your bird to step onto and off your hand. Again, this is another point on which you and your family should agree. The “commands” or “requests” that you make of your bird should always use the same recognizable word, so that your bird understands what you are asking of him. In addition, you want to create a situation in which your bird sees an advantage in complying with your requests. For example, as you are becoming familiar with one another, try rewarding your bird with one of his favorite treats for returning to his cage willingly. In fact, for the first few times you invite your bird off your hand and onto a perch in his new cage, offer the new treat as a lure to make stepping onto that perch a very attractive and potentially rewarding decision.
If you have a family member who is nervous about handling the bird, try placing your parrot on a stand where the person can read, talk to, or sing or dance with the parrot, away from the cage. This neutral area keeps both the parrot and the nervous person on the same footing: neutral ground. This is not the parrot’s cage, so he doesn’t have to defend it or oppose going back when he’s having a good time out of the cage. And the person doesn’t have to enforce anything. She is simply there to interact with the parrot in a neutral spot, to establish whatever connection is possible between the two.
Parrots, like all learners, must have the power to operate positively on their environment to live behaviorally healthy lives. We facilitate this power when we interact with them in such a way that they choose to do what is required of them. This makes for lasting companionship in our homes.
For more information on handling and socialization, see Chapter 5: Behavior, Training, and Life with a Parrot.
Do not force your parrot on anyone who is nervous or frightened of handling him.
A Summary of Parrot Qualities
The Quieter Species
The species listed here tend to be quieter and less prone to screaming than most others. However, every parrot is noisy sometimes, and each bird is an individual.
•budgerigars (parakeets)
•cockatiels
•eclectus
•pionus parrot
•Quaker parakeets
The Best Talkers
The ability and desire of a bird to talk is not only related to his species, but also to that individual bird’s personality. The only way to be sure you acquire a bird who talks is to find an older bird who already talks. Still, you won’t know the extent of the vocabulary the bird can acquire nor the conditions under which your bird will use it. Bird species that can produce individuals who learn to talk very well include:
•African greys, Amazons, and budgerigars.
Parrots Who Are Best for First-time Owners
The American Veterinary Medical Association suggests that both budgerigars (parakeets) and cockatiels make excellent first-time birds. Both these species come in a variety of colors, can sometimes talk, and have a life expectancy of between five and twenty years (as opposed to the longer life spans of larger birds). In addition, these species tend to be relatively easy for beginners to manage. Because these are smaller birds, their cages and furnishings also tend to be less expensive.
If you believe you will not be happy with either of these types of bird, but you are still convinced a bird is for you, try a Quaker parakeet, one of the small African parrots (including Senegals, Meyer’s, and Jardine’s), a pionus parrot, or possibly a green-cheeked or maroon-bellied conure, members of the quieter side of the conure family, the Pyrrhura.
If the parrot of your dreams is not one of these, I’d recommend fostering a bird for a few months prior to purchasing or adopting another species. Some people are extraordinary animal handlers from the beginning, but most people find that parrots are a larger commitment than they first imagined and that their exotic animal handling skills develop more slowly than they wish.
•Best bets: budgerigar or cockatiel
•Alternatives: Quaker parakeet; Senegal, Meyer’s, or Jardine’s parrot; pionus parrot; lineolated parakeet; lovebird; or a green-cheeked or maroon-bellied conure
Parrots Who Are Best for Experienced Owners
•Amazons
•cockatoos (all except cockatiel)
•lories and lorikeets
•macaws
Parrots Who Are Good at Learning Tricks
•caiques
•cockatoos
•conures
•macaws
•Quaker parakeets
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