By Rebecca K. O’Connor
Everybody admires a friendly, quiet and playful parrot, and we would all love it if our parrot friends were model citizens. Yet, so many of us have parrots that exhibit less than stellar behavior. They scream while we’re on the phone, bite our significant others and destroy our furniture. We figure that there’s really no such thing as a perfect parrot … and there probably isn’t. Perfection is boring anyway. All the same, even if you don’t mind a few bites and some extra noise, there are some very good reasons to convince your parrot to (mostly) be on his best behavior. A lifetime of happiness is at stake. Here are six great reasons to consider and to participate in shaping your parrot’s habits.
1. For You
Loving a parrot and sharing your home with him should be a joy, at least, most of the time. It isn’t unusual to hear parrot owners discussing bad behavior and saying, “Well that’s just part of having a parrot.” This is not true! The occasional problem is part of sharing your life with any willful creature whether it is a teenager, wife or bird. However, constant problems shouldn’t be a component of any relationship. That’s not fair to you. You deserve a great relationship!
**For the full article, pick up the April 2008 issue of BIRD TALK**
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