Music

We're musicians here and our quaker is constantly hearing all kinds of musical sounds. She hasn't really responded to much except when I get out my Jew's harps and start to serenade her directly. That will usually get her going, making imitative sounds and sometime doing that head-bob thing they do.

I think sounds in general have got to be, at the very least, entertaining for a bird - more entertaining than silence or the sound of the refrigerator humming.

I'm not sure any music is inappropriate as long as it's not loud and blasting. If I was going to actually program music for a parrot to listen to I'd probably try to find something with an obvious beat and relatively simple melodic content, which is the definition of a Jew's harp!

I was in a pet story last summer that had a Macaw that LOVED the Beatles and would start to dance on his perch whenever they played some. I observed this behavior, so there's some kind of preference or "music appreciation" for lack of a better term that must be going on in their brains.

I read an article by Daniel Levitin, author of "This Is Your Brain On Music," a couple months ago, and supposedly the only animal that can truly synchronize itself to an audible musical beat beside humans is certain species of parrots, so there's that.

So, yeah, give your parrot some music - it's probably appreciated on some level.

I leave the radio on easy listening music for Shah. He also loves it when I sing to him - there's no accounting for taste

I play music all the time when I am home and all the birds seem to just ignore it. I used to play acoustic and electric guitar and Bishop would scream like a crazy bird at the sound and if I play around with a harmonica while he's around he will charge at me with his beak open ready to chomp down on something.

Yoshi seems to be the most vocal while I've got music playing. Outside of music, he will barely talk. But if I put on music he starts talking up a storm. He only knows a few words and phrases at the moment, but he will repeat them over and over (more like mumble them, really - I'm under the assumption he is practicing them). It also helps if I'm away from him. If I get near him while he is talking, he usually shuts up!

The Gentleman Quaker strikes again. He is certainly one high born quaker Is he still sorting out the cutlery drawer?

Those are pretty sophisticated tastes. I'd be happy with Springsteen or Grohl. LOL But you'd never notice by the overwhelming ambivilance from her highness. Like Aardman says, better than silence or fridge noises I figure.

I wonder if something like this would be better though?