# Service birds????



## princessparrot (Oct 23, 2013)

I know this has nothing to do with anything on this site, but Has anyone else heard of "service birds" And does anyone know what they actually do?


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## Shotta (Oct 23, 2013)

is that where people with disabilites/impairment are given a bird for theraputic use? or is it like an eye seeing dog?


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## pythonmum (Oct 23, 2013)

I've never heard of training birds to assist those with disabilities, but can imagine some uses, such as notifying a deaf person of the phone or doorbell. Pigeons have been trained for rescue work in planes. They were trained to spot orange (life jackets) and peck on a target. They were very accurate and reliable, but people hated the idea of relying on birds for this and the project was abandoned (last I heard). A shame.

Dogs are more useful because they house train easier than birds and you can keep them on a lead. I have met assistance dogs that alerted diabetics to low blood sugar or epileptics to a coming fit. Amazing what you can train them to do.


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## princessparrot (Oct 23, 2013)

Nilesh said:


> is that where people with disabilites/impairment are given a bird for theraputic use? or is it like an eye seeing dog?


I think they're kind of both. I have heard they can(if trained properly) that they can warn people of low blood sugar. Not really overly sure how but they are very intelligent animals and it's amazing some of the things they can do.


i think one thing that makes me wonder about them along with my love of birds that I have epilepsy and aspergers syndrome.....

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pythonmum said:


> Dogs are more useful because they house train easier than birds and you can keep them on a lead. I have met assistance dogs that alerted diabetics to low blood sugar or epileptics to a coming fit. Amazing what you can train them to do.


You can get harnesses and "flight suits" for birds that you can then attach a lead to,better for larger birds though. The "flight suits" are pretty much nappies for birds. 
I have one for my Quaker and he wears it during the day and when he comes to bed with me. I also sometimes take him outside in it(not with the dogs around)


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## Wing_Nut (Oct 23, 2013)

A service animal is any animal that is individually trained to work or perform tasks to the benifit of someone with a disability. Usually a dog or similar is generally accepted as a service animal, but really any intelligent animal can be trained. Some tasks birds have been trained to do include getting medication, giving warning for low blood sugar, bringing awareness to ringing phones/doorbells etc 

The calming effects of animals on people, especially those with disabilities, is quite well known and utilised and smaller animals like birds can certainly be used to achieve this.


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## princessparrot (Apr 7, 2014)

Does anyone know if a bird can be trained to recognise an epileptic seizure


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## Snapped (Apr 7, 2014)

princessparrot said:


> Does anyone know if a bird can be trained to recognise an epileptic seizure



I wouldn't think so, I know some dogs have been able to alert their owner to a seizure before it happens, whether it is scent or very subtle changes in body language, nobody can be 100% sure. 
I know of a lady whose dog alerts her to her childs seizure a few hours before it happens, it was just instinct with this dog.


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## pythonmum (Apr 7, 2014)

Seizure alert dogs are trained to respond to the subtle muscle tremors that precede a seizure. They are trained using a tuning fork set to the right frequency. I have read biomedical papers where they talked about the program, but didn't give away the secret of what the trigger for training was. I finally met a man with a seizure alert dog and he told me the secret.  The dogs pick up on the frequency well before the person can detect it and with enough lead time for them to get to a safe place and lie down.


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## Klaery (Apr 7, 2014)

I haven't heard much about it so the following is just my opinion 

Most larger parrots are smarter than any dog but that doesn't mean they make good service animals. Firstly they bond strongly. You can't just have somebody with the necessary skills train a large parrot and then give it to someone in need and hope that the parrot will be ok with the new person in their life. They are also very emotional and a serious situation when their skills might be needed would be the wrong time for a temper tantrum. On top of this they lack (or at least as far as we know) the sensing ability that makes dogs so useful as service animals. Like many people in this thread I am a parrot person/keeper and to be honest it is hard enough just keeping a good relationship with a parrot (avoiding aggression, unwanted behavior etc).

I have heard of an african grey parrot being used as a service animals for a person with serious anger management issues. He pretty much takes the parrot everywhere he goes. I am no psychologist so won't guess why it works.


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## cwtiger (Apr 7, 2014)

Birds can bring joy, humor and companionship to individuals with special needs, shut-ins and the elderly. They can also assist people with impaired eye site and those who are disabled. Some of our customers even own birds that can alert them when their blood sugar is low. They have made nappies for these birds all that is required is for the owner or someone to measure the girth of the bird.


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## princessparrot (Apr 7, 2014)

cwtiger said:


> Birds can bring joy, humor and companionship to individuals with special needs, shut-ins and the elderly. They can also assist people with impaired eye site and those who are disabled. Some of our customers even own birds that can alert them when their blood sugar is low. They have made nappies for these birds all that is required is for the owner or someone to measure the girth of the bird.


 I definetly agree with what u first said. It was the service bird flight suits/nappies that made me find out about them Service Birds - Avian Fashions .
Can you PM me


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