Hand fed baby parrots - exposing the truth

PaRehabber · **Posted:** Mon Aug 06, 2007 1:09 pm

We did a program every night this past week at the Schuylkill County Fair. We decided to try out our Born to be Wild program even though Windigo couldn’t yet be included. We did a mix of PA wildlife and exotics. We wanted to get the concept of “exotics are wildlife from somewhere else” and we wanted to introduce the concept of parrot rescue. PB went to every program.

Here are pics from Wednesday Night's Program:
http://redcreekwildlifecenter.com/blog/?p=91

Throughout the week we added to the program and subtracted what didn’t come out very well. By the last night we hit on a theme that left the audience stunned and I think we hit pay-dirt. I got the feeling that no one in the audience that night would ever buy a baby parrot.

We started with Gabriel our Great Horned Owl. His example explained the concept of imprinting. We also explained that he was a unique bird that fared well in his state and that he raises baby owlets so they do not suffer the same fate. We explained the biology behind imprinting and how that imprint helps a bird find a mate later in life of the correct species.

We then introduced Hannibal the Turkey Vulture, also a human imprint. We explained how this handicaps him emotionally, that this sociable bird has no companions because other vultures attack him. He never learned proper vulture etiquette. We demonstrated the size of his flight and how limited that was to a bird for a bird that could soar 8 hours at a time and travel from one continent to another.

By the time we got done those 2 birds, people understood imprinting and were shaking their heads in disgust at how it denied these wonderful birds their freedom and, sometimes, their sanity.

Then we introduced PB and said we wanted to expose a lie being fed to the American people. I asked what people thought of hand-fed baby parrots being “tame.” They got it. The understood that parrots aren’t “tamed” but imprinted. We then went on to talk about how the baby parrot thinks it’s original owner is it’s parent and, when mature, will want to leave the parent family to create his own.

As we were telling PB's story, we mentioned that “this isn’t a horror show, there is an answer.” And we explained how parrots need homes and are looking for their own family in rescues. How each parrot in a rescue was once a baby and has been through the maturing stage and is looking for their lifelong companion.

The people left asking tons of questions. We heard how it all makes sense once you understand the biology behind it. That last day, people thanked us for teaching them not to make a mistake. They got it.

Here is the handout we gave along with Red Creek and SCB cards:

Quote:

Hand Fed Baby Parrots

I’ve often heard that hand-raised parrots make the best pets because they “bond” with people and prefer human contact. I’ve been told that hand-raised babies are “sweet babies that desire human affection.” Breeders often tout that friendliness and tameness to the familiarity and habituation that comes with hand feeding. But how that baby parrot becomes bonded to humans is often misunderstood.

There is a physical biology that takes place when a baby bird is hand-raised by a person. That biological condition is called “imprinting” and it can scar a bird for life, leaving it confused, frustrated and self destructive.

Most mammals and birds recognize their own species through this process called imprinting. When an animal is very young and its eyes begin to focus, it looks at who is caring for it, nurturing, feeding and protecting it. From this individual it gets a mental picture of who he is. This picture (or imprint) stays with the animal its entire life and once formed, can not be changed.

Exactly when this happens depends on the species. Ducks and geese, for instance, imprint almost immediately, and it is reinforced the first couple weeks of its life. A Great Horned Owl’s eyes begin to focus at about 2 weeks of age. Imprinting takes place shortly thereafter. Parrot’s eyes open and focus at various stages of their development depending on the species.

This imprint not only gives an animal its identity, it also serves to help it choose a mate later in life. When that bird becomes sexually mature it will refer to that original “imprint” to choose a proper mate. You can say a bird is looking for a mate “JUST LIKE MOM.” This is why a Blue Bird doesn’t attempt to mate with a Blue Jay. It is the right color but the wrong size and shape. A Blue Jay wouldn’t attempt to mate with a Cardinal because, although it’s the right shape, it is the wrong color. The wrong species doesn’t match that imprint.

In the wild this works quite well: Geese raise geese, crows raise crows, Conures raise Conures and Macaws raise Macaws. But when a person hand raises a bird, that bird can grow up believing it is a person and nothing you do later in life will change its mind.

Often with hand-raised parrots, everything goes quite well for the first few years. The juvenile parrot bonds to its human family and enjoys their companionship. Its natural instincts do not go away though, and the bird, behaving like a bird, often gets in trouble because although it thinks it’s human, it doesn’t act like one.

Then comes sexual maturity when the strongest instinct surfaces…the desire to procreate. This is when some real problems can surface. It may not recognize its owner as a mate, but a parent. Its instinct is to leave the parent family, move on, find a mate and start its own primary family. It can become aggressive to its owner because it wants to leave.

Not being able to separate from its parent family it can become depressed, violent and self destructive, pulling feathers and self mutilate. The people have no idea why their idyllic little baby has turned into a self-destructive little terror.

Consider what it would be like to be raised from an infant on another planet by a species completely different from humans. You would learn the social life of your alien family and begin to bond with others. At puberty you would have the desire for closer physical contact and fall in love with another. Consider how you would feel if you were completely incapable of physically bonding with that species. You would be an outcast, alone and confused.

That is how a parrot feels about procreating with its “human” species. Think of the frustration that comes with not understanding why the “chosen mate” doesn’t fulfill your physical needs and the fact that mating attempts end in failure. In an attempt to encourage mating behavior, the parrot may regurgitate on and bite the chosen person. If the person doesn’t understand the behavior, the parrot is often caged or punished and the parrot feels rejected by its chosen mate.

Suddenly that sweet, tame bird becomes, hurt, angry, frustrated and very alone. Many will turn on their chosen person violently while others turn on themselves through plucking and mutilation. Even if self destructive behaviors do not surface, the bird suffers from an emptiness that no human can ever completely fill.

This is not the pleasant scenario painted by breeders but the stark reality behind that sweet baby parrot in the cage.

If you have a hand raised parrot, you are not alone and there are ways you can help your bird live a more comfortable life. Only through understanding can the situation be dealt with positively. Through learning what is natural parrot behavior and allowing your bird to “be a bird” you can more fully understand and meet its needs.

If you are thinking of purchasing a hand raised parrot, hopefully understanding the biology behind that sweet baby will help you rethink that purchase. For every baby parrot that is purchased, another is bred, beginning the cycle of frustration and suffering for another unlucky bird.

There is an answer though. Adopting from a Parrot Rescue, where you can meet mature birds that are looking for that “lifelong commitment” and allowing that bird to choose you, can be a satisfying way to obtain a parrot. You are not adding to the problem and have a bird who will appreciate the love and devotion you can give.

Second Chance Birds