It’s one of the classic images of pet parrots—the macaw sitting on a pirate’s shoulder. Many pet parrots do enjoy sitting on their owner’s shoulders, but letting them do so isn’t advisable.
There’s an old joke amongst parrot owners that there’s a reason so many pirates wore eye patches. A bite to the face from even a small sun conure is very painful. A facial parrot bite from a large macaw or cockatoo may require extensive reconstructive surgery.
“But my parrot doesn’t bite,” is the argument of many parrot owners who enjoy having their parrots on their shoulders. Perhaps, but every parrot is capable of biting. A shoulder parrot may not mean to bite, but if it’s suddenly startled, any parrot can deliver a nasty bite. Shoulder parrots may slip on your shirt, and if they start to fall, it’s their beak they use to grab things...things like ears, noses, and lips (or an eye if you’re really unlucky).
Some experts on pet parrots also believe that letting a parrot onto your shoulder causes dominance issues. The theory is that the dominant parrot in a flock sits up highest. You want to be the dominant parrot in your flock. If pet parrots sit on your shoulder, at eye level, they can get the idea you’re on equal footing. If that happens, the parrot may take matters a step further and try to be dominant, possibly leading to parrot bites.
Up, Up, and Away
Painful parrot bites and scars aside, there’s another argument against shoulder parrots. More than one parrot owner has watched a bird “who never leaves my shoulder” winging its way to the horizon. Even pet parrots with clipped wings can fly for significant distances with a good wind and enough motivation.
If you do take your parrot outside it is imperative that you use a parrot harness, and that your end of the harness is securely held. Pet parrots can be very wary of parrot harnesses, so the harness has to be introduced slowly. It may take months of gentle introduction before the parrot will tolerate wearing the harness, but the alternative—a lost parrot—is too awful to dwell on.
Parrot Shoulder Harness
You can buy shoulder parrot harnesses for parrots to sit on. Supposedly they are easier for the parrot to grip and save your shirt from the inevitable bird droppings. Such harnesses don’t address the problem of parrot bites, however, nor are they a substitute for a proper parrot harness (the shoulder harness goes on you, not the pet parrot).
A Safer Alternative
There’s no question that, once acclimatized to a parrot harness, most pet parrots love going for walks on warm days. If your parrot is harness-trained, it’s much safer for both of you to carry the bird on your finger or forearm (always, of course, using a proper parrot harness). Yes, it’s less comfortable than walking with the bird on your shoulder, but a trip to the hospital for multiple facial stitches isn’t enjoyable either.
