The other day I was watching a TV program and it was about how service animals impact the lives of the disabled and people that need emotional support.
I found it interesting then I thought, in hindsight, any pet can be a service animal if it gives benefits to an individual that needs it.
As a parrot owner, it got me thinking, can parrots be and are parrots service animals?
That’s when I decided to do some research.
The answer to this is, yes. Parrots can be service animals for those that need emotional support. Parrots are extremely intelligent and can mimic human voices and phrases needed to calm someone down who suffers from high levels of anxiety and various other emotional support issues.
There is an increasing trend in parrots being used as service animals and I can certainly see why.
Parrots are easy to train and unique animals to have around, parrots are the only animal that can mimic a human’s voice.
Having a service animal that can do such a thing can be a great support to those with emotional issues.
Parrots are also known to have great senses and can feel when their owner is becoming angry, sad, or stressed.
As a result of this, it can be very valuable for someone that needs support in these ways.
In this article, we will be discussing which parrots are used as service animals and why they are an increasing trend with those who have emotional issues.
I’ll also go into the benefits of having a parrot as a service animal and who people can benefit from it.
Which Parrots Are Used as Service Animals?
Most parrot breeds can be used as service animals but the main parrots used are the African grey parrot, Macaw, Amazon parrot, and cockatoos.
All of the above parrots are considered the most intelligent in the Psittacidae family.
They generally train the more intelligent parrots to be emotional support animals as their easier to train and are normally more comforting to have as a pet.
The only downside to using these parrots as service animals and some of the more intelligent parrot breeds is that it can be rather expensive.
Especially the African grey parrot as they’re considered an endangered bird and obtaining legal ownership of this species is becoming more and more uncommon.
The cheapest parrot in the above list is the Amazon parrot and you can roughly get these from around $400-$1000.
The other birds, minus the African grey parrot. You can expect to pay over $1000 which is a substantial amount for those that don’t have a lot of money to spare.
However, the costs are there for those who don’t get emotional support from the government of their county.
If you do get support and your offered an emotional support animal then you may be able to ask for a parrot under some conditions.
Why Parrots Are Good Service Animals
You now know that parrots can be service animals for those that need emotional support.
But what are the benefits of having them doing such an important rule?
The first reason is that they are extremely easy to train and will continue to self-learn without much training required.
Parrots are very intelligent birds and can pick up on your behavior traits and common words you say.
This makes them especially good for being service animals as they’ll be able to identify your mood, once they’ve bonded and started to understand your behavior patterns.
The next reason would be that they can mimic voices.
Parrots are one of the only animals which can do this and can help anyone feeling lonely.
It may seem amusing when you see a parrot and it talks back to you, but for someone else that needs emotional support this could be a big deal to them.
It can comfort the owner and may be able to change their mood.
Another reason why people think parrots are great support animals is that they are easy to bond with.
Having an animal that can quickly get used to its owners is crucial when it comes to being a service animal.
The main reason why people with mental health issues require service animals is that they feel lonely.
Or, that they need someone to be there to keep them company in case they have an anxiety or panic attack.
Having an animal with which you can quickly bond can ensure that the owner can be taken care of quicker.
They’re also great animals to interact with and once bonded can be very affectionate and quite often cuddly with trusted owners.
They may even become very fond of their owners and will require a lot of attention and affection constantly.
Having an affectionate animal can play a vital part in calming an owner which suffers from mental health issues like anxiety or panic attacks.
It can take the owner’s mind of certain things if they have that constant affection.
As you can tell there are a ton of benefits when it comes to having a parrot as a service animal.
In all honestly, I think this is going to become an increasing trend with these types of support animals as their overall attributes are outstanding.
Which Health Issues Do Parrots Help With?
As you can tell there are some great benefits when it comes to having a parrot as a service animal, but what health issues can a parrot help with?
Anxiety
The first is anxiety, anxiety is a mental health issue that is often the course of overthinking.
It mainly makes a person feel nervous, scared, or fearful about the future or past issues that have occurred.
Sometimes having something which makes you feel good about yourself, has a calming effect when near it and can aid with anxiety issues.
It’s been known that parrots can help with this due to their ability to mimic actions, they do this when they can feel you’re having an anxiety attack.
Panic attacks
Next are panic attacks, panic attacks are very similar to anxiety attacks but come out of nowhere and at a higher intensity.
Typically, panic attacks can show physical symptoms, makes you feel disorientated, increase your heartbeat and you can also become short from breath.
Similar to having anxiety attacks, a service parrot can sense that something is wrong and will be trained in something that tends to stop or smooth out panic attacks.
This will normally be something like talking, singing, and in some cases getting physical affection with the owner.
Loneliness
Another health issue they can help with is loneliness.
Loneliness is when an individual doesn’t have any company, friends, or family to interact with on a regular occurrence.
This can be devastating for some people and they can go into a deep depression from this.
Parrots can help with this as they can become very affectionate and needy from their owners.
Having an animal that is wanting and requires a lot of attention may make the owner feel like they have company besides them.
It’s especially good that parrots force the affection as they’ll come close to you for a small “pat”.
How Can I Get A Parrot Service Animal?
If you’re wanting your parrot to be your service animal or emotional support animal, then you need to do the following to get it approved.
Most birds are allowed to become service animals and including most parrots.
You’ll have to get an ESA (emotional support animal) prescription letter from a licensed mental health professional.
The only real requirement is that your bird is manageable in a public area and does not cause a nuisance or danger to the general public.
With this letter, you should be able to take your parrot to most public places.
If your traveling on a plane you may be able to take your parrot but you should check the airline’s rules before traveling as they may require further certification.
As you can tell throughout this article, parrots can be and are great service animals for those with emotional issues.
Having a parrot can help with a variety of mental health issues and can be greatly beneficial for those who have them.
They are super easy to bond with and to keep healthy.
You can create a great partnership and friendships with them which makes them even better to have as service animals.