So You Want to Own a Parrot                You have decided to bring a parrot into your home as the newest member of your family.  What made you choose a parrot?  I am interested to know why you have chosen a parrot.  Do you have a smaller bird and love the experience and companionship that it provides?  Do you now feel ready to move on to a larger bird?  Does a friend or family member have a parrot and now that you’ve met their parrot you have to have one for yourself?  Everyone I’ve ever met has their own story that led to their interest in parrots.      I have been in the bird business for many years and have heard countless stories about how individuals that I’ve met have come to own parrots.  I am truly fascinated with these stories and many of them are as unique as the parrots themselves.  Regardless of the reason you have chosen to add a parrot to your family, you must prepare yourself for the task at hand.  You are about to embark on an amazing adventure which also involves enormous responsibility.  Your relationship with your new parrot should be a good one with nothing but positive interactions.       I want to discuss “fear”.  In the beginning it is not unusual for your new parrot to be slightly intimidated when you are around.  Most breeders spend a lot of time with their babies and you are a new face.  The fear I am most concerned with is not the bird being afraid of you, this is usually overcome in a very short period of time.  The fear I am concerned about is the new owner’s fear of their new pet.       As a breeder I spend months with my babies feeding them, caring for them and socializing with them.  I have come across countless numbers of people who happily come to visit their new birds but are intimidated and don’t want to take the birds out of the cage.  I will never let a bird go home with someone if the new owner is intimidated by the bird.  I’m not saying they can’t have the bird we just work on their fear.  This fear is most often associated with the fear of being bitten.      I have seen people reach into the cage and then jerk their hand out when the bird starts to use its beak.  It is normal for a parrot to use their beak when stepping up onto your hand and also to investigate this hand in front of him.  Your new parrot wants to see how secure you are before stepping up.  By jerking your hand back this can become a game to the bird and next time they will be faster and possibly bite harder trying to catch the finger they know is going to be jerked out of the cage.       The other concern that arises is that birds can sense your fears and will play on them.   If a parrot knows that it has the ability to intimidate you, it will.  If a parrot can squawk and bite and be left in the cage they will do this over and over again.  It doesn’t take long to teach a parrot that it has the ability to walk all over you.  Preparing yourself is the best weapon against this.  I want to ensure that you have an excellent relationship with your new companion from the start.      I am sure that by now you have begun to do some research on parrots and their behaviors if you are truly interested in bringing one into your home.  You may even feel that you are ready and not intimidated about owning one.  That’s great the more knowledge you have the better.  If you have never personally held a parrot or you have not held the parrot that you are about to buy, it is very possible that you will be scared or at least nervous.  Sometimes you just can’t help it.  It seems to be fear of the unknown.  Thousands of doubts instantly come to mind as you see the bird in person.      I want to stress to you that no matter how intimidated you feel you can get past it.  As long as you know what to expect we can prepare for it.  The first thing you must understand is that the parrot is just a baby.  Say it over and over to yourself if you have to.  A parrot that has just been weaned does not know the power of their beak.  When they get scared the only thing between you and the parrot is the beak.  In a sense when you reach into their cage you are invading their territory and you are a stranger so there is also a lack of trust associated with this situation.      When the time comes I want you to be able to reach into the cage and have your new parrot step up.  You will need to use slow, steady movements and be confident.  If the parrot tries to grab your finger with its beak just don’t jerk your hand back.  Leave your hand in the cage and use a cue word such as “step up”. Remember that this bird is just a baby and even if it does use its beak it won’t hurt.       Your new bird may even show other signs of fear at first.  I recommend just putting your hand in the cage like you have known the bird forever and saying “step up”.  Make sure that your hand is in front of the parrot so he will be able to step onto your hand.  This could be difficult at first and you may need to use both hands to get the bird out of the cage.  Just don’t give up.  You will have to earn the trust of your new parrot and getting him to come out of the cage will become easier as time goes by.  Once you have the bird out of the cage hold him close and comfort him showing him that you are not a threat.      This method will only work with baby parrots.  I do not recommend you doing this with an adult bird that you do not know.  An adult bird will be more likely to protect its territory weather it be the cage or a person.  This is the parrot’s safe zone and you are invading this space.  If you put your hand into an adult macaw’s cage and it doesn’t want to be held a bite could be harmful to you.  When it comes to adult birds it is better to let someone the bird is familiar with and feels safe with to take the bird out of its cage and then you can try to hold the bird.      Please remember that you are striving to establish a positive relationship with your new parrot.  Until now the breeder has been the only person taking your bird out of its cage.  Earning the trust of your new bird will take time and persistence.  By visiting often and spending time with your new parrot you will be able to earn his trust.  As time goes by and with continued interaction your parrot will look forward to spending time with you outside of its cage and will freely come out when given the opportunity.