Pet Only Your Bird's Head

Head pets are always appreciated by the spoiled birds. You always want to only pet your bird on the head and no where else on the body! Do you know why?

Well, it comes down to natural flocking behaviors. In the wild in flocks, pretty much any bird in the flock can groom another bird’s head. Grooming is a social behavior and helps with calming a bird down after stimulating or tiring events like flight and foraging. Anyone in the flock can touch the head. But, only mates and breeding partners can preen elsewhere on the body.

This is because the bird is going over vital areas (wings, abdomen, tail) and it takes trust to do that. It also can get a bird into the breeding mindset. If you pet beyond just the head, you’re signaling to your parrot you are more than a flock member but a mate.

This can lead to a lot of behavioral issues. Increased aggression, resource guarding, anti-social tendencies. Not to mention increasing hormonal levels which can lead to egg binding, prolapsing, chronic masturbation. It’s an unhealthy relationship that can increase sexual frustration, since we are not correct mates for our birds.

Petting a bird shouldn’t be like a dog because they’re not a dog. They don’t get the same sensation and enjoyment as a dog or cat, a domesticated species, because they’re undomesticated and birds! We need to handle reptilian birds differently compared to our domesticated mammal friends.