How Windy City Parrot Looks At Our Bird’s Holistically
customer-howard-senegal

How Windy City Parrot Looks At Our Bird’s Holistically

Pet food manufacturers as well as Internet “influencers” somehow associate the word “holistic” with “healthy” which indicates (to me) they clearly never read the definition of “holistic“.

 

ho·lis·tic – adjective

 

PHILOSOPHY – characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.

 

Thus from this point forward, you will go forth and snigger the next time someone tries to sell you holistic anything.

 

When you interact with us,

 

whether it be here, on our website, social media, email, or any other form of communication, we try to introduce you to holistic bird health as a way of succeeding with captive bird care – meaning: 

(more…)

Continue Reading
Best Practices For Heating Outdoor Bird Aviaries
2-macaws-outdoor-aviary-lighting

Best Practices For Heating Outdoor Bird Aviaries

Hi. We’re installing an outdoor aviary on our screened & covered porch.
The size is 8x8x9 and it will house 2 blue and gold macaws.
I found the perfect rope perches at windy city parrot.
 
Now I hope you can help me select the right heat source.
We live in north Mississippi so extreme cold isn’t a problem; winter temps are 30s-40s most nights.
Do you recommend infrared heat lamps?
If so, how many for the space?
Thanks
Anne 

Continue Reading
How Do Amazon Parrots Use Light to Synthesize Vitamin D Having No Preening Gland? And Other Captive Amazon Care Questions
blue-front-amazon-cocked-head

How Do Amazon Parrots Use Light to Synthesize Vitamin D Having No Preening Gland? And Other Captive Amazon Care Questions

How do Amazon parrots use light to synthesize Vitamin D having no preening gland?

As I was curating this post on Amazon parrot questions it got me thinking about one of my favorite subjects, full spectrum lighting and the synthesis of vitamin D in birds.

Amazon parrots are relatively unique having no preening gland (along with doves, pigeons and Hyacinth macaws).

The uropygial aka preening gland oozes a slippery goo which a bird rubs its head and beak against. Then spreads this oil over its feathered body.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Do Birds in Cages Suffer All Their Lives?
severe-macaw-cage

Do Birds in Cages Suffer All Their Lives?

Do birds in cages suffer all their lives?

Define suffer? If you don’t know any better how do you know you are suffering?

As good as our intentions are met by many things, they don’t necessarily meet our bird’s “instinctual expectations”.

Define a “cage”. If you talking about a big metal thing with bars that sits in your family room? In reality the entire home is a (bird) cage because the bird is not allowed to leave it unless it’s in a smaller travel cage

(more…)

Continue Reading
Humans Have Lots of Bird Advice – Don’t Get One, They’re Hard to Raise
SSUCv3H4sIAAAAAAAACpxWXa+cKhR9b3L/w4nP1wQBUfpXmj4g4kgGxQB2enpy/nvxa4rgzdz0bdys2V+svVkf/3x5e8saZiXPvr59LF/+Wyo1W2eYk3r0ZvDvbjdibIUJLaKVThvJVGhsmOP9yAbhjeOs1GL+XA8z65ibrbBBMNvPzgljneZ3by4OL6zVjUisrZi0lW7qtdP2dGAEG6yTa9Q/ThQb3kMDZ+Pqc3WwHATJcebEzVdzSu/oz

Humans Have Lots of Bird Advice – Don’t Get One, They’re Hard to Raise

The following content is from 3 inquiries we received that we thought would be helpful by sharing.

We have four zebra finches in an outdoor aviary, with three walls being the exterior of our house, and the fourth wall is wire mesh.

We are in San Diego, and our nights can drop down to 40-50 degree. We are planning to add plexiglass panels over the mesh at night, and we are trying to decide on a heat source.

(more…)

Continue Reading

What Is the Best Parrot for an Apartment?

What is the best parrot for an apartment? The answers thus far have been pretty limited (on Quora).

We (Mitch & Catherine) used to (until 2019 when we migrated to Indiana) live in a three-flat apartment building, erected circa 1885 in the geographical center of the city of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood.

It’s 1800 ft.² with 9 1/2 foot ceilings. The all-brick building is quite solid.

We like parrots. We are in the (caged bird) pet supply business. It’s our job to know about them.

For the record, we don’t sell any birds. We simply teach proper care for about 750 captive bird species out of approximately 10,400 species of birds on the planet.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Incoming Category 2 Hurricane & You’re Chasing a Bird Under Furniture
woman-tornado-grey-disaster-600

Incoming Category 2 Hurricane & You’re Chasing a Bird Under Furniture

Re-posted this on 09/01/2017 with Hurricane Harvey as a stark reminder of mother nature’s dark side.

Parrots and Evacuation Kits are some of my favorite subjects. Nora wrote this post but my introduction is from someone who has been there – us. June 23rd, 2005 Windy City Parrot burned to the ground – long story.

If you have a pet bird or any pet for that matter – what’s your plan in an emergency? Floods, fires, frogs, locusts?

Sure you’re on your game with the latest high-tech smoke and high water sensors in your home but let me quote from some recent headlines.

6/25/15 Boston – New England Record Snow Tracker: Boston Breaks All-Time Seasonal Snow Record in 2014-2015

(What’s your backup heat source?)

(more…)

Continue Reading
The Complete Guide To Understanding Sleeping Birds
white-cockatoo-hanging-upside-down

The Complete Guide To Understanding Sleeping Birds

Mitch,

Have you written about “bird sleep”? I watched an eagle chick go from hatchling to fledgling and during the process, both the chick and parents seemed to sleep only periodically, preening much of the night.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Lessons Learned From This Successful Captive Blue Front Amazon Pet Bird Keeper
close-bf-amazon

Lessons Learned From This Successful Captive Blue Front Amazon Pet Bird Keeper

Learn Amazon parrot care from one of Windy City Parrot’s customers – who gets it.

Hello, Mitch

I’ve followed your blog for quite a while and always appreciate your perspectives and insights. I was pretty much gutted when I read your article on Sunday … “Birds in cages suffer all their lives.”

I want my bird to have a happy and healthy a life as possible, but I read and hear so much contradictory information that I’m really not sure if I am providing what she needs— and I do try.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Close Menu