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Why
You Shouldn't Allow Your Bird to Ride On Your Shoulder
By Liz Wilson
Lots of people like to let their companion birds hitch rides
on their shoulders. It keeps a beloved companion close by without
encumbering the hands, and it looks pretty cool, too. Unfortunately,
it's not a good idea.
Here are a few good reasons why you shouldn't let your bird
ride on your shoulder:
Reason #1: The "Who's in Charge Here" Problem. As far
as birds are concerned, height makes might. In the jungle, the
bird with the loftiest seat rules. When you put your bird on
your shoulder, you're putting him above your eye level. In the
bird's view of things, you've given him the dominant position.
You wouldn't want your two-year-old child to think he or she
rules the roost, and you don't want your pet parrot to think
so, either, for much the same reasons. In the interests of a
long and harmonious companionship, you need your bird to respect
you as the authority figure in the relationship.
Reason #2: You prefer your nose to remain attached to
your face. It's a fact of life that birds bite. It doesn't mean
they are evil or bad-tempered. (Some are, just as some people
are, but that's a different issue.) Birds use their beaks, just
as humans use their hands, to hold onto and manipulate things.
When its balance or sense of security is threatened, a bird
instinctively grabs onto the nearest stable object with its
beak. If the bird is sitting on your shoulder, guess what that
nearest stable object is? If you're lucky, an unbalanced bird
will only pull out a hunk of hair. The ugly truth, though, is
that and ears and noses are very available and vulnerable to
a bird on a shoulder. And large birds like parrots have very
sharp, strong beaks. Why do you think all those pirates wore
eye patches?
Reason #3: (You really need another reason?) Letting
a bird ride on your shoulder is too risky to your relationship
with the bird. Bites to the facial area tend to be traumatic,
so traumatic that they can damage or destroy any relationship
between the bird and the person shouldering it. The end result,
too often, is that the bird loses its home and the companionship
of a person it has bonded with, through no real fault of its
own.
Is looking cool and having your hands free while toting your
bird around with you really worth those kinds of risks? Most
bird lovers and professionals committed to caring for birds
agree that it is not. |
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