Parrots and dementia

[seagoatdeb]

You have to take them out and see how they are with strangers. Some parrots are different in their home than out. Some parrots are the same out as at home.

[Pajarita]

Yes, that would be the only way, Seagoatdeb. The only problem I have with that is that I have found that people tend to misread their parrots reactions. I am not saying that everybody is like that, mind you, I am sure that there are people that are better than others. But, in my experience, most parrot keepers do. I would not even trust myself to judge accurately a reaction in a situation so unfamiliar to them. You would need A LOT of experience with a species (and that means a number of individuals of the same species for a number of years) to be able to tell...

[seagoatdeb]

With rescues it is harder, If they were not taken out by the owners it may be stressfull for them now. My daughters rescue Senegal enjoys going outside and she must have been taken outside before, since she was so comfortable. With parrot owners who only have a couple parrots and have taken them out since they were babies, they are very bonded to their parrots and notice how the parrot is feeling. Most people who take their parrots outside do it for health reasons and it is important for them to be outside. Inside air is more polluted then outside air, and parrots need the sun for their health. i have taught every parrot I have had to love being outside, and that is the easier part. Enjoying strangers is something else. A lot of parrots mistrust strangers, so you would need the right personality to take to dementia patients.

I believe I am more trusting of people than you are, and I think if they have to go to the work of training for a harness or purchasing a small outside cage they are thinking of their parrots well being. I want to encourage people to take their parrots out, no parrot should have to live indoors all their life. All the air purifiers in the world, cant make up for the feeling of the sun, the breeze on their feathers and the rich outdoor sounds.

I started Sunny out in an outdoor cage with Gaugan near to help give him confidence, and he now enjoys outside, not as much as Gaugan who is so excited from the time you say the word outside. For a funny story, my daughter was over and we had all our parrots outside on my patio in their outside cages, when a hawk flew overhead, all the parrots looked up and watched the circling hawk, untill it left, except Gagaun, who looked briefly, and then hung upside down talking and swinging on a toy. Her presence has helped Sunny a lot.