African Grey Parrots: Everything About History, Care, Nutrition, Handling, and Behavior

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Product Description
African Greys have a deserved reputation for extreme intelligence and ability to repeat words. They make fascinating pets and companions. Books in the Complete Pet Owner’s Manuals series present basic information about pets for new or soon-to-be owners. Advice and instruction covers feeding, housing, health care, training, grooming, protection against hazards, and more. Texts emphasize pet care basics and are easy for all readers to understand, but most titles also present facts that even experienced pet owners and breeders will find new and useful. All books in this series are filled with high quality full-color photos and instructive line art. Length averages between 64 and 104 pages.

Parrot Behavior and Training Part 1: Introduction to Training

• Part 1 of a series on parrot behavior and training
• Basic fundamentals of training with positive reinforcement
• Companion parrots learning new behaviors for the first time
• Taught by animal-trainer Barbara Heidenreich
• Video runs approximately 35 minutes

Product Description
Parrot Behavior and Training Part 1. This DVD is one of those exceptional works that only come around once every ten years. Barbara is genius in her training methods shown here on this DVD. She makes it easy for anyone to be a great parrot trainer. Barbara’s experience includes consulting on animal behavior and training in zoos and other animal related facilities. Her specialty is free flight bird training. She has been a part of the development and production of more than 15 different free flight education programs. Barbara continues to provide consulting services to zoos, nature centers and other animal facilities through her other company Animal Training and Consulting Services. In her career she has trained animals, trained staff, and/or presented shows at facilities around the world.

Parrot Behavior and Training DVD: An Introduction to Training, vol 1 – Barbara Heidenreich

• Professionally produced HD-DVD
• Part I of a wonderful 3-part DVD series
• Running time: 35 minutes
• Coded to play in all countries and regions
• Published in 2006

Product Description
Animal trainer Barbara Heidenreich teaches behavior basics and tools for training your bird. Chapters include Reinforcement, Tools, Cue and Target Bridging, Sharing with Approximation, Variable Reinforcement, Training Examples, Target Training, Turn Around on Cue, Wave on Cue, Step Up on Cue, and Retrieve. Barbara Heidenreich is an accomplished trainer and consultant with more than 17 years experience teaching bird training workshops at zoos, nature centers, and other facilities around the world. She is the publisher of Good Bird! magazine, as well as the author of The Parrot Problem Solver: Finding Solutions to Aggressive Behavior and Good Bird!: A Guide to Solving Behavioral Problems in Companion Parrots. A true leader in her field, she also serves as the president of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators. And she brings these vast resources to the creating of this helpful and unique DVD that can benefit both you and your parrot! Barbara is genius in her training methods shown here on this DVD. She makes it easy for anyone to be a great parrot trainer. Her specialty is free flight bird training. She has been a part of the development and production of more than 15 different free flight education programs.

Behavior Problems Common to the Eclectus Parrot

Eclectus parrots are very special birds, and to many owners, they are often like small children. They definitely each have their own personalities, but they also have two growing stages that can be quite trying. These growing stages are similar to a human child’s terrible twos and puberty. Here is a breakdown of both of these growing stages.

The Terrible Twos – The terrible twos for Eclectus parrots occurs between the ages of three and five months. It is during this time that they are generally naughty – and into everything. They will essentially test the boundaries set by the breeder, the owner, or their actual parent. It is during this time that the young Eclectus parrot needs to learn who is boss (you).

It is very vital to your bird’s future behavior that you do not tolerate his bad behavior during the terrible twos. For example, you must make him do what it is that you want him to do, instead of allowing him to do what he wants to do during training sessions. This does not mean, however, that he should be punished. Essentially, you need to show him that you are dominant. During this period, experts advise that you should not let the bird sit on your shoulder, as this puts him above your eye level, which in his world means that he is dominant.

Puberty – When your Eclectus parrot is about nine months old, he will start going through what is essentially puberty. Just as human teenagers have raging emotions, these birds also have raging emotions, and they look for a way to deal with them. This stage, unfortunately, can last until the bird is about two or three years old.

Of the two growing stages, this one is often the hardest for the owner to deal with, because it lasts the longest. The good news is that unless your Eclectus parrot has been demonstrating poor behavior before this period, he will grow out of it, just as most teenagers do. During this time, you may notice extreme mood swings, screaming that takes place more often, shadow boxing, and even masturbation. It is also during this time, of course, that the Eclectus parrot will start showing obvious interest in the opposite sex.

The key to getting through both of these trying times is patience – just as though you were dealing with a human child. However, discipline really isn’t suggested, since the Eclectus parrot won’t understand it. Instead, encourage more appropriate behavior, and understand that your beloved bird will outgrow these awkward stages, and he will become the bird that you’ve grown to love once again.

The Eclectus Parrot is the most wonderful of birds, and a very popular bird to adopt, and the reason for this is because they are actually very pleasant birds.

This article is one in a series of articles on the Eclectus Parrot. If you would like to receive the other articles in the series, as and when they come out, then please go to my website (see below) where you can send me an email requesting this.