body, with two zygodactyl feet (two toes pointing forward, two pointing backwards) would make her/his way through this space. This might take practice, but keep trying. You'll adapt. You’re sure to get the point well before 8 consecutive hours of this exercise.

8) Speaking of exercise, when you’re in the cage, how do you stretch? Flap? Where are the foraging areas and how do you get to them? Where do you sleep? How about privacy and shade? If you were the size and temperament of your parrot, how would you rate the interior of the cage? Make it fabulous. Make the primary cage a place where, if other cockatoos came to visit, they’d be like, whoa man, this is cooooool.

9) Still inside the cage, check it out: How’s the view? If you live with other parrots, chances are from the inside of your cage, you mainly see other cages. If you were the size of your parrot, how would you rate the interior of the cage?

10) As the human who is 100% responsible, make every single environmental adjustment you can to enhance the cockatoo’s well-being. Create spaces, scenarios and enticements specifically designed from her/his point of view and commensurate with her/his physicality and abilities. Continue this without flagging.

11) Realistically assess your physical surroundings and make interior and exterior spaces commensurate with your captive cockatoo’s capabilities, innate propensities and your ideals of multi-species companionship. Keep in mind, always, the fact that your captive has, without their permission, given up the notions and the realities of like-species companionship and all that entails. Denied the knowledge of other cockatoos’ voice and touch, your captive needs you to assess her/his needs, respect them, and fulfill them. Absent from flock life and its myriad lessons, apart from wisdom of grandparents, parents, siblings and native communities, your captive depends on you to supplement their captive-life curriculum with On-Going Benevolent Lessons in Captivity. Also, add more cockatoo-friendly hang-out areas than you think you need.

12) Consider cockatoo noise-making a legitimate form of communication, a way of life, an expression of emotional complexity, a necessary physical release, and a symphony in praise of bio-diversity. Get used to it.

In conclusion, the best advice I can give is to keep learning. Contribute as much as you can. Consider the cockatoo individual who inhabits your space as your personal representative of the huge wild imperiled earth and act, always, accordingly.

All best,
Phoebe Greene Linden
Santa Barbara Bird Farm

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hi Nicole, Congratulations on your pregnancy and all best wishes for the upcoming months.

There are plenty of ways to ensure that your Galah and human child each have full lives, most of which depend entirely upon you. In many ways, the lifelong commitments we make to our parrot companions are similar to those we make to children. Soon, you’ll have two dependents rather than one.

It’s well proven that humans and parrots can live companionably for lifetimes, and chances are, your parrot will remain with you even after your child grows up and flies away to his/her own flock. Remember to remain dedicated to the long view and don’t let momentary fits interrupt the big picture.

One great aspect to your situation is your parrot’s species, Galah. I call these “huge flock parrots” because they live with many, many others, so they naturally like a lot of company. I hope your Galah has more than one person with whom he’s friendly, as this person’s importance in his life will increase once the human baby comes. Our 29-year old Galah, Nikki, is terrifically friendly. She lets all the other parrots hang out inside her cage where they eat her food, play with her toys and mess up her space, all without a quibble from Nikki. She is first to volunteer to meet new people and performs for any audience. Chances are, your Galah also has several friends and admirers, so enlist them now in your efforts.

In order to prepare your Galah for the upcoming events, begin to make key enriching adjustments to his environment as soon as you can.

Begin by bringing your Galah in to conversations and the excitement about the baby – show him the nursery, baby toys, clothes and so on. When you decide upon a name, use it in conversations with him. Include pictures and videos of babies so he is familiar with the phenomena, noises, movements and so on. Really! Our parrots love watching videos, so show him some of crying babies and see how he reacts. If you have a baby shower, let your friends know that parrot goodies are welcome gifts. You’ll feel well-prepared if you have parrot enrichment activities on hand that he can have after the baby comes.

Incorporate more than one cage (sleeping area) into his repertoire so he is comfortable sleeping in a couple of locations. This way, if the baby is fussy at night, only you suffer from sleep deprivation, not the parrot. Lots of our adult parrots enjoy sleeping, once in a while, in a large carrier which has a thick soft rug on the bottom. We’ve accustomed them to “camping out” like this in case of emergencies and they seem well-rested and ready-to-go the next morning.

Ditto active play areas and hang-out places – more is better in this case. Try to have a perch or gym where he can watch you rock, feed or bathe the baby in case he wants to watch. Also, create some spaces for him away from these activities for the times he wants to do parrot-centric things. As in so many situations regarding parrot happiness in captivity, space planning and allocation are key. The more areas he can be a parrot who enjoys living with humans, the greater your chances of mutual happiness and long-term contentment.

Some places for parrots are really simple yet effective: Nikki loves to sit on top of a securely-weighted vertical paper towel roll dispenser. sometimes she chews the paper towels a little, but mostly she just hangs out on top of the roll. These area ready-made parrot spaces in our bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room and so on.

Our all-time favorite parrot places are nice-sized baskets with flat bottoms and handles. You may need to weight the basket bottoms to stabilize them and the cover the bottoms with newspapers or paper towels for easy clean-up. If the handles are skimpy, cover with tightly wound cotton rope. Parrot baskets are invaluable and many of our friends say their parrots use the same baskets for decades. Easily placed in several rooms or moved from room to room, parrot baskets are indispensable counter- and table-top perches.

The reason for multiple places and enrichment activities is to encourage your Galah to demonstrate a variety of interests and skills. The more observable behaviors he shows you in a variety of locations, the better for a busy mom and growing baby.

I’m a believer in parrots having jobs that they enjoy and are good at. One of Nikki’s jobs is preening herself which she’s turned in to an art form. She uses several tools (hanging toys) to scratch her head and scrub her back. Try setting up your Galah with some toys he can use as self-soothers. Nikki is also really, really good at untying tightly knotted rawhide shoelaces. I make multi-legged knotted-up spiders out of rawhide shoelaces and she spends hours untangling the knots and preening the strands. I’ve yet to make a knot she cannot, over time, untie. Perhaps your Galah has similar talents?

During the upcoming months, learn all you can about him as an individual – track his progress as carefully as you track your pregnancy. Observe what he loves doing best, what he’s already good at doing (dancing? climbing? swinging? hopping?) and create opportunities that encourage time on task. If he’s a dancer (most cockatoos are!), have him dance in the kitchen, in the family room, on this perch or this gym, in the shower, for visitors, on the sofa, on top of the ‘frig, wherever and whenever. The more actions he’s good at performing – the more he acts like a real parrot – the better! Also, note his normal nap and quiet times. Nikki tends to sleep later in the morning than our other parrots do; she rouses for breakfast then takes a mid-morning nap. She’s active with her jobs in the afternoon and works into the early evening. She’ll often stay up way past her normal bedtime if given the opportunity (hence the tendency to sleep in). So, notice your Galah’s natural schedule and use his propensities to your mutual advantage.

My advice about introducing your Galah and your baby to each other is to listen to your motherly instincts and don’t do anything you are not 110% comfortable doing. You want his first observations of the baby to be brief and calm: short and sweet and from a safe comfortable distance. Have him on your hand or arm and if you feel his body weight rear back, take a step backwards. The more non-eventful observations he has of the baby prior to interaction, the better. Don’t put any pressure on him to “like” the baby or understand the baby right away. First, from a comfortable distance, he’ll need to watch the baby; then he’ll need to watch some more; then he’ll need to watch some more. Days, weeks, months. Give him gentle verbal reinforcement for just watching. When the baby moves and he raises his crest, calmly acknowledge his reaction. He should have an escape route available to him so if he wants to go elsewhere, he can. Or, a basket nearby (or further away) where he’s comfortable watching you and the baby together. If this doesn’t happen right away, don’t worry. It might take a while.

He and the child might not get along for several years – perhaps longer -- and this needs to be OK with you and other family members and close friends. Babies and parrots don’t often become friendly in the ways that adults and parrots do, so keep this in mind. As the days, weeks and months go by, continue to reach out for help and advice. So many things can happen! It won’t be surprising if you need help and support, so ask for what your family/flock needs.

Resist the urge to create rosy-colored scenarios in your imagination where the parrot befriends the baby and they coo and cuddle together. Instead, see yourself happily managing and loving two different but important vital life forces, both of whom you’ve accepted in to your life.

Good luck, Phoebe-

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hi Sara, Thanks for writing World Parrot Trust and for your desire to provide optimal environments for your Blue-fronted Amazons (Amazon aestiva).

First, I recommend that you immerse yourself in knowledge of wild Blue-fronted Amazon’s habitats.

Read everything you can, including all the info and links on parrots.org. Including
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1648/0273-8570%282002%29073%5B0399%3ANSAHSO%5D2.0.CO%3B2?journalCode=forn

"Nesting success and hatching survival of the Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazon aestiva) in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil"

Abstract:
We studied the reproductive biology of a population of Blue-fronted Amazons (Amazon aestiva) in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, between 1997 and 1999. Nesting occurred from August to December. We monitored 94 nests, which were found in trees of different sizes. Nesting trees were distributed in all major vegetation associations (floodplains, grasslands, scrub savanna, savanna, arboreal savanna, riparian forests, and pastures). (emphasis mine, pgl)

I find this research fascinating and hope you do, too, because it gives us vast amounts of inspiration as we provide optimal habitats for our flocks. Now that we know that wild Blue-fronted Amazons live and nest in "all major vegetation associations," we can build habitats commensurate with their physiology.

Congratulations on the conservatory – we have one, too – a glass enclosed building, double-paned. It’s a space dedicated to parrots and people sharing, but it’s not inherently a “friendly” parrot environment. Modifications are needed, or so I’ve found. Additionally, it can be arid here in Santa Barbara, so, like you, I deal with issues of heat, humidity and sunlight.

We added retractable awnings to the outdoor roof of our conservatory and these are key. Decadent, I know, but pushing that button and having those awnings go out over the roof really helps the parrots’ environment stay viable. We also have an indoor sprinkler system, which was easy to install and is simple to use. On hot days, it’s a godsend.

With all the glass in the room, it can become weirdly reflective, so I use bamboo, rattan or other chewable mats which strategically drape and are affixed over cage sides and tops to allow for privacy and visual rest from windows and other forms of stimulation. Some of our parrots have three such shields: One or two on cage top, depending on how the sun at its brightest hits the cage; another on the side, depending on individual preference. So please, Sara, check your parrots and their cages / enclosures at various times throughout the day and provide full-body shade whenever they desire.

These natural fiber mats serve not only as privacy panels, but also as moisture holders and dispersers. Sprayed with water, moistened mats will cool the room for hours. Easily removable and cleanable, I find mats indispensable. If they get dirty, they get scrubbed, dried and re-used.

Additionally, we use three or more outdoor decorative movable screens that we simply prop against the windows where the sun hits hardest (this varies by season, of course) to cut down intensity. These cool the room considerably. Every day, as much as possible, I open the windows so that real natural sunlight and humidity enters the room.

On hot days, we open the windows plus drape thick wet towels on the outdoor screens. Now air entering the room is moist and cool.

Indoor plants with lots of foliage inside the room are beneficial water-retainers. Keep the area right outside the room also well hydrated with plants that provide shade, moisture, interest and loveliness. Potted plants can work – just be sure they are tall and robust enough to provide shade. Keep these areas hydrated and keep the windows open so the parrots have at least part of a sun-lit environment, too. Drenched plants, mats and screens, inspire parrots to get drenched, too.

Get-a-Grips (sold in WPT on-line store) by Star Bird, are perfect companions to hot rooms because they, too, can be sprayed down. The moisture released throughout the day helps reduce aridity. Our parrots and parrot room would be greatly impoverished without our Get-A-Grips.

Do use and maintain clean cool air humidifiers, too. I’ve found that reverse-osmosis (RO) water (available at stores that sell saltwater fish) keeps humidifiers clean and running great. I think 85oF is not too hot for Blue-fronted Amazons as long as the air is gently moving, humid and moist. Healthy parrots can also easily live in 50oF.

Finally, don’t stress too much about all but the most drastic extremes. Scientists tell us that wild Blue-fronted Amazons inhabit a variety of habitats. Encourage a fully realized relationship between you and your flock so that you are all tuned in to each other's levels of comfort, camaraderie and companionship. Stay open to signals from your parrots on what they like and use, where they go during different times of the day, and so forth. Keep tweaking the environment to make it better and better for them.

Last but not least, encourage your Blue-fronted Amazons to love bathing and showering. If you provide multiple water bowls or large shallow bowls (8 x 11 glass baking pans work) and they learn to get silly and wet in it, that’s great! Lots of showers, misting, water bowl bathing, plant leaf bathing – yay! That way, if you’re stuck in traffic on a hot day, your parrots can be having a blast in their water bowls.

All best, Phoebe Greene Linden and flock

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hi Bruce, We are so excited to get in on the flight action with you, Gizmo and Einstein. Bonnet (one of my wonderful avian companions) and I are also amidst flight explorations and we, like you, have had our share of lucky-and-we-don’t-want-to-push-it experiences with parrots in flight in the house. So, we're with you and we'll be ready to fly in a moment.

First, good question on the pans. In order to keep it simple, I stay with stainless and well-seasoned cast iron pieces, then abide by simple reminders: use veggies and olive oil, avoid overcooking, and ventilate for clean cooking and air that's parrot-healthy.

Our first question is for Gizmo, as in what's up with the not flying very much, buddy? We've seen your cousins zoom around like gleaming banners crossing paths in mid-air and landing fast in order to turn tummy to sky for Sun Conuring. Bruce, as the human, you probably need to check in with Giz to see what kind of physical activities he’d like to check out to further his psittacine-physicality. Maybe Gizmo likes stretching – what is his full range of motion? – or big flapping hops from this cool place to a new cool parrot place. Bonnet says, think flock habitat expansion, Bruce – parrots love habitat. Set up a great place for Gizmo to do his wing-beats and let’s see what happens.

Einstein is indeed a genius and you must be super excited to be sharing space and consciousness with such an amazing parrot. Do you know that “Hanh's” stands for “His Honor”? I just made that up, but it seems right, doesn't it? Anyway, an Ibis flying across one's fields of vision is a flap-worthy event, so Einstein was acting like a parrot when he took off in response. The wall is the problem, not Einstein's wings. Bonnet wants to know, will you knock out the wall when you build the aviary?

In the meantime, survey the habitat as if from Einstein's point of view, taking in to consideration the picture window and its often still-except-when-moving, sometimes surprising, views. As you see what he sees, wait a while, fit into that habitat, relax and try it on for size, Hahn's size. Some changes to Einstein and Gizmo’s environments will be obvious, and those you should make right away. Others will reveal themselves over time and yet others will be inspired by their increasing athleticism.

Bonnet and I also enjoy quiet moments together in front of windows especially when she gets to show me something humans might otherwise miss. You and Einstein can together experience lots of different interesting views, so put some time into looking.

Additionally, create more and more suitable parrot-specific landing places for your budding athletes. Table-top perches, a weighted basket on top of the refrigerator, a trusty chair back – all are great. Bolt-worthy events will happen. When you and your parrots are all comfortable that there’s a variety of safe landing spaces that all competently access, flight is no longer twisted with fright.
Bruce, have you watched PollyVision with your parrots? If not, we recommend it!! Here we see parrots really flying and acting like parrots and here we get our best decorating tips, too.

All best, Phoebe and Bonnet

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hi Arlene, Thanks for writing WPT and welcome to our “Ask the Expert” feature. I’m delighted to read about your loving concern for Pickle, a mature highly interactive female dusky-headed conure, Aratinga weddellii, and glad that she went to the vet. I presume that she is healthy in every regard. Also, some eggs are palpable only right before they are laid, so Pickle could still have one or more eggs in process.

All of Pickle's time inside "precious" is, indeed, precious to her because it gives her the chance to behave like a biologically real parrot. Now that the days are getting longer, her efforts will undoubtedly increase. It’s not too weird that she changed her preference from one drawer to another. Based on observations of the wild Amazon parrots of Santa Barbara (http://www.santabarbarabirdfarm.com), we see parrots religiously work a particular nest site only to abandon it for another. Perhaps a disturbance encouraged Pickle to move – perhaps you "cleaned out" the first drawer –- or perhaps Pickle was ready for something new.

Either way, it’s not unusual for a fixed-up site to be abandoned and sometimes that ends the laying right then. Other times, a new site is selected and a new remodel begins. We use this abandon-one-site and select-another-site propensity to divert companions from laying or to slow down excessive laying.

At 17, Pickle is definitely biologically mature, but like many mature psittacines, she has not yet laid eggs. However, with time and access to a viable nest, it’s not surprising that she’s exhibiting what we humans call “nesting behaviors.” Parrots might call these "shredding fun stuff in a cozy places" behaviors because not all parrots who build nests end up laying eggs. They just like making places.

For instance, our flock comprises two proven pair of African Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). They are retired, so they no longer produce or incubate eggs or raise chicks, processes that formerly took up most of their time. In retirement, they’ve discovered new hobbies and because they have ground in which to dig, and neighbors who do the same, the two pairs dig and dig and dig every day. They also shred pine, deforest millet, destroy banana bark and pulverize cotton rope toys. Every day, they make elaborate soups, and every evening they practice solos, duets and quartets. They make big messes, talk about everything a lot, have sex whenever they feel like it, feed each other and, after a full day, snuggle on perches that afford them ease and privacy. The removal of their nest boxes disallowed eggs and parenting behaviors, but alternate behaviors are greatly increased.

A great way to focus Pickle’s attention towards non-reproductive place-making would be to offer her a variety of places to explore and various substrates to pulverize. If you don’t want her to go all the way through laying, you might be able to non-stressfully change the environment in ways that she values so that egg-laying becomes ho-hum compared with what’s new. However, it might also be too late in her cycle this time around for this level of diversion, so we’ll discuss what to do if she lays, below. In the meantime, think about making some future places for Pickle that are conducive to shredding and privacy, but not necessarily laying.

Additionally, not all parrots who lay eggs incubate them. Pickle might lay a nice little clutch only to be done with it. In all cases, your companionship with her need not change except to deepen.
Parrots like Cella, (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri) seek a nest, make it nice, lay eggs and incubate them but give up the eggs when don’t hatch. Pickle could do the same. Therefore, an element of "wait and see" accompanies this new phase of Pickle’s behaviors and your reactions to them.

Generally, psittacine hens lay eggs at 24 hour intervals until their clutch is complete. Conures lay between 2 – 5 eggs per clutch, sometimes more. Incubation begins when the last egg is laid and for conures occurs over 21-23 days.(Clinical Avian Medicine and Surgery, Harrison and Harrison, Appendix 5 by K. Flammer, pg 663.)

Another consideration is Pickle’s overall athleticism. Please be sure Pickle regularly exercises because we know that parrots who are in good shape are better equipped to lay eggs than over-weight, under-nourished or sedentary birds. Therefore, when she’s not nesting, encourage Pickle to fly if she’s flighted. Or to flap, climb, run and walk if she’s not flighted. I bet she’s happy to run to precious, for instance.

Regardless of whether or not Pickle lays, your relationship with her can and should continue to grow and deepen. In fact, now that she’s shown you her new talent for place-making, you can get creative. That’s what Cella and I have discovered.

Cella, mentioned above, is 24 and incubates 2-3 clutches a year. When she’s incubating her eggs, I ask her to fly or run back to her nest because other than digging and shredding, she doesn’t get much
exercise during egg time. When she’s not nesting, she exercises more which we both enjoy. Her privacy box is a cardboard box fashioned to her liking and suspended in her large macaw-sized cage; she incubates each clutch, during which she thoroughly attends the eggs, cooing and clucking with absorptive attention. After about 32 days, she leaves the box and ignores the eggs, so I remove all in order to give Cella a break from nesting, which lasts a few months, and all is well.

During the break, Cella exercises, takes lots showers, chews up stalks and stalks of millet and is in every way a delight. Until it’s time to do the place-making again. When the break is over and she wants another box, Cella starts pacing inside her cage. Outside it, she intently seeks out any dark place in which to scratch and hide. She’s been known to scurry and freeze deep inside the pantry, run out of reach behind cabinets and hide silently underneath the dishwasher.

As soon as Cella gets a new parrot-appropriate box – even if she cannot immediately get inside it – she stops pacing and hiding and becomes intent on place-making. When I say the box is fashioned to Cella’s liking, that’s partly true because some of the box is fashioned to ensure her health and safety. Because Pickle and Cella do not get to experience feeding and caring for chicks, which takes 10 - 12 weeks, they might cycle before their calcium and other supplies adequately replenish. Too many eggs can deplete them. So, if Cella starts signaling that she wants a box too soon after finishing the last clutch, or by the year’s third clutch, I make a box that challenges her. It might have a really teensy entry hole (1/2”) through which she’ll peer before she chews it large enough for entry. Plus once she makes the hole, she finds the box stuffed with materials that need to be shredded and excavated. Then again, just as in the wild, some disturbance might occur with that site (think big storm, high winds) that necessitates Cella starting again with another – imagine this – even better site.

If you want Pickle to continue in the dresser, you can make that site more challenging for her to access and more creative once she gets there. For instance, will she climb a ladder to get to precious or go through a parrot-friendly agility course? The more action-packed, the more Pickle-appropriate materials that surround this series of events, the more creative your shared flock environment becomes. Of course, if she lays and incubates, the flock will ensure she has a serene and stable environment with plenty of flock attention. Until, that is, she’s ready for something new.

All best,
Phoebe Greene Linden

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hello Anne, First, please accept my heartfelt condolences for the recent loss of your husband. You are in a season of profound feelings.

I can tell from your letter that you care deeply about Lulu and her legacy, so it’s important to get this relationship, and decisions about it, right. Thank you so much for asking for my comments; I’m honored to help you and Lulu honor the memory of your husband and Lulu’s great friend.

You and Lulu have been through a lot with each other, in sickness and in health, as it’s said. Your shared history will deepen your relationship, and, as long as you’re willing to keep investing in it, you and Lulu can develop a great companionship.

I could be wrong, but something tells me your husband’s two favorites can make a go of it. Let’s consider how you and Lulu are already compatible: she already goes on your arm readily, you have some nice routines established, and it seems like you enjoy being together, so you have a lot to work with. You’ve been through rough times, but you’re ready to learn, and you want to stay together.

My 13 yr old Blue and Gold macaw, Georgia, says “Go for it!” I agree – let’s get started! We are going to approach your situation using both behavioral analysis and emotional intelligence.

Kick Back, Watch a DVD
First, please order PollyVision I and II and watch the DVD’s yourself first, then with Lulu. Note the behaviors of the wild parrots and note which ones she already does. Have her watch it, too, if and when you are both ready to watch. When we see those wild macaws doing what they do, it makes us stop and think, and it makes us want to get active, too, to change, enhance, and build habitats that encourage parrots to act more and more like real birds. I think it’s really important that our parrots are first parrots, meaning that they flap, climb, swing, talk, preen, interact, hang out and goof off; then, together, we are companions.

What Does Lulu Want?
So, consider some new enhancements for Lulu – check her favorite toy and see if it’s time to order more; be sure the places you put her are designed for her comfort, and with her values, in mind, not ours. Our macaws really like their get-a-grips from WPT supporter Star Bird; they also love the bamboolies from this same line. Between those two enrichments, hours of enjoyment. Giving Lulu a new place to hang out – especially if it’s a place she really, really likes, will signal the beginning of a new relationship. http://www.parrots.org/estore/catalogue/Page8-9_Natural%20Toys.pdf.

Make a list of treats Lulu likes, such as walnut, almond, wheat toast with a smudge of peanut butter, warm corn bread, cracker and withhold these except for as a reward for going into the cage. No more free treats! To start, use pieces that are about ½” x ½”, but keep experimenting with size so that you give the most appropriate amount.

One really great “fact” is that when Lulu does “parrot stuff” (which looks a lot like showing off, being pretty, preening/posing, having a fluff head, etc.,) she’s automatically reinforced. Humans like these behaviors, too. Remember, Lulu is happy to be beautiful and your admiration of her can be genuine, gentle, appropriate and meaningful. When we like and encourage the behaviors she already wants to perform, then we’re working like a team. Or better, like a flock. Lulu will like your praise and as you notice her more and more, you’ll appreciate her more and more.

To Build Compatibility, Note What’s Incompatible
Let’s think for a moment about behaviors that are incompatible with biting. Meaning, if Lulu is doing xyz she is in no position to bite. Behaviors that are incompatible with biting include preening, waving, turning around, turning around and fanning the tail, scratching the head with one foot, then with the other, doing an arabesque and fluff and puff, to name some. When Lulu does any one of these behaviors, it’s physically impossible for her to also be biting. So, you want to catch her doing these behaviors and give her a treat or praise so that these behaviors increase and biting falls away. There are so many things Lulu probably already does that have nothing to do with biting! It’s your great assignment, Anne, to note these and find the reinforcement she wants that leads to more performances of behaviors incompatible with biting.

Approach Lulu and see what she wants to do, if anything, with you at a particular time. She might want breakfast with you, maybe not. Some other time, then. No biggie. If she doesn’t want juice now, maybe later. It’s not a big deal to you (except you know how yummy juice is. . . ) and she’ll probably want it tomorrow, anyway. Maybe she wants to flip her wings, fan her tail, scratch her head or whistle: those are all cool parrot behaviors, so praise her for what she’s doing that’s right.

The Cage as a Treat Delivery Station
Because you’ve isolated the “problem area” to be Lulu’s cage, you’ve given us a terrific tool with which to work. Sounds like Lulu has started to view “going back into the cage time” as an arbitrary decision based on human convenience. One that makes her march to orders and then get jailed as a result. Who wouldn’t rebel?
Instead, let’s construct circumstances in which Lulu goes from out of her cage to inside her cage and back out again, then in again, etc., according to a mutual agreement between you. It’s important for Lulu to be her own agent and participate in decisions. When possible, let her come right back out of the cage after she’s decided to go in it, or after you’ve asked her to go in and she does.

Once she knows that every trip into the cage does not result in solitary confinement, she’ll be more willing to go there and happier to go on her own.
Here’s what you can do: If Lulu is hanging out on her cage, see what she wants to do like puff or whistle or look cute. Select behaviors incompatible with biting, watch for those, and get ready. Tell her what she’s doing that you love and put a tiny bit of walnut or corn bread or toast in her food dish inside the cage. If she doesn’t go down right away and eat it, you know she will later because a) she hasn’t had any treats for a while and b) because she’s a macaw. If she goes down right away and eats it, that’s a good bird, too. Then she can come right back out of the cage if she wants to. That’s one session. Everybody should be happy – she’s gotten a treat, you’ve seen her go into her cage, she’s practiced a very good skill.

In the next session, check the treat cup. If there’s still a treat in the cup, you’ll know it’s not reinforcing enough for her either because she’s not hungry, or because she values something else. If she’s just not hungry right now, don’t worry – she’ll get there, especially for nuts. Now, talk quietly together and wait for her to do something praiseworthy. Immediately put another treat in the cup (not too big, not too small – she needs to be motivated for the treat). Let her practice going into the cage for a treat, then coming out (or not) on her own. Then going back in later for more treats.
My parrots have different treat preferences which they change according to a secret schedule, so they inspire me to be creative. One day it’s cracker, the next it’s black berries, then again, maybe it’s rice.

Also, build some leeway into your schedule and the training situations. For instance, if you have to leave the house at 5:00 PM and she’s still out at 4:59, that’s a planning problem. Instead, at 2 or 3 PM, give her a treat in her cup, have her either go get it on her own right away, or wait for a while. Perhaps she’ll want you to put her in the cage after all (whichever she decides). Then gently close the cage door with a compliment to her manners and put a bunch of walnut pieces in the cage, just because. Set up the cage situation so that Lulu wants to go back into it; comes and goes from the cage as is reasonable and safe; and views the cage as a treat-delivery station.

Random Acts of Cuteness
Additionally, you’ll want to keep noting behaviors that are incompatible with biting, like, say, scratching the head, and be sure you’re either dropping a treat in her cup, or giving her something else she values (like a head ruff) in response to random acts of cuteness.

Anne, I know you want to keep Lulu. And just as important, you want her to be happy. I’m sure that a few skills will help you develop a relationship with Lulu that goes beyond just living together. Please keep writing me, OK? I think it will be interesting for WPT members to read an ongoing discussion rather than just a one-time Q & A. so if that’s something that appeals to you, let’s try it!
All best,
Phoebe Greene Linden
Santa Barbara Bird Farm

Answered by Phoebe Green Linden:

Hi Miriam, Thanks for writing World Parrot Trust and explaining the situation with Nico, your 21 month old African Grey parrot.

All the behaviors you describe are within the bounds of normalcy for parrots young and old. Making some noise? Yep. Trying to get your attention? For sure. Pushing boundaries? If you mean by that exploring what works and what doesn’t, yes, he’ll do that.

Parrots who push their boundaries too vehemently might be too confined. Better for us if we safely and reasonably push back the boundaries we've set for our birds as we train them every step of the way. We allocate space, time and resources to be sure our captive parrots don’t need to ache, beg for or bite to get what they need and want.

If, for example, he wants your undivided attention and gets it when he's "trying to bite," then he'll try to bite more.

Miriam, my advice on puberty is this: don't let thoughts on "puberty" pigeon hole your Grey. We don't want to waste valuable fleeting time with our parrots when so many bright activities and interactions are before us.

He's ready to be taught solutions to any problems, and because the solutions exist, let's get going.

Training by the Book

In Good Bird! author and trainer Barbara Heidenreich reminds us that positive reinforcement works, which is excellent news. So, pick a treat that Nico likes and use it (ultra-small bits of it) for positive reinforcement. If he becomes disinterested in one treat, have substitutes available, including verbal praise, a whistle, tickle or whatever Nico likes. It can not be said enough that the treat has to be something that Nico likes, he has to be ready to receive it. At almost two, he might change his mind tomorrow and like something else, so be prepared!

Hopefully, you'll start to get a long list of things that Nico likes to do, eat or get. Sensitivity and reason will guide you. Also, let the booklet Good Bird! guide you. A copy is coming to you via WPT from me. You can read it through in one evening and start Nico's training off on the firmest footing. Then, if ever you feel "stuck" again, you'll have it for reference. It's invaluable, just like Nico.

Miriam, because you wrote to World Parrot Trust, I know your goal is to avoid doing anything to make Nico event the slightest bit uneasy. Nothing that harms the relationship, and everything that is good for relationship -- that is the goal. The result is a relationship between you and Nico that is built upon mutual trust.

The best way for humans to build trust with parrots is for us to get to know them physically. That's why being able to read parrots' body language is important. It's both art and science as I'm sure you and Nico have already discovered. But there’s more -- the ways parrots use feathers to express their state of being are myriad and deserve more commentary than this space allows, so please refer to the booklet once it arrives, OK?

One behavior, the rouse, is "when a bird puffs all of it's feathers out and then shakes all of its feathers." (p.15) is one of my favorites to reinforce. We call this "fluff and puff" and it gets a lot of praise in my flock. It seems calming and cleansing, like a tension relief behavior.

Emotional Intelligence: parrots’ point of view

Miriam, another way we get to know our parrots is emotionally, so be sure your interactions with Nico center around a compassionate emotional intelligence that guides you as you constantly upgrade the environments in which Nico’s behaviors occur. Positive relationships center around environments that encourage him to be physically active and engaged. Reward him when he makes pleasant noises and be sure those sounds come from a toned, fit and healthy body. Always be on the look-out to ensure that he's staying happily receptive to the rewards offered. If he changes his mind, be nimble.

Throughout training, Nico's point of view might be very different from human perceptions, so extra sensitivity is needed as together, you mold a relationship between companionable species. It's a gentle, pliable community we build, not a clamshell of demands that we clap tightly onto each other's beings.

Praise can be a enthusiastic “Good Bird!!” or a smiling nod – as long as it’s what Nico wants, he’ll try to get more of it.

Check the Environment

Environmental enrichment is always our first, foremost and often ultimate tool in behavior modification.

Be sure you have a current up-to-date list of what Nico likes to do, eat, where he likes to go, at what times and how often. Spend some time just watching him to see new behaviors and note with interest those that increase companionship, exercise and other healthy habits.

It's good to get a lock on objectivity. Let's make sure our parrots live in places where they get to be parrots first, companions second. Look at the objects Nico enjoys and where he likes to hang out. An environment replete with what parrots like is the best environment for parrots. That’s where we see good behavior.

The more environmentally suited your habitat is to supply him with what he needs as a parrot and companion, the more interesting your shared relationship. You challenge yourself in a friendly way to find more and more things and places he likes. The resultant diversity of parrot-appropriate experiences you and he experience together are what challenges him.

When you take a close and compassionate look at Nico's environment, you might notice things he no longer enjoys as much as he did say, 4 months ago. If there's an enrichment he particularly likes (and you can tell because it’s nearly destroyed), try enriching it further, moving it to a cool new place, or adding another one somewhere else. Try to look at his environments -- cage, play gyms, baskets, and so forth -- from his point of view. He might enjoy a new basket or shower perch, or maybe he'll play more with some of his existing toys of they are spruced up and re-situated.

Environments designed from a parrot's point of view are set up according to parrot priorities. There's plenty of space, light, friends and privacy. Stuff to do and a place to get away from it all are available to all.

Timing is important, too

Training sessions stop and start when everyone is ready to learn. Participation can change moment by moment, so if the session feels strained or like it’s taking too long, wrap it up. Parrots like to make the choice to stop any session, too. I always think the best training sessions end when the parrots decide to destroy an ear of corn, search for a bit of walnut, or see what’s going on outside.

Rather than setting up a situation (due to timing, usually) where Nico's hanging upside down with his wings slightly spread causes you a problem, try making the time/space/priority to allow that behavior. It’s a great important exercise for your healthy young bird – see if flapping his wings is reinforcing and encourage him to do so for a good long while and well before sleep time.

If you want him to stop regurgitating, reinforce a behavior that’s incompatible with regurgitating, like flapping. Especially hanging upside down when flapping -- that's really incompatible with regurgitation – but it’s a very cool way for an active parrot to work out. That’s why hanging upside down and flapping is high on our list of Good Stuff to Do.

Wild Guys

Along those lines, I heartily recommend the WPT DVD "Where the Wild Greys Are", a copy of which is also being sent to you with my compliments. I love watching the wild greys and suspect you will, too. A word of caution -- pre-screen it out of earshot by Nico as you will want to turn the volume down in certain parts before he hears it!

The reasons to watch wild greys center around your pre-teen grey who would, I image, be one of the saucy, acrobatic and nimble greys we see in this highly interactive wild flock. Here we see and hear a part of the inimitable culture of greys: landing in and taking off from tree-tops, making racket and singing like angels, mingling, foraging and checking out elephants. This DVD really expanded my sensibilities about the sacrifices captive greys make in order to be our companions. It helps us re-valuate the substitutes we provide to captive parrots.

Rewards that stay rewarding

All in all, Miriam, I know you and Nico will do great together as long as you’re both ready and willing to keep learning. You first! Please read Barbara’ book and keep it handy, watch the DVD for inspiration, get ready to keep making changes, be watchful and sensitive and keep Nico’s priorities at the top of your schedule. Your rewards can be life-long companionship with an amazing creature.

Best regards,
Phoebe Greene Linden
Santa Barbara Bird Farm
Santa Barbara CA