It’s All The Birds’ Fault

The wife said, “Hocky puck, this time you have gone too far, What have you done with the money that was in the cookie jar?” “Oh my apple dumpling with thick cream, my fountain of joy, I know you’ll understand that my amazon needed a new toy.”The wife said, “Explain, you spineless tiptoeing tulip, Who … Read more

The Marvelous Avian Eye

One of nature’s true marvels is the design of the avian eye. In general, birds possess some of the best vision capabilities in the animal kingdom. Birds see in color which is important in recognizing food and danger and is possibly used in mating rituals. Birds also see with enormous accuracy and at long distances. … Read more

The Kitchen Physician VI – Holistic Treatments For Parrots

Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal and flower remedies frequently are chosen over traditional Western medicine. Today, Americans make an estimated 425 million annual visits to providers of alternative medical therapy versus 338 million visits to U.S. primary-care physicians. This change in attitude is prevalent in the care of pets too, including parrots. People … Read more

Avian Emergencies Part I

In this month’s column, I would like to discuss some emergencies that may arise with your bird. Some emergencies such as landing on a hot stove or eating lead solder from a planter can be prevented. Many, however, occur at the worst possible time. In many cases, a veterinarian needs to evaluate and care for … Read more

Introduction To Sun Conures

Considered by many to be the most beautiful of the commonly available conures, the sun conure has enjoyed an elevated popularity status in the world of companion birds for many years — and with good reason. Their multi-faceted personalities will delight even the most experienced of bird lovers, and their breath-taking coloring will attract the … Read more

Wingclipping And The African Grey

Clipping a bird’s wings is done mainly for their own safety. Birds can fly into windows, doors, ceiling fans, hot cooking foods and any number of places in the home where they can injure themselves. Wing clipping is also a protection against birds escaping into the out-of-doors. Once outside, an indoor flightless bird can easily … Read more

Switching Your Bird to Pellets

This is the method which I use to switch birds from seeds to pellets: Give the bird the usual ration of seeds and soft foods in the morning; remove the soft foods and seeds in the early afternoon. The primary pellet and very small quantities of several of the samples mixed together should be available … Read more