By: Marguerite Floyd

Having a parrot around the house comes with a great deal of responsibility. Large safe housing, nutritious diet, toys, exercise, socialization, and training. Just as important as these things is something a little more surprising: scritching.

What Are Scritches?

“Scritches” is the affectionate term for gently petting a parrot’s head and neck. It usually involves smoothing feathers in their natural direction of growth and then gently stroking them back the other way. Most parrots love scritches and many expect you to provide them as often as possible!

In the wild, parrots spend plenty of time preening one another (called allo-preening). They pull a flockmate’s feathers through their beak, smoothing out barbs and loosening the keratin sheath on new feathers so they can unfurl. Preening not only keeps feathers in good condition for warmth and flight but also strengthens social bonds. Scritching is the human version of this bonding ritual.

Of course, you, as a human, must learn through trial and error the art of scritching. Your parrot will squawk and nip should you touch a too sensitive spot (often invisible). This is her way of training you properly; parrots do the same thing to their flock mates. No, your parrot doesn't hate you or want you to stop. You are expected to understand and not repeat such a grievous act.

How to begin?

You will want to go slow through this entire process. Look at your parrot. Is she eating or playing with her favorite toy? There's no rush, so wait until she's finished. Slowly and gently move your hand to her head. If she bows her head, that's a strong sign that you can proceed. If she backs away or hisses, now is not the time; she may be afraid or just not in the mood. Try again a little later.

If you rush or try to force your parrot into accepting scritches, she’ll likely give you a sharp bite and more importantly, you’ll damage her trust. Some parrots may forgive quickly, while others can hold onto that experience for a long time.

Provided all signs are positive, gently and slowly smooth her head feathers in the direction of growth and then gently smooth them back. Repeat. Scritch under and around her beak, including her ears. Scritch the side of her face and her neck. You probably won't do it perfectly the first few times, causing her to quickly reprimand you, but that's part of the process.

How to scritch your bird right?

Many people frantically scritch their bird or while being so absorbed in their phone or tv not paying attention at all. Their bird notices this as well and will try to redirect the human's attention where it belongs. Rushing through a scritching session cheats everyone of this pleasure. Taking your time and going slow is the standard; it can actually be part of mindful meditation if you practice that.

The safest places to give your parrot gentle scritches are the head and neck. Many avian vets and experienced parrot caregivers recommend avoiding other areas of the body, since touching them can sometimes stimulate hormonal behavior. Others believe it’s fine to pet the chest, back, or wings as long as your bird is comfortable with it.

The key is to know your parrot and watch for signs of increased hormonal activity, such as regurgitation or heightened nesting behavior. Too much stimulation can encourage unwanted egg laying or cause your bird to misinterpret your bond.

Scritching is a wonderful way to strengthen the bond with your bird. It's good for the bird, and it's good for you. In fact, the whole world would be a much better place if we all took more time to scritch our birds.