Now that you have found a breeder or pet store to purchase a bird from, your next decision is to find that special bird for you and your family. There are many factors to consider that will help you determine which species of bird is right for you. Your level of experience, budget, time commitments, … Read more
The wild housecat slinks across the living room, eyes bright and tail twitching. Across the room, she sees her prey, a pair of parakeets in a cage. Slowly, she moves into position, raises up to place her paws against a cage, then abruptly jumps away as the parakeet nips her whiskers. She backs away to … Read more
“Let your food be your medicine” said Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, who compiled a list of over four hundred herbs and their uses. Herbs, spices and other nutritional substances are the oldest form of medicine known to man. While modern or “allopathic” medicine is barely a century old, the practice of natural medicine using … Read more
Many bird owners have wondered about building their own cage at one time or another. I’m writing this to share the knowledge I’ve gained about zinc and the process of galvanizing. Galvanized means iron (steel) coated with zinc. If it is coated with something else then it is anodized or plated. Galvanized implies zinc. The … Read more
Zinc is extremely toxic to birds. Although a bird requires a certain amount of zinc to remain healthy, too much zinc is very dangerous and can cause degeneration in the liver, kidney and pancreas and even death. Unfortunately, zinc is all around us, and given the opportunity, our “inquisitive” and “unceasingly exploring” charges will be … Read more
Proper and adequate avian nutrition combined with good husbandry is probably the single most important factor in insuring that your pet bird lives a long and healthy life. The good husbandry aspect is very straightforward; supply your companion with a roomy, clean environment with full spectrum lighting, plenty of toys, quality time with you, regular … Read more
Instinctually, birds will hide signs of illness to prevent from appearing weak. A weak bird is an easy target for predatory birds and animals. By the time you notice any signs of illness or disease, your bird is extremely ill and you need to seek veterinarian care from an avian vet immediately.No two birds behave … Read more
Sex and the M & M twins Mickie was sitting on her first egg after joining our family. It was reported that she laid eggs even before there was a male in her life. It was too early to tell if this egg is fertile, but she and Murphy had been doing the dance that … Read more
For birds in the wild, masking illness is a means of self preservation. A sick or injured bird is more vulnerable to predators and other birds in the flock. Hiding illness has become an important means of survival and an instinctive behavior in wild birds. Our captive birds retain this instinctive behavior. Unlike other animals … Read more
Siva was a relatively new member of the household when I purchased Jennifer Warshaw’s book, The Parrot Training Handbook. He already knew his basic commands of “up”, “down”, “it’s okay” and “no”. I began by carefully reading the book from cover to cover and decided to start with something simple. I had previously used the … Read more