Alice Wender

You may be thinking “Breeding is natural isn’t it?”. Or maybe one of your question would be, “What can possibly go wrong?”. I’m here to tell you, if you can think of it going wrong, it’s most likely a potential problem. Breeding cockatiels is often very simple but sometimes it just doesn’t succeed. Some things … Read more

In the past five years, as I have continued to increase my knowledge about birds, and have become enriched by my contacts with other aviculturists, I have become fascinated with a subject which has rarely been addressed in the literature. That subject concerns how and why birds behave the way they do, and the ways … Read more

Several recent inquiries have alerted me to the fact that many Eclectus owners are unaware of signs of sickness in their birds. Most knew that birds’ instincts make them experts at hiding signs of sickness and that it may be difficult to detect symptoms. In the wild, if a bird shows signs of sickness, that … Read more

Two years ago, I sold Stitches to a very caring gentleman who can no longer care for him. Stitches has been barbering his tail feathers, and his owner does not feel he has the time or ability to treat him as I had suggested. So I brought Stitches home to care for him. Stitches is … Read more

If people enjoy playing with their pet birds, they should potty train their pet bird. It is more fun for everyone. The pet bird gets to spend more time in one on one interaction, and their owners gets to spend less time doing laundry. I have been keeping pet birds for nearly 30 years, and … Read more

In early May, Gizzy developed the toe-tapping and clutching syndrome that is so often seen in Eclectus parrots. This was the second time he had shown these symptoms; a year ago he had developed them too. He also began scratching with his beak the back of his feet, to the point of excoriating them, leaving … Read more

Each of us should try to make it as difficult and time consuming as possible for someone who is unfamiliar with our aviary to accomplish his dirty deed. Many times the professional methods are not necessarily the best. Use of cheap but effective equipment and even sometimes misuse of an item’s intended use can be … Read more

The area in which I live is not “heavily” into aviculture. In fact, some breeds of parrots that are common elsewhere are difficult to find, and I don’t know of any large commercial aviaries in the vicinity. Yet, in the past 5 years I know of 8 breeders that have been stricken by disease in … Read more

“I never heard of Eclectus.” was my response when the parrot breeder suggested the species. I was looking for a small to medium sized bird who was fun, friendly, pretty, and adaptable. We spend three months of the year on the road in a motor home and over the years have reduced our doggy population … Read more

Hand feeding can be a trying time for hand feeder and infant. The most prevalent sources of microbial contamination are food, water supply, other birds in the nursery, feeding and food preparation utensils, and the hand feeder. Prior to the introduction of formulated hand feeding diets for neonates, breeders had to make their own formulas, … Read more