Birds Are Like Soul Mates & Should Find You – Right?
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Birds Are Like Soul Mates & Should Find You – Right?

jellenp@……..

Mitch, I learned sooooo much from you in today’s message about bird safety. I’m seeing my household with completely new eyes now. Thank you so much.

We are first-time bird companions of two one-yr-old beautiful little male budgies acquired at the same time from the same breeder when they were still youngsters. They are healthy and active.

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The Challenge of Caring for a One-eyed African Grey
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The Challenge of Caring for a One-eyed African Grey

Aloha!

I am truly enjoying your email newsletters. Very informative.

Need some of your advice, I have a Timneh African Gray named “Saber”, now I think about 30 years old. I ended up buying him when he was about 3-4 years old. For several months I would visit the pet shop and always stopped by Sabers cage to play and talk with him.

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Appropriate Types of Perches for Bird Cages

It’s OK for a perch to be a little smaller or larger in diameter. Basically don’t install a perch too large that a bird’s foot can’t grab comfortably (except for manicure perches) and may cause a bird to fall. Conversely, too small a diameter may allow a bird’s foot to wrap all the way around and cause pain or injury to its own foot.
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Is Propane Heat Safe for My Bird?
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Is Propane Heat Safe for My Bird?

Question: Would a hot water bottle be a good option for emergency heat when the power is out, single-digit temp outside, etc.? Two quarts are a lot of water to heat with emergency fuel (without gassing everyone).
What is the minimum amount of water that would be effective? Do you have suggestions for other heat sources? Thanks, Lee

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Control Your Bird With the Amazing Zombie Death Grip!
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Control Your Bird With the Amazing Zombie Death Grip!

We buy mortgage insurance for our homes and auto insurance for our cars.

We buy cars with airbags because they’re safer

We wear bicycle helmets.

We make our kids wear bicycle helmets.

When we have a babysitter watch our children we provide a list of numbers where we can be reached.

We bring a bird into our home who could conceivably be with us for decades and yet we fail to take the fundamental steps to help us cope with avian emergencies that will – eventually happen.

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Does a Bird’s Molt Affect It’s Flight?
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Does a Bird’s Molt Affect It’s Flight?

 Hi Mitch,

You were kind enough to answer a question I had ages ago, so I hope you will again.
I have a 6 yr old double yellow Amazon. I got him when he was four months old. I have never clipped his wings and he is used to flying all over my house, shadowing me everywhere. This year he is molting but he is losing feathers strangely.
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How Did Our Cockatiel’s Leg and Foot End Up in a Paper Cast?
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How Did Our Cockatiel’s Leg and Foot End Up in a Paper Cast?

 Funny you should ask – file under life imitating art imitating life.

On the heels (<- pun) of last week’s blog entitled “How do birds sleep standing on one leg?” where we saw the most exceptional illustrations of how the flexor tendons in a birds leg act as an ingenious pulley system enabling a bird to firmly grasp a perch even while sleeping and in the case of birds of prey this system also aids in the killing of said prey.

Mother nature as usual was simple eloquent and right to the point. The question arose recently, for us, how do you shut down 50% of that system for maintenance? It’s been an interesting few days.

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Correction of Developmental Abnormalities of the Beak of Juvenile Psittacines
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Correction of Developmental Abnormalities of the Beak of Juvenile Psittacines

INTRODUCTION
Rhamphorthotics, or correction of developmental abnormalities of the beak of juvenile psittacines has been well described by Clipsham and others. 1 2,3 Techniques are described for correction of “Scissors beak” or lateral deviation of the premaxilla or maxillary beak and for bradygnathism of the maxillary beak.
A simplified and more practical technique will be described here utilizing many of the same materials. A more invasive technique has also been described utilizing a pin placed through the frontal bone and rubber bands to pull the beak into alignment. 4

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The Pet Bird Keepers Myths – Myth
Cheerful couple of customers buying cage for bird in shop

The Pet Bird Keepers Myths – Myth

Imagine a world where you spend every day looking at, reading about, or having conversations with other pet bird keepers. File this under “be careful what you wish for.” That said I will tell anyone upfront, I’m not an expert on caged bird keeping. I don’t have a degree – in anything. I haven’t written a book – yet.

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