Bird knows how to get what he wants

Simon is a drama queen.

The little green Quaker Parakeet loves to create a scene when he doesn’t get what he wants.

The list of wants typically includes:

- attention
- attention
- attention
- a piece of that French fry you are eating.

His tactics vary.

Sometimes it involves throwing food or attempting to dump his water. His other favorites are loud, machine gun-style squawks and when that doesn’t work, he moves on to the shrill, feelings-hurt chirp.

He thrives on attention and it doesn’t matter what kind he receives. Any kind will do.

Even after six years together, this is the one lesson of bird ownership that I struggle with: “ALWAYS ignore the behaviors that do not work in your home. If you or any member of your family responds at ANY time, this behavior is likely to continue,” advises Phoenix Landing, a nonprofit devoted to promoting and protecting the welfare of parrots.

Ignoring a screaming chubby bundle of feathers is incredibly difficult. The advice sounds simple, but Simon acts out on days when I am stressed to the hilt, sick or my patience level is paper-thin.

Even if I didn’t react in Simon’s presence, I could be found in another room gritting my teeth and waiting for the boy to finally give up.

Something had changed in the last year or so. I’ve finally developed the skill to tune him out. My roommate has also achieved that Zen-like calm, but others who Simon visits have not yet mastered the ability to ignore his obnoxious behavior.

When Simon comes with me to my parents’ house, problems typically arise when we sit in the kitchen and play cards.

Simon can see and hear us but no one is paying attention to him so he tries to drive attention his way through sheer volume. One can see in the tension in the players’ shoulders when the cacophony grates on my family’s nerves. It’s taken a while for them as well to learn to ignore Simon’s tantrums, but I don’t think they have achieved the skill of tuning him out.

Other behavioral tips from Phoenix Landing include:

- Parrots give you the behaviors you reinforce. Reward the bird for good behaviors. “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.”

- Punishment rarely works. It’s difficult to deliver in a timely fashion and destroys trust between you and your bird. Trust is the most important thing between you and your bird.

- Never use aggressive behaviors. Birds typically respond to aggression with aggression — most commonly by biting.

From personal experience, birds, or Simon anyway, even responds to aggressive body language. I try to steer clear of the little bird when I’m feeling angry since he picks up on it and reflects my attitude.

- Try replacing undesirable behaviors with desirable ones. Try giving the bird a treat for going into the cage or stepping onto your hand.

For more tips and advice on parrot care, visit www.phoenixlanding.org.