For companion parrot owners, reader commentary consistently describes Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot as 'absolutely essential for anyone who has a companion parrot or is contemplating getting one.' Its psychology-grounded framework distinguishes it from simple trick-training manuals, and it directly addresses the three most commonly reported problem behaviors with specific, actionable guidance. The structural integrity provided by bibliographical references and an index makes it a resource owners can return to repeatedly. The main structural limitation is scope: owners of aviary birds or those seeking deep species-specific guidance may find it narrower than needed.

MattieSue Athan

Reviewed

April 10, 2026

Read Time

7 min read

Age & reading levelAdult

Reader rating

4.4 · 301 Amazon ratings

reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

$15.94 on Amazon

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Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot

Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot by MattieSue Athan Review: A Foundational Reference for Companion Parrot Owners

by MattieSue Athan

MattieSue Athan's Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot is a practical, psychology-grounded reference guide for companion parrot owners — covering behavior management, common problem behaviors, nutrition, and companionship — with reader commentary consistently describing it as essential reading in its field. This review is based on published sources and documented reception; it does not reflect hands-on use or testing.

$15.94 on Amazon

Adult

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Companion parrot owners at any experience level who want to understand why their bird behaves the way it does and need targeted, psychology-grounded strategies for tackling screaming, biting, or feather-chewing.

Worth it if

You live with a companion parrot and want a structured, returnable reference that grounds behavioral correction in how parrots actually think rather than in rote command drills.

Skip if

You need deep guidance on aviary management, species-specific husbandry, breeding situations, or health-driven behavioral changes that require veterinary assessment rather than training techniques.

What readers & critics say

Reader commentary on Thriftbooks consistently describes the guide as "absolutely essential for anyone who has a companion parrot," praising Athan's practical, experience-based advice and calling it equally useful as a starting point for new owners or a refresher for experienced ones. Publisher and retailer copy retrieved from AbeBooks and campusstore.miamioh.edu confirms the book's organizing focus on parrot psychology, environment-shaping, and positive reinforcement across its expanded third edition.

Sources: Thriftbooks, AbeBooks, Miami University Campus Store

4.4from 301 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot by MattieSue Athan is a behavior-focused reference guide that equips companion parrot owners with a psychology-grounded framework for preventing and resolving the most common problem behaviors — screaming, biting, and feather-chewing. Reader commentary consistently describes it as essential reading across experience levels, from first-time parrot owners to seasoned companions. The key caveat: its scope is companion parrots specifically, and owners dealing with health-driven behavioral changes will need to supplement it with veterinary guidance.

Is it worth reading?: For companion parrot owners, reader commentary consistently describes Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot as 'absolutely essential for anyone who has a companion parrot or is contemplating getting one.' Its psychology-grounded framework distinguishes it from simple trick-training manuals, and it directly addresses the three most commonly reported problem behaviors with specific, actionable guidance. The structural integrity provided by bibliographical references and an index makes it a resource owners can return to repeatedly. The main structural limitation is scope: owners of aviary birds or those seeking deep species-specific guidance may find it narrower than needed.
Similar books: Readers who find Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot valuable may also want to explore Barbara Heidenreich's The Parrot Problem Solver, which similarly focuses on resolving difficult parrot behaviors. Gary A. Gallerstein's The Complete Pet Bird Owner's Handbook offers a broader species and care scope for bird owners wanting wider coverage. For those whose companion parrot happens to be a cockatiel, Mary Gorman's The Cockatiel Handbook provides species-specific depth. Patricia B. McConnell's The Other End of the Leash applies a comparable behavior-science and animal-psychology framework to dogs, making it a natural read for multi-pet households or owners interested in the broader science of companion animal behavior.
Who should read this?: Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot is written for companion parrot owners at any experience level — both those new to parrots and experienced owners seeking a structured refresher. It is particularly well-suited to owners committed to relationship-based care rather than purely corrective training, and to anyone living with a parrot exhibiting screaming, biting, or feather-chewing. Those seeking guidance on aviary birds, breeding situations, or deep species-specific contexts will find the scope narrower than they need.
Which problem behaviors does it cover?: The book directly addresses the three most commonly reported companion parrot problem behaviors: screaming, biting, and feather-chewing. Each is covered with structured remediation guidance grounded in Athan's behavioral science framework. Reader commentary on Thriftbooks notes it 'offers solutions for biting, screaming, and just about every problem one may encounter,' suggesting coverage extends beyond these three to a broader range of behavioral challenges.
How does it approach parrot psychology?: Athan's framework treats parrot psychology as the foundation for all behavior management, explicitly acknowledging that parrots are fundamentally different from domestic mammals — animals whose behaviors 'stem from millions of years of evolution.' Rather than prescribing commands to drill, the book equips owners with a conceptual understanding of what drives parrot conduct. Readers on Thriftbooks note that Athan captures 'some very subtle concepts relating to parrot psychology,' distinguishing the guide from simpler trick-training manuals.
What else has this author written?: MattieSue Athan is also the author of Parrots: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual and co-author of The African Grey Parrot Handbook, both published by Barron's. She is noted as a widely respected expert in parrot care who also contributes regularly to bird-care periodicals, giving her published body of work considerable breadth across both general parrot care and species-specific guidance.

Summarize this book

Is it worth reading?

Who should read this?

Which problem behaviors does it cover?

How does it approach parrot psychology?

What else has this author written?

Summarize this book

Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot is a parrot-care and behavior-management reference guide by MattieSue Athan, a widely respected expert who also authored Parrots: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual and co-authored The African Grey Parrot Handbook, both published by Barron's. The book's organizing premise is that understanding parrot psychology is the prerequisite for changing parrot behavior — grounding its guidance in how parrots actually think rather than prescribing commands to drill. It directly addresses screaming, biting, and feather-chewing with structured remediation guidance, and covers broader care topics including nutrition and companionship. The expanded third edition includes bibliographical references and an index, reinforcing its value as an ongoing reference rather than a one-time read.

Follow up

What's the book's core methodology?

Are there multiple editions?

Does it include photos or illustrations?

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Our Review

We review the evidence: published critics, reader verdicts and BookTube reviews, gathered and weighed with AI assistance and edited by LuvemBooks, rather than one reader's first-hand take.

A well-sourced, behavior-focused reference guide that has earned consistent praise from companion parrot owners across multiple editions.

What the Book Actually Is and Covers

Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot is a parrot-care and behavior-management reference guide by MattieSue Athan, a widely respected expert on parrots who also contributes regularly to bird-care periodicals and is the author of Parrots: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual and co-author of The African Grey Parrot Handbook, both published by Barron's. The book sets out to explain parrot psychology and equip owners with practical techniques to prevent and resolve behavioral problems. It directly addresses the three most common challenges parrot owners face — screaming, biting, and feather-chewing — and offers structured guidance on how to remedy each.

Beyond problem behaviors, the book also covers broader aspects of good parrot care, including proper nutrition and the importance of providing steady companionship. The text is complemented with color photos and line art, per the publisher's description.

The Core Argument: Parrot Psychology First

The book's organizing premise is that understanding parrot psychology is the prerequisite for changing parrot behavior. Rather than prescribing a set of commands to drill, Athan grounds her guidance in how parrots actually think and what drives their conduct.

Readers on Thriftbooks note that she captures "some very subtle concepts relating to parrot psychology," and that her work acknowledges parrots as fundamentally different from domestic mammals — animals whose behaviors "stem from millions of years of evolution." This psychological framework distinguishes the guide from simple trick-training manuals.

The approach, as described in the publisher synopsis, uses environment and positive reinforcement as its primary tools, stressing that desirable behaviors require periodic reinforcement to be sustained — not just corrected once and forgotten.

Strengths: Practical, Experience-Backed Guidance

Athan draws on her own years of working with companion parrots alongside behavioral science, a combination that reader commentary on Thriftbooks describes as producing advice that is both grounded and practically actionable. Multiple readers characterize the book as "absolutely essential for anyone who has a companion parrot or is contemplating getting one," and note that it "offers solutions for biting, screaming, and just about every problem one may encounter."

The expanded third edition reflects the book's evolution across printings — it has been updated and built upon from earlier Barron's editions — suggesting the core guidance has been refined over time rather than simply reprinted. The inclusion of bibliographical references and an index, noted in library catalog records, gives the book structural integrity as a reference work readers can return to rather than read once.

Honest Limitations and Scope Considerations

No published critical source available for this review provides a negative assessment of the book's methodology or content, so the limitations noted here are structural rather than evaluative. As a reference guide of its format, the book is designed primarily for owners of companion parrots; those seeking guidance specific to aviary birds, breeding situations, or particular species in depth may find the scope narrower than they need.

The book's focus on behavior management also means it is not a comprehensive medical or veterinary reference — owners dealing with health-driven behavioral changes would need to supplement it with veterinary guidance. Additionally, because this review is drawn from published sources rather than hands-on use, no assessment can be made here of whether specific techniques perform as described in practice.

Who This Book Is For

Reader commentary positions the guide as valuable for a wide range of experience levels — both those new to companion parrots and experienced owners seeking a refresher. One reader on Thriftbooks describes it as "a great place to begin your research or as a refresher course for those experienced companion parrot parents," which suggests the book is written accessibly enough to serve as an entry point without being so elementary as to offer nothing to seasoned owners.

Given that Athan's stated approach centers on environment-shaping and positive reinforcement, the guide is particularly well-suited to owners committed to relationship-based care rather than purely corrective training. Anyone living with a parrot exhibiting the classic problem behaviors of screaming, biting, or feather-chewing will find those issues addressed directly and specifically.

Sources & Further Reading

The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

Cited in this review
1
Barron's Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot
campusstore.miamioh.edu
2
Guide to a well-behaved parrot : Athan, Mattie Sue : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
archive.org
3
Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot - Athan, MattieSue: 9780764136672 - AbeBooks
abebooks.com
Further reading
4
Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot by Athan, Mattie Sue | Soft cover | 1999 | Barron's 2nd Edition | 9780764110306 | Biblio
biblio.com
5
Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot book by Mattie Sue Athan
thriftbooks.com
6
Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot by Mattie Sue Athan on Montclair Book Center
montclairbookcenter.com

Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Adult

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who it suits

Skip if you're seeking species-specific guidance on aviary, breeding, or a particular parrot species in depth.

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Books like Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot

Curated picks for readers who enjoyed Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot, with our reasoning for each match.

If you liked Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot

In our catalogue

The Parrot Problem Solver

Barbara Heidenreich

Same behavior-first focus on parrots; Heidenreich's positive-reinforcement framework gives you a second, complementary toolkit for biting and screaming.

Where Athan builds a psychology-grounded framework for understanding why parrots misbehave, Heidenreich zeroes in on step-by-step positive-reinforcement protocols to change those behaviors. The two books cover overlapping problems — biting, screaming, feather-destructive behavior — but approach solutions from slightly different angles, making them genuinely complementary reads. Owners who want both the 'why' and a detailed 'how' will benefit most from reading both.

In our catalogue

The Complete Pet Bird Owner's Handbook

Gary A. Gallerstein

Broadens the picture beyond behavior into full companion-bird husbandry, including the health context Athan's guide deliberately leaves to vets.

In our catalogue

The Other End of the Leash

Patricia B. McConnell

Psychology-first approach to companion-animal behavior, written for owners rather than trainers — same intellectual register, different species.

In our catalogue

Think Like a Cat

Pam Johnson-Bennett

Behavior-problem reference structured around prevention and root-cause understanding — mirrors Athan's method, applied to cats instead of parrots.

In our catalogue

The Cockatiel Handbook

Mary Gorman

Species-specific companion to Athan's broader parrot framework — adds cockatiel-particular care detail for owners of that specific bird.

Not your thing?

In our catalogue

The Art of Raising a Puppy

Monks of New Skete

If Athan felt too parrot-specific or you wanted richer relationship philosophy alongside practical advice, this offers both — different species, deeper narrative warmth.

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