Feathered Family Inc.

Toweling a companion Parrot

How, When, and Why

Teaching a parrot to accept and even enjoy being wrapped safely in a towel is an excellent way to prepare for the rest of his or her life. There are many instances in a parrot's life that it will need to be safely toweled, and by training them to accept and enjoy this you will make your life and its life much easier.

How:

Teaching your bird to be toweled shouldn't be complicated. A well-socialized bird will enjoy playing games with you, and toweling should be a game. Hide under the towel and make wonderful playing noises, many birds will submit to curiosity and come to see what you are up to. Playing under a towel is great fun once your parrot is used to it, and some even begin to be excited and happy when shown a towel. Another method for teaching your bird to towel easily is to take a towel and spread it out, then showing your parrot a favorite toy or treat slide it under the towel in his view. Spend some time slipping under the towel and getting the toy or treat in front of your bird, he may just decide to join you. I've found with my own parrots that they enjoy having their own towel. Ceebee, our Umbrella Cockatoo has an old baby blanket that is hers and no one else gets to play under it. When its brought out into her sight she gets excited and is ready to slip under, which makes toweling her easy. In the case of a parrot that has not been taught to enjoy toweling and who needs it in an emergency there is another method for toweling. First the bird should be safely caught and restrained inside the towel. This is most easily accomplished by coming from behind the bird quickly, while someone else blocks the front Escape Avenue. Gently pull the parrots wings to its sides with the towel and use your hand to circle the throat holding the head back for safety. Always be extremely gentle! This method should only be used in emergency, as parrots will remember this and a severe distrust of toweling could follow. It is best to train the bird to towel far in advance of need for this reason. For a step by step photo guide of this method of toweling please click HERE.

When:

When to towel your parrot seems obvious but sometimes isn't. A parrot that is attacking may benefit greatly from being toweled until it calms down. An ill or injured parrot may require being toweled for an examination. We have discovered that toweling a parrot that is on a plucking spree for a couple moments may aid in calming and distracting the bird. Of course, that should only be done in extreme cases, as giving any attention to plucking could encourage rather than discourage the behavior. Many birds enjoy being toweled after a bath, and this is a good time to look your parrot over fully making sure that everything is healthy and well. Toweling is also useful for clipping nails on those birds who do not like having their nails done, and can be used to assist in wing clipping also.

Why:

Why is toweling something we should do to our companion parrots? After all, it's not something they would ever experience in the wild, right? Unfortunately in the wild your parrot also would not experience vet visits, nail trims, and other situations that we have to put them into for their own health and well being in captivity. Being under a towel can soothe a bird; it resembles being in a nest in some ways. A cool dark place can be relaxing for any of us. It is important if a bird has been injured that it can be safely restrained while it is being examined and cared for by a vet. And anyone who has had a sexually aggressive bird attack them knows that there needs to be some safe way to end the attack for both the parrot and the persons sake. Toweling provides all of these things.

Playing "Peek-a-Bird" with your parrot from behind or inside of a towel might seem like just a game now, but when the time comes that your parrot needs to be toweled you'll be glad you played it.