Best bird care books according to redditors
We found 105 Reddit comments discussing the best bird care books. We ranked the 45 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 105 Reddit comments discussing the best bird care books. We ranked the 45 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
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:
If you have any specific questions, ask away and I'll see if I can help!
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)
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)
A few things
First of all, as far as trust goes.... don't treat him like a dog that you can train to obedience and start thinking him more as a creature with a unique personality, and toddler-like intelligence. You cannot "scold" or punish a bird as intelligent as a grey, the only thing that works for training is 1) rewarding good behavior and 2) ignoring bad behavior. Punishments (including yelling, squirting with water, hitting, etc) get you nowhere as the bird will only associate these negative experiences with YOU and learn to hate/fear you. Tbh your bird sounds incredibly stressed and potentially abused (I'm not blaming you at all, I just want to stress how bad the situation sounds on our end).
I do think that you need to do as much research as physically possible before you start to tackle the care of this bird. First, research the needs of greys specifically. To stop his plucking, and begin forming some sort of positive relationship with him, you need to get his basic care situated.
Does he have a balanced and nutritious diet of pellets, fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, nuts, etc? Bad diets can exacerbate feather plucking and inhibit new feather growth. Next, does he have a large enough cage with A LOT of interesting toys? A busy bird is a happy bird, and if he has plenty of things to chew, swing on, or jangle around he is less inclined to be stressed or bored enough to pluck. Finally, does he have a reliable sleep schedule, is he constantly frightened by the other animals/yelling, is he interacted with for at least 2 hrs a day, etc? All of the negative things in his environment should be fixed, or else they will hinder any progress you make with training.
Once you have everything else situated, I suggest looking into clicker training. Check out this book, or sites on the web that can teach you about bird behavior, body language, and positive reinforcement training. You need to learn how to read him to figure out what makes him happy/fearful/aggressive, and also how to gain his trust. DO NOT just sit and stare at him without making noise! Birds are prey animals, and they become MORE freaked out when predators (especially those with forward facing eyes like us) stare at them because it means they might end up as a meal. Being too quiet is also a bad sign because that often signals danger in the wild. Instead, sit next to his cage and watch TV, read a book aloud, or play the radio. Soothing background noise, while he gets used to your presence will help him learn to trust you more.
I hope this info helps and I wish you luck!
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.
I haven't had coffee yet today, so I apologize for being blunt here: you need to approach this with a lot more patience. You've only had him three weeks. That's not enough time for him to settle in after a big change. It's definitely not enough time to have worked through a training method, or for you to be at the end of your rope.
I highly recommend you take a step back from focusing on getting him to step up and start working on minimizing his stress and forming a bond with him. Stop cornering him to get him to step up. You're going to end up in a situation where you have a bird who is terrified of your hands, and undoing that is far more difficult and time consuming than doing things right from the start. Not to mention the stress it causes your bird.
I've had the most success with clicker training and target training. If you can give your bird a treat, you can clicker train him. Dog training clickers are cheap, and a chopstick works perfectly as a target stick.
The book I've seen recommended the most from folks I trust is Getting Started: Clicker Training for Birds by Melinda Johnson. I actually just ordered a copy so I stop recommending a book I haven't read. ;) I have clicker and target trained birds with a lot of success. It's very effective.
Everything about this method is positive. It's more like a game for your bird. You're building trust and learning to communicate. The initial part is the slowest (priming to the clicker, etc.) so stick with it. Keep training sessions short, maybe 10-15 minutes. You can do several a day, but you want to stop before you bird loses interest and end on a good note.
Parrots are very expressive and communicative. Listen to your bird's body language. He'll relax a lot more if you don't push him too far beyond his comfort zone. If he's acting nervous, back off until he's comfortable. There's no reason you can't have a happy bird who enjoys being handled, but it won't happen overnight.
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.
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.
Give them as much time out of the cage as humanly possible. Hell, if you can safely bring them to work, do it.
I think the biggest problem with conures is they are VERY demanding. It seems more-so than any other species I've worked with. And with conures, frustration means screaming....lots and lots of screaming.
P,S, If you havn't already, get a copy of this: http://www.amazon.com/Sally-Blanchards-Companion-Parrot-Handbook/dp/096712980X
Thank you for adopting a rescue! My little dude is a rescue, too - I adopted him when he was approximately 5, and he's 21-ish now. The best advice I have is to look up parrot clicker training on YouTube. My bird isn't clicker trained, but had I known about clicker training when I first adopted him, I probably would've tried that. Conures are huge birds in tiny bodies, so if you look up training for large parrots, it'll work for conures. My favorite books on bird training are by Mattie Sue Athan - she wrote a book about rescue birds, and another book called Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot, which I own.
Be patient, be CONSISTENT, do not waver from your routine, and don't react when he bites and/or screams. My conure is a bigger bird - he's a cherry head, and he's got a huge beak for a conure. His bites hurt REALLY bad. I went through about two years where I had to layer multiple sweaters and hoodies every time I took him out so I couldn't feel the bites; otherwise, I would react because it hurt so bad. We had days where he'd bite, and I'd go into the other room and cry my eyes out because I'd been struggling for years and I thought we'd never get past the biting. But I promised him when I brought him home that I'd never give up on him. Now, he's downright cuddly - he respects me as flock leader, and although he's cuddly on his terms, he respects my terms (no biting, contact calls only in English, step up when I say so, go in the cage on command).
If the bird's been in a pretty stable environment (toys don't change often, cage is the same, no new perches, etc.) then it will take awhile to get him used to the new stuff. Be patient with him and put his food, etc. near perches that he's used to. I know that it sucks when you're trying to give him a better life and he's cautious, but eventually he'll learn to trust the new stuff, you just need to give him a level of comfort while he's acclimating. Also, you never mentioned how long you've had the bird at your place. Being in a new environment, especially if he's always lived with your mother, can cause all kinds of emotional problems with any bird, but especially with a CAG.
Do what you can to keep him comfortable. He's going to flip his mental shit when he next sees your mom (who im guessing he's more or less bonded to). You'll have to be very careful about how you approach that if she doesn't come over often. Our CAG was a similar case (from a roommate) and he started yanking out his neck feathers when he saw our roommate for the first time after he was absent for two months.. Just to give you some warning about potential issues (hopefully it helps..).
[Here's] (http://www.amazon.com/African-Parrots-Complete-Owners-Manual/dp/0764147412/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419027735&sr=8-2&keywords=african+grey+parrot+book) an awesome book that I'd suggest getting. I saw it recommended by other members of this subreddit and I found it to have a lot of great information, regardless of experience level, and it is a very easy read.
I'd stay away from tabletop play ordeals until he's more comfortable with you and your house. Our CAG hated them for a long time and we had to slowly get him used to it just being there. Now he's cool with it, but prefers to just wander around like a boss. Every CAG has a different personality (based on my experiences with them), but most are skittish. Just be patient and his natural curiosity/your time with him will pay off. :)
Highly recommend Pepperberg's book, Alex & Me. Great read of what they went through together.
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amazon.co.uk
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> The Raven and the Wolf
Is this it?
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Raven-Investigations-Adventures-Wolf-Birds/dp/0061136050
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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!)
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.
Ouch! Your poor hand.
Is she otherwise healthy? Have you taken her into work for a checkup after her having lived with the other birds?
Consider starting from scratch with clicker training. I like this book http://www.amazon.com/Clicker-Training-Birds-Getting-Started-ebook/dp/B00ELR03GO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450298501&sr=8-2&keywords=clicker+training+for+birds there's advice in there about biting too. I think it might really help you.
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.
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
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?
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!!!
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'm an Irish falconer, so I'm not sure how many of the practices cross over for the test. But these have always been my reference books:
Emma Ford - Falconry: Art & Practice
Jemima Parry-Jones - Falconry
Jemima Parry-Jones - Training Birds of Prey
Best of luck with it!
African Grey Parrots (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
Irene Pepperman wrote a great book Alex and Me about her training of Alex. It is a good read, sad ending.
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.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Backyard-Chickens-Beginners-Choosing-ebook/dp/B0084HOC50/
Just changed .com to .co.uk and there it was. There's no way to have reddit do this automatically, nor can we make it a post requirement.
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!)
There's a couple well reviewed books on Amazon about eclectus care like this one, and this book appears to be just about eclectus diet which might be good since eckies have very particular diets.
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.
Here is the mobile version of your link
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.
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
[This is a great book] (http://www.amazon.com/African-Parrot-Handbook-Barrons-Handbooks/dp/0764141406) that touches all the basics and also gives insight into grey psychology and behaviors.
This is a good book on the subject
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.
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.
Companion Parrot Handbook Is a good book.
Buy this book Amazing book for first time Grey owner. It tells you almost everything you need to know.
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
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