Handling birds is a controversial topic among bird owners and avian experts. Some believe that handling birds helps socialize them and form bonds with their owners. Others argue that handling causes unnecessary stress and should be avoided or minimized. Here we’ll explore both sides of the debate, looking at the potential benefits and risks of handling pet birds.
Potential benefits of handling birds
Proponents of handling argue that it’s an important part of socializing pet birds. Birds are highly social animals, and in the wild spend most of their time interacting with flock members. Pet birds, then, may benefit from the social contact of being handled by their owners. Some of the proposed benefits of handling include:
- Taming: Regular, positive handling can help tame previously untamed birds and reinforce bonds between birds and owners.
- Mental stimulation: Being handled provides birds with mental stimulation and interaction to prevent boredom and frustration.
- Exercise: Handling provides opportunities for birds to exercise their wings and bodies outside of their cage.
- Training: Handling assists in training birds to step up onto their owner’s hands or perform other behaviors.
- Decreased stress: When done properly, handling can decrease a bird’s overall stress levels and fear of their owner.
- Veterinary care: Handling helps accustom birds to being touched, making veterinary exams and treatment less stressful.
Additionally, some research indicates that early, positive handling of young parrots may facilitate better imprinting and bonding with owners. Removing babies completely from hand-feeding at too young of an age may hinder their socialization.
Potential risks of handling birds
However, critics argue handling has inherent risks and should be avoided when possible. Some of the potential negatives associated with handling birds include:
- Stress: Being handled can cause short and long-term stress in birds. This may be indicated by increased heart rate, breathing changes, fecal changes, and behavioral signs like biting.
- Trauma: Birds have delicate bones and can easily sustain injuries if handled roughly or dropped. Even minor traumas can have serious health consequences.
- Disease transmission: Handling can spread bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections between birds or from humans to birds.
- Feather damage: Restraining birds or petting against the grain of feathers can damage plumage.
- Increased aggression: Frequent handling against a bird’s wishes may increase biting and aggressive displays.
- Lost exercise: When handled, birds are deprived of exercise they would otherwise get flying or climbing in their cage.
- Interrupted sleep: Being handled unexpectedly when sleeping can disrupt birds’ rest cycles.
Additionally, forcefully retrieving birds from places they do not wish to leave may undermine trust between owner and pet.
Considerations by bird species
Certain species are thought to tolerate or even benefit from handling more so than others. Some considerations based on common pet bird species include:
Parrots
Most parrot species have a high need for social interaction and mental stimulation, making them prime candidates for handling and training. However, proper parrot handling technique is vital to prevent trauma or aggression. Parrots should first be taught to voluntarily step up onto the hand before being lifted. Forcefully retrieving them often elicits bites. Parrots also often enjoy interacting outside of the cage, but should be returned before exhibiting signs of frustration.
Finches
Finches have a lower tolerance for handling stress than parrots. Most species do no require handling to be happy, healthy pets. In fact, minimal handling is recommended to prevent startling the easily-spooked birds. The exception may be hand-raised finches who have learned to associate hands with positive interactions.
Canaries
Canaries tend to be middle-of-the-road in terms of handling tolerance. Hand-raised canaries can become quite tame and tolerate regular gentle handling. Common techniques are having canaries perch on fingers or gently holding with both hands around the body. But handling should be minimized for untamed canaries to avoid panicking the birds.
Doves
With proper socialization, doves can learn to enjoy interacting with their owners. Some doves may sit comfortably in an owner’s lap or take food from their hand. Others prefer minimal handling. Owners should look for signs of stress like struggling or startled reactions to avoid overly distressing their pet doves.
Cockatiels
Cockatiels are typically open to human interaction, but handling tolerance varies by individual. Calm, gentle handling helps socialize young, hand-fed cockatiels. Taming unhandled adults takes more time and patience. Owners should watch for aggression signs like hissing, feather fluffing or beak biting/lunging and avoid forcing interaction.
Best practices for safe handling
If choosing to handle a bird, certain precautions can help reduce chances of trauma or excessive stress. Recommended handling guidelines include:
- Read body language. Do not remove birds exhibiting fearful, anxious or aggressive behavior.
- Hand-tame first. Before lifting, train birds to step up voluntarily onto hands or finger perches.
- Use two hands. Support the breast and feet/legs to avoid compressing delicate chest cavities.
- Restrict movement. Keep handling sessions short and avoid sudden jerky movements that could injure.
- Watch for signs of stress like increased heart rate. Cease handling if the bird becomes distressed.
- Handle gently and never squeeze or shake birds.
- Prevent falls, escapes or contact with other pets during handling.
- Avoid restraining or forcing birds to be handled against their wishes whenever possible.
Alternative interaction methods
For birds that dislike being handled, safer options exist to provide your pet with mental stimulation and interaction:
- Clicker training or target training teaches birds to voluntarily follow targets or perform behaviors for rewards.
- Station training has birds go to designated perches or play stands placed around their environment.
- Trick training provides mental exercise by teaching fun behaviors like spinning in circles or fetching objects.
- Offer new or challenging toys rotated into the cage frequently to prevent boredom.
- Foraging activities make birds work for treats hidden in cups or boxes, mimicking natural foraging behaviors.
- Arranging play dates (carefully monitoring unfamiliar birds) provides social interaction.
- Simply spending time near the cage while reading, talking, or doing another activity provides non-invasive bonding.
Special considerations for nestlings
Removing newborn parrots completely from hands-on rearing too early may negatively impact socialization. However, leaving babies in the nest until weaning or near-fledging helps them develop species-appropriate behaviors. To balance birds’ needs for socialization and normal development, avian experts recommend:
- Leave chicks in the nest until 3-4 weeks of age whenever possible.
- Once hand-feeding, provide daily handling in small doses, gradually increasing with age.
- Handle nestlings with special care to avoid injury given their fragile state.
- Monitor for signs of stress during handling including defecating, breathing changes, and restless movements.
- Return chicks quickly to the nest after brief handling sessions.
With this technique, young birds receive the benefits of socialization while still experiencing normal rearing behaviors if kept with parents until fledging.
The handling debate continues
There are passionate opinions on both sides of the handling debate in the avian community. Some experts maintain that handling is an indispensible part of building trust and bonding between birds and their caretakers. They provide guidelines for safe handling to make human-bird interactions a positive experience.
Others contend that handling is an unnatural stressor that should be avoided for bird wellbeing. They recommend focusing on alternative methods like advanced cage enrichment and training to stimulate birds mentally and socially within the cage or playstands.
Owners may need to experiment gently to find the preferences of their individual bird. Being alert to signs of fear, aggression or stress is key to ensuring handling sessions, if attempted, are not pushing the animal beyond its comfort zone. With time and patience, an appropriate level of interaction can be found to suit both the bird and owner’s needs.
The bottom line on handling birds
Research overall does not provide definitive answers on whether most species of birds actively enjoy or benefit from handling. Handling-free homes can still allow captive birds to thrive. However, regular positive handling may facilitate socialization and training for certain birds in some circumstances. Owners should carefully evaluate the need for handling based on their individual bird’s temperament. Low-stress handling techniques should always be followed. When in doubt, it’s best to err on the side of minimal handling to prevent traumatic or frightening experiences.
With mindful observation of birds’ body language, providing enrichment within the cage, and using positive reinforcement training, owners can build rewarding bonds with their avian companions. An understanding of both handling benefits and risks allows bird enthusiasts to make educated decisions on interaction methods best suited to their pet. Achieving the ideal balance enables these highly intelligent, social animals to live enriching lives as cherished members of human families.