• Barrons Second Hand Parrot

Two expert parrot owners point out the pros and cons of adopting a bird that has had a previous owner. All Complete Pet Owner's Manuals are heavily illustrated with color photos and line art, and are filled with reliable, easy-to-understand information on pet care. The many titles in this series show and tell pet owners how to care for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, gerbils, hamsters, and virtually every other animal that is kept as a pet. The books give advice on purchasing and otherwise acquiring a pet, maintaining health care, housing, proper feeding, and where applicable, grooming and training. Clear, straightforward text comes with high-quality, full-color photos and anatomically accurate line art, as well as helpful tables and charts. Paperback / 96 Pages / 6 1/2 x 7 7/8 / 2002

This is a great book for anyone interested in getting any type of parrot. I would even recommend this book if you are getting a "first-hand" parrot because it will help you avoid creating problem behaviors in your parrot. It covers not only problem behaviors and how to solve them, but why they start in the first place so that you can avoid them. It is an entertaining read with several first-hand stories.

I run a second hand parrot rescue and I must say this book is really on the ball. So many times people don't really know WHY is my bird acting like that, Does this bird hate me etc. This book lends knowledge to the behavior and how to handle a rehomed bird. I recommend this book to anyone considering a pet bird, especially a rehomed one.

This was a very helpful book for my husband and me as we had just adopted a second-hand parrot and we had not idea what we were doing. This book was recommended by our Veterinarian and we really rely on it. Thank you so much for all the info.

If you're adopting an older parrot, much of the information in breed specific manuals will not be relevant for you, since it pertains to hand fed babies. This book contains information that is specific to parrots that have lost their home for one reason or another. Much of the information is recycled from Mattie Sue's previous books on parrot behavior, so if you've read them and commited them to memory, you might not need to add this one. If, however, you are not an expert on parrots, but simply want to open your heart and home to one of these wonderful creatures, this book will help make the transition smoother for both of you. It will also alert you to potential problems. There is also new information about integrating a new parrot into an existing flock. Personally, I think this book should go home with every bird adopted from a rescue organization.

In THE SECOND-HAND PARROT, Mattie Sue Athan makes a good case for taking on a previously owned parrot as a feathered adoptee. While it is true some adoptees are less than civil, Athan has shown through her own experiences that there may be a diamond in the rough underneath those bristling feathers. (Mattie Sue Athan's experiences with her two adopted Grey Parrots, Bongo I and Bongo II are documented on her web site).

Many pet birds are passed on by owners who are dead, too old, too sick, or move to less accommodating quarters. Many of these older birds need only a short period of getting to know you and TLC to become your best buddy. I've become a believer. Having adopted two Cockatiels two years ago who had terrorized everyone at the animal shelter and had them become two big sweeties I know what a little TLC can do. The sweetest bird I own, however, is a "hand-me-down Conure" with two previous owners. My Conure is also the biggest bird I own and the least nippy. Every morning he says "Give me a kiss" which I happily do with a "Thank-you" as my reward. "Used" birds frequently can talk and have learned cute tricks.

Athan offers all sorts of tips on how to get your birds to comply with various challenges you might offer such as bathing, destroying toys instead of your books, and kissing not nipping when you offer your cheek or stick your hand in their cage. In her section on "The Corrective Environment" she shows how many of the tics the new-old bird learned were brought on by cramped, boring, and/or dirty quarters. It is amazing what a little space and a new toy will do to improve an outlook.