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Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot by MattieSue Athan Review: A Foundational Reference for Companion Parrot Owners
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.
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 Store4.4from 301 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is and Covers
- The Core Argument: Parrot Psychology First
- Strengths: Practical, Experience-Backed Guidance
- Honest Limitations and Scope Considerations
- Who This Book Is For
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Grounded in parrot psychology rather than rote command training, giving owners a conceptual framework for understanding behavior
- Directly addresses the three most commonly reported problem behaviors — screaming, biting, and feather-chewing — with specific remediation guidance
- Draws on Athan's recognized expertise in parrot care, reinforced by her broader body of published work in the field
- Includes bibliographical references and an index, supporting use as an ongoing reference rather than a one-time read
- Reader commentary consistently describes it as essential reading for companion parrot owners at multiple experience levels
What Doesn't
- Focused specifically on companion parrots; owners seeking guidance on aviary, breeding, or deep species-specific contexts may find the scope limited
- Behavioral guidance is not a substitute for veterinary assessment when health-related causes underlie a parrot's conduct issues
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 (Barron's) by MattieSue Athan front cover
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.
“a great place to begin your research or as a refresher course for those experienced companion parrot parents”
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot (Barron's) by MattieSue Athan worth reading
If you live with a companion parrot, reader commentary consistently describes it as 'absolutely essential for anyone who has a companion parrot or is contemplating getting one.' The book has gone through multiple updated editions, which suggests its core guidance has been refined over time rather than simply reprinted — a good sign for a reference you'll return to repeatedly.
What is this book actually about
At its core, the book argues that understanding parrot psychology is the prerequisite for changing parrot behavior — Athan grounds her advice in how parrots actually think, not just a list of commands to drill. It directly tackles the three most common problems companion parrot owners face — screaming, biting, and feather-chewing — while also covering nutrition and the importance of steady companionship.
Does this book actually help with parrot screaming and biting
Readers on Thriftbooks note it 'offers solutions for biting, screaming, and just about every problem one may encounter,' and those issues are addressed directly and specifically rather than in passing. Athan's approach uses environment-shaping and positive reinforcement as its primary tools, stressing that desirable behaviors require periodic reinforcement to be sustained — not just corrected once and forgotten.
Is this book good for beginners or only experienced bird owners
It's described as 'a great place to begin your research or as a refresher course for those experienced companion parrot parents,' so it genuinely works for both ends of the experience spectrum. The book is written accessibly enough to serve as an entry point without being so elementary that seasoned owners get nothing out of it.
What makes this book different from other parrot training books
Unlike simple trick-training manuals, Athan frames her guidance around the fact that parrots are fundamentally different from domestic mammals — animals whose behaviors 'stem from millions of years of evolution.' Readers on Thriftbooks specifically praise her for capturing 'some very subtle concepts relating to parrot psychology,' which sets this apart from prescriptive command-drilling guides.
Is this book good for owners dealing with feather chewing
Yes — feather-chewing is one of the three core problem behaviors the book addresses directly and specifically alongside screaming and biting. That said, the review notes that health-driven behavioral changes fall outside the book's scope, so if feather-chewing has a medical root cause, you'd need to supplement Athan's guidance with veterinary advice.
What should i read after this book if i want to go deeper
Athan herself has written two other Barron's titles worth exploring: Parrots: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual and, for African Grey owners specifically, The African Grey Parrot Handbook, which she co-authored. These books share the same publisher and author pedigree, so they'd be natural companions to this guide.
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
campusstore.miamioh.edu
- 2
- 3
- Further reading
- 4
- 5
thriftbooks.com
- 6
americanbookwarehouse.com
- 7
montclairbookcenter.com
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