Cook Comfort Foods for Your Birds
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Cook Comfort Foods for Your Birds

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

The weather is cooling off and humans like to begin cooking comfort foods such as pots of chili, chicken, and dumplings, bean soups, and other hearty meals to warm the tummy and spirit. The same applies true to your parrots.

 

As the weather becomes colder, we slowly lower our indoor temperatures unless we don’t care how high our heating bills run.

It is important to remember that if you are cold, your birds are chilly as well and need to have supplemental heat such as thermo perches or heated cage panels that allow them to position themselves at the temperature they prefer. (more…)

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My Conure Went to the Library and Won
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My Conure Went to the Library and Won

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Oh No! My Conure Went to the Library Alone and Won’t Come Home

Retrieving Escaped or Stolen Parrots: Part Three

A Surprise Flight Lets Mango Fly to the Library Trees and How He was Retrieved

I am a proponent of clipping wings. I know not everyone feels this way, but I’ve had a cockatiel break his neck flying into a mirror when a loud, unfamiliar noise outside frightened him and other bad experiences with flighted companion parrots.

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Is Winter Stressing Your Bird Out?
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Is Winter Stressing Your Bird Out?

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Birds have a highly developed sense of light. In humans, we perceive light through our eyes.
Our feathered friends have an additional way of interpreting light conditions, a special gland that surrounds the eye. Read more on this
As days get shorter and the temperature falls, we want you to be aware of some issues the changing weather may have on your birds.
In the wild, animals rely on the cycling of the sun, and the seasons to adjust their biological clocks and metabolism. It is the sun, and changes in the quality of light and length of the day which set the stage for breeding, migration, molting, and daily behavior patterns.

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Sexing Lovebirds – On the Cheap
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Sexing Lovebirds – On the Cheap

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

About a quarter of all parrots are sexually dimorphic meaning you can tell the sex by the color or markings of the bird or parrot. Green Eclectus parrots are boys, red ones are girls (as a side note as recently as ten or fifteen years ago zoos were placing 2 red Eclectus together hoping for mating.)

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Gemma Parakeets and Cockatiels Mixing in Cage/Aviary
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Gemma Parakeets and Cockatiels Mixing in Cage/Aviary

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Hello!

 

We are loyal patrons of WCP and look forward to the Sunday brunch every week. Perhaps this topic has already come up, but it is a question about bird species.

 

We have 3 parakeets that get along well although they did not grow up together. All are rescues. We are thinking about adding a cockatiel to the family and are wondering about cages. So, the parakeets have a large cage (approx 2.5′ H x 2′ W X 1′ D) and we have a smaller cage (about 1.5′ HWD) that is just lying around empty.

 

First question: would a cockatiel require a separate cage or could they all sleep together in the same cage?

 

Second: Assuming that they cannot share a cage, would you recommend the keets in the smaller cage or leave them in their current habitat?

 

Third: Would cockatiels and parakeets be competitive/territorial in an open space (like an aviary)?

 

Thank you for any advice you have on this.

 

Cheers,

Gemma

 

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Does the Plethora of Parrot Perches Produce Puzzlement?
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Does the Plethora of Parrot Perches Produce Puzzlement?

Last Updated on September 8, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

We get a lot of inquiries about perches. We also get phone calls on a fairly regular basis that go something like this:
 
“Hi, I’d like to return the perch that I just got from you.”
 
“No problem why’s that, is it defective?”

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Joyce About Taking Birds Outdoors
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Joyce About Taking Birds Outdoors

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

On Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 12:54 PM UTC, Joyce wrote:

Hello,

We live in southern TX, and would like to take our Amazon outside since the weather is so nice this time of year. I will purchase a cage of course, but my concerns are what types of bugs and disease am I potentially going to expose her to? She will also be in a covered patio. How do I keep her safe?

Thank You,

Joyce

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Avian Respiration Diseases
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Avian Respiration Diseases

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Anatomy and function

The upper respiratory system (URS) consists of the external nares, operculum, nasal concha, infraorbital sinus, and choanal slit.

 

The nares are paired symmetrical openings with an operculum within each. The nares each communicate with the nasal cavity containing the concha.

 

The left and right nasal cavities are separated by a septum. The nasal cavity communicates with the left and right infraorbital sinus.

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Classifications & Obfuscations Regarding Conure Parrots
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Classifications & Obfuscations Regarding Conure Parrots

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

About two years ago, I spotted a bird in a pet store (large chain). On his glassed-in cage was the label “Sun Conure.”

I decided that I wanted a bird like that. First, I ordered a large cage from you; then I waited about 9 months for a bird to become available. During that time the label changed to “Fancy Conure” vice Sun Conure.

The bird I purchased, my friend “Conrad”, is identical in coloring and in temperament (as described in several references) to a Sun Conure. Since we haven’t mentioned any names of pet chains (so we aren’t subject to law suit!), can you offer any thoughts on the name change.

Crossbreed? Avoiding the endangered species controls? Has anyone else ever raised this question???

Sanford

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