Janet D. relates:
My blue-crown conure (named BLUE) is one of 2 rescue conures I’ve now had 5 years.
He has cataracts in both eyes. I know this because I could tell his vision was changing and took him to the vet 3 months ago.
Very recently, he’s more hesitant with everything so I think his vision is deteriorating more quickly than anticipated.
Annette D. relates:
My Amazon Parrot was killed by fire toxins.
Hi, I’m writing in because I’m just shattered in every way.
I live in Sonoma Co, CA, home of Wildfires.
In 2017, we got hit with the first ‘recognized’ Firestorm.
The Tubbs Fire. (more…)
I received this reply from a pet bird keeper in our Windy City Parrot community.
Diana relates (see thread below):
I wanted to reply to the person whose bird stood with its head lowered.
My Yellow Nape did that and I found out he had arthritis in his one leg.
Bonnie B. would like to know:
First I want to thank you for your very informative emails.
They are always filled with great information.
My question is what are your thoughts on Lupron and what effects of long term use.
I have a 30 yo female Umbrella Cockatoo that we’ve had for 11 years.
She laid an egg once or twice a year and then in 2015 after laying an egg she prolapsed on a Sunday.
Luckily we were able to get her into UC Davis.
Stacey W. relates:
Hi! I have a beautiful 2 1/2-year-old caique named Sir Herbert (Herbie for short).
And he has been exhibiting increasingly excessive scratching over the past months.
Sherry S. writes:
HELP! I have a Greenwing Macaw who is almost 30 years old. He has been with me since he was 2 years old. I have been told Greenwings regurgitate more than other breeds.
It seems he is especially bad this year and it’s been going on for months.
Mary W. relates:
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+.
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.