Behavioral Disorders

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Behavioral Disorders Physical Effectsthat
affect Psittacines

• An expert system
• by Witney Lonseth

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Behavioral Disorders

• Aggressiveness
• Phobias
• Nervous habits

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Aggressiveness

• Biting and flying attacks are ways of showing
  aggression.
• Biting is not a natural parrot activity. Parrots
  use their beak as a hand and when humans react
  the beak in pain, then the bird learns that
  biting can show aggression.
• Aggression can be a subjective term and can be
  defined by combining information on flying
  attacks, circumstances of the attacks,
  seriousness of injury (bite), and frequency of
  attacks.

www.about.com
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Phobias

• Phobic birds are afraid of harmless situations.

www.vertustech.com
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If a phobic birds flight is impaired, it can
reinforce the phobiawhy?

• The parrot feels that it cannot get away.
• It feels trapped.
• The bird feels helpless.
• All of the above.

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Sorry, thats incorrect

• Well, not just that
• Try again?

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Correct!

• Flight may be impaired by feather picking or by
  clipped wings.
• With flight restored, the phobia should
  eventually disappear. If not, see a bird vet.

• Lets continue

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Nervous Habits

• Nervousness leads to other problems.
• Nervous birds bite to defend themselves or pick
  their feathers.
• Take the bird to an avian veterinarian and figure
  out the root of the problem.

www.p-pp.tv
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Behavioral Physical

• Feather picking
• Screeching
• Begging for food
• Sexual Activeness

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Feather Picking

• A behavioral problem (from boredom, frustration,
  etc.)but may also be caused by an infection,
  trauma, or genetic factors.
• Bird should be given a check-up by a bird
  veterinarian.
• Medication or meeting their behavioral needs such
  as more activity or solving frustrations will
  help.
• Baldness can be caused by genetic factors or
  infection.

www.spca.com
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Screeching/Screaming

• Can be cause by boredom, fear, loneliness, change
  in environment, illness, or jealousy.
• Twenty minutes or less of screeching a day is
  normal.
• Make sure the birds needs are met.
• Only reward the bird when it does not screech and
  ignore it when it does. Any type of attention
  (positive or negative) while screeching is only
  reinforcing the problem.

www.dkimages.com
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Begging for food

• Can be caused by malnutrition or a bad habit your
  parrot has learned.
• Make sure to feed your parrot the proper amount
  and the right diet.
• To train your parrot and get rid of bad habits
  click HERE.

www.birdsupplies.com
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Sexual Activeness

• Parrots can become sexually imprinted toward
  humans when they reach sexual maturity.

www.deviantart.com
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Because of this,sexual frustration leads to

• Behavioral issues (feather picking, aggression,
  etc.)
• Physical effects (lack of appetite or overeating)
• Both of the above

15
Sorry, thats incorrect

• Well, not just that
• Try again?

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Correct!

• Lets continue

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Physical Effects

• Obesity
• Emaciation/Lack of appetite
• Feather cysts
• Beak and skin problems

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Obesity

• Can be caused by genetic factors.
• Mostly caused by lack of exercise and/or poor
  diet.
• A healthy bird should be exercised three times a
  day for ten minutes.

www.quigmans.com
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Should you talk with an avian veterinarian about
theexercise and diet of your bird?

• Yes!!
• Not if you can handle it yourself

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Sorry, thats incorrect

• Try again?

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Correct!

• Lets continue

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Lack of appetite/Emaciation

• Many factors could lead to emaciation or lack of
  appetite in your bird Poor balanced diet,
  disease, boredom or depression, etc.
• A bird with these symptoms should really be taken
  to a bird veterinarian to determine the root
  problem.

www.freecoloringsheets.net
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Feather Cysts

• These are like ingrown hairs.
• It is when feathers cannot poke through the skin
  and form a ball in the follicle. They continue to
  grow, creating a lump with keratin on the
  surface.
• Can be treated by surgically removing the feather
  cyst (as shown in this picture).

www.flickr.com
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Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD)

• PBFD is a viral attack on immune cells that
  produce feathers and the beak.
• Thus, the beak becomes deformed over time and
  feathers are lost.
• Parrots with PBFD are vulnerable to other
  infectious diseases.
• It can be transmitted through droppings and
  feather dust of infected birds.

www.theparrotsocietyuk.org
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Since PBFD has no specific treatment what can be
done?

• Good nutrition
• Supplementary heat (incubator)
• Beak trimming
• Treatment of secondary infections
• All of the above

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Sorry, thats incorrect

• Try again?

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Correct!

• Thank you for going through my presentation!

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Learn about other bird diseases by clicking HERE.
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Bibliography

• "Bird Guide Main." Animal Planet. 30 Oct 2007.
  Discovery Communications, LLC.. 2 Dec 2008.
  html.
• Cross, Garry. "Psittacine Beak and Feather
  Disease." Parrot Society. 1997. Parrot Society of
  Australia, Inc.. 1 Dec 2008. ciety.org.au/articles/art_007.htm.
• Glendell, Greg. "Behavioural Problems in
  Companion parrots ." Greg Glendell's Companion
  Parrot Care. 18 Feb 2008. Greg Glendell's
  Companion Parrot Care. 24 Nov 2008.
  .
• Information from personal experience.
• Martin, S. (2007). The art of training parrots.
  Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine. 16(1) 11-18.
  1557-5063. science/journal/15575063.
• Sweat, Rebecca. "Bird Obesity Facts." Bird
  Channel.com. 2008. BowTie, Inc.. 3 Dec 2008.
  bird-care/bird-obesity.aspx?cm _spInternalClicks
  -_-RelatedArticles-_-bird-diet-and-health/bird-car
  e/bird-obesity.

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Picture Sources

• http//z.about.com/d/birds/1/0/0/0/-/-/PepperPatri
  ciaLoweryamazon.jpg
• http//www.vertustech.com/images/Parrot.png
• http//www.p-pp.tv/cards/images/parrots/first_page
  /parrot8.jpg
• http//www.spca.com/content/images/fanny1_9819_1_1
  _5398.jpg
• http//www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/987/4502
  3897.JPG
• https//www.birdsupplies.com/v/vspfiles/Photos/cat
  egories/2-T.jpg
• http//fc10.deviantart.com/ fs32/f/2008/194/5/e/pa
  rrot_in_love_by_Drezdany.jpg
• http//www.quigmans.com/catharsis/2007/5-07/5-30-0
  7.gif
• http//www.freecoloringsheets.net/thumbs/Birds/Sad
  _Parrot.png
• http//static.flickr.com/43/80562078_3f10d7a447_m.
  jpg
• http//www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/pixs/pbfd2a.jpg

The END. Thanks!