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.
Not all “ parrots” scream.
South American birds including conures and macaw parrots as well as some Australian parrots like Moluccan cockatoos can be quite noisy. Conversely, African parrots from the poicephalus family are fairly quiet like Senegals, Myers, and Red Bellies.
Big birds like Moluccan cockatoos can scream quite loudly literally at levels that exceed the noise 747 Jumbo jet landing ( approximately 157 decibels).
Hypothetical – a 21st-century genie sits down next to you on a park bench. He looks pretty normal and explains that the whole genie thing has evolved along with modern society.
The dapper young lad named Gene (really?) goes on to say;
Wondering if you can guide me with the care of my umbrella. Her vet is away on sick leave for a few months. I am her third owner.
I live in a two-room 35 ft camper trailer with six dogs and the bird. She likes to be around them – in her cage – and when they get treats she expects ( and gets) her own. They are her flock.
She has been a feather shredder since long before she came to me, about three years ago. She is also very indifferent to food. Her owner before me cared for her well and tried her hardest to get her to fresh fruit and veg. Her primary diet is Zupreem fruit blend, though her specific preference are the pink pieces. But she isn’t even very interested in eating.
Hi Guys,
Love your newsletter!
My M2 (Moluccan cockatoo) has a problem and I thought I’d run it by you.
I’ve had birds all of my life, parakeets, cockatiels, amazons and this is my first ‘too. I got him as a baby and have had him for 10 years.
He seems very content as far as I can tell.
About 6 months ago he molted 3 feathers at the same time from his tail. The new ones sprouted, of course. But over the course of these six months, he continues to pick his tail skin raw.
I know M2’s are notorious for self-mutilation. I don’t think that’s the issue.
Why are those feathers on the cage floor? Is it plucking, molting, or over-preening?
We received an email from a subscriber of Sunday Brunch that I am sharing with you below:
I am so torn by my bird’s recent behavior. While I was cleaning his cage this morning, I let him roam. He was well behaved. He started pecking at the carpet and I said “No” in a stern voice. Of course, he fluffed up and waddled around.
When I finished, I gave him his bath which he loved. He just goes to the top of his cage and I spray and sing to him. After that, I got the cape I usually wear when holding him. He got all excited and came right up to my shoulder. He nuzzled and kiss my ear many times.
In a recent post, I mentioned learned helplessness and promised you a detailed explanation of what it means, its impacts, and how it happens so that you can avoid making…
A Conversation with Glen Glendell, UK Parrot Behaviorist: Biting Parrots (Topic 1 of 3)
A while back, I had the opportunity to have a long teleconference with Greg Glendell, UK parrot behaviorist and author of several parrot training books.
Our discussion covered 3 main topics, at least one of which haunts many parrot owners. In each part of this series, I will summarize one of the key topics of our conversation, which covered:
There are many reasons that a parrot may become self-destructive.Until recently there has been very little information to help us along with our feathered friends.Feather destruction can be a difficult behavior to deal with and not all birds are able to recover from this bad habit.
