Helping People Keep Happy Healthy Parrots Since 1997
Blue Mutation Rosella
As the New Year approaches, many people start making lists of things they’d like to accomplish in the coming year. Why not make a list that includes your parrots, finches, and doves? You can resolve to work on those issues you have been meaning to deal with for so long… Continue reading »
Click Here to Join the Banner Campaign to Make Animal Cruelty a Felony
The 1999 case of Chad Alvarez, a student at the University of Wisconsin who microwaved his frat brother’s parrot, gives us a chilling reminder that not everyone feels the same compassion toward animals that many pet lovers do. More disturbing, however, can be how those close to the person who has tortured and killed an animal can rationalize and even downplay the seriousness of the offense. Continue reading »
A Lovely Bunch Of Lovebirds
Someone wrote to me recently asking what a group of parrots is called. My first reaction was, “a flock of parrots.” That is the most common reference to them, but did you also know a group of parrots is called a pandemonium? It tells you something about the noise a wild flock of parrots can make because the definition of pandemonium is “wild uproar or noise!” (Source: American Heritage Dictionary). You can also call them a company of parrots. Continue reading »
Boo Boo Grown Up: A Real Survivor!
While treating Boo-Boo I became very particular about his diet. I wanted him to have the most simple yet nutritious diet possible, so I avoided empty calories and stuck to a basic unflavored, unscented pellet (Roudybush minis), a simple small hookbill seed mix, and vegetables. It was this simple diet that threw light on the cause of Boo’s seizures. I rarely gave him millet. I worried about any type of food that might carry trace amounts of mold or the like, and while I had never had an issue with my lots of millet, I didn’t want to risk it. One day I gave him a little branch as a treat. About an hour later, Boo had his first seizure in weeks. I still didn’t put two and two together. I felt disheartened: all the special treatment of this sweet little bird was to no avail. But then the seizures stopped again. He improved, finished growing, and seemed like a relatively “normal” lovebird. Continue reading »
A Special Needs Bird
Boo-Boo (pronounced like the name of Yogi Bear’s friend Boo-Boo) was a special bird from the beginning. He was smaller than his clutchmates, but he seemed very healthy. While it took him longer to get through the initial developmental stages, my experience has shown me that this is not that unusual for the sixth in a clutch of lovebirds. He was, essentially, the runt of the litter. Continue reading »
Short Cuts from Fowl Play
Most of us know what it’s like to buy an outrageously expensive toy, only to watch our bird totally destroy it in a matter of days. Or worse, they nibble at it for a few minutes then never touch it again. For this reason, we love it when we find that perfect toy, one that is inexpensive yet totally absorbs our bird’s attention. I have found many such items at Fowl-Play, an online store that has a nice selection of items for parrots. They carry a variety of toy parts as well, so you can put together your own toys according to your (or rather, your bird’s) tastes. Continue reading »
Budgerigars (Parakeets)
Many people fear antibiotics. They believe they are inherently “bad” for them and for their birds. This belief is unfortunately based on the misuse and abuse of antibiotics, and has nothing to do with their true value. Before antibiotics millions died of pneumonia and tuberculosis, as well as other infectious diseases. Antibiotics changed the faced of medicine and have significantly altered the course of humankind. They are our allies when used properly, but can create havoc when used improperly. Continue reading »
Sweet little lovebirds can turn nasty when hormones kick in
Sometimes you just get a hen who is determined to mate. The hen chooses you to be this “mate.” You are now the recipient of nasty bites whenever you get too close to another human being. Basically, your roommate, spouse, or other family member becomes a threat. The jealous little hen will bite you to make you move away from them. Sometimes the hen will become aggressive toward the family member and suddenly lunge out to bite them when they stand or sit next to you.
Obviously this is a serious problem and can make everyone in the home miserable. Continue reading »
Caique Babies
We have previously discussed dangers such as nonstick cookware, zinc, junkfood, andhazardous toys and household items. One of the more critical concerns in a bird household is the presence of deadly fumes. Many fumes that would not be hazardous to humans and other pets, such as cats and dogs, can kill a bird in a few minutes. Most of these problem fumes have been discovered the “hard way.” In other words, a person used one of these items then their bird died a few minutes after exposure. In some cases, a necropsy performed by a veterinarian confirmed damage to the lungs. Continue reading »
The Importance of Socializing Baby Birds
Severe Macaw Baby
One of the most common complaints I hear is about hand-fed birds that they are not as tame as the owner expects them to be. Many people assume hand-fed means tame, but this is not necessarily the case. There are a number of very important factors that determine the tameness of a bird. Continue reading »
