With all due respect, the question answers itself. There are a 350 species of parrots and about 372 species of parakeets As opposed to there only being one species of dog.
Further, the individual who acquires a single parrot can be considered a pet owner or companion, our term is “pet bird keeper” Once a second parrot is introduced the aforementioned individual becomes a zookeeper.
Sarah A. relates,
Hello, I am looking for help in training my parrots.
I have two African grey parrots.
They are 21 and we have had them their whole lives.
My mom used to handle them, however, she began to have severe allergies from their dust.Â
Mitch,
Hi Randall
I’m looking at the pictures you sent, thank you.
Obviously, the birds have feather self-destruction issues.
Typically these need to be addressed holistically.
Before we get granular on the issue let’s do some housekeeping and talk about this particular species.
 About 20% of parrots are sexually dimorphic meaning you can determine the sex of the bird by its color or markings.
Eclectus parrots are either red and blue (female) or green (male).Â
Male ringnecks have the ring, females have none.
Hi Mitch,
My name is Barbara T, and you and I just spoke re my parakeet, Ricky, who has been treated by an Avian specialist, Gloria Goodman, VMD (website: avianexoticvetpa.com), for mites since July 2nd, 2020. Â
As I told you, I had surgery and my sister took care of the bird from May 12th through June 28th.Â
I noticed immediately that his face looked like it had rot on it and he seemed “antsy”—pecking on his feathers and rubbing his head, especially around the eye area, on the cage.Â
I called the vet and she saw him on July 2nd.Â
Barbara G. has a concern
Tootsie is a forty-two-year-old green-cheek conure who has lived with me for forty-one years.
The top of her head is completely bald, with front red feathers remaining.
She sleeps a lot but is otherwise active.
She enjoys her regular food along with a handout from her person.
She does not pluck her feathers, loves annoying me, and is a first-class cuddler.
Could this be age-related?
Scott S. asks:
Hi – I actually have a birdie question.
We have a 2-year-old male Gray Cockatiel who has the worst case of “owie” feathers under his wings.
We can lift his wings and see a number of pin feathers that are causing some distress.
Question: what if anything can we do to help him out?
We’ve talked about the differences between molting, preening, and plucking in a post found here.
Molting is misunderstood and usually viewed as nothing more than a nuisance.
We have 10 birds in our home.
That means they’re going to shed between 50,000 and 70,000 feathers combined, annually!
Feathered factoid: Ducks have 10,000 or more feathers and swans have upwards of 12,000+.
Editors note: In the featured image above, Barney was obsessing with the other bird in the mirror as Catherine observed.
We have since blocked access to that part of the mirror and Barney has become far more social (less hormonal). Endnote
One of the reasons we are able to stay in business going up against the likes of Amazon and Chewy is that we answer the phone and can provide useful advice.
And although PetSmart and Petco will answer the phone on a national or store level, good luck with getting information about proper care for your white-capped Pionus.
There is been a definite uptick of calls and emails seeking advice for birds exhibiting bad hormonal behavior.
Stacy T writes:
My bird is a plucker and your recent article about lighting is something I’d like to try.
I’m not sure what full-spectrum light to purchase as he has a cage that has a solid play top.
