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?
From Reddit
I’ve had my African Grey for a bit over 2 weeks. He only started flying recently.
He’s a 5-month-old birb and I’m getting worried because when he flies he usually flies into a wall.
Our Response:
Flying into walls can be based on color.
I’m looking for a good quality seed mix for my 4 birds
Darryl Z. asks:
Hi.
I’m looking for a good quality seed mix for my 4 birds – a CAG, a Yellow-Shouldered Amazon, a Meyers, and a Caique.
I’m currently using Vita Parrot by Sun Seed but it’s become really filthy over the years.
I actually, pick out the papaya because it’s so filthy and looks so gross, I don’t want my birds eating it.
So that’s where I’m coming from and I wonder if you could please recommend a few of your top mixes.
Bonnie D. wrote:
I have a question for you.
The reason for my switching to Hagen Alternative Formula was because it had no soy or corn.
But I noticed that it has peanuts in it.
I was always told by my vets that the greys shouldn’t have peanuts (or too many) because it decreased the calcium in their bones.
What is your take on that?
I’ve combined several questions in this post, all related to feather care, you know those hundreds (thousands) of lighter than air floating things around your home, under the birdcage and on the floor.
Feathered factoid: small pet birds like budgies can have 4000 – 6000 feathers.
Larger parrots can have upwards of 8000 feathers (we count them coming out of the shop vac).
Waterbirds like ducks and swans have upwards of 10,000 feathers or more.
Victor V writes:
Hi, I hope you can help. I have been feeding my female Grey for years on Harrison’s Bird Foods High Potency Coarse.
Been getting the pellets from Amazon.
When we started this latest bag, she started just grinding the large pellets (not sure if she is eating them) and scattering them about the cage.
Harold Writes: I've been feeding my 12 conure and cockatiel friends Kaytee cockatiel Fortidiet and then top layer with Roudybush pellets for many years. Their doctor objects to the safflower…
Barbara G started the conversation
My Timneh (grey) only wants to bite me when I am cleaning his cage which is mostly in the evening.
He’s fine when I am feeding him and he does come out.
He’s only out a couple of hours mostly in the early evening.
Why is it so important to understand the differences between bird species?
I’m not ashamed to say we get more deliveries from Amazon (like most Americans) then we care to talk about.
This week a new Amazon driver “Patrick” handed off an envelope then said “I’ve never been here before – this place looks cool.”
One of the answers from the big Q.
It has been done but I personally advise against it. It is unnatural for them to hold it, and if they become too well potty trained they may harm themselves if they think they can’t go at any given time.
My answer
Parrots poop about every 15 minutes on average.