What do you guys think about this? Looks interesting.

I just wanted to share one of the more interesting studies I've dug up about auditory enrichment in ten different individual parrots. It's fairly limiting, and the study does acknowledge that since behavioral problems in some birds could be linked to preexisting health concerns/established habits, and the sample size was fairly small, but as far as the actual enrichment part goes, I think it's interesting. Sorry if it's already common knowledge or not, I'm not that well versed in the community. I just thought it might help some people out and I wanted to see if anyone thinks the music part is accurate with their birds!

https://www.researchgate.net/public...2N-GGAndDPUza_nviRsHaSLoCvtZi1LH3jPa6WIsYBWUc

This is the link to the fully-accessible study. The name of it is called "The effect of auditory enrichment, rearing method and social environment on the behavior of zoo-housed psittacines (Aves: Psittaformes); implications for welfare" in case someone has trouble pulling it up

VERY interesting. The results certainly fit my intuitive ('face validity') response to the hypotheses. I have a reservation based on subject selection... there are so many variations on parent-reared/hand-reared, but they seem to have done a good job with the independent variables... treatment, control, placebo. Hand-reared, solo-housed parrots are common among our members, myself included. It stands to reason that they have less wild/normal/instinctive behavior, and that fits with my experience. In a pet/companion situation, hopefully they're adapting to the social environment at hand (at wing? lol).
Thanks for a really intriguing read. I enjoyed it!

GaleriaGila said:

VERY interesting. The results certainly fit my intuitive ('face validity') response to the hypotheses. I have a reservation based on subject selection... there are so many variations on parent-reared/hand-reared, but they seem to have done a good job with the independent variables... treatment, control, placebo. Hand-reared, solo-housed parrots are common among our members, myself included. It stands to reason that they have less wild/normal/instinctive behavior, and that fits with my experience. In a pet/companion situation, hopefully they're adapting to the social environment at hand (at wing? lol).
Thanks for a really intriguing read. I enjoyed it!

Click to expand...

No problem! The study did mention that all of the birds that were solo-housed were that way because of preexisting issues, and it's also difficult to say how much human interaction they get compared to birds in domestic situations. Regardless, I found the audio part interesting. They don't like pop music because they can't hear themselves talk over it... Sounds about right.

Fascinating study, a reminder our fids are technically undomesticated animals removed from a complex social structure.

Interestingly, this snippet from the intro illustrates the vast number of companion birds: "Hand reared, solo housed parrots express less normal behavior and maybe at risk of impaired welfare." I'd guess the authors have a great springboard for more detailed studies.

Thank you!

This makes sense now. I was recalibrating/ reinstalling the TV etc. and was stuck on a (sports)channel I really do not like: showing 'the tour de France'-
lots of people on bicycles climbing a mountain en masse and running commentary from some guy.

Sunny ab-so-lutely LOVED it!
(She normally hates it when the TV is on and I am watching, to the point I have to throw a blanket partly over the cage to shield her from it.)
I asumed it was because of the lovely pictures of the mountains etc. (it looks a bit like flying, those men ride Fast!) - but maybe it was the non-stop talking??
(She does not react to radio this strongly)

Keep posting these finds: I love them!


@ Scott: not meaning to sound condescending or mean < I feel rather sad/guilty about it, to be honest>, but why do we need another study to prove that "water is wet" ? Of course handreared parrots living a solo existence are not in a good place, it has always been 'making the best of a bad situation' for them anyway - we have basicly wild animals in a human environment where they manage to survive and sometimes even thrive. We may love them and care for them, but there is no way we can give them what they are geared to do: live free in a huge flock in a challenging environment that they have genetically adapted to through the ages.
Of course we try to do our best ... but if we are honest...failing them as well.
(We are no fellow-birds, we are not the forests/ plains/ mountains etc.)

I didn't really interpret it as saying "these birds aren't as happy as their parent-reared, communal counterparts" as much as it saying they need more attention, and not just the "let me love on you" kind, but monitoring to make sure they have the opportunities to express all, or at least most, of the behaviors they can display in the wild (because for an undomesticated animal, that typically is how zoos monitor for "happiness" so to speak). I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but since solo, hand-reared birds are more predisposed to engaging in stereotypic, stress-linked behaviors, we as caretakers need to be diligent to ensure they are living enriched lives. Exercising them, socializing with them, making sure they're groomed, and exposing them to novel experiences (just to name a few of many examples). One way to do this is through auditory enrichment like demonstrated in the study. More specifically, auditory enrichment done right.

Hey, Christa, I am no biologist or ecologist, but.......... true, we're not birds or providers of natural environments, but we also aren't raptors or other predators or disappearing food sources or trappers/hunters. I know it's a complicated ecology issue, but some individual pet birds have a pretty sweet deal, like you-know-who, for example.

@ Rival LOL you know who kind of hit the jackpot.
Your one is one of the better-offs indeed but...

that said I am used to seeing the flock they had in my favorite zoo ...
I never could count how many they had, but they were always busy, interacting and generally having a blast (and blasting everyones eardrums in the process of course).
There is just no way we can compare to that...ever!
(but we will try!)


==


and handraised versus parentraised, do I even have to point to all the studies the've done with (human) orphans.
(heartbreaking)
Like every "intelligent species" baby parrots need to learn "how to parrot propperly" from their parents.
I think a lot of "how to deal with situations" should be learned from fellowbirds first.

I am forever reading the stories of people who comment how non-stressed and intelligent their wildcaught birds react to something new compared to the "parrot-mill-babies".


looking over to the cages:
Right now I am seeing how Sunny is slowly learning how to drink liquids by making a strawlike shape with her tonque and her upperbeak from watching the greys.
(Ussually she drinks like a puppy, just taking a beakfull, lick around and somehow getting some down)
She was an only, solitary bird (at least the first 9 months of her being sold out of the nest) and for some unknown time after that (but with a really large dog around), and it is obvious she misses certain 'tricks'.
(I was wondering if she has neurological issues as well, but it seems te be nurture - or lack thereoff- instead of illness.)