Behavioral Concerns for Captive Exotic Birds
It’s important to learn the difference between natural parrot behaviors that are a problem for humans, and parrot behaviors that indicate a true problem. There are lots of behaviors that parrots exhibit that might seem odd or annoying at first, but that are simply natural behaviors. There are also a handful of behaviors that do indicate that the parrot is unhappy, dissatisfied or otherwise upset.
Natural parrot behaviors
Vocalizations
All birds make noise. You will never find a quiet bird. If you do, he’s probably quite sick. Birds use noise for a variety of reasons, but the most common reason is to keep in contact with the flock. That would be you, especially if you keep a single bird. In the wild, a parrot’s safety lies with his flock. Without it, he is an easy target for predators. Birds call out to their flock in the wild to make sure they’re still around and to make sure everyone is ok. If a contact call isn’t answered, the call can escalate to screaming. While problematic for us, it’s still a natural behavior for the bird. He’s getting upset, and he figures his flock can’t hear him anymore so he’d better increase the volume.
Some birds, including many South American parrots, have a natural call at dawn and dusk. Other birds have a “happy to be alive” call. They just make noise when they feel like it. Some birds have particular songs or whistles or noises they like to make. My male Cockatiel liked to make up whistles when he was in the mood. My African grey would then mimic those whistles at about three times the volume. My grey also learned the Cockatiel “where are you!?!?” scream, and also boosts the volume of that one about five times.
Sexual behaviors
Exotic birds are not routinely spayed or neutered at this time. It can be done, but it’s generally not considered safe. Birds are sexual beings, and they most definitely go through periods of being hormonal. You might see things like regurgitation, masturbation, and aggression while your bird is feeling “randy.” You should always try to avoid inducing your bird into becoming hormonal.
• Don’t let them hang out in dark places. This means no nesting boxes, no sleeping huts, and no boxes. Don’t let them go under furniture or in other dark places.
• Don’t pet them anywhere except their heads and necks. The rest of the body can be one big erogenous zone for birds. Don’t pet your bird under the wings, near the tail, or along her back.
• Don’t let them stay up too late. Extra daylight signals the beginning of breeding season to birds. Even artificial lighting can induce your birds. Try to adhere to a schedule of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark.
• If they’re already hormonal, stop feeding them soft, wet foods.
• I know it’s cute, but don’t let them masturbate. You might notice them rubbing the area under their tail against something. It could be a toy or perch, but whatever it is, don’t let them do it. It only ends up making them more frustrated.
Birds who are hormonal can become aggressive. It’s best to try to avoid handling a hormonal bird too much. Don’t allow smaller birds to hang out with larger birds either. My male Cockatiel became completely enamored with my much larger African grey parrot, who wasn’t much of a fan of the pesky little guy. He was completely hormonal and would actually dive bomb me to get to his beloved grey princess. He ended up suffering a cracked beak after the African grey nipped him that required a course of antibiotics. To calm him down, I clipped his wings and stopped letting him masturbate. He finally turned back into the cuddly little ‘tiel who I remembered.
Problem behaviors
Problem behaviors are behaviors that tell us that something is wrong with the bird. It means that we must adjust something in the bird’s environment in order to fix this problem. I generally recommend working with an avian vet and a parrot behavioral consultant to deal with behavioral issues, only because each issue and the reason behind it is so unique that I just couldn’t cover every possible solution in an article.
Birds rarely bite in the wild. If they have a problem with another bird, one bird will usually fly away to avoid a confrontation. In captivity, we see way too much biting. Biting can happen for a variety of reasons, but I believe they’re all related to being in captivity, which is why I’ve listed them as an “unnatural” behavior.
Birds bite mostly out of fear. The few times my African grey has bitten me, it’s been either at the vet’s office, or when strangers are around. It’s the bird’s way of saying “Leave me alone, I feel unsafe right now and I cannot escape.” Respect this fear and do whatever you can to make your bird feel safe. I’ve found that allowing birds to fly often lessens any fear biting, because they know that they can escape by flying away.
Some birds bite because they are territorial. A bird’s cage can become a huge source of aggression if another bird explores it, or if an unfamiliar human approaches it. It’s difficult to avoid cage aggression simply because most birds often spend so much time in their cages. You can move the bird to another room or to a play stand to try to avoid the biting. If your bird is perch trained (trained to step onto a perch), use a perch to remove an aggressive bird from his cage. If you work with your bird from the start on going into and coming out of his cage this can help. A bird who is left to come out on his own may not react well to your hand coming at him to take him out.
Birds often bite when they are in pain. If you cannot figure out why your bird is biting, you may want to take him to the vet to see if something is going on. Birds who are molting (which is normal) may bite because they are uncomfortable.
Some birds aren't tame. Some birds were either never tame to humans or they lost their tameness, and they will bite because they are prey animals who perceive humans as predators. Remember that parrots are wild animals. They are not domesticated, and they will lose their tameness if not handled with care and love consistently.
Excessive screaming
Some birds scream because they’re bored or lonely. A bird who never seems able to calm down needs help. Screaming is a particularly difficult problem to deal with because it is so frustrating for us humans. Remember that larger parrots have the intellectual capacity of young children, and you must keep them stimulated and entertained to keep them healthy and happy. Plenty of social interaction, a varied and interesting diet, a good night’s rest, and a variety of challenging toys can help alleviate screaming. Answering your bird’s initial contact call can also help. If your bird calls out to you when you leave the room, answer him with a whistle or a phrase such as “Here I am! Coming back in a minute” or something like that. If you don’t answer his call, your bird could get more frantic looking for you and increase his volume.
Constant begging for food
Birds who were not weaned properly, force-weaned, or who were fed improperly as chicks can develop problem food-related behaviors. These behaviors are particularly troublesome to fix. You may need to allow the bird to regress and hand-feed her every day, and then wean her properly.
Feather destructive behaviors
There are many birds who are notorious for chewing, picking, and plucking out their feathers. This can be medically related, so you should get veterinary clearance before addressing any possible behavioral causes. Some birds start picking because their skin is very dry, or because they received an improper feather trim and now their cut feathers are digging into their skin. Picking then becomes a habit for the bird. Some birds pick their feathers to expend energy, because they simply don’t have enough to do during the day. It can also continue as a nervous habit. Feather destructive behaviors are common in many birds in captivity, and once birds start picking, sometimes it can be very difficult to get them to stop.
Body mutilation
Body mutilation is rare in most birds, but I’ve seen it happen to Cockatoos. Cockatoos are particularly sensitive birds who react very harshly when their social needs (which are incredibly high!) are not met. These birds will start out as feather pickers, and will progress to chewing their own skin to the point of making themselves bleed. This is an extremely complicated problem and should be addressed through working with an avian vet and a competent avian behavioral consultant.
Other neurotic behaviors
Some birds who are grossly understimulated and kept in substandard conditions will develop stereotypic neurotic behaviors. They’ll bob their heads up and down constantly or they will weave their bodies in a figure 8. These are serious signs of neglect.
In my experience, birds are especially susceptible to developing behavioral problems simply due to the fact that they are wild animals meant to live in jungles and grasslands, foraging for food, flying many miles every day, mating and raising chicks, and expending great amounts of energy every day just trying to survive. These are very intelligent animals. When we take them out of their native habitats, either through trapping or through captive breeding, and place them in cages in our living rooms, feeding them a rather unnatural diet, not allowing them to fly, many of these animals will develop symptoms of that stress. Some birds certainly adapt to captivity better than others. I have rarely seen problems such as feather picking in smaller birds like Budgies and Cockatiels (but I have seen it!). There are certain species that seem to develop problems more often than others. Some Conures, African greys, and Cockatoos are known for the feather plucking problems. Cockatoos are often know for becoming problem screamers.
If your bird develops any behavioral problems, your first stop should be your avian vet. You should work with your vet and a competent avian behavioral consultant to manage these behaviors.
