Most of us know that parrots need toys to keep them entertained, safe from boredom and to help keep their beaks trimmed. But how many of us have considered using edible toys?Edible toys are a good way to teach our birds to eat new foods, are a good way to present large pieces of food, … Read more

One of the most important things in maintaining our bird’s health is bathing. Bathing is natural to birds. It helps them in maintaining the quality of their feathers, keeping clean, removing dust, dander, loose feathers and debris from new feathers, moistening the skin, maintaining the insulation properties of their feathers and much more. Breeding birds … Read more

In this article you will find detailed information on how to handfeed your cockatiel chicks, the dangers of aspiration while handfeeding and the danger of overstretching the crop. Other issues that are dealt with are how the crop functions, sour crop, crop burns, and crop stasis, dealing with chicks that refuse to eat or that … Read more

Diagnosing chlamydiosis (Chlamydia psittaci) can be very difficult in the live bird. There is really no best test at present. A number of factors are important when choosing the most appropriate tests to use. The bird’s age, species, exposure to other birds and any drug treatment the bird received should be taken into consideration.Certain species … Read more

No, MY bird did not die, but this is what we need to do if we find one of our flock dead. There are several reasons to do a necropsy. We will want to protect the rest of of flock, and ensure it is safe to bring a replacement bird into the area. We may … Read more

Since the horrible tragedies of September 11th, we have all been informed of the extra-ordinary but much needed changes in security regarding flying. For those of us who have the occasion to fly with our bird, these have certainly been interesting times. We all acknowledge the need for the searches and screenings and as someone … Read more

It is important to know why you are handfeeding and what you hope to accomplish through the handfeeding process. In this article we will look at the many factors that are needed to consider when choosing to hand feed. We will take a look at parent fed versus hand fed cockatiels. Is a rigid feeding … Read more

One of the most common digestive problems of cockatiel neonates is sour crop. There are a number of reasons why sour crop occurs and it might be helpful to look at them in order to understand why sour crop happens to chicks. This is a picture of a Cockatiel chick with a very full crop.One … Read more

Chlamydia psittaci exists in two forms – an Elementary Body and a Reticulate Body. The Elementary Body is the form that is infective and exists outside the bird. Ebs are shed in ocular and respiratory secretions as well as in the droppings. Once the EB invades a bird’s cells it is transformed into a Reticulate Body. … Read more

The diagnosis of Hepatic Lipidosis (Fatty Liver disease) can be one of the most frightening to hear uttered by your avian veterinarian.However this does not always have to carry the sentence of death. Lets review some of the reasons why a parrot develops liver disease and what can be done to prevent this from happening … Read more