PET THERAPY BIRDS
| PORVETTE Blue and Gold Macaw ANGEL Scarlet Macaw CHARLIE Congo African Grey MAJOR Military Macaw MAX Blue and Gold Macaw JENNY Umbrella Cockatoo ZAPHRON Triton JASPER Umbrella Cockatoo BUDDIE Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo CHICKEN Moluccan Cockatoo GRADY Moluccan Cockatoo BRADLEY Green Cheeked Conure JORDAN Blue Front Amazon LYNUS Plum-Head Parakeet GRACIE Umbrella Cockatoo | Let me introduce you to my Flyers. Each of them has unique attributes that stand out from each other. Each of them has behaviors that will give you an idea that they too need space, a kind of space that separates us from them.
In June of 1993, I emigrated to the US from the Philippines. After a year of living in an apartment, I missed having birds so I decided to buy a pair of cockatiels and from this pair I started breeding cockatiels. I was a member of a club to further my knowledge in this species. The touch that I had for birds when I was in the Philippines still existed, so I decided to continue breeding them. After years of breeding cockatiels, my original pair died. I decided not to breed anymore (I kept my best babies and sold the rest) and concentrated on having the cockatiels I had left to be my pets. I did this as a tribute for my original pair.
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Doing these visits to senior houses is my way of saying “Thank You” to them all. We owe them a lot, without their guidance, we would never be the better persons we are now. The outreaches that I go to are also my way of educating people that though they may have big beaks, they deserve love like we give to our dogs, cats and other household pets we may have. Birds can also be our own trusted friends once we give them the love and trust they deserve.
My birds may not be able to do tricks that other species can do but what makes them stand out is the comfort you will have while they are in your arms (some of them will even rest their head to your chest). I never trained my birds to be shoulder birds. I am personally against allowing birds on my shoulder. I am their boss thus I need to be above them.
Did I mention that none of them has been clipped? I want them to have the liberty of flying as this is their true nature. I may be showing them in senior places / outreaches, but I make sure that they are safe from outside dangers. Wing clipping is a must for pet birds but my birds are not my pets; they are a part of my family and my own personal approach and opinion is wing clipping is not a way to treat family members. This is my own personal opinion and I have no intent of asking you to do the same thing.
(Presently in New York staying temporarily at a Senior Client that her therapeutic companionship is needed)
Porvette was my first macaw and the reason for my initial interest in becoming involved with the Pet Therapy/Outreach program.
A few years ago, I went to visit my friend’s mother in a senior home and thought I would bring Porvette with me instead of leaving the bird in my truck. As I was talking with this lady, she asked if she could hold Porvette. Porvette was 9 months old then and so tame and cuddly that I had no hesitation in allowing her to pet Porvette. As she held Porvette, the bird started to show cuddly gestures. When I saw the smile on this lady’s face, I realized this was an opportunity for me to do something for our seniors.
Porvette opened the door for me in this new field, inspiring me to use my love for birds to share them with others. She has been instrumental in my success whenever I go to senior homes, outreaches, and other events to show how our feathered kids (“fids”) can improve our daily life.
Porvette is no longer with me. A senior citizen who made a close relationship with her asked if she could have Porvette. It was a tough decision to let her go, but at times we have to make decisions that make other people happy. I know the same love and care I have given to Porvette will be given to her by this lady, so I have no regrets. I know both of them will be happy together. I can visit Porvette anytime and though we are not together, she is still remembers me and I sense that she is not in any way upset with me for letting her go. Porvette is happy in her new home and being loved by this lady and her household.
(Presently in Maryland staying temporarily at a Senior Client that her therapeutic companionship is needed).
Angel was a breeder whose partner had died. Her previous owner could not handle her, so Angel was given up for adoption through Jojo the Grey Adoption and Rescue for Birds, Inc. I came to pick her up at her former place. The moment I saw her, there was a click between the two of us.
I was able to handle her without any problem after just weeks of training. She allowed me to pet her during the first two weeks and in the succeeding weeks, she was stepping onto my arm — without having been previously trained or handled before I got her.
When she became comfortable with handling and petting by me, I started to introduce the harness to her. Harnessing is not readily acceptable by old birds but because of the trust she had in me, I was able to place the harness on her. Within two months of adopting Angel, I started to bring her to outreaches. She wears her harness and is always a sweet little giant just like the rest of my birds.
(He finally decided what his purpose in the bird world is…..not to be a therapy bird but to be in the breeding program – as he has some show potential traits – he is now staying at a friend’s place for breeding purposes – please be it known that he is paired with a show quality african grey for the purpose of producing quality african grey).
Typical for an African Grey, Charlie is a very sensitive bird. The first three months was a struggle for me because I had to work hard to earn his trust — a trust that I needed to gain by not raising my voice for a bit, being gentle when I approach him, and as much as possible, pretending that he is the boss between us.
My work with Charlie finally paid off when one morning he started regurgitating to me — an action that a bird owner (especially for big birds) waits for, as a sign of trust and the start of a good relationship. From then on, Charlie could be handled by me without any problem. However, Charlie has a trait that is distinct to him: I cannot just grab him from his cage if I want to — I have to play with him first, caress his beak, and talk to him for a short period of time. When he has reached a certain comfort level, then I can say “step up “and he will.
Charlie is still in training. He is not a therapy bird yet since at times, he still has a biting stance that I am trying to take away from him. I cannot take the risk that he will bite somebody, although I know he will not.
Military Macaw
Major was the next big bird I acquired after Porvette. A breeder originally, Major has a disposition typical for a breeder: he can be moody at times and will not let me handle him without me using a stick. So the approach I used with Major was to stick train him first until I found his comfort and trust level.
As time progressed, I was able to handle him without using the stick, an approach that took me awhile but I have no regrets because everything turned out great. Now I can have him in my arms without any problem.
The only trait that makes Major different from the rest is that he is not that comfortable being handled for a long period of time. I can play with him for a short period but soon he will make the gesture that I need to give him a break or otherwise he will be loud and at times does this biting stance.
(A friend’s macaw died and the other macaw is showing loneliness and loss of appetite, because of the loss and to serve as a companion for her remaining macaw, I decided to lend Max so he can provide comfort at his best. The bond of friendship worked out and the new pair are inseparable).
Max is my other Blue and Gold macaw. He was given to me by a good friend of mine. Max is a large B&G who can be grumpy — he can be handled and cuddled, but at times he will change his mood and appear to have a biting stance. However, he doesn’t really bite; this is just his way of saying “enough of that touching, just let me settle down in your arms and we will be okay”.
One thing that differentiates Max from my other macaw is that he likes to hang down in his cage just like a bat. At times, he sleeps upside down. It makes me wonder whether there is a reincarnated bat in him…
Max is the only big bird whose cage I must lock. He tends to flirt with Angel, my Scarlet Macaw. Max is an escape artist who opens Angel’s cage so they can be together. If she will breed, it will be with her own species. I am against hybrids and have no intention of breeding any of my birds. Also, I don’t want to loss their tameness and become aggressive because of the bond that they will have with their partner. This was one of the reasons I made the decision to let Porvette go. Max and Porvette (both B&Gs) eventually might have realized that they were “meant for each other”. I could not let that happen. They would no longer be pet therapy birds because their dispositions toward humans would change.
Jenny is sweetest of the three bird team of I call the “three stooges” of my flock. She is the queen of the group. She enjoys the special treatment she gets from the two boys (Zaphron and Buddie). As a result, she is one very sweet cockatoo.
Every time I take her with me to outreaches, she will be the last one I have to get at the end of the outreach. Sometimes she sleeps as the senior sleeps, and enjoys the comfort of the senior’s warmth and caress.
Jenny is trained to fly to me whenever I call her name. Since the other two birds follow, I end up having three birds trying to fit in my arms.
This is one other reason why I don’t clip their wings. In my living room, I train them to fly to me whenever I call them. Jenny and Zaphron (Triton) are getting particularly good at it. For this trick, I place them on a perch and then call them. The living room is like a tennis game with birds going back and forth (though at times, they don’t want to do it).
Don’t be deceived by Zaphron’s lion-like mane – he is just showing he can be mean-looking with his mane up, but inside he is a sweet cockatoo.
Zaphron flies back to me whenever I call his name, a trick he learns from Jenny.
When I first got Zaphron, he hissed and showed his mane whenever I approached his cage. However, consistent training made him feel that I was not a threat to him, so he slowly learned to trust me. From then on, whenever I approached the cage (Zaphron, Jenny, and Buddie — the “three stooges” of my flock — share one big cage) he did not hiss. I can ask him to step up with ease and confidence.
I noticed that whenever I train them together they are at peace, quiet, and always show interest and enthusiasm. So I bought a big cage solely for the three of them. Take one from the others’ sight and you will hear noise — and knowing cockatoos, you don’t want to hear it. Looking at them together always makes me think — they are from three different species of cockatoos, yet they get along and don’t show any anger or misunderstanding with one another. This is a trait I hope people can mimic. They can do it, so why can’t we?
Jasper is my other umbrella cockatoo. His previous owner had him for almost two years and had received numerous bites. I tried to give her some pointers on how to train Jasper but she has decided that because of all the painful bites, she had had enough. She asked me to take Jasper. I was hoping he could be trained to be as cuddly as my other birds.
In Jasper’s previous home, there were too many toys in his cage that he could hardly move. In my own personal experience, I have found this can result in reduced interaction with humans. I limit my birds’ toys to three inside their cages. Interaction with humans reduces the need for toys. Also, whenever I train birds, I cannot have any distractions because I need their complete attention.
I let Jasper be himself in the cage for a month but with constant verbal interactions. After a month I tried to handle him but found that he tried to bite. I decided he was not ready yet. After another month and him getting used to my voice and making him aware that he is safe with me, I was able to get him out of his cage using a stick (I start stick training if I see that a bird will bite me). Everything went well with the stick training and after another month or so he became comfortable on my arm.
Now I can handle him without any problem. His previous owner is surprised — Jasper is now a different bird. However, he will still take a bite stance at times, but it takes time to get that trait be out of his system. He now goes with us whenever we go places. With continuous training and interactions, he will be one cuddly cockatoo.
BUDDIE
Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
The last member of the Three Stooges of my flock, with Jenny and Zaphron. The three of them are really fun to see and to play with. Each has its own individual personality unique to one another. Buddie, for the past years has been trying his very best to be the alpha of the three birds but Jenny will not allow him. He can try but he can’t win, Jenny is one true solid alpha and she will keep as long as she can. Buddie has one behavior that makes him stand out and that is, he is used to sharing food with either Jenny or Zaphron, the two of them will hold their fruits or nuts but not Buddie, he will approach either one and he will just take a nibble from their food, never have I seen him holding his own food. If by any chance he is not given a chance to eat from the sharing, he will just go straight to food bowl and just eat from there (without holding his food). A trait I find too funny.
Of all my big birds, Chicken has the most interesting situation. I got him from someone whose mother was no longer able to attend to him, so the family decided to find a new home for Chicken. This would be a big challenge because Chicken does not like women. Every time he would see a woman, he would chase after her (like a crazy dog).
When I first saw Chicken, he had no reaction to me. However, when I took him home (my sister in-law was visiting) I began to see his aggressiveness toward women. I showed him to other women but I always got the same reaction. It would take a lot of work to rehabilitate Chicken and have him like women.
I found an approach that really helped him get used to women. Now he comes with me to every visit/outreach that I make without showing any aggression to women. He is a totally new Chicken — even the previous owner was surprised with the progress Chicken has made. With the proper training, Chicken has become one of my sweetest birds, regardless of the gender with which he is interacting. The moral of this lesson is: Never give up if your bird has issues. There will always be a solution and once you find that solution, it will be a happy relationship for you and your bird and for others as well.
It was July 2006 when I received a call from a bird club member who was looking for somebody who could provide a good home for their moluccan cockatoo, Grady. This bird was having a problem interacting with people. Grady was always afraid and often jumping out of his cage (sometimes caused injury to his wings) whenever somebody came close to his cage.
Interactions with Grady took a lot of patience and time. I let him settle in his cage and started talking to him by his cage. Every time he had a reaction, I make sure that I stayed away and when he became relaxed again, I would go back and continue the session. This interaction with Grady continued for almost 8 months.
To my surprise, one day when I approached him while he was in his cage, he was relaxed and did not have a reaction. It made me happy to know that I had won his trust. I did not push it though since I was afraid he might regress and we would have to start over. I gave him more time.
My waiting paid off and now as I approach his cage and I say “step up”, he steps up. I gained his trust and now he is one of my therapy birds. Other people can approach him without concern. I am happy to have successfully rehabilitated Grady.
(He is now living with a wheelchair bound 13 years old girl, who fell in love with Bradley when she saw Bradley when she came to visit her grandmother at a Senior place that I come and visit). They are now enjoying the company of each other.
Bradley is a sweet and affectionate green cheeked conure outside of his cage. Inside his cage, however, he is a nippy and skin-breaking conure. Bradley sees his cage as his domain. Anyone whose hand enters his cage is perceived as a threat by him. I have to use a stick to get him out of his cage.
How do I train this kind of bird? I allow him to spend most of the day outside the cage since allowing him to be inside the cage will encourage his tendency to be a cage bound bird.
When I first got Bradley, the breeder kept him inside his cage most of the time. This resulted in territorialism. I balanced the situation by encouraging him to spend more time outside and providing him with interaction outside his cage. I was able to minimize his aggression, though at times, I still see him nipping my finger whenever I try to approach him inside the cage. Once outside his cage, Bradley shows impressive temperament, gestures, and disposition.
(Jordan decided that he is done with the visits and showed some interest in breeding, he is now paired up to the female Blue Front Amazon of my friend- agreement is, I will have one of his baby in return so it can be a part of the Therapy program- hopefully sometime soon, I will have one of his baby).
I acquired Jordan and his partner, Mickey, in 2006. I was planning to be a breeder. I always wanted to have a medium bird as a therapy bird and I just thought, why can’t I just breed one and start one from a baby. I got Jordan from a so-called “breeder” and was told he was female, but per DNA testing, it was discovered that Jordan was male – I ended up having two males.
I worked with the two Amazons and I found that I could train Jordan to be a tamed bird. Training Jordan lead him to become a well-mannered Amazon. (Mickey showed no interest in training, and therefore, will remain a breeder. He is set up with a female, Minnie, as a breeding pair. I gave them to a close friend who will forever give them a happy home.) I decided to buy another female, this time asking for a DNA test. She is indeed a female).
Jordan is a great bird. Considering that he was not very friendly when I first got him, I never thought he would turn out to be as tame as he is. All I can say is, friendly or not, each bird needs to have one-on-one interactions with us so we can better see their true personality. Never give up on them. Time, patience, and open arms, will give them a chance to show you what they can do for you. You will be surprised that your efforts in training them will give you an endless happiness.
I adopted Lynus from a lady who was having an allergic reaction to her birds. Letting go of a bird that is loved so much is the hardest thing a bird lover has to do, but there are priorities that need to be considered especially if it concerns your own personal health. I adopted Lynus, making a promise to his former owner that I would make her bird a member of my therapy birds. Lynus is doing great and soon he will be joining the team.
(She is now a full-pledged Therapy bird, no longer screams nor goes to the shoulder. She is now one of the favorites, if I will not bring her in any of my visits, I am always asked, why I did not bring her).
I adopted Gracie from a couple in September 2009 and though she is very much loved by them and not to mention a sweet one, I have to let Gracie learn some things that will better suit my schedule and hers so she can adjust well to her new environment. A screamer when people are not around and a shoulder bird (as you will read in my notes on this website, I am not a bird owner that allows birds on my shoulder – an approach that I find more appropriate for them). In her short stay with me and with training, her screaming decreases as days go by. I am more happy about this and I am able to get her used to my arms (instead of the shoulder), a training that needs a lot of time both for the bird and myself. She will soon be a part of the Therapy Bird Team and without a doubt in my mind she will be… an impression I had during my first visit to her previous owner.
I thought I would let the previous owner give you an idea about her:
“How can I condense almost 12 years into a few sentences? Describing Gracie….mmmmm very similar to raising a child. So much of what we know about cockatoos we learned through trial and error. When we first adopted her, she was only a year old. The previous owners went through a divorce and there wasn’t enough room or love for Gracie. We had both. She had more bald spots on her due to stress plucking. At the end of our first year, she had regrown all her feathers. We were very pleased. We discovered she loved certain ‘human’ foods (butter, bacon fat, eggs, pasta, fruits, nuts, peanut butter, bread, soup…the list goes on and on). She would sit at the table with us and munch on food. She became part of our family.
In the winter, she was often ‘cold’ and would come upstairs in bed with us, and run under the covers and cuddle with us. If we tried to get her out before she was ready, she would actually ‘hiss’ at us. Funny stuff.
Gracie thrived with us. She is very loving and social. Any outdoor trip was welcomed and she would easily go to strangers and tuck her head into their chests, raise her wings and beg to be petted under her wings and tail, which are her favorite places to be scratched.
She eventually learned that furniture was not for chewing. ‘No!’ meant no! Electrical wires, plants, and everything outside her cage was not to be chewed at all. She really got very good at this and her destruction was under control.
She knew that when we came home after work, that was play time. Out of the cage, throwing the ball, eating with the dog, sitting on her perch playing ‘peek a boo’ and ‘which hand was the nut in’, and ‘give me your foot’ were her favorite games and always rewarded with a pistachio!
I know that being a therapy bird is what she has been preparing for during her stay with us. I hope to think that we have taught her to be loving and affectionate and that she will receive the love and affection she needs in return.”
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