Captive Birds
Birds are highly intelligent, social beings. Some captive parrots thrive as members of their human family. Many of us have though welcomed these magnificent animals into our homes and our hearts with the best of intentions only to find out later how much we have failed them. In frustration they try to communicate to us that their needs are not being met by screaming, biting, or often turning their attention inward causing severe destruction to their feathers or skin. Others simply become sullen and withdrawn, fearful of any little change in their environment. It is time to start working together to do our best to enrich the environment of these wonderful animals, foster more appropriate relationships with them, and thus offer them the chance at a better life.
The most obvious place to look when trying to determine how the captive environments we provide have fallen short is outside. We can observe these animals in the wild to see they interact with one another and with their environment. One of the most obvious questions is if we should allow our captive birds to be flighted. Unfortunately for birds that are housed in cages within our homes rather than in aviaries I have to discourage this for safety reasons. Flighted birds are at risk for flying into ceiling fans, into pots of boiling water, etc. These birds are also at risk for inadvertent escape- even the most bonded birds can become disoriented if they end up outside and the chance of recovery of these birds unfortunately is quite low.
The next major difference is the social network of the captive bird. With a well adjusted bird the family equals the flock. Problems occur when the bird confuses one family member for a mate rather than simply another flock member. This becomes even more problematic when the bird’s “mate” has a spouse, or a job, or something to do other than give the bird undivided attention. Part of this confusion is a direct result of how we handle these birds when they are impressionable juveniles. We snuggle with them and coddle them to the point that they come to depend on this type of interaction. When they hit sexual maturity they become increasingly frustrated (for obvious reasons) and at this stage often start to develop aggressive, unpredictable, or destructive behaviors that they will often carry throughout life. From the beginning we must take the time to learn how to appropriately interact with our birds while also encouraging some level of comfortable independence.
In the wild birds spend time foraging for food, on self maintenance or grooming, on social interactions, and resting. The activity that wild birds probably spend the most time on is foraging for food. Rent some videos on wild bird behavior and watch for yourself. In captivity our birds have direct access to a food cup pretty much 24/7 while they sit in their cage. To make things worse many bird owners feed an all seed diet which has been proven to be linked to many health problems in our longer lived parrot species. All those hours that birds in the wild spend foraging are now left wide open for our captive feathered friend. Feeling bored? Feel like screaming? Feel like pulling your feathers out one by one? We can do something about this! Below I have included some suggestions of resources you can use so that your future relationship with your avian friend can reach its greatest potential. Each bird is an individual and not every suggestion will apply to your situation. Remember, making lifestyle changes isn’t always easy and will require patience and dedication but it will be worth it! Please feel free to schedule an appointment with the doctor to further discuss the above ideas, or for ideas on how to convert your bird to a more appropriate diet- we are happy to offer our help.
Birds For Dummies- Gina Spadafori, Dr. Brian Speer - this book is a MUST HAVE for all bird owners.
Captive Foraging DVD- Dr. Scott Echols- highly recommended for tips on how to construct a foraging tree and other insightful suggestions. Also be sure to listen to the author’s commentary in the special features section. This DVD is available at RAH.
Websites:: Harrison’s Bird Food Company : http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/about/index.html (Harrison’s foods are available through RAH)
RAH/ I have no affiliation with the sites listed below but thought they were worth passing along… http://skitlarsflightdeck.com/default.aspx
