The Parrot–Owner Relationship and Problem Behaviors in Parrots

While parrots are popular birds to keep as pets, little is known about the relationship between them and their owners frequency of problematic behaviors they display. The data for this study were collected using an anonymous questionnaire that consisted three parts: basic questions parrots; a “Parrot Owner Relationship Scale” (PORS), modified from “Monash Dog (MDORS); behavioral problems in parrots. questionnaire, shared on social media, yielded 354 respondents. A principal component analysis (PCA) PORS revealed picture very similar previously found dog owners. components “Owner interaction,” “Emotional closeness,” “Perceived cost,” explained 42% total variance, with all exceeding Cronbach’s alpha values 0.72. subscales those obtained MDORS, indicating relationships can be described terms used describe dogs. Answers related given 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = never 5 always. low was reported (between 1.14 3.23), most common being excessive vocalizations (3.23), fearful behavior (2.33), parrot stealing human food (2.34). PCA components, “Aggression,” “Fear,” “Non-social behavior,” 45% variance. Aggression associated aspects owner. Thus quantify owner had measurable associations parrot’s aggression.