Mill Road Vet Hospital / Thursday, 08 December 2022

Pet Parrots – When the bond is a little too strong!

At Mill Road Vets, we see a wide variety of birds as patients. You may not know that there are dozens of species of parrots, parakeets and other birds kept as pets in NZ.

Parrots in particular (the group that includes common pets such as Cockatoos, Galahs & Cockatiels), are prone to forming very strong bonds with their owners. These birds are very intelligent and are able to select their preferred human – often on the basis of their gender. So a female bird will usually choose the male of the family as their “special friend”, while male birds often choose the female owner. This is the first clue that the bond that is developing may not be entirely healthy.

Pet parrots who do not have other parrots to interact with, will often try to fill that void with these human partners. This relationship, in the bird’s mind at least, is then seen in the same light as a “pair bond” between male and female birds. This pair bond is quite different to the relationship with other birds in the flock. Bonded birds allow the other to groom them, will feed each other at times, and of course at the appropriate time of year, mating will occur. When a bond like this forms in the family, other humans will be shunned (often with aggressive outbursts), while the chosen human can do no wrong!

It’s hard to argue that this relationship is very endearing for the owner. So what is the problem?

In the bird’s mind, the inevitable outcome from a pair bond is the production of eggs and eventually chicks. When this process is never fulfilled, it becomes very stressful and things can begin to unravel. Feather plucking behaviour is a common outcome of this stress.

In the case of female birds, even though they are not mated, the strength of the relationship is enough to stimulate ovulation and egg laying (which is always abnormal outside of a bonded pair of birds). Some birds will start to produce large numbers of eggs resulting in fatigue and various medical problems. Egg binding, peritonitis or other egg related “accidents” are seen commonly here in the clinic and can be very serious.

So can this be avoided? In theory yes. Recognising which human is likely to be the “chosen one” allows the family to look out for clues:

This person can hand feed the bird and stroke its feathers, while other family members can’t without being bitten
The bird always sits with this family member when outside the cage.

It’s crucial that this person does not encourage the bond to form by behaving in the way that bonded birds do:

Encourage all members of the family to interact with the bird, including hand feeding treats
Avoid the bird sitting on shoulders (arm height only)
Avoid kissing the bird or stroking it’s back

Despite these efforts the problem can be persistent. In some cases veterinary input is useful for the health of the bird. Hormone treatments can reduce the bird’s reproductive drive. In some species, surgically “speying” the bird may be considered. In all cases, ensuring the diet is balanced and appropriate will help (a seed-based diet will always make this issue worse so converting to a pellet-based diet is needed).

In theory, providing another bird to pair with could also solve the problem but this comes with some potential issues:

The bird may lose interest in their human!
The pair may attempt to breed
The pair may not be compatible leading to aggression

Careful thought is needed before going down this track then.

So if your parrot is behaving badly, perhaps this is the reason. Come along for an appointment so we can ensure your relationship is healthy and happy for life!