Parrots have such powerful beaks and long claws. Do they ever use these to defend themselves in the wild? Could my macaw defend itself against my cat, for instance?
--Paul Tomasi
Parrots would rather flee than fight, except when it comes to defending their territory.
I’ve seen parrots raise a foot to ward off people who approach aggressively. However, parrots use feet most often to hold food, grab onto people and other parrots during play or breeding, or to investigate objects.
Parrots use their beaks more aggressively. A macaw would likely bite the heck out of a cat if attacked. But even if neither were hurt, why allow a bird to experience the stress of having to defend itself in a life-threatening situation in the first place?
Many people are unaware of the dangers, especially to smaller parrots, of keeping birds in the same house with other animals. Some argue their parrot can defend itself, but the fact remains that cats are predators and birds are their prey. The situation may have to be just right for the predation to occur, but why take the chance?
As parrot owners, it is our responsibility to keep our birds safe from potential harm, including mental. Some birds quickly become desensitized to the presence of other animals.
Others may take days or weeks to realize other creatures are not a threat. In the meantime, your bird may panic every time he sees a predator walk through the room. Worse, cats often jump on furniture near the cage--or the cage itself--to get a closer look.
If you keep a parrot in the same house with a cat, dog, ferret, snake, rodent or any other potential predator, pay close attention to the behavior of both animals and don’t allow unsupervised interactions.
World-renowned animal trainer Steve Martin established one of the first free-flight bird shows in the country at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 1976. His international consulting company, Natural Encounters, Inc., now helps zoos all over the world train all types of animals using positive reinforcement.
