early parrot education - program introduction

©2005-2015 HARI, all rights reserved

Early Parrot Education: Seizing the Moment

wean on to a healthy extruded diet (which is a fundamental building block of a structured educational foundation) vs. a seed-based /cafeteria style diet

mature towards healthy independence understand the established codes of conduct &

respect that will position them within the hierarchy of the human/ feathered flock

participate in & enjoy occupational activities such as misting, preening, foraging & play

desensitize & appreciate various enrichments

Let’s explore the potential of Early Parrot Education…

We believe that this education will allow the chicks to :

Why is Early Parrot Education Important?

• Nurturing & hand-feeding is all that is needed to prepare the chick for companionship

• Chicks do not get any form of early parrot education in the wild!

• It will consume too much time• It will not be profitable in the end• It is much easier to wean them onto a seed-based diet• They can get their education later on…breeders have no

time for this

It is often believed that…

If caretakers play an active role in laying down the building blocks for a structured educational foundation, it will:

• Provide the chicks with a solid foundation to lead healthy lives as companion pets

• Increase the respect for our profession• Increase the value of the chicks we raise

Yet… perhaps we’ve underestimated the extent of responsibility aviculturists have in raising these feathered creatures for companionship

What factors influence the domestication potential of a future companion parrot?

• Selection of optimal gene pool (physical health & temperament)

• # of generations born in captivity• maintenance of physical & psychological

health of breeding pairs and offspring• Parental rearing or hand rearing• Early Parrot Education

Plateau phase

Lag phase

Log phase

Wt 10 % daily

Fledging Wt ( 10%)


From the Neonatal Age to the Early Pin Feather Age

Early Parrot Education has not

yet begun

Chicks are fed 100% hand-feeding

formula

Nurturing and Monitoring

Weight is monitored daily and recorded in Chick Growth

Chart.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Used to monitor weight & feeding from the 1st to the 5th stage of early parrot education


TOOLS

Primary lessons

Characteristics of this Stage

Educational Focus

Housing

Feeding Strategy

Stage of Early Parrot Education


Stages of Weaning & Early Parrot Education

1st : Introductory Stage2nd : Pre-Fledgling Stage 3rd : Fledgling Stage4th : Advanced Foraging Stage 5th : Fledgling Acquiring

Independence6th : Feeding Enrichment


Caretakers should strive to build a solid foundation during the Early Parrot Educational Stages through the use of these tools:

Nurturing

Monitoring

Socialization

Desensitization

Modeling

Mentoring

Play

TOOLS

Water Bottle Education Primary lessons


Learning Discipline During Training Sessions

Primary lessons


Primary lessons


early parrot education - program introduction

Education

form of early parrot

future companion parrot

introductory stage

prefledgling stage

companionship chicks

advanced foraging stage

solid foundation

healthy independence