We have a team of behaviour experts in different companion species.  Whether furry or feathery, Second Nature Behaviour help animals and the people that care for them better understand each other. As described below, there are different services available for different species, in your home, on a local walk, in dedicated outdoor spaces, at one of our regional clinics and online.  In urgent situations we can provide preventative, first aid advice through triage calls.  Make sure you speak to your vet about a referral first.  We can also work in close collaboration with a veterinary behaviourist where necessary to better understand how your pet’s mind and body work together.

Note that you may be able to claim back the fees from your pet insurance company, but you will need to check with them first that your individual pet’s insurance policy covers behaviour work.

Pet parrots are susceptible to a wide range of behaviour problems, from aggression to household members and/or each other, to anxiety, excessive vocalisation, self-mutilation and boredom. Depending on the particular species, this can be due to a range of factors. Psitaccines are very sociable and intelligent creatures, so problems such as feather-plucking may arise from either an environment lacking in stimulation and companionship, or even a far too busy environment.

Second Nature Behaviour can offer expert advice on how to resolve such issues through a full avian behaviour consultation by visiting your home.  Dr. Zoe Demery has published and lectured parrot behaviour and learning around the world. She is currently the only independently accredited Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB) in parrots and she is a Certified Parrot Behaviour Consultant with the IAABC.  She only utilises positive, reward-based solutions, based on what is known about the ecological background of your particular parrot species. This ethological approach keeps the cognitive well-being of your bird in mind at all times. If you would like more information, please contact us and ask your avian vet for a referral.

Depending on the issue, you may instead be able to join us at one of our monthly regional or virtual behavioural clinics.  It often helps just chat things through with us face-to-face. Alternatively for our international clients, we offer dedicated online video consultations. 

Book a parrot consultation now through our web site.

Other companion species behaviour advice

We can help you with range of species, including small furries, reptiles and birds. Second Nature Behaviour can help you understand your pet’s behavioural needs, subtler communication cues and resolve any issues that you may be having with each other. We offer home visits, clinics, one-to-one training sessions and general enrichment advice for different species. The key is to reduce your pet’s stress levels, which will in turn greatly reduce your own!  Get in touch to find out more.

For instance, different rodents have different social structures in the wild, which means they each have different behavioural needs in the captive environment.  They also have distinctive sensory abilities, which give them a unique perspective on the world, which we humans can only begin to imagine.  Nonetheless, rodents are all essentially prey animals, which means – whether they are hamster, rat, guinea pig, chinchilla, or rabbit – in captivity they often exhibit similar behavioural problems, related to the their constant drive to be vigilant against predators approaching from above or behind.  This includes aggression, destructive behaviour, fur plucking and urine spraying.