Abstract
IntroductionP sittacine aviculture has come an extraordinary distance in the last twenty years. Volumes of excellent information have been gained about nutrition, nestbox design, incubation, embryonic and neonatal development and mortality, handfeeding, growth rates, and pediatric avian medicine. Thousands of baby parrots are entering the pet trade yearly, and birds have become the #3 small animal pet. Parrot ownership, once considered eccentric, is now considered almost ordinary.
As a lay behaviorist or parrot behavior consultant, I get calls daily from owners whose parrots have developed behavior problems that threaten their future as a pet, or who wish to "get rid of' a parrot who has not worked out in their environment. I have years of experience in caring for parrot babies and handfeeding multiple species from day one on up, but I am not an aviculturist. I started working with behavior problems in parrots over a decade ago, thanks to the human-parrot problems I encountered working as an avian technician - and those problems are getting worse, not better.
There is a terrifying trend developing with psittacine ownership in this country - the concept of the disposable parrot. Adoption agencies have existed for at least a decade, with caring individuals trying to place parrots in new households when the first home was unsuccessful. However, in the last five years, parrot sanctuaries have sprung up all over this country in an attempt to provide a haven for the growing numbers of parrots that cannot be placed in pet or breeding environments.
The fact that sanctuaries are filling a desperate need undermines the entire concept of parrots being good companions. One of the fundamental appeals of parrots for the true animal lover is not their beauty or talking ability - it's their longevity. One only need bury one beloved but shortlived animal like a dog or a cat, and the thought of a psittacine replacement becomes extremely appealing. After all, a long life span means they won't die on us! So what good is that long life span, if it becomes so impossible to live with a parrot when it gets older?
According to statistics, behavior problems are the #l cause of death in pet dogs -- greater than all medical problems combined. Large numbers of canines are being euthanized daily in humane societies and ASPCAs because no one wants them any more. In the world of captive parrots, euthanasia is not a common answer for behavior problems - yet. The same groundwork has been laid for parrots, and it is imperative that we change our approach to raising them. These birds are a limited resource that is too precious to waste.
Future Estimations
As I understand it, PIJAC has projections that indicate -that the numbers of birds owned will increase considerably faster than the numbers of bird owners, estimating within a few years that the average bird owner will increase the number of their flock to six. This indicates a growing need to truly satisfy the bird-buying public long term so they will return to the same aviculturists and retailers to purchase more birds. Therefore, customer satisfaction will be vital.
Now is the time for aviculture to start focusing, not on quantity, but on improving the psychological quality of ·baby parrots, thereby giving the buyer the very best start at parrot ownership. This will substantially decrease the likelihood of baby parrots growing up and losing their homes. An unhappy foray into parrot ownership hurts the entire industry - it sullies the appeal of parrots as companion animals, thereby reducing the pool of potential buyers. Conversely, the more satisfied the buyers, the more likely that they will return repeatedly to the original source, not only to purchase food and toys, but also to acquire additional birds. As we all know, most happy parrot owners are incapable of stopping at one bird!
Cross Species Parallels?
Psychological studies done with primates have proven that there is more to raising the young of intelligent species than simply providing a good diet and adequate veterinary care. It has been proven that a stimulating environment is vital to the mental development in human babies - the use of bright colors and designs on nursery walls and colorful mobiles are a couple of examples.