Birds on the Couch: The Bird Shrink's Guide to Keeping Polly from Going Crackers and You Out of the Cuckoo's Nest [Hardcover]

Ruth Hanessian (Author), Gwendolyn Bounds (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (June 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 060960239X
• ISBN-13: 978-0609602393
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,141,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect manual for bird owners, June 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Birds on the Couch: The Bird Shrink's Guide to Keeping Polly from Going Crackers and You Out of the Cuckoo's Nest (Hardcover)

This book has sex, violence and tear-jerking scenes - and it's about birds.

At its heart, "Birds on the Couch" is a great manual for bird owners. But trust me, it's not anything like the manual in the glove compartment of your Ford Taurus. The book is witty, clever and entertaining, so much so in fact that I bet it could hold the attention of those with little interest in birds. (It was written by Ruth Hanessian, who has owned birds since 1949 and runs a pet store in Maryland that even offers parrot psychology services. Wendy Bounds, a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, co-authored the book, but it reads nothing like some dull story about Kodak's falling profits.)

As for the advice, it seems to cover everything anyone either with a bird or who wants a bird could possibly ask. Among the highlights: It explains how to deal with a bird so amorous it leaves wet spots on your hands. Hanessian retells the story of a woman in her 70s coming in complaining of this problem and worrying that her bird was sick. "Why ma'am, I don't believe James Henry is sick at all," Hanessian writes. "I'm afraid he's just horny."

It details how to tame the "Tyson bird," more commonly known as one that bites. "When a bird clamps down on bare flesh with its sharp beak, the automatic reaction is typically 'Ouch!' followed by something unprintable - which, as we have learned, the bird may repeat with glee. Yelping only encourages the biting, because birds like a passionate response."

And it even tells the reader how to know when it's time to give up a bird, such as the sad story of Mr. Duffey who after 40 years with the same bird grew too old to tend to the faithful creature. The lesson is that there are times when it's right to say good-bye. Mr. Duffey "thoroughly thought through the ramifications, considered his existing lifestyle - the tiny apartment and his own ill health - and solicited my help to ease the transition for Jesse [the bird] and himself," Han! essian writes.

And while the emphasis is on practical matters such as picking the right bird, the book's underlying theme is that these creatures that some see as aloof actually have a wonderful ability to touch the human soul.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous and informational!, February 14, 2000

By 

Brooke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birds on the Couch: The Bird Shrink's Guide to Keeping Polly from Going Crackers and You Out of the Cuckoo's Nest (Hardcover)

This wonderful book was humorous and helped me think of ingenious ways to train my bird not have them train me. Ruth (the author)is wonderful! She knows birds and helps others with getting old (PAL in resting homes), parting of their little ones, having fun with your bird, and other stories of what she has seen first hand! It is a wonderful book to see if you would like a bird-because as the book explains birds are unpredictable.

I actually wrote this review after I read the review from a person in Indiana. I couldn't believe it! This book was not about her store it was about people that came to her store with REAL stories and she suggested ideas not concrete solutions because each bird is different and you have to try different things on different birds. The comment about her telling her customers to NOT to go to the vet is not true..it says in the book that they came to her for help, but if the bird was sick or needed help to definitely take it to a vet. People just trust her and asked her opinion first. It was a wonderful book about new birds, older birds, fun with your bird, and just fun to read. It doesn't help you with everything you will encounter with your bird, but it will sure help you through the hard times with humor and dedication! I just met Ruth this weekend at her little store and she does know her birds! She is very passionate about what she does! You will enjoy this book - even if you do not have a bird.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Birds think more like "companions" than "pets", January 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Birds on the Couch: The Bird Shrink's Guide to Keeping Polly from Going Crackers and You Out of the Cuckoo's Nest (Hardcover)

When you take a bird into your home, you're making the choice to cohabitate with a creature that is an independent thinker. Birds are much closer to being "wild" than "domestic" in their behaviors, and they will think of you as being "flock members." It is essential to understand how they think, and what determines their behaviors to maintain a symbiotic and rewarding relationship for both the human and the avian.

This book is well-written, entertaining, and informative. It is a "must-read" for any parrot owner, and I would especially recommend it for any "would-be" parrot owners, before they make the investment in a bird. If you enter into a human-avian relationship with a loving heart and an informed mind, you will both benefit for many years to come.