Human and Parrot Over Bonding

Over bonding can create a lot of behavioral concerns. A lot of people want their bird to be with them all the time, hold them 24/7, take them everywhere with them. That’s amazing, I wish the same things, but some birds will start to see us in a different light than just a flock member and think of us as a mate. Mates get special privileges, some parrots mate for life. We want our birds to see as similar to as another flock member because we cannot provide them what they need like a mate would. We cannot be there 24/7, feed into their reproductive desires, and give them the stability a mate can because we are not a bird!

Over bonding can start up pair bonding behaviors, similar to how a parrot would react with another bird. This can cause your bird to not want to get off of you, to “protect” you from other family members resulting in aggression and resource guarding… so much more.

Over bonding increases stress within your parrot. Anytime we leave without the bird, the bird will become stressed. This can lead to a slew of concerns like feather destructive behaviors, abnormal repetitive behaviors, increased screaming, withdrawal, escaping the cage, and so much more. Chronic stress can also affect our parrots medically, just like stress affects us.

This is not saying to not spend time with your bird, just remember boundaries to keep that relationship healthy!