Keeping the peace in the household with your parrot companion requires keeping your, and his proper place in the household flock well defined and clear.
Some simple guidelines for dealing with a dominant parrot:
1. Keep your birds cage and his perches at shoulder level, below eye level. If your parrot is above your eye level, in his mind he is "bigger" than you, and is in the dominant position.
2. Always invite your bird out of the cage, and have them step up to come out, and always be the one to put allow him back into the cage. This is a good rule when dealing with a dominant parrot.
3. Don't let your bird on your shoulder unless you invite him up.
4. When holding your bird on your hand/finger/arm keep him below eye level when you are talking or playing with him.
5. Make your parrot follow reasonable requests with out fail; do not ever give in. (Her
6. Make sure your parrots wings are clipped.
7. Don't let an aggressive or dominant bird run around on the floor. It is can be dangerous to the bird, and it can create territorial behavior. Making your bird step back up and going to an area of your choice is also a very subtle reminder to your bird of who is in charge.
8. Being bitten hurts, and it is no fun, but NEVER, EVER give a bird who has just bitten you its way. I have many a times had to make an aggressive or disagreeable parrot step up onto a bleeding finger or arm. Always end things on your terms and with you being the victor, or your bird will quickly get out of control after having bullied you into giving him its own way.
When my relationship with a parrot is in good form, I will usually do away with rule #2 as I like to allow my birds a lot of freedom, and will leave their cage door open for them to come and go into as they please for hours out of the day, but it is a great rule to keep when you are having struggles for dominance with new parrot, or a parrot who is "coming of age" and trying to be overly assertive. I only allow well-centered, behaved birds to have open cage privledges.
