So, I just got another handfed baby bird yesterday that's not really all that tame. The baby's only four months old and very skitterish, handshy and bites.
The person I got it from handfed it, let it out of the cage every couple of days, but otherwise didn't play with it or socialize it. She couldn't figure out why it's not tame because she handfed it.
To all of you who either are breeding or handfeeding babies - Please remember IT TAKES MORE THAN JUST HANDFEEDING TO HAVE A GOOD PET PARROT!!!
Please read: Handfed does NOT = Tame and The "S" Word
Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteIt really upsets me, and I hear about this quite often, that baby parrots are pulled away from their parents to be handfed and only handfed.
They have no contact with their parents who would otherwise provide TLC nor enough contact with humans. That IMO is one of the major causes of behavioral problems. I believe that all baby parrots should be allowed to be raised by their parents.
And I believe for a good pet, the baby needs to be handfed ad libitum, not force weaned, and socialized extensively.
ReplyDeleteFor good physical and mental health, ideally the baby will have spent the first several weeks of its life with its parents.
Keep in mind that's not always possible to let the parents feed for a few weeks first. Last year I had a hen that somehow punctured her air sac while she was still on eggs. I had to treat her for the air sac, which would have disrupted her to the point that she would have destroyed or abandoned the eggs. Some breeders let those eggs die. I couldn't do that so I incubator hatched the babies and handfed them from day one.
Moral of the story - Keep an open mind and assess each situation on a case-by-case basis.