I had hints, I had advice, I had cautions, but nobody told me how owning birds would completely take over my life.Nobody told me I’d become a bird store junky, standing at the checkout counter in bliss until half way home and then wondering just how long it would be before the Visa came in … Read more

Papillomatosis refers to pink, proliferative, vascular wart-like or cauliflower-like growths of epithelium. Papillomas may occur singularly or in clusters. Although they may occur in the oral cavity, crop, esophagus, proventriculus, ventriculus, cloaca, respiratory tract and conjunctiva, the most common locations are the oral cavity and cloaca. Thought to be of viral etiology and infectious, spread … Read more

The delightful Goffin’s Cockatoo (Cacatua goffini) is one of the gems of the avian world. While not quite as popular in the pet trade as their larger cousin, the Umbrella Cockatoo, these adorable, energetic birds have much to offer.Goffins are one of the smaller members of the cockatoo family, averaging around 12″-13″ in length and … Read more

Awwww, a baby parrot. Such sweet treasures to love and cuddle. In addition to the joy they bring us, it is our responsibility to teach them things that will help them integrate into our homes safely and happily.To begin this integration process, you need some special items for that baby parrot. My task was to … Read more

Megabacteria, as the name implies, are very large rod shaped organisms. Although initially considered to be a type of bacteria, newly emerging evidence suggests it is really a fungus. Megabacteria have been identified in many species of birds among which include budgies, finches, canaries, lovebirds, cockatiels, rosellas, cockatoos, mynahs, certain parrot species and waterfowl. It … Read more

We have all wondered which foods contain the most nutrition for our birds. Many of us also want to know what nutritional differences exist if foods are served raw, fresh, cooked, sprouted, dry roasted or oil roasted. This is the second in a series of articles which will address these questions. The first article covered seed … Read more

(This concludes this article. Part I of this article is at https://birdsnways.com/raising-good-pets/) Flight Training I consider this to be the most important thing in raising confident babies and the single biggest factor in avoiding the clinging, feather-plucking, self-mutilating, neurotic Cockatoo or naked, fearful African Grey or biting, screaming Amazon. Our baby birds fly through weaning. … Read more

Tucker Farms is a small aviary. By a small aviary I mean that our family does all the work that needs to be done without outside help. My husband Ron builds equipment and cages and does most of the heavy cleaning. I handfeed babies, prepare food and feed breeder birds. I try to educate people … Read more

The avian beak is a complex, remarkable organ composed of bone, vascular layers, keratin, dermis and a germinative layer. It continues to grow throughout the bird’s life and is constantly worn down by feeding, grooming, climbing, chewing and rubbing. The rate of keratin replacement depends upon the use of the beak.The beak is also known … Read more