BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Birds Understanding the mind of your parrot

2600 years ago, Sun Tzu wrote his Ping Fa better known perhaps to you as 'The Art of War'

One fundamental underlie his thoughts in his PingFa.
'Tse Chi, Tse Di
Bai Jan Bai Chen'

or

Know yourself, Know your opponent
A hundred battles, a hundred victory.

I am not saying we treat our parrot as an enemy to do battle with.

But if we understand them, it may make it that much easier to live with them and to train with them.

Whether you want to train with them as friends, or to train them as you the "Alpha', understanding their mind must help.

And perhaps those that thought they must dominate them and be the Alpha might even change their mind instead.

And perhaps those that have been bitten and otherwise terrorised by their parrot might be bitten a lot less and enjoy their parrot a lot more, and find training with them a lot easier. And in bonding with them.

If you understand the mentality of your parrot, that might go a long way to becoming friends together. And save you lot of pain and heartaches in the process.


Notwithstanding that was written in early 2005, I cannot add further to that.

I think this is one of the most important of the many entries I have written over the last ten years.

I find what I wrote to be applicable to my currently living with Riamfada, and to Yiongshiong even if YS was not a grey.


My 2 cents and for all it is worth.

An extract from Tinkerbell Legacy

Tinkerbell Legacy - Living with a flying parrot - Rant 03 (a flighted parrot mentality)

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/2187.html



Warmest regards

Shanlung

Thank you for that, Shanlung.

Understanding the creatures we share our lives with is critically important, both for our happiness and for theirs. Parrots are fabulous at learning how our minds work (my lovebird is, anyways- she has the "Give me a piece of that toast" look down pat!) but that is not often true the other way around!

By keeping up-to-date on the most currnet information, we can hope to build better, stronger bond with the animals in our lives.

Hi Melissa,

That will be a lot more fun and magic for all.
People here have seen I walked that walk for many years now.

What I have done can be done by everyone.

That very first step is to understand the mind of your parrot and how to do that is the first post in this thread.

Otherwise I would not have done what I have done with my beasties and birdies.

Perhaps it is only the fear to try that is holding people back.

There were some letters that I added to above URL.

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(editted and added on 10 Aug 2010 - a couple of letters I wrote on 9 Aug 2010 when I revived this old writing. I think those couple of letters belong here as well)

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[AGPC] Re:Understanding the mind of your grey

Greys are intelligent and I really cannot see their biting in terms of mindless
viciousness from them at all.

Only humans are capable and demonstrate unprovoked viciousness and cruelty. Are
we right in extending that uniquely human trait to the animals in general and
greys in particular?

Greys resort to biting when they are frightened and afraid or if they felt they
cannot communicate anymore of their wishes and preferences.

I remembered the days when I was a tiny boy and a lot more cute than what you
have seen of me in my photos.

My sisters, and their friends, love to pet my cheek when I did not like it. At
that time, if I had known of greys and parrots, I would have turned around and
chomp them on the fingers.

To me, it was so easy to see if birdie is receptive to me or not.
And very often, if birdie is not receptive then (to head rubs or to train
together), just a few minutes later, the birdie will be ready and receptive.

Perhaps its because I do my best to see their moods AT ALL TIMES.
And because I want to see, I do see it.

Smart and intelligent as greys may be, shouldn't the onus be on us the humans
who are supposed to be even smarter?

Are we to blame the parrot because they 'cannot read us' (I think they read us
a lot better!) or should we blame ourselves for not reading them, and in many
cases, deliberately not reading them in the first place.

I think 'Alphas' pay a heavier price for assuming the role of alphas
than those who decide greys are equal and should be treated with the courtesy
and dignity due to fellow sentients.

And if 'Alphas' insist on what they think is God given role as 'Alphas', they
continue to pay the price until they learn.

To each the role they want to play, and the rewards and price they get for
playing those roles.

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Far too often, because people do not see or do not wish to see the reason for
the biting, they rather conveniently say the parrot bite them without reasons at
all.

Or they say its the Terrible 2 or 3. That hormonal changes came.
That might be the case. But even at that, the nuances of the emotions can be so
easily seen in them.

Blaming hormonal changes is another cop-out.

Even without hormonal changes, a parrot might get out of the wrong side of the
bed on that day.

I do not do to them what I done the day before because I can do that the day
before or even on the hour just before. That the birdie liked it then do not
mean the birdie like the same thing now.

The birdie showed so much of what they liked that it is so much easier to make
yourself more receptive to their moods there and then and act to them according
to their moods there and then.

That is just simple courtesy and respect to fellow intelligent sentient.

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On 15 Aug. I wrote a letter elsewhere that folks here might like to read

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Quote from: danmcq

'I agree 100 percent with you, that they do not bite out of just meaness or viciousness. They did it because we did not respect thier space or body language at the time.'

In this thread at another forum somewhere, there is this lady who love to say she graduated from a bird psychology course in almost everyone of her mail. Whatever that meant. Maybe that she became an expert because she got a printed certificate.

Her grey bite her about once a month, and that it was the fault of the grey. That greys are so individual. But of course! Greys are individuals.
I do not treat Riam the way I treat Tinkerbell. But at the very bottom, they all are the same, including getting out of wrong side of bed.

It was so obvious she relished her role as the Alpha and with her psychology course, that she could psycho the birdie to her will. (guess who I wrote indirectly to in letter of 9 Aug). That she carried the birdie everywhere (guess that she clipped the wings so birdie be less uppity)

Also obviously, I am a nobody to her. With none of those fancy certs to hang in my house and none of those fancy affiliations. So again

And if 'Alphas' insist on what they think is God given role as 'Alphas', they
continue to pay the price until they learn.

To each the role they want to play, and the rewards and price they get for
playing those roles.


I also cannot understand whats all those emphasis on birdie pinning their eyes to be watched out for as the magical precursor to biting.
Tinkerbell, and now Riamfada, they kept pinning their eyes (narrowing and then dilating their pupils) almost all the time when I play with them.

I like to think they pin their eyes even when I am not playing and watching them at all.
I never will know. After all, if I am not watching them, can one know if they pin their eyes then?

One might as well say parrot open their jaws before they chomp on you and watch out that opening of the jaws.

One other very special point I like to make.

I always asked them (by voice or by the very actions) and I watched them, as to everything I like them to do, or allow me to do.
My wishes were almost never rejected by them.

I do believe, the very act of asking them, was perceived by them.

And because I did the courtesy of asking them, they allowed me , and played along with me, because I asked them.

Simple opening of the heart, and courtesy and respect to them, gained me a lot more than a dozen beautiful certificates and affiliations.

Your graduation from my course is your better enjoyment with your birdie and having more magic in your relationship. And a lot less chomping from them.

Isn't that better than a beautiful cert and diploma hanging on your wall?

Do try that, and remember that cheque to Gerald Durell Wildlife Trust or to any nature conservation body of your choice on your graduation.

And tell your friends it worked for you and to try this course, so nicely stickied here for easy finding.



Warmest regards

Shanlung
山龍

http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/

We have small parrots, and they are a part of our family. We spend time with them, and we appreciate that they care for us. Our cockatiel makes distressed noises when I am in the bathroom. I think he worries about the water sounds.

You are right that we need to take their feelings into account.

I attempt as much as possible to "become one" with my half-moon conure who is a great verbal and non-verbal communicator (without ever being expected to utter/scream an inteligible word) and so far he is doing a super job in training me.

Your conure is doing a much better job of training you than what I have been reading of many self styled experts on birdie forums.

Especially when I read of their advise on how you must dominate your birdie by clipping their wings or to impose your will on the poor birdie as if they are so insecure that a small birdie must be dominated and shown their position in life.

With all their expertises then why are they chomped on so often that they take chomping on as an indication of their expertise?

And can they even dream of half the things my birdies would do to me as friend to friend?

Starting from Tinkerbell and then to Yingshiong and Riamfada, all that I learned have been due largely to them.

For they are my trainers and my teachers.

I am just their student and trainee.

Otherwise I would not have been able to do what I have done.