Socialization Of Baby Birds
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
During the past few years, a
conversation has developed between
pet bird owners and bird breeders
regarding the socialization of baby
birds, which can be characterized as
contentious and divisive. When a pet
bird owner believes that his/her
bird has a behavior problem, the
owner seeks to find a solution and
reason for the problem. Sometimes
the owner blames the bird breeder
for some supposed failure in the
rearing process, which may have
produced this problematic bird.
Baby birds are generally hatched and
raised by bird breeders, sometimes
in nurseries at small backyard
facilities and sometimes at large
breeding farms. Bird breeders may
sell the birds at an early age,
prior to or during weaning, to pet
stores or brokers, and sometimes
directly to the pet owners. When
baby birds are sold prior to or near
weaning, the major socialization
that has occurred involves
interacting with clutch mates or
other baby birds in the brooder or
baby cages, interacting with the
hand-feeder while being handled or
fed and perhaps learning the "Up"
command from the hand-feeder. Thus,
the bird has the opportunity to
learn that humans are okay, because
they provide food and comfort.
Further, the bird learns to feel at
ease with other birds in the brooder
or cage. Most parrots learn the "Up"
command quickly, even when their
physical skills are not developed
sufficiently for them to easily
comply with the intent.
Baby birds that are sold to brokers
and pet stores will continue to
learn about people and other birds
in this new environment. They may
learn that many people stick fingers
at them through cage bars. They may
learn that there is a great variety
of people to deal with, not all of
them treating the birds with
gentleness and respect. They may
learn that they have to fit into
cages with other strange birds. They
may learn that not everyone who
handles them knows how to do it
smoothly. All of these new events,
people, places, diets and routines
can be confusing and stressful to
baby birds, no matter how
wonderfully they have been raised
and cared-for by the bird breeder.
All of these experiences in the pet
store or at the bird brokers are
part of the socialization of each
baby bird.
When a pet store specializes in
birds, the owner or manager
carefully trains the employees in
the care and handling of baby birds,
and the store's protocols include
guiding the bird-buying public in
the proper care and handling of the
baby birds in the store. Then, the
bird receives positive socialization
and feels comfortable and secure.
The best bird stores educate their
employees and demand that excellent
care be given to the baby birds. The
best bird stores teach their clients
about the care of the bird that the
client purchases. They provide this
education through the use of direct
demonstrations of handling, through
written information about the
specific species being purchased and
through recommendation of a good
veterinarian. This process takes
time and effort, but the end result
is a happy bird and a happy owner.
Bird breeders who sell directly to
the public often provide their
clients with a lot of
species-specific information on the
bird being purchased. The bird
breeder who sells to the public may
also keep the baby birds well past
weaning. The young birds have the
opportunity to learn about a variety
of foods, how to play with toys and
other birds, to maneuver in bird
cages, to fly and land with skill
and to respond to commands such as
"Up" and "Perch." During this
period, they also develop confidence
and are ready to go home with their
new owner. This is the period of
post-weaning stabilization, which
generally occurs following the month
that the baby bird has weaned from
formula feedings.
Bird breeders who work large
facilities simply do not have the
time, the employees or the cage
space to put all their birds through
this process for a month after
weaning. If they did, it would
greatly increase the price of the
bird because costs would increase.
Some species would not be
recommended to remain with the
breeder during this time. These
species make the transition much
more easily at an earlier age.
However, that is not to say that the
management and staff of the breeding
farms are giving the birds less than
excellent care if they fail to put
the birds through the stabilization
process. Large farms must have good
disease prevention practices and
must do everything possible to raise
healthy, happy babies. Their
livelihood depends on producing an
excellent product that will result
in repeat business the following
year. They cannot afford to produce
babies that do not satisfy their
market or they will go out of
business. Large bird farms employ
the services of avian veterinarians
to provide guidance on medical
issues and also employ sufficient
manpower to take care of the daily
work.
Now, let's go back to the issue of
socialization of baby birds. Birds
go through a series of stages of
socialization, not just one stage,
while being hand-fed. These stages
of socialization continue to occur
after the bird leaves the bird
breeder, goes to a pet store or to
the new owner. In fact, various
periods of socialization will occur
over the next five or six years,
until the bird reaches maturity.
Although most of the larger parrots
can be reproductively viable at
under 5 or 6 years of age, most are
not really mature until then.
Smaller parrots mature earlier. So,
all these discussions about "proper"
socialization of birds may be best
addressed to the pet owner — the one
who will be with the bird during
these periods of socialization.
Part of the problem is that some pet
owners just want to love and enjoy
their bird, not provide direction to
it (as if the bird should come in a
"ready-to-use" package). The pet
owner is emotionally attached to the
bird, but he or she may have little
or no realization that the young
bird has a serious need for guidance
as it develops over the coming
months and years. The pet owner may
have little knowledge of the
specific species of bird and its
natural characteristics. In fact,
the pet owner may have little
understanding of birds in general.
As Gail Worth recently commented,
"Pet owners often think that birds
are like dogs. They want the bird to
change a behavior that they do not
like, but the behavior is natural to
the bird." There seems to be an
inclination among many pet bird
owners to have a preconceived notion
of what the bird should be and do.
When difficulties arise, it is
easier to blame someone than to
recognize the true problem, which is
a lack of basic knowledge about bird
behavior and, specifically, a lack
of information about the species of
bird they have. Bird breeders, bird
stores, bird behavior consultants
and pet bird owners need to
recognize the situation: Simply put,
young birds continue to need
guidance, and it is nobody's fault.
Birds need guidance through their
various periods of socialization for
several years in order to become
healthy, happy adult companion
birds.
