Never do anything that threatens or scares a bird. Parrots are prey animals and are quick to become suspicious if they feel threatened. Sudden and quick movements will often alarm a bird. It's one reason that many birds become anxious or agitated around small children.

It's a good idea to establish boundaries from the beginning by letting the bird know you are in charge. Keeping the bird at chest level and frequent use of the “up” command can do this. If the bird should try to establish itself as the flock leader, don't allow yourself to become intimidated. Birds are very smart and will pick up on this quickly. Once a bird knows it has the upper hand, it becomes more difficult for you to regain control.

A healthy bird is a happy bird. Proper nutrition is essential to maintaining good health. An all seed diet will eventually lead to illness. Therefore, be sure and feed a well balanced diet consisting of a variety of healthy foods. The importance of a good diet cannot be stressed enough.

A fairly regular routine of playtime, feeding time and rest time gives the bird a sense of security. Neglected birds may become depressed and possibly ill while overindulged birds may develop bad habits. It's important to strike a balance and consistency works best. A bird that is caged for days or weeks at a time will begin to resent attempts at social interaction and become apprehensive at being removed from it's secure confines. On the other hand, a bird that is overindulged and allowed to have free run of the house will resent being caged and may display its displeasure through screaming or plucking. The bird needs to know how to amuse itself when caged as well as enjoy its social time.

Baby birds often go through a "teething" stage sometimes referred to as the "terrible two's". Birds are very inquisitive and because they use their beaks to explore different textures and substances, they will sometimes clamp down a little too hard on human body parts. This should not be mistaken as aggressive behavior. A bird will usually outgrow this over time and it's important to know how to handle this phase of development. Don't overreact if the bird gets a little rough but rather try to distract it. Offer the bird a hand held toy or popsicle stick to chew on and try to keep your finger out of it's mouth. You can also try using the "up" command to ladder the bird from hand to hand. As a last resort, quickly drop your arm, without dropping the bird, or rock your hand from side to side in an earthquake move. The bird will become distracted by having to maintain it's balance and will eventually get the message.