Parrot-medics Real Life Drama in the Avian ER! Are You Prepared?
Veterinarian examining Alexandrine parakeet in clinic, closeup

Parrot-medics Real Life Drama in the Avian ER! Are You Prepared?

I admit there are times that I struggle to find topics and content that would be interesting to caged bird keepers. Much of the time though, the blog writes itself. A little known but highly reliable source for content on our blog is “customer reviews”

Catherine likes calf’s liver. I won’t eat out of a pan that has cooked calf’s liver. That does not make calf’s liver inherently bad. I’ll tell you right off the bat that if you give a product one star because “your bird didn’t like it” (think calves liver) we treat it like a review on calves liver – love it or hate it , it’s still good for you and because I don’t like the taste of it does not make it a bad source of nutrition and the review won’t get posted.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Why Does Your Bird Preen and How the Heck Do You Pronounce Uropygial?
african-grey-preening-tail-blog-600

Why Does Your Bird Preen and How the Heck Do You Pronounce Uropygial?

LOL – Sunday I put my female DYH Amazon in the sink. she never preens herself like most birds do! I don’t know why! She is healthy, so??? Anyway, she was looking a little rough around the edges so I gave her a bath in the kitchen sink! She deals with it but it isn’t at the top her list of fun things to do!

The comment above was about the image below posted in parts of the black hole of the internet known as social media. 

that’s Popcorn our cockatiel who uses her tail

to dust the crown molding just below our 10-foot ceilings

(more…)

Continue Reading
What’s Your Opinion on DIY Birdie Pedicures?
rosella-parrot-long-nails-blog-600

What’s Your Opinion on DIY Birdie Pedicures?

The Eastern Rosella above has very long nails while sitting on an undersized perch. In the not-too-distant future the nails on the front toes can irritate and/or puncture the rear toes causing sores known as “bumblefoot” possibly leading to a foot infection.
 
From last week’s Birdie Brunch table 19 writes – Hi WCP folks,
(more…)

Continue Reading
How to Get Your Bird Used to Toweling for Restraint
macaw-towel-hari-600

How to Get Your Bird Used to Toweling for Restraint

and Why It’s Essential

This is a follow-up to our recent post about learning how to restrain your bird using the zombie death grip.

The grip goes hand-in-hand with toweling a bird when you need to restrain it for maintenance like nail trimming or a first-aid emergency.

Speaking of emergencies. You have to love technology (or not). It’s been a very wet summer so far much of which has come in the form of storms.

(more…)

Continue Reading
The Skinny on Lafeber Nutriberries and Avi-cakes
wet-conure-wrapped-towel-blog

The Skinny on Lafeber Nutriberries and Avi-cakes

As you read this, the conflict between the Hatfields and the McCoys is probably still raging but in keeping up with the times it probably sounds something like “Hey Edgar McCoy, stay off my Facebook page or my family will hashtag you with some really bad stuff” tagged Ralph Hatfield – 18 likes – two shares – or something like that. 

And so the debate rages about how a seed diet is bad for birds. Pellets are the only thing you should feed your birds, saving seeds only as treats is something that I read a lot on the Internet – so must be true. Tell that to the parrots who for generations in the rainforest never once fed off the Mystical Magical Pellets tree.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Control Your Bird With the Amazing Zombie Death Grip!
Parrot-restraint-Step-10-encircling-neck-closer-view600

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.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Can the lack of change in your bird’s life drive it’s bad behavior?
amazon-parrot-hanging-from-top-of-bird-cage-blog-2

Can the lack of change in your bird’s life drive it’s bad behavior?

I received a phone call from a woman with a 15-year-old Blue Front Amazon.
He was in the original cage he had come home in 15 years ago.
The cage needed replacing and she was seeking a residential model.
Because he didn’t like being in the (24″ x 24″ brass) bird cage he had his own room.
In the room was his own futon.
He perched on top of the futon where he’d been whittling down the wood for a while and spent a lot of time under the futon on a blanket.

(more…)

Continue Reading
7 Edge of Your Seat Tantalizing Heart Pounding Bird Bathing Videos
2908112_m-600

7 Edge of Your Seat Tantalizing Heart Pounding Bird Bathing Videos

Don’t blame me. Marketing said to use that title.

Parrots in the wild bathe by receiving a gentle misting on a regular basis simply by enjoying the rain. In this video, you’ll see a Lorikeet in Australia having a wonderful day sucking nectar from flowers while bathing courtesy of Mother nature. One-way Lorikeets get nutrition is just like Hummingbirds, from the nectar found in flowers.

(more…)

Continue Reading
6 Bird Safe All Natural Home Made Human Mosquito Repellents
amazon-mosquito-racquet-600-

6 Bird Safe All Natural Home Made Human Mosquito Repellents

& we explore the safety of citronella mosquito repellent in a bird’s world

File under something like “life imitating art or nature”?

I don’t know how you can tell them apart (unless you know to look for the female’s proboscis) but it’s interesting to note that only female mosquitoes bite, males do not. They both need some sort of nectar to sustain themselves but the females need blood to lay their eggs.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Will Changing the Term “Cage” to “Home” Fix Our Bird’s Behavioral Problems?
sff-military-macaw-angry

Will Changing the Term “Cage” to “Home” Fix Our Bird’s Behavioral Problems?

 In a recent article in birds.about.com, Patricia Sund a “Pet Birds Expert”, states the case that the word “cage” is brutal, antiquated and out of date.

She feels bird cages should be called a “house” or “room”.She compares it to a child’s “playpen” because we never refer to a child’s playpen as a cage (even though the older wooden styles look like a cage) and she actually finds the words to be “a little offensive” and “harsh” terms for your pet bird’s home.

Continue Reading
Close Menu