Myths come from a number of different groups of people: inexperienced bird owners, some old-school breeders, unknowledgeable pet store owners, and non-bird people, to name a few. These myths do no good to the parrot/human relationship, & makes absolutely no sense. Here are a few common ones and reasons behind why they are not true:
Myth #1: My parrot only likes men (or women).
Parrots cannot tell if a human they are looking at is a man or a woman, just as we cannot tell by looking at most parrots if they are male or female. The only way we can tell some dimorphic species is by certain markings that we have learnt to recognize. Parrots did not get any education to know that humans that possess certain "body parts" that make them male or female. How else can parrots tell if a human is a man or a woman? By hair length? Height? Voice? None of these actually. I can find you women that look like men, and vice versa, in terms of haircut, height and voice. Unless all humans walk naked around birds, they won't know how to distinguish the difference. Even then, our body structure has no bearings on how birds relate to humans.
Parrots do not respond to whether or not he/she thinks you are male or female. They respond to personalities, use of voice, mannerisms, and body language. Any man or woman who learns to approach a bird correctly, in a calm manner, without fear, and with a sweet voice, will get the same reaction from a pet bird. Just because (in general) men tend to approach birds more abruptly, and women more gently does not mean anything more than what the bird likes, in terms of mannerism. Some spunky birds prefer the fun personalities of humans, and some calmer personality birds prefer quieter, calm humans. It has nothing to do with what sex you are. Birds that come from abused homes in the past, however, may distinguish a certain look of humans with the hand that hurt them once. If a man owner mistreated the bird, in his new home he may react in defense to anyone that either looks like that person (a woman with the same built and haircut can trigger the same reaction) or has a similar personality as that person it remembers. Again, it has nothing to do with the sex of its humans.
Myth #2 - My bird is a one-person bird. It only likes me.
Pet birds do not become like this, unless it's encouraged and taught by its humans. Birds in their natural way of living live in a flock environment. With or without mates, they need the security of a flock in their everyday lives. Humans that don't allow their pet to socialize, get to know people and especially humans that encourage negative behaviors (eg. laughing when a parrot lunges at another person) is teaching its bird to get praises from being aggressive with others. This selfish human will create a bird that he/she can proudly call "my bird", "mommy's boy/girl", "daddy's boy/girl"... without realizing the negative implications imposed on the pet. A bird that is raised to attack others except one person is insecure, and has no future in the human world after its human passes away or decides to find it another home. Birds in this situation live in fear of only having one human it can trust, live in constant anxiety, and can never be happy.
Myth #3: Getting an unweaned baby will help it bond with you better.
This is one of the biggest lie you can get from a greedy breeder or pet store owner. If they are not greedy for an early sale, then they are badly misinformed. A baby bird needs to be weaned fully by someone (or two) of the same people it sees from when it opens its eyes. A baby bird at that stage needs the security of consistency in handling, feeding style, and environment. Handfeeding a baby bird must be left to only professionals - one that does it regularly, on a daily basis, and has had many years of experience feeding birds this way. A caring breeder/handfeeder will want to make sure that its baby is weaned properly; and the good ones even make sure that they personally see the baby bird wean for some time before letting them leave to a new home.
Myth #4: Male parrots are worse pets than females when sexually mature.
Except for some male Cockatoo parrots, there is no difference in the sex of a bird (in terms of pet qualities) during its breeding years. With every large parrot, you are bound to go through these hormonal stages with your bird. There's no way around that. It can start from as early as two years of age, to much later in life. And it will go on every year for a number of years. With most birds, their hormones rage around Spring to Summertime. Whether a pet bird gets aggressive at breeding season has nothing to do with whether or not it's a male or female. Some people preach that over witnessing one bird, or hear it from a couple of other people who don't know better. Pet birds, when well socialized and trained by their humans, will still be great companions all through their adult life. For more information regarding sexual maturity in pet birds, go to our article by clicking here.
Myth #5: Birds are easier to care for than dogs.
Not if you want a happy, loving, healthy and tame pet bird. Pet birds require a lot more time than dogs as pets. Dogs will love unconditionally, with pet birds you need to gain their trust that takes effort, time and consistency. Dogs & birds both need exercise, training, love, and attention; but dogs don't need constant cage cleanups, playpen and house cleaning, daily fresh food prep, daily sunshine, & regular socializing with humans to stay tame. Dogs don't go through sexual maturity behavior changes/aggression the way pet birds do. Birds require a more disciplined upbringing, combined with lots of training, love, and consistency, to create a loving pet bird that mirrors a loving dog companion.
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