--Kristy Prosser, Durban, South Africa

Most animals play. By playing with one another, young animals develop coordination and learn communication, survival, and social skills. By playing with their offspring, adult animals nurture and teach them.

Because most pet parrots are hand-raised and identify closely with their human caregivers, it is very natural for them to play with humans. In the human-parrot relationship the human is the surrogate teacher, provider, and protector.

Playing with a young parrot is not only fun, it is a necessary and important part of the parrot's development. You are teaching it skills that it will use for the rest of its life in its human-oriented world.

You will also develop great insights into parrot behavior by observing the bird's body language and vocal responses to various play situations. You will learn when the bird is excited, angry, nervous or content.

As you know, parrots play mostly with their beaks, often investigating objects like your fingers with enthusiastic interest. When your bird investigates just a little too roughly you have the opportunity to define the level of pressure on your finger that you will accept from the bird. Anything over that amount of pressure should be met with a sharp, loud "No!" and the movement of your finger away from the bird's beak.

Play sessions are also a great time to teach birds to accept new things in the environment. I think it was Sally Blanchard who first described the value of using a towel during play sessions with your parrot. If the parrot recognizes the towel as a play thing, being wrapped in a towel for examination by a veterinarian will be far less stressful.

Introduce other new objects and new people to your bird while it is young. It will be more accepting of these things in later life. Make sure the objects you offer as play things are safe for the parrot to chew.

Playing with an adult bird is also very important. It is through play that you stimulate it physically and intellectually, and strengthen your bond.

So, what kind of games should you play? That depends on the individual bird. What is fun for one bird might be frightening to another. I have seen parrots terrified by the games their oblivious owners subjected them to. I have also seen other parrots enjoy the very same games.

Some games might be more fun for the owners than the birds. For instance, some people think that their parrot enjoys running down halls trying to find them as they hide, when really the parrot is just following its instincts and is trying to find its mate.

Other people think a parrot sitting on their hand enjoys being raised and lowered quickly to make it flap its wings, when really the bird is just flapping its wings to keep its balance.

How do you know if a parrot likes the games you play? When you toss a young child into the air you can tell if he likes it by the expression on his face. Laughter means the game is fun, crying means the game is too frightening. Of course, parrots can't smile, laugh or cry, so I think you should start by developing a good understanding of your bird's body language. Once you are able to see the very subtle signs of nervousness, comfort, and play, you will really begin to understand what games your bird likes to play.

Your relationship with your bird should be about two-way communication. It is very important that you let your parrot tell you what games it likes as well as what things make him nervous.

If you offer an object for your bird to play with, read his body language and see how he reacts. If he is nervous, he will shy away. Respect your parrot's communication and don't force a new toy or object on him if he seems unsure. Give him a while to adjust to the new toy from a distance and let him approach the toy at his own pace.

In sum, Kristy, playing in an appropriate way can be fun for both you and your bird. So, play away and continue to develop your positive relationship with Megabyte.

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.

ParrotChronicles.com. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Return to current Bird Behavior column