Reddit mentions: The best bird care books

Sorry for the late reply! Hopefully my experiences can help inform both you and /u/Katara012 on how to proceed with your own birds. I do just have to start with a small disclaimer though: obviously every bird and every situation is going to be different, so the biggest determinant of your success is going to be how well you are able to read your bird and act accordingly. I've found that reading books about bird behavior/body language, as well as watching videos of professional animal trainers, can improve your perceptions if you've not spent a lot of time around parrots in real life.

As for your own taming, never give up. Just learn to take steps back and go more slowly if necessary. So long as you can learn to respect your bird's boundaries, it's nearly impossible to truly ruin the taming process.

With Erwin, I was starting from square one. When I adopted him he had already gone through two homes and had rarely had good interactions with people. In his last home not only did he live 24/7 in the same tiny cage with a single toy and only spray millet to eat, but the only time he was held was when the family's child tried to grab and pet him. After a while they stopped completely because he would bite them in defense.

I'm telling you this because it helps describe the sort of state he was in when I got him. He was absolutely terrified of anything new or unfamiliar, including foods, toys, perches, people, you name it. This definitely slowed down the taming process, and makes it so that to this day I still have to be very careful in my actions when I am around him.

To start, I gave him a solid two weeks after bringing him home before I began interacting with him at all. This was to get him used to me, my home, my other birds, and the daily routine. At this time I left his cage door open whenever I was home. I wanted him to learn that here he was free to explore and also to start acclimating him to new situations to try to deal with his intense phobias. I also found later that in general he is way more receptive (and less terrified) when training occurs outside of his cage. I think it has to do with the fact that his cage is like his "safety blanket" and inside he remembers many of the bad hand/human interactions he had in the past.

Anyway, after two weeks I began clicker training. This is my go-to method for taming and bonding with any new bird, as it is an easy, hands-off way to get bird comfortable with you without pressuring them with your hands too early on. If you are interested in learning more about it check out this book. The first step is introducing the clicker. To teach Erwin that the sound of the clicker = a treat I began to "click" and drop a "ball" of millet into his food bowl a dozen times or more a day. It's good to note here that I did make sure to remove all millet from his normal diet so it would be reserved as a treat alone. This can make a bird more motivated in general. At first he would just run away as fast as possible to the back of his cage when I approached, but within a few days soon realized that I wasn't any harm. Even though he still wouldn't come to my hand to take the treat, he didn't run away and instead sat quiet and frozen on his perch until I walked away to go get the treat.

After a few more days I decided to move to the next step and get him to take the treat from my hand. To do this, I used a long millet spray so he didn't have to approach too closely. Because he was used to me enough to not run away, I began clicking and letting him nibble the end of the millet. Over the course of a couple of days, I slowly decreased the length of the millet until he was eating small portions from my fingers.

Now was time to start teaching "target". The reason why I like to teach this command before jumping into "step-up" is it is hand-off, it makes a bird feel more comfortable with you because it is pressure-free and allows them to make their own decisions, and it is an important tool used in learning many other tricks/commands. To do this I had to be very careful about reading Erwin's body language, so that I didn't inadvertently create a negative experience by making him uncomfortable. For example, I started by bringing the target stick as close to him as possible before he began leaning away/backing up. Once I had this initial distance (about 6 inches or so), I would "click" and treat half a dozen times, each time moving the stick away and back so he got used to the motion. Once I noticed he looked more relaxed (instead of standing straight up, frozen in place, he would lean forward or shuffle his feet to try and grab the millet when I offered it) I began decreasing the distance to the target stick. Finally, I was able to put it right in front of his beak, and being curious as most budgies are he nibbled the end of it. That earned him LOTS of praise and millet. Once I knew he could do it I would only click and treat if he touched the stick. Soon, he would become visibly excited when I whipped the stick out, and would run forward to start training. I was able to move the stick around his cage/playgym and have him chase it.

The final step was step-up training. To do this, I used a similar method as the target training, except I conditioned him to my finger by luring him forward with the target. I made sure to click and treat every small milestone, whether that be him approaching my hand, him putting one foot on my finger, then both feet, then letting me move him from place to place. A couple times he became spooked and flew from my hand, crashing into his cage where he huddled breathing hard. During these moments (and any other that resulted in a training session gone sour) I made sure to NOT chase after him, jerk my hand, or yell. Instead I talked softly in a reassuring tone, made sure to move extra slowly, and didn't not force him to go near me or resume training. That way we could smooth over the incident with as little drama as possible, and replace it with more good interactions.

At this time not only does Erwin willingly step-up 95% of the time, but he will even sit on my finger and preen/chirp/fluff up if I'm standing or sitting still. He runs over at breakfast and whenever I'm giving attention to my other birds. I'd like to think that he gets jealous and wants to be picked up and fawned over like everyone else. :) Since I've had him I've only been bitten three times, all of which were my fault for being too pushy. And not only does he now play with a variety of toys, eat a healthier diet of Nutri-berries and sprouts, he can do a couple tricks (ring a bell and pick up a ring), and in general acts like a very happy, settled budgie.

Having multiple short training sessions each day definitely sped up the taming process, as did housing him alone and having my other birds around to show him that I wasn't a threat.

Dang, well this was long. I just hope it can help you build a better relationship with your own bird. Again, while your timeframe may vary, I have no doubt you will see similar successes so long as you respect your bird's desires, understand it's motivations and body language, and have lots of patience. Good luck!

You know your mother. Do you think that she'll read a full book on parrot ownership of you give her one?

A few words of caution about literature that you find. Look at the date that information was printed or shared online. Knowledge of how parrots live, their diets, their social lives, and things that are toxic to them has all improved over the past decade or so. Just make sure that articles you or your mother are looking at online aren't quoting something from 1972 or something like that.

This [author](The Parrot Problem Solver by Barbara Heidenreich http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H4X7ZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_udp_api_mx.CxbSSTKDBZ) is pretty good.

I want to specifically call this out because it's easily going to solve the "she shouldn't have a parrot" situation if she's not aware of it. Get rid of all Teflon pans and aerosol air fresheners, etc. as they're toxic to parrots. Teflon releases a gas when it's heated that has been proven to kill parrots very suddenly. This is an example of something that was proven in 2002 and was beloved to be conjecture until that point.

Ask questions here if you have them, or go to avian avenue and ask them there. Macaws are big parrots and aren't simple, but her new parrots age and personality will play a big role in how easy it is to deal with.

If there's are some things (outside of Teflon and poisons) that I'd highly suggest researching they would be:

1. socialization - the more people that can handle the parrot the better. This will make it less prone towards being territorial and just all around easier to live with.
   
   
2. diet - seed mixes are easy to come by and sold like they are a one stop shop for perfect nutrition. They're not. Pellets and veggies are ideal if she wants that macaw to live a long life (i.e. Into its 20's - it can live into 70's if it has a good life)
   
   
3. entertainment - toys and things that it can do inside of its cage. It's a smart animal and needs mental stimulation. Not giving it this can cause the bird to get depressed.
   
   This isn't research, but it's good to do..
   
4. cage cleaning - can't set it and forget it. Papers at the bottom of the cage should be changed every 2-3 days at a minimum. Parrots can get sick if everything isn't cleaned out frequently. I purchased a hand cleaner to clean off the cage bars every Saturday for our parrots. It sure isn't a glorious job, but it keeps them clean and healthy.
   
   There is so much more that I want to keep going down the list, but this is a good start.
   
   Good luck with this situation. Hopefully your mother is taking it more seriously than you imply... I can certainly see the appeal of a macaw, but that's a whole lot of bird.

Congratulations, your birdie loves you and it’s only been a month! Lots of birds haven’t settled into their new homes in that short of a timeframe, so you’ve clearly got a sweet bird and you’re doing something right to bond with her. Not whistling or talking after a few weeks doesn’t mean it won’t happen. You can keep working with her, but you also can’t force it. Even if your bird ends up being male, every bird has a different personality and different preferences. Some simply don’t want to whistle or talk. They’re still just as wonderful as companions.

If you want to keep bonding with your bird and maybe help her learn some other tricks, consider clicker training and target training. I like this book as a guide. Used copies abound if it’s too expensive new. Dog training clickers are cheap and I’d use a chopstick as a target stick for a tiel.

It’s not the same as whistling, but helping your bird learn other skills may help you shift your focus a bit. Once you’ve clicker trained and have her responding to the target, tricks like teaching her to turn around or wave are fairly straightforward. You just have to remember to be patient. Keep training sessions short (10-15 minutes) and end on a positive note. Remember that your primary goal is to have fun and build a special bond with your bird!

Please don’t fill your house full of birds until you find one that whistles. 😉 Enjoy your sweet tiel! Keep working with her to help her come out of her shell and bond with you. Love her for everything she is!

Do note that the practice will vary depending on whether you are practicing in the US or UK&I or Middle East etc, but my favourite/most useful reference books while learning in Ireland (and ten years later, I'm always still learning!) are:

Emma Ford - Falconry Art and Practice,

Jemima Parry-Jones - Training Birds of Prey

Jemima Parry-Jones - Falconry

Depending on what you are looking up, each of these books were useful. Ford provides great diagrams and instructions for making one's own equipment, whereas Parry-Jones provides excellent insight on the ethics of treatment and psychology of birds, as well as great blueprints for mews design.

For an absolute beginner, who has never handled a bird, perhaps you would be interested in
James McKay - Practical Falconry
This book gives a really unassuming and friendly introduction to the practice of falconry - with fantastic instructions and images, without swamping the reader in too many confusing details. At usually only about $15.00 on eBay etc, this is usually the book I'd recommend to people in your position.

Enjoy!

I have the Sasol field guide, and I paid a few ZAR extra at the bookstore for the one that has the plastic protective cover (worth it).
That is the throw-in-the-car book, and my first go-to.

(A friend has the Sasol app for iPad, and loves it because of the calls, but he is South African and has a much better mental filter - to me, everything here just sounds cool and exotic and I can't separate them well, so I don't try.)


For the tough IDs though, I also have Newman's Birds of Southern Africa, which is more of a brick, but fantastic for its great comparisons and references on the illustration pages. For example, look at this page, and you'll see what I mean.
There is a Kindle edition, which might be a good thing, because I think the binding on this one is not quite as rugged as the Sasol. Still, it is an excellent book.

Bonus website :)
When illustrations are not cutting it, and I really need to see photos: [BIRDS of THE WORLD, An Online Bird Book: Birds of Africa] (http://carolinabirds.org/INDEX/AF_index_ad.htm). Not perfect, and not comprehensive, but pretty darned good for a quick comparison. Helpful because when you click on, say, a babbler, you get the page showing all the babblers, so you can compare.

I strongly recommend not clipping its wings. It clearly can fly well so clipping it at this stage would be very cruel. It is one thing to clip a bird who takes no interrest in flying or has been given little opportunity to. It is quite another to clip a bird who knows how to fly. There is a strong possibility that clipping it at this stage will cause behavioral issues and/or depression. Make sure you give it at least an hour or two to fly around in your house each day.

If you end up keeping it, I hope it makes a wonderful addition to your family. They are amazing birds. Things will go better for all involved if you do as much reading as you can. Learn about diet and caging. Also I can't recommend learning clicker training enough. It is a a great way for you and your children to interact and get to know the new addition to the family. It will also help with general behavior. Perhaps reading something like this would be a good place to start.

I wish you the best of luck! By the sounds of it she is a very sweet bird.

Amazons can have lots of hormone-related aggression issues, so if you see Yago pinning his eyes or regurgitating, you may want to stand back. They mature around age 5-8, and I've heard stories of formerly abused Amazons acting out inappropriately in hormonal ways - like, they'll be so happy you treat them well that they start wanting to mate with you, and any bird that's all worked up & displaying strong mating behavior is quite liable to bite. The tail feather spread is one sign of mating behavior, so congratulations on the progress! You can't really punish a bird for acting out its hormonal desires inappropriately - they can't really help it. If you see the behavior, step away, put the bird in its cage, and wait for a bit til it calms down.

My bird is a rescue with behavior issues, and it took him a few years before he stopped trying to tear me to shreds, so hang in there, with patience and lots of love it does get better. I love the book The Second-Hand Parrot, by Mattie Sue Athan - they include info on the particular challenges & rewards of adopted Amazons. I believe the author has two double Yellowheads herself.

In the meantime, if you hear "get the wiffle bat", you might want to put Yago down, as he might be about to bite. I've heard of lots of birds saying, "Bad bird!" or "No!" before or after they bite. Yago is quite smart; if his former owners physically abused him, they probably hit him after he bit them, and he knows that the words associated with the abuse are also associated with him feeling the need to bite.

edit: also, thank you for taking in this bird. You did a huge, amazing, wonderful thing by stepping up and taking a bird who was at the mercy of Craigslist sales and people with wiffle bats.

Look up Alex the grey parrot and the studies of Irene Pepperberg. Not only did Alex ask for his favorite food (using english words) or to be carried to his favorite place, he also understood concepts like colours, shapes, textures and numbers and could answer questions on it (how many green objects are on this plate?). He also made the first language based joke by an animal as far as I know. I study raven intelligence for a living, bit if you want an impressive first entry into the world of avian cognition I can recommend Pepperberg's books. If people are interested, I can provide some sources later, am on mobile now.

Edit: some sources on corvid cognition:

Here are scientific sources of some of the most successful corvid researchers in no particular order: Thomas Bugnyar (social cognition), John Marzluff (cultural transmission), Mathias Osvath (play), Nicky Clayton and Nathan Emery (memory), Russel Gray (tool use), Christian Rutz (tool use), Alex Taylor (tool use) and Gavin Hunt (tool use). I am sure I forgot some big shots.

These authors worked on several other topics besides the listed ones, but it still gives you an approximate idea about their research interests. Of course there are many more corvid researchers, too many to list here, but if you look at the co-authors of their papers and the cited literature I am sure you can find many more interesting papers.

The tool use people work with New Caledonian crows, whereas the others work mainly with ravens, crows (american, hooded or carrion) and scrub jays, but there are many more.

If you want a more general, popular-science introduction into corvid cognition (mainly ravens), I recommend reading the books of Bernd Heinrich (e.g. Mind of the Raven), or John Marzluff.

There are also those very interesting studies by Prof. John Marzluff and his team, conducted on american crows. You can get a quick summary in this video, but basically they scared some crows while wearing a specific mask and used a different mask as neutral control. The crows remembered and continued to recognize and respond to the "dangerous" mask for several months (in follow up studies even years) but showed no response to the control mask. They also found vertical (across generations) and horizontal (within generation) information transmission of the mask recognition and responding mobbing behaviour. Interestingly, individuals that were not present during the scary event, because they were living in adifferent area or simply not born yet, started responding as well. When the masks were worn upside down, some birds moved their heads upside down as well, further indicating recognition of facial features.


They published a number of papers on the subject:

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347209005806
  
• https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2011.0957
  
• https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2011.0957
  
• https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/09/05/1206109109.short
  
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347215003188
  
  If you have any specific questions, ask away and I'll see if I can help!

Sorry to hear you can't make it. At least you can check out some videos online and I'll try to take some pictures if it's not too crazy. And thanks for your compliments on the coop! I'm pretty happy with it.

We used to rent a house around 50th and Ave. G and we saw some loose chickens and a neighbor walking down the street with a fat hen tucked under his arm once. I think it was making a break for it. I bet there are a good number of chicken owners in that area.

We have some giant neighborhood cats in the neighborhood, and I know that they camp out in front of my house and catch birds from time to time. They seem to be disinterested or intimidated in our back yard. The last time a cat jumped the fence to move from yard to yard while the hens were out foraging, they all made an incredible squawking noise and flew across the yard. I think that cats probably go off in search of easier prey.

The real threat with letting chickens free range in the day is hawks. Just last week I had one swoop down and camp out in a tree while all the hens hid under the platform in the coop. I think that this is less of a problem for yards with lots of evergreen cover to hide under, but a determined hawk will even land on the ground and walk in a coop to catch a chicken.

A good guard dog or a rooster is probably your best bet if you want to let chickens free range. If you think you might give it a try one day, you might want to check out Free-Range Chicken Gardens first. Cheers.

Things will never go this smoothly, but it isn't your fault. Try to stick to the routine, but know you will be frustrated at times... remember, it will pass. My birds are great some mornings, and awful others (just like my SO! lol). You don't need to clean the cage every day. If I have to make a choice between 15 minutes of scritch time or 15 minutes of cleaning, I will always pick scritch time. Tiki doesn't mind a bit of poo on the floor of his cage for a day longer than normal, but I know how much he appreciates attention.

Birds are hungriest first thing in the morning- in my experience this is the best time to give them fruits and veggies. Maybe offer your bird a little fresh breakfast while you're getting ready and replace it with pellets before you leave.

Your bird may not like having the tv and radio on when you aren't home. My moustached parakeet couldn't care less but my Amazon likes his quiet time... if I leave something on he screams all day but if I don't he's relatively quiet.

One suggestion you may not have come across yet- store all food (pellets and seeds) as well as dry treats in the fridge or the freezer and just take out a few days worth at a time. Otherwise, sooner or later you will end up with meal moths. They are harmless to people and birds but a pain to get rid of (and they will find their way into your food as well).

Parrots for Dummies is a really good general reference book. It has a lot of generic information as well as some species specific overviews. Don't hesitate to pick it up. I've had my copy for 5 years and still pull it out every now and again to look something up.

Thank you for your positive reply. This is a really good book on clicker training - I've used clicker training to teach one of my cockatiels how to fly (after he kept breaking feathers from falling like a rock), and my other two birds also responded very well to clicker training since they LOVE treats. You can probably get your cockatiels more seed motivated if you only offer seed/millet as treats occasionally, and switch their usual diet to a pellet diet (Roudybush or Zupreem naturals are good brands - but please be careful about the switching process). Also, this is a useful book on parrot training and behavior. Even if you aren't able to get the actual books/ebooks (though I recommend them) because you aren't able to use Amazon for example, you could also google search about clicker training/behavior, and you can post future topics here in the parrots sub to ask for specific advice. Don't give up.

Even if you know how to keep it healthy this is only half the battle. You need to research your birds temperament and how to properly train it. This is not the place to constantly post asking for help with every single thing the bird does that scares. This shows a lack of knowledge regarding bird behavior and training that could cause you to hurt your new relationship. Before you interact with the bird any further you need to do some hefty research into bird behavior and training. We all love to help on this subreddit, but you need to be a problem solver when you own a parrot. Their behavior can change as they age and any parrot owner should have an in depth knowledge of bird behavior and training to negate any bad behaviors before they become a serious issue. This book https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1890948152/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ""Getting Started: Clicker Training for Birds" is a great book to look into. Good luck!

*Edit to add that I never called you or would call you stupid, just possibly a bit uneducated. I'm not judging, I just want whats best for the bird and you so you can have a healthy happy buddy and a great relationship with them.

[Alex]( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_(parrot) was truly an incredible bird. There was a NOVA special a few years ago on him as well as lots of great stuff in the Wiki article. Seeing intelligence in other animals like this is humbling.

Some highlights of Alex's abilities:

• Understanding the concept of zero (we share this with Alex, dolphins, chimps and bonobos.)
  
• Distinguishing between material types (he would touch something with his mouth then identify it; wool, paper, etc.)
  
• Counting, quantities up to six
  
• Self awareness (that is nearly as huge as understanding zero, only 10 animals have self awareness including humans)
  
• 100 word vocabulary and an ability to understand what he is talking about
  
• Distinguishing between different colors
  
• Distinguishing between different shapes
  
  Here is a 12 minute video from the NOVA special and how his death affected people (introduced by Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson). It must have been devastating for Dr. Pepperberg. As scientists we are not supposed to remain a little detached from our test animals, but an animal like Alex is something truly special. I am sure when that bond was broken it was very difficult for Dr. Pepperberg. Even all these years later, my heart goes out to her.
  
  A short video highlighting some of Alex's understanding.
  
  Here is a link to Dr. Pepperberg's website: The Alex Foundation. It is currently being updated, but I included it incase you want to bookmark it for later.
  
  Alex & Me, Dr. Pepperberg's book on their work together.
  
  Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird, a children's book about Alex.
  
  National Geographic article on Animal Minds.
  
  Edit - There's been some discussion on parrot ownership in here and I wanted to share PBS's "Parrot Confidential" (full episode). Many parrots are purchased then given up when the owners realize how much dedication, time, and patience it takes to keep one (let alone some parrots have a lifespan of 70+ years). This documentary is about parrot rescues and the current situation of the parrot trade. Once you get home (unless you can watch tv at work without anyone caring), I suggest checking it out. It's incredibly informative.

Yes. They do. If you want some good resources that get sciency with it:


Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process: Dr. Irene Pepperberg's studies on language and cognitive theory with African Greys. Alex could do complex abstract conversions with things like number and counting, for instance he knew what "5" is as a symbol and could equate it to a representation for a number of objects like x, x, x, x, x means there are "five" "x"s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXoTaZotdHg


Conversations with Cosmo: At Home with an African Grey Parrot University of Georgia PHD who shares her life with her CAG, and has created a language for conversing with him she calls "Cosmish" which incluses tenses (future, past, future possible, etc.) and an number of other advanced linguistic constructs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyWYzuV6WYk


Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans: A fascinating and highly entertaining book about cognition in corvid populations. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE AUDIOBOOK if you've got a 6-hour road trip, it is GREAT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0OAWFn02Lg


I've seen my birds pick up spontaneous conversational associations. The original Dr. Doolittle was fabled to "talk with animals" because he kept an African Grey and for grey owners, it's just accepted as "the norm" and taken for granted. It wasn't until I got Ollie, my "new" bird after losing "Smokey" the bird I'd had for most of my life that I saw the process develop again.


One striking example was "whoops". The second day Ollie was home, he broke a toe. He temporarily became clumsy as a result, so if I dropped or startled anything near him or he stumbled, I was very careful to say "Whoops, you're all right." Over time, it just became "Whoops". His toe healed and he regained his footing and I'd long since forgotten about it. At about 9 months old, he had his first molt of flight feathers. When I'd gotten him he had a HORRIBLE clipping, so his wings were useless. After his flight feathers came back in and he began fledging, I noticed him using "Whoops" whenever he had a shaky landing.


He was doing this on his own. Additionally, any time anything is dropped in his vicinity, he exclaims "whoops", if he's on me and I do something he's not expected "Whoops". The cat falls off the couch "Whoops". So I'm pretty certain, he knows that there are appropriate contexts for saying "Whoops" and he in those contexts he predictably says "whoops"...


This is one of probably dozens of examples, but, yes, based on both reading and practical experience with greys, I fully believe that they both TALK and cognitively use language.

Thank you.

I really wish I could do more for these amazing creatures. As it is, the damage has been done with all the millions of parrots out there.

I can't stress the word 'damage' enough. If you (or anyone else) is willing to completely feel my pain and wonder, I highly suggest the book, "Of Parrots and People" by Mira Tweti.

But be warned, some of it is VERY depressing. I cried several times while reading it. On the other hand, there are some REAL heroes in the book as well.

The best I can do is educate others and give people the information they need to make the birds feel as happy as possible given the circumstances. And hopefully break the cycle.

If anyone who reads any of my crazy long comments of parrots wants more info, or has questions, feel free to PM me. I even have some excellent parrot food recipes anyone can have.

A few things

• No parrots only bond with 1 person at a time. They will have their favorite person, but with proper training they should tolerate all flock members.
  
  
• This will take a lot of time to get to a point where he behaves around you. We are talking months.
  
  
• You need to spend a lot of time around him. Sometimes talking to him and giving him treats, sometimes just being in the same room but doing your own thing.
  
  
• Start the habit of every time you enter the room, go over and give him a treat. This will build the association in his head that when he see's you he gets treats, so he will be happy to see you.
  
  
• Get this book. Its got good advice

Honestly this may not be due to you going away, but rather to him coming into sexual maturity. He is the right age for it, and during that time they tend to go from cuddly babies to adults that want to defend their territory.

But why this behaviour exists doesn't help you get past it! I would look into buying some behaviour training books and working one on one with him to positively reinforce the good behaviours while trying to get him to let go of his old ones. Consistent and patient socialisation should be able to return him to the bird he was before (or at least an adult, slightly more independent version of his baby self).

Here are a few good books I've found:

Breaking bad habits in parrots

Biting and aggression - clicker training (clicker training is awesome, they use it to train most zoo and top performance domestic animals! If a dolphin can learn it so can your parrot!)

I'd suggest you read Dr. Pepperberg's books on her work with Alex (and other African Greys). The Alex Studies is a summary of her scholarly work and is written for an audience already versed in ethology and animal cognition. Alex and Me covers a lot of the same material, but is definitely written for people with a less scientific interest in the subject.

Alex was certainly a fascinating bird, and even if he was an anomaly among species he opened a window in to the potential that these creatures have.

He's seen the human do it, and the human seems to get praise and attention for doing it. So he wants to do it.

After food, shelter and warmth, praise and attention are what pretty much all creatures want.

In fact, Alex the Parrot, was trained using a method wherein a human "model" would give the right answers to questions, and be praised for it; because Alex wanted the praise, he learned to give the right answers as well.

(Alex was also kind of a dick, particularly to the other parrots - in her book, Pepperberg recounts the story of a time when she was training another parrot and Alex kept on yelling out the wrong answers to confuse him)

Take him to the vet. Have him checked out to rule out any health causes. I second the advice to have your gf take a backseat in taking care of him. She and you will need to be on the same page about this 100%.

I also highly, highly recommend that you read and practice daily what you can learn from the following books:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clicker-training-for-birds-melinda-johnson/1006112405?ean=9781890948153&pcta=n&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Textbooks_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP17&k_clickid=3x17

http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-Problem-Solver-Barbara-Heidenreich-ebook/dp/B004H4X7ZU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453917288&sr=8-1&keywords=parrot+problem+solver

My bf spent a few months reading and practicing what he learned from these two books. He went from "barely tolerated while lunging at you to kill you" to "I LOVE YOU FATHER, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? I LOVE YOU" with our quaker within a year and half of consistent work. I think there's still hope for you and your parrotlet. Give these a go.

I'm sorry you had such a short time with your friend. Parrots are awesome.

I don't know if the timing is right, but Alex and Me tells an amazing story. One of the kind that makes one wonder about the nature of the soul.

Peace

I really recommend the book Clicker Training for Birds (http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Clicker-Training-Birds/dp/1890948152/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410049591&sr=1-1&keywords=clicker+training+for+birds)

It was really interesting and very helpful. Check it out and I think you will see really great results (I did!)

I have been contributing to The Alex Foundation for years, ever since I read "Alex and Me". Dr. Pepperberg has worked for years to understand the intelligence levels of Parrots, and her dedication is phenomenal, though her funding has been uncertain, at best, and I would like her to be able to continue to learn about these amazing little characters.

Buy "The Cockatiel Handbook" by Mary Gorman (I think that's the author...) off of Amazon. It's a very useful guidebook with lots of helpful info and quick look up stuff. the cockatiel handbook - amazon

It was an invaluable resource for me. I was in your position - I wanted to learn as much as I could before getting my tiel - and my happy boy, Mika is now about to turn 7 January 1st!!!

That's absolutely untrue, Pepperberg's experiments with Alex were quite systematic and rigorous. It's not a light read, but if you want to learn more about the methodology of her work and the data gained, read The Alex Studies.

Additionally, the lab is having similar success with the other birds in the program, so while Alex is a heck of a story, I don't think he can be considered a fluke.

 
 

(Bonus: if you want a less academic and fluffier read, pick up a copy of Alex & Me)

No, it's not. Ravens are a completely different species than crows. The American crow is not even its closest relative in the genus Corvus.

One thing that always featured in my ornithology classes was that ravens and crows are not the same. I would say the only people who call ravens crows are the people who don't know the difference. I would recommend the Mind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich for some great reading on these amazing birds. http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Raven-Investigations-Adventures-Wolf-Birds/dp/0061136050/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1/183-5801390-7915625

Leave them in the cage the first few days as they get used to their home. Eventually, they should get curious and want to come out of their cage. Try to place them in a room where there are lots of people so they become social and involved. If you have any other pets, then you'll probably have to take some steps to make sure they can't "get" the birds.

I also recommend you read Barron's Pet Handbook on Cockatiels. You can find it on Amazon for $13: https://www.amazon.com/Cockatiel-Handbook-Barrons-Pet-Handbooks/dp/0764142925/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Cockatiel+book&qid=1574217359&sr=8-1

If you're interested in Alex the Parrot, there's a book about him, called Alex and Me, by Dr Pepperberg: http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Me-Scientist-Discovered-Intelligence/dp/0061673986 It's pretty interesting, and not very long. I recommend it.

One of the first books i bought. The second.
Used copies can be got for $5-10 with shipping.

Check out location sanctuaries or even try to find a local 'guru' that might let you foster a 'tiel so you can see what's it's like before committing. and if you go with a breeder, please double check that their practices are sound and not a 'backyard breeder' churning out babies for cash. The difference btwn 'find a bird that likes you' vs. 'come pick one out, it's $400' kinda attitude.

Highly recommend Pepperberg's book, Alex & Me. Great read of what they went through together.

I guess it might not count as "in nature", but in the book Alex and Me the author claims the bird could answer questions like "how many blue" things are there. This was from a parrot who was trained over many years though, not sure if parrots can do stuff like that in the wild.

Really great memoirs about the whole starting of this study by Dr. Irene Pepperberg

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061673986/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rlGIybGJC4J5W

I tried to give examples, but I guess those aren't useful if you haven't read any of their books.

These are somewhat narrative "stories" on behavioral studies, mostly. Not academic journals.

ie:

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Raven-Investigations-Adventures-Wolf-Birds/dp/0061136050

https://www.amazon.com/Bumblebee-Economics-New-Preface-Revised/dp/0674016394/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494625381&sr=1-1&keywords=Bernd+Heinrich+bee

https://www.amazon.com/Peacemaking-among-Primates-Frans-Waal/dp/067465921X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494625311&sr=1-1&keywords=peacemaking+among+primates

Domestic or wild does not matter to me besides not being interested in things relating to "caring for pet rabbits". Neither does "type" really; a variety would be fine.

Irene Pepperman wrote a great book Alex and Me about her training of Alex. It is a good read, sad ending.

Companion Parrot Handbook Is a good book.

This book is what I asked for my birthday. Or a chicken shaped thing that can be hung on the coop itself and or a gift card to where they get feed and such.

This is a good book on the subject

If you want to get really depressed, read Alex And Me by Irene Pepperberg to learn about how intelligent and empathetic parrots are, and then read Of Parrots and People by Mira Tweti to learn how they're treated in commercial 'parrot farming' operations.

African Grey Parrots (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

> The Raven and the Wolf
Is this it?
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Raven-Investigations-Adventures-Wolf-Birds/dp/0061136050

Read the book!
http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Me-Scientist-Discovered-Intelligence--/dp/0061673986/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348597233&sr=8-1&keywords=book+alex+and+me

Here is the mobile version of your link

I'm having some success with a similar issue using this book: Clicker Training for Birds

but does anyone have a suggestion on how someone can get the birds to stop biting her if she can't see well enough to read their body language?

No problem! If you werent before I would just look up African Grey specific information from now on. Here are a couple of books that really helped me out when trying to learn more about my African Grey.
Here
Here

As far as point #1 you haven't had an IRN. Mine will only let people touch her when she is fooled into thinking it is me touching her (meaning I am holding her close and start petting and then someone else sneaks over and starts petting her). IRNs are EVIL!

I have this book from the author and its good too: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Well-Behaved-Parrot-Barrons-Mattie/dp/0764136674/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y