Customer Reviews

Breaking Bad Habits in Parrots: How Responsible and Sympathetic Parrot Care Can Prevent or Remedy Problem Behaviors

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Greg Glendell knows his stuff, as evidenced by this and all of his other writings. Just do a google search on this author and you will be amazed to find all of the most sensical remedies to problems that stem from having a wing clipped bird in captivity. His advice seems so simple but is deep seeded in ethological and ornithological principles. He is the UK's only full-time pet parrot behaviourist and the world would greatly benefit from several of his clones. If you are experiencing challenges with your companion parrot, buy this book and explore Mr. Glendell's website for more information. I can't sing his praises any louder!

Here in the states we often recommend trimming a birds wings. I was really shocked that the author would suggest gluing bamboo splints to a birds trimmed wings. Glue? Bamboo? In my experience this is a plucking problem waiting to happen. Also a great way to lose a bird or have one injured if it should get outside fully flighted. The author is a "amateur ornithologist"? Did no one do fact checks? Much of what is written is not based on fact. I found the book quite disturbing. Especially if in the hands of a brand new bird owner. There are many better bird books out there. Keep looking.

To start: saying "amateur ornatholigist" is much like saying "amateur brain surgeon". An ornathologist is a scientist who studies birds. It is not a hobby. This author is at best a behaviorist or an aviculture enthusiast. There is no standard test or training for either, btw.

It's not totally chockfull of bad advice. A lot of this is true, but because it's true, it happens to be available in every other recently published book about parrot care and for free all over the web.

The biggest problem is that the author is of a common mindset of European bird enthusiasts--that free flight is essential for a health parrot. This is, as of yet, complete conjecture and has not been proven or disproven by any actual authority on birds whatsoever. I myself have very few behavioral problems with my parrots, and they all have managed flight clips (which allow them to coast for a ways but do not allow gains in height or speed).

I cannot recommend this book. In fact, I recommend running from this book like the plague. Just the idea that flight is "vital" to a parrot shows how little the man understands about biology and basic theories. If you want a better option, I'd suggest "Good Bird!" by Barbara Heidenreich. It is certainly the one I'll be getting, as at least it is based on real scientific theory and not just the opinion of some guy that views himself as an "amateur" scientist and thinks gluing bamboo to clipped wings is a GOOD idea.

For the record? I have heard of using bamboo as splints for broken blood feathers. But that's it.

Nice photos, well explained...There are many suggestions about how to treat your parrot properly.It's a wonderful book for" Parrots' beginners".I enjoyed this reading.

This book is good for both beginners and long term parrot owners. I do recommend it as one of the bests in the market. The photos and text are very informative and easy to read. This is not a scientific book but is built on solid scientific concepts which are made available in a very palatable matter. Another good part of the book is that it is very well contextualized including very important things such as caging and parrot nutrition.

Uses insights on parrots' lives in the wild to help parrots in captivity. Many photos of beautiful parrots.