Behaviour L_11 Bird Behaviour

8/18/2019 Behaviour L_11 Bird Behaviour

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Psittacine behavioural disorders

• Attention-demand behaviour • Undesired displacement behaviour.• Territoriality

• Biting• Feather damage• Screaming• Reproductive issues• Phobic type behavioural problems• Psychotic issues compulsive obsessive

disorders !


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Feather conditions in birds

"an be caused by#

• Allergies

• poor nutrition• psychological problems

• viral in$ections


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• Allergies are a recently recognised problem in birds %$ten theallergy is related to something ne& in the bird's environment.

• Poor (utrition is a common $actor in birds &ith bad $eathersand itchy s)in

• *+truded diets greatly reduces the ris) o$ allergies symptomso$ a bad diet are a dry $la)y s)in and pin) shiny patches onthe soles o$ the $eet

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thepawblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/feather_plucking.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thepawblog.com/feather-plucking/&h=375&w=500&sz=103&tbnid=nPoWZ0v4UYOR5M:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dphotos%2Bof%2Bbirds%2Bwith%2Bfeather%2Bplucking&usg=__lAvsx4NJezOIR289ac7VztM0zMY=&ei=x_8RS8jxIInKsAOZyrDmAQ&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&ved=0CAcQ9QEwAA


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• ,nternal disease may cause a

bird to $eather pic)

• ,ntestinal parasites

&orms and protooa!

and air sac in$ections may

cause the bird to pic) at its

s)in and $eathers.


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• Psychogenic Feather Pic)ing is the name

given to a disease &here an upset in the

birds mental health causes it to $eather

pic). ust li)e people &ho compulsively

scratch/ or che& their nails/ birds have

similar conditions. The medical term is

%bsessive "ompulsive 0isorder and it canbe 1uite devastating to both bird and

o&ner


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• 2alahs aged about 34 - 35 months o$ age areo$ten very good tal)ers and have been greatpets/ but suddenly they become antisocial/aggressive and severe $eather che&ers.

• 6ave suddenly changed personality and begansevere $eather che&ing o$ten to the point o$ sel$mutilation!- result o$ an abnormal upbringing

Treatment - applying a collar/ give them a largeoutdoor aviary &ith plenty o$ places to hide andtry and introduce another older tame 2alah tothe cage


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• To treat the underlying disease/ give antibiotics oranti$ungals are indicated. ,mprove the diet. Remove thebird $rom e+posure to cigarette smo)e/ organicphosphates/ heavy metals7 or other to+ins. Provide

$re1uent e+posure to $resh air and sunlight and mist &itha &ater bottle daily i$ the bird en8oys it. Treat the blood$or intestinal parasites. Treat the metabolic disease.Remove the contact allergen. Restrictive collars onlysuppress the clinical problem and i$ the bird is itchy/ their

use is torture $or the bird. There$ore these are used inonly certain cases to )eep the bird $rom severelyin8uring itsel$


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0uration o$ behavioural disorder

• The chronicity and severity tends to be

associated &ith a much lo&er success

rate $or complete cure

• *arly recognition/ diagnosis and treatment

is best


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To ,nvestigate &ild bird behaviour

• 3. 0escribe speci$ic behaviour 9 1uanti$y

the $orm and rate o$ per$ormance

• :. ;hat and ho& environmental stimuli

a$$ect the behaviour

•


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Functional categories o$ bird

behaviour

• 3. sel$ maintenance behaviours 9 speci$ic

tas)s to maintain physical condition

• :. social behaviours - communication


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Behavioural activity patterns

• 3. daily patterns 9 include sel$ maintenance and

social type behaviours

• :. seasonal patterns 9 certain activities or

behaviours occur at speci$ic times o$ the yearsuch as territorial de$enses/ breeding and

migration

• These re1uire a circadian rhythm 9 cycle o$

appro+. :=hrs/ this biological cloc) is partially

controlled by the pineal gland and environment


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0aily maintenance behaviours

• Feeding/ $eather care/ locomotion/

concealment/ communication and display

• *nrichment o$ these behaviours bene$its

captive psittacines

• >ost common behavioural disorders in

this category


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Feather care

• *ssential $or insulation/ &aterproo$ing/ aerodynamic e$$iciency ande$$ective social communication via plumage display

• 0amaged by disease ?&ear?trauma?sel$ mutilation and in captivity byincorrect grooming procedures/ inade1uate caging or environmentalmanagement? incorrect nutrition

• Birds spend a lot time grooming• Some birds engage in allopreening mutual grooming ! 9 social

and sel$ maintenance value• %&ners and vets can provide allopreening• @engthy or consistently repeated allopreening activities bet&een

o&ner and bird can be consistent &ith a bonded mating pair can

lead to undesirable reproductive behaviour!


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"ommunication behaviours

• "ommunication signal 9 to bene$it thesender

• 0isplay 9 ritualied signal intended to

convey a speci$ic message/ )ey elementsare movement and posture/ usually innateand highly stereotyped/ species speci$ic

• "an signal 9 status?potential mate?dominance? territoryo&nership?danger?attention see)ing


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Aggressive display

• Amaon parrot &ith erect body posture/

pinned pupils/ raised head and nape

$eathers/ open bea)/ raised pectoral

contour plumes and $anned tail $eathers


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"on$lict resolution displays

• "ompeting urges to $lee or $ight /as cannot doboth/ it causes a state o$ high agitation

• As a result /in the &ild and captivity/get

displacement behaviour • Such as pec)ing the ground / &iping the bill

obsessively against the $eathers

• *g parrot biting the ear o$ its o&ner &hen

another human comes close• Allo&s the bird to avoid selecting the t&o

undesirable options


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Bird partners raising young

• Socially monogamous and?or

• 2enetically monogamous

• (one o$ the above


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Socially >onogamous

• >ale and $emale partner $or one or more

breeding cycles

• 0ivorce may occur

• "ompanion birds can $orm this bond &ith

human partners but is usually

inappropriate $or long term behavioural

stability


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Parrots

• Altrical

• Typically $orm long lasting $amily groups and

mentor the young into normal behaviours o$

$loc) interaction• Properly structured $loc) interactive behavioural

guidelines delivered to young companion parrots

prepare the birds &ith appropriate behavioural

repertoires to allo& them to succeed as

companion birds.


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"%>PA(,%( B,R0S

• Abnormal lessons taught or

• Absence o$ o$$ered and demonstrated

social structure b?& $amily and bird results

in sel$ generated rules

• *g screams a lot gets a treat to be 1uite

• @earns to escape re&arded by socialcontact etc


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;ild parrot

• ,$ increasing isolated $rom its $loc) is less

li)ely to survive

• "ompanion birds and &ild birds there$ore

try and return ? stay &ith the $loc)?human


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Bird Basic behaviours needed

• ;illingness to step up to the hand on

re1uest

• Step do&n to a training perch on re1uest

• Stay &here stepped do&n

• ;illingness to accept to&el restraint


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Step up

• 6and only

• ,$ a$raid o$ this unli)ely to be a viable

$amily member

• "ommunicate re1uest 9body language/

verbally or both


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Step do&n

• Re1uest to leave hand to the perch

• "ommunicate as above


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Stay &here placed

• "ommonly overloo)ed• Birds that do not stay 9roam and e+pect this

$reedom and have to be loc)ed up more to be)ept under control

• (eed training perches that can move around thehouse

• *+change limited mobility $or increased socialcommunication in multiple locations

• Structured $ormat $or social behaviours• %pportunity $or sel$ maintenance behaviours

shared bet&een o&ner and bird


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Perches

• Simple T perches best

• So$as/ living room carpet and )itchen

counters 0% (%T provide ade1uate

limitations to mobility


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Acceptance o$ physical restraint

• So &hen needed can be used

• That it is not al&ays associated &ith

pain?$ear

• To&eling techni1ue should be $amiliar to

the birds/ not evo)e $ear or a learned

pattern o$ increased resistance in the

$uture


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Behavioural problems

• >ore common than in$ectious diseases

• "ommon reason $or surrendering o$ birds

• Positive rein$orcement $or desiredbehaviours is best

• Slo& step by step process to correct

Behaviour L_11 Bird Behaviour

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