The following was part of an answer to the following Quora question.
“What would be a bird’s reaction if we tied a helium balloon to their legs (that would make them float)? What about a bat? How would they adapt? QUESTION DETAILS IN COMMENTS”
At some point in the very short response I saw these words
“Someday, I’ll tell you about the time I duct taped his feet to the kitchen floor to prevent him from chasing mine”.
Children are loud, messy, and time-consuming, but every family has 2.6 of them (Pew Research).
I probably spend less time cleaning up after my eight birds in three birdcages than most moms cleaning up after 2 six-year-oldsÂ
or a single toddler
To say that all birds are time-consuming is an unsupported blanket statement.
We have a Senegal parrot and an African ringneck.
Neither is very noisy.
I just want to thank you for the weekly messages – for the stories you tell, and all that you teach us.
I have had a 10-year-old female Goffin’s cockatoo in my care for 2-1/2 years.
Editor’s note: Goffin’s cockatoo aka, Tanimbar corella aka Goffin’s corella.
Her owner was someone I knew most of my life and she committed suicide suddenly with no warning.
She had many animals.
Horses, dogs, cats, snakes, rats, and a bird.
We don’t generally interact with mainstream bird rescue organizations.
The last bird club/rescue meeting I spoke at began with a police presence called by the current president trying to forcibly remove the former president, who wouldn’t leave.
The next 15 minutes resulted in parliamentary maneuvers so legal action could be brought against the former bird rescue president.
We’ve seen that a lot over the years.
Which is why we mainly work with private rescues and bird rescue initiatives.
Once again, although well-intentioned, people are breaking down your choices into the macro of species (Quora question).
One answer started with
Barbara Writes,
I love the new format so much, Mitch.
And I have a question regarding the video of the cockatoo and sun conure. How do you know when it’s safe to let them be together like that?
My morning was going quite well.
Dr. Johansen called with the lab results and my A1c was down to 5.9 from 7.4 in January.
I attribute that to Catherine’s deployment of our keto lifestyle diet.
This first of three answers about macaw parrot keeping solutions is in response to the Quora question:
Macaw Asthma aka Macaw Respiratory Hypersensitivity disease is found in several species of macaws but is especially prevalent with blue and gold macaws.
Nancy H wrote:
Dear Mitch and Catherine,
I own a Blue and Gold Macaw that I’ve had for 23 years, I love him dearly as he’s been, my little companion and roommate.
The problem is and I’m hoping you can help is that I’m not able to have my family or friends over because Bernard will literally take a tantrum screaming until I go in and get him and bring him out to see who’s there and when I go to bring him back to his cage, he bites me hard with displaced anger.
I clearly have been remiss by not keeping everybody up with the lives of our six budgies.
Ever since we adopted the last two, Biscuit and Gravy, the dynamics have certainly once again changed in the cage environment.
Putting things in perspective there are only two males, Jam and Eggs, the other four are females.
