Based in West Seattle, Pampered Parrot Behavior Coaching and Boarding works with and boards companion birds
 

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Science-based behavior coaching

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I help you --

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* Work toward achieving a relationship based on mutual respect and trust between you and your compaion parrot. The goal is to achieve a true partnership and friendship. We are our birds' protectors. We are responsible for giving them the very best life we possibly can -- and the largest life possible -- while keeping them safe from harm. We are their teachers, just as they are our teachers. The learning goes both ways if we want an equitable partnership. But it's also complicated because our birds were raised in captivity instead of being in the wild and learning how to navigate life from their avian parents. As a result, they have all their wild instincts (they are highly intelligent wild animals, not domesticated pets). Unlike dogs, birds don't care at all about "obeying" their human parents. But along with their profound intelligence, they have gaping holes in knowing how to create a good life for themselves. Being raised in captivity means that they never learned the basics from their avian parents. And sadly there's a tremendous amount of incorrect and potentially harmful information on the web, even including punitive approaches to unwanted behaviors. To build a relationship of mutual respect and trust, we should never act out of anger or do anything that could cause our birds to fear or distrust us. They should know they are always safe with us. For example, we always need to provide a reliable hand/arm/shoulder to stand on. We should never deliberately shake our arm or hand to cause our birds to lose their balance if they do something we don't want them to do. Punitive approaches break the trust between you and your bird. I help you find positive approaches to foster a relationship based on mutual trust and respect between you and your family, and your bird. 

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* Learn the fundamentals of your bird's instinctive behaviors so that you can achieve a harmonious partnership based on kindness, listening closely, and recognizing that both you and your bird have much to learn from each other.   

 

* Help you integrate your newly adopted bird into your family. 

* Create the largest possible life for your companion parrot -- while recognizing the limitations of living in your home.

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* Work with complex flock dynamics if you have more than one bird. 

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BEHAVIOR COACHING: I work with companion birds, including Budgies (parakeets), Cockatiels, Conures, true Parakeets, Lovebirds, Pionus, Quakers, Eclectus, Senegals, African Grays, and Macaws.  

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My specialty is in working with the human-parrot dynamic, so that our homes are places of peaceful coexistence. All of my training is based on 100% positive reinforcement. 

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Our companion parrots are flock animals and not domesticated. Their wild instincts drive their behavior. Screaming, biting, and other unwanted behaviors can be gently replaced with desired behaviors that work in our homes. Our birds can be fully integrated into our human families. As flock animals, they have a deep need to feel they belong to their family flock, whether it's human or avian.

 

Behavior is different from training. I work with my clients to address the underlying reasons why your bird is screaming, biting, strongly attached to only one member of your family, plucking, or exhibiting other behaviors that you want to address. You will come away with a much deeper understanding of how to effectively work with your bird.  

 

If you already have one bird and are planning to add a second one, I can help you select the most appropriate species and support your introduction process  -- which can be challenging. Getting off to a great start will make your life easier in the long run. 

 

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Interested in boarding? -- Some insider tips. 

You're looking for a great place to board your bird. Some places even have a play area, something your bird would enjoy a lot. Should you choose this approach? 

Boarding birds, when done correctly, is far more involved than it may appear. Their health and safety should be our highest priority. That's why our first line of defense is an avian exam that includes cultures and bloodwork. The exam provides an enormous amount of information -- however it's not perfect. Why is this important? It means that it's impossible to know for certain if a bird is truly healthy. Just as there can be false positives to tests, there can also be false negatives, incorrectly indicating that a disease is not present. Also, there is so much that we still have yet to learn. Major advances in avian medicine are constant. What we thought we knew 20 years ago feels like the dark ages now. Ten years from now we'll see similar advances. 

When you adopt a bird and take her in for the initial exam, your vet will recommend that you keep her quarantined away from any other birds for 30 days. --This is after her test results are found to be within normal range. 

Compare this to most boarding situations where many birds in cages are in a room together. There may be an area for them to be out of their cages to play. If your priority is for your bird to remain healthy, then it's a risky situation. Any direct contact between two birds creates a very real chance for cross contamination. Two birds playing together will inevitably involve contact, whether it's through their beaks, or one touches the droppings of the other bird, or a bird simply stands on a common perch and then touches her foot to her mouth. Or perhaps there's a food bowl that other birds have access to. Every shared perch or surface is an opportunity for cross contamination. --Even if disinfected, wood in particular cannot be guaranteed to be safe from pathogens once it's touched by an infected bird. 

Add to this the possibility of airborne pathogens and you can see how challenging an uncontrolled environment is. If your priority is for your bird to remain healthy, then you want her to be boarded in a controlled environment. 

 

--How do you protect your bird when you need to board her? Find someone who accepts an extremely limited number of birds at any one time, and who pays attention to every detail to make certain that any possibility of cross contamination is as close to zero as possible. This includes constant hand washing before and after touching a bird or container that another bird will use. Disinfecting all surfaces every time there's any contact (this includes door knobs, faucet handles, and much, much more). You should be encouraged to come by to see where they board birds so you can be confident of the quality of care. It's the way I approach boarding. 

 

Alternatively, you can go to a larger facility where management and staff consistently apply best practices to disinfecting and sanitizing at all levels of potential contact. This is likely to be a veterinary hospital. Des Moines Veterinary Hospital is excellent in that their staff is exceptionally knowledgeable and skilled. Their cleanliness is outstanding and every enclosure for every individual bird is on a separate ventilation system so there is zero possibility of cross contamination through the air. (My association with Des Moines Veterinary Hospital is strictly as a professional. I recommend them because of the quality of their work.) 

 

The goal in boarding is always for every bird to arrive healthy and leave happy and healthy. It's a very time-consuming effort when done properly. It's the way I approach boarding. And I know that Dr. James Onorati of Des Moines Veterinary Hospital does this too but on a much larger scale. Birds remain in their cages when boarding with him. 
 

 

My in-home boarding for small and medium-sized* birds is individualized to match each bird's needs and preferences --

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* I accept a very limited number of birds at any one time in order to provide exceptional care and minimize the potential for cross contamination. 

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* I provide round the clock care and maintain a peaceful and scrupulously clean environment. 

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* Medical exams are required within 12 months of boarding. 

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*  If your bird has been exposed to other birds within 6 months of boarding, I require a followup avian exam before accepting her for boarding.

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* If your bird appears unhealthy when you bring her in for boarding, I cannot accept her. This is for the safety of all the other birds and people here (some avian diseases can be transferred to humans). This applies even if your bird was shown to be healthy in an exam in the past 12 months. 

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 Important: The best avian vets provide a separate ventilation system for each bird being boarded (Dr. James Onorati of Des Moines Veterinary Hospital does this. He is one of my top two* recommended vets in the region, and the only one who boards birds). This reflects the critical importance of the exams, while also recognizing that an exam does not guarantee perfect health. Some birds carry diseases that are not detected in even the most extensive exams. For perspective, when adopting a bird, a responsible vet will advise that she be quarantined completely away from any other birds for at least 30 days. This is AFTER passing the avian exam. This is why I require additional testing for any birds who have been exposed to other birds within 6 months of boarding. 

 

* The second avian vet I recommend is Pine Tree Veterinary Hospital, located in Maple Valley. They do not board birds.

 

 

* We do not accept cockatoos or Quaker parrots for boarding. 

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