Help With An African Grey And A Triton Cockatoo.
Triton_cockatoo-blog

Help With An African Grey And A Triton Cockatoo.

I Have An African Grey And A Triton Cockatoo.

I hand fed both and have had the Grey since 1985 and the Cockatoo since 1987.

They are housed separately in AE birdcages and I have perches around the house for them to move to as I work around.

Both are female.

My Gray has begun acting strange.

(more…)

Continue Reading
How Important Is Artificial Lighting For Pet Birds
photography-grey

How Important Is Artificial Lighting For Pet Birds

Our first answer comes from a question on Quora

Do parrots we rear at home need sunlight?

Firstly, lets set the record straight.

No amount of natural sunlight nor artificial light will help with the production of any vitamin in a bird’s body.

This is because of the dual integumentary systems of feathers and skin.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Why Do My 2 Amazon Parrots Get Scared When I Put Toys In Their Cage
2-amazon-parrots

Why Do My 2 Amazon Parrots Get Scared When I Put Toys In Their Cage

Angela wrote:

It does not matter if the toys are small, medium or large.

mitchr asks

Do they tolerate plexiglass? Plastic?

Angela said

Locking rings are a toy I offer but they will not play with them.

Instead, they go around them as if the ring toys were in their way or annoyed them

(more…)

Continue Reading
Will My Quaker Parrot Warm Up To My Cockatiel And Budgie
How Often and How Much Time Should I Interact With My Parrot?

Will My Quaker Parrot Warm Up To My Cockatiel And Budgie

Katie L. Asks

Is there ever a chance my Quaker Parrot Blu will warm up to my other birds?

He just turned 1, I’ve had him since he was a baby.

We got Winnie the Cockatiel as a baby about 6 months after Blu and just a few weeks ago Chip the parakeet joined our flock.

Blu isn’t as aggressive w/Winnie at this point, but he used to stalk her.

He loved pulling a feather or biting her toes and as a result, Winnie is scared of Blu and little baby Chip.

(more…)

Continue Reading
How She Cared For Her African Greys Fractured Leg Bone
grey-ankle-bandage

How She Cared For Her African Greys Fractured Leg Bone

Hi Mitch and Catherine,

Thanks again for an informative ‘Sunday Birdie Brunch’!

I would appreciate some guidance…

Due to my carelessness and haste a month ago, I scooped Hannah up as she was running down the hallway and dropped her by accident.

I saw the look on her face and her holding her leg and knew immediately she was injured.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Help For A Green Cheek Conures Projectile Vomiting
green-cheek-conure-600

Help For A Green Cheek Conures Projectile Vomiting

Mona S. writes

I recently had the experience of seeing my beloved Green Cheek Conure do what I would describe as projectile vomiting, which absolutely scared me to nearly to death.

 

I have owned birds for about 30 years or so and had never seen anything like this.

 

Actually, I was not even aware that birds could vomit at all, except for regurgitating to feed their young.

 

This looked like someone had turned on the faucet for a couple of seconds.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Solving This Greys Feather Plucking With A New Nano Environment
grey-mechanical-toy

Solving This Greys Feather Plucking With A New Nano Environment

Spoiler alert: This post and discussion illustrate how I reached my diagnosis:

Jan is plucking his feathers because his feet hurt.
He’s using his food dish to sleep.
This helps avoid pressure to the bottom of his feet  which he feels when they grip the smooth dowel rod perch.
That’s why he plucks in the sleeping cage – he wants the pain to ease.

(more…)

Continue Reading
How Do I Treat Macaw Mites?
macaw-strange-feathers-600

How Do I Treat Macaw Mites?

Or

Are Mites Making Making My Macaw Miserable?

 

Hi Mitch,

Always look forward to your Sunday articles, thanks!

 

Madeleine is a (Blue & Gold Macaw) rescue from a home where she was malnourished, neglected, and abused.

 

I was able to negotiate relinquishment but it’s been a year of learning for me, we bonded and I decided to adopt her instead of fostering.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Windy City Parrot Defines Small And Medium Size Species Of Pet Birds

Small species pet birds

Birds we classify as “Smaller” species 

FYI  There’s something like 100 species of Conures. Conures need to be subdivided into small, medium & large (which is on our to-do list)


Green cheek conures weigh 64 grams (cockatiels are about 100 grams – Patagonian conures weight about 280 grams, about the size of a Timneh African grey.

Don’t think for a minute conures can be classified into one size category

Large Canaries

Gibber Canary

(more…)

Continue Reading
Close Menu