The sore is the red spot below her back two toes, before the joint.
I felt pretty sure it was a pressure ...
]]>The sore is the red spot below her back two toes, before the joint.
I felt pretty sure it was a pressure sore, caused by improper perching, but wanted reassurance from people with more experience in that area than I had. We all agreed that it was a pressure sore. The question was: how did she get it? She had been in the same cage, with the same configuration of perches for a year without any problem. What had changed? The answer came to me when I was cleaning her cage the next day.
Though Theo has many perches of varying thicknesses and materials, I was aware that her perching preference was in the center of her main perch, the one the runs the length of her cage. I knew this because this was the area where most of her poop accumulated.
That’s where she spent her time while preening, and apparently where she slept at night. Now her poop was now over at the right side of her cage.
Since her main perch varies in diameter, being much thicker on the one end nearest the mirror, I took the perch out and flipped it around so that the thinner end was on the side of the cage she seemed to prefer. This made the difference in her grip on the perch and the sore on her foot disappeared.
Plastic perch with sandy texture.
A bird’s feet should wrap about 3/4 of the way around their perch in order to get a good grip and maintain balance. If the perch is too large, the bird will be unstable and the constant shifting and wobbling will eventually cause skin irritation and pressure sores. There is also the danger of falling while asleep. You may find it necessary to experiment with size to find what your bird’s preferences and needs are.
Varying diameters in the perches will help your birds avert such problems as arthritis and atrophy and strengthen and increase dexterity in the feet. Your parrot will be standing on her feet 24/7 for the entirety of her life and her foot health is essential.
Manzanita perch with sandy texture on the sides.
Perches are available in a variety of materials. There are pros and cons to most of them.
Manzanita
Natural wood branches are the best way to go for your parrots main perch. Birds in the wild live in trees that have varying texture, hardness and width in their branches. The best branches you will find for your parrot at home will bend and twist in shape and have off shoots.
Aside from being the natural choice, they are also really fun to chew! A friend of mine has an amazon that had branch perch about 18″ long that was anchored to only one side of the cage. Her silly parrot would stand on the unanchored side and chew through the branch and, of course fall to the bottom of the cage. She repeats this process every time the perch is replaced.
Either she’s not the smartest bird in town or it’s a game. You can’t put a price on that kind of fun.
I do not recommend wooden dowel perches because of their uniformity in size and shape. They do nothing to exercise the feet and are also rather slippery and easy to fall from. I have to use one during part of the year for Linus, my umbrella cockatoo, because of the corn-like growths that he gets on his toes that make perching on a thicker branch uncomfortable for him at times. As soon as the growths are gone, I replace his natural perch.
***edit from original blog article*** We also no longer recommend using cement perches. Recently it was brought to our attention that some of these perches are testing posistive for lead. This can not only cause metal toxicity if chewed on but once the concrete is swallowed it needs medical intervention for removal, as a parrot can not pass it on its own. A good alternative to concrete for toe nail trimming are the sandy perches described below with a base of plastic or wood underneath the sand.
Sandy perches come in a fun variety of shapes, sizes and colors. These will help keep nails trimmed and help stimulate blood flow in the feet. However, they aren’t meant for long term perching as the course texture will irritate their skin after too long. These are great perches for food bowl areas.
Dragonwood perch and rope perch
Rope and natural fiber perches are great for comfortable relief from the harder perches. Some older, arthritic birds or those with handicaps might really appreciate them. However, since they are so soft, they invite chewing, and can get very frayed. These frayed parts can easily trap toes and nails.
I know of several instances where a nail has been ripped from its bed by a bird in a frantic effort to escape being caught the fray and one circumstance where a toe was lost. Keep the fray trimmed down with scissors whenever there is any hanging off.
Be aware if there is any chance your bird is tearing these softer perches and ingesting the strings as this can cause a crop impaction, which can be life threatening. These should not be used with birds that have made this a habit.
Shelf perches are just the greatest. I put a corner shelf in Linus’ cage and he just loves it. It gives his feet a chance to stretch and it is a great platform for toy play and eating. They are super easy to install and clean.
When you buy a perch (or borrow one from a parrot safe non-toxic tree) you will need to sterilize it before putting it into the cage. Make sure any branches you bring in from outside have come from trees that have not been exposed to pesticides. Fill your bathtub with water, add a cup of bleach and soak overnight. In the morning, rinse the perch and tub with clean water and soak the branch for another hour to thoroughly remove any traces of bleach.
I let mine dry till the next day – wood is porous and can harbor bacteria especially when wet. Perches of any material will need to be removed and scrubbed down any time there is food or fecal matter stuck to them, which will be often. Try to select perches that will make this job easiest for you.
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
]]>Did you know that there are no laws or restrictions governing the production of commercial seed mixes??
That means that everything from the quality of the grains used to chemical additives goes without supervision. Did you ever notice the handful of “dust” at the bottom of your pre-packaged mix? While a certain amount of dust is to be expected as seed hulls break apart, much of the dust in these bags are due to the disintegration of old, dry and brittle product, non-food related shop dusts and “whatever else”. When I found this out years ago, I almost fell over.
Seed is an essential part of the diet for my cockatiels, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I called my vet and asked her what she feeds her cockatiels and she told me she uses only human-grade grains. The production and processing of these grains ARE subject to government regulation.
All of the grains I use in making my seed mix are human-grade and organic. They can be found in the bulk bin department of Whole Foods, or a similar establishment. The directions are easy: Buy ’em, put ’em in a bowl and mix ’em up!
If you find some of these ingredients in this recipe are not currently available you can omit them until they are back in stock. I usually keep a pound or two of the seed mix ready for use in an air-tight container and freeze the rest.
If you take the time to get as much air as possible out of the bags, they will keep for about six months. Vacuum sealers are great for this purpose.
1 cup whole wheat berries
1 cup pearled barley
1 cup quinoa
1 cup hulled barley
1 cup whole spelt
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup oat groats
1 cup hulled millet
1 cup rye flakes
1 cup rye berries
1 cup steel cut oats
Note: Be sure to stir your mix up before serving as the smaller grains like quinoa, millet and steel cut oats tend to fall to the bottom.
Seed should be about 10% of the diet of small birds. The rest should be made up of organic pellets (45%) and our Seasonal Feeding System (45%).
Take a look at the difference between a store bought product and my seed mix. Note the difference in color. The lighter colored homemade mix on top is clearly fresher and offers more variety without any unnecessary ingredients.
Note: The homemade mix at the top contains only fresh, organic, human-grade grains. The colored seed at the bottom is a non-organic store bought seed mix.
To my surprise, my cockatiels had a problem with switching to this new blend. They were accustomed to and comfortable with their old store bought brand. My feelings were hurt when they shunned my mix. So, I did what any good mom would do: I tricked them into eating what was good for them! I added a 1/4 lb of my mix to 1 lb of their old mix to start with, slowly upped it to 50/50, and eventually weaned them completely off of the old seed. They love it now.
While I don’t recommend seed in the diet of many birds, it is the largest part of the diet for some species in the wild and access to seed provides them with emotional as well as physical well-being.
One super easy method of sprouting is to spread a thin, sparse layer of seeds over a damp (not quite “soaking wet”) paper towel before you go to bed. I put the paper towel and seed mix on a plate or in a shallow container and cover loosely with a dry paper towel. Leave it on the counter in a warm spot over night and you will have the beginnings of sprouts in the morning or afternoon.
The key to success in this is finding just the right spot in your kitchen (or wherever) to place the paper towel. Try different locations if your kitchen counter isn’t working for you.
It is not necessary for the seed to have a plant growing out of it. The benefit of sprouts begins at the first stages of germination. The tiniest little nodule coming out of the seed means is has sprouted and is ready to eat. Don’t leave your sprouting mixture out beyond the afternoon. The wet paper towel can easily pick up bacteria the longer it stays in the air.
Cockatiel seed can yield sprouts that are appropriate for any sized birds. Have fun!
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
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It would be reasonable for you to wonder why you should bother going to to the extra effort of sprouting when you are already feeding your bird vegetables on a daily basis.
The answer is very simple: sprouts offer more nutrition than any other fresh food you serve your bird.
Why? That’a little more complicated…
It starts with our food supply chain. When you go to the store to buy fresh produce it has already been on a long journey:
From harvesting, to processing, to a warehouse. Then it is trucked to another warehouse at its city of destination. From there it is distributed to supermarkets where customers eventually purchase it, where it might sit in their fridge until they use it.
Every day that passes there is an exponential amount of nutritional degradation. This is the normal supply chain for our fresh foods - it is not related to covid disruptions.
The sprouts we grow ourselves have been through none of this. Since they are very much alive there is 0% nutritional loss…they retain their full nutrition BECAUSE they are still alive. Your bird is literally eating a living plant. It can’t get any healthier than that.
HOW TO SPROUT is a tougher question to answer.
Mung Beans in Sprouting Jar
Since there is so much variety in what can be sprouted (like beans, seeds, grasses, micro-greens etc) and so many different sprouters that are available - it is impossible to say definitively “this is the way to sprout”. Every company will have their own method that works for the sprouting vessels they sell.
For those new to sprouting it is probably best that you decide what you want to sprout and look for a sprouter based on that. Pick something that fits both your budget and your countertop (or wherever you will keep it-different sprouts have different light requirements) and if you are feeling insecure about your ability to do this, look for that company’s tutorial for that sprouter. If they don’t have one, maybe consider looking elsewhere…there are a lot of start-up companies since the pandemic that may or may not have worked out the bugs in their products.
Hamama Sprouting Tray - Ceramic Edition (Jamie's Favorite)
While we can’t advise you on how to grow your sprouts we can definitely tell you what NOT to do:
HOW AND HOW OFTEN TO FEED sprouts to parrots is another topic to tackle.
Sprouts are beneficial and safe for all parrot species - even the nectar eating lories and lorikeets - but they can be over-served under certain circumstances. Let me explain…
During germination, which is simply what happens to a seed when sprouting, enzymes are produced that breaks down the starches (in a process known as “predigestion”) which makes the nutrients much more readily available and quickly dispersed. For this reason, sprouts are referred to as a quick energy food.
Normally this is a good thing but when continually served combined with any commercial products that are vitamin fortified (seed mixes/pellets) it can be a problem for parrots. Eventually your bird will develop hypervitaminosis (AKA toe-tapping) which is a neurological issue that causes jerky, reflexive and repetitive foot motions that are pretty scary to witness. It is simply the response to an overload of vitamins in the system and is easily rectified by eliminating or reducing the sprouts or the vitamin fortification without having any long term effects. It is not a reason not to sprout but something to be managed appropriately.
It is fine to serve additional sprouts with the seasonal feeding system - just a sprinkling. Sprouts are a powerhouse nutritionally and a bird will not require a lot to gain the benefits.
Basic FAQs
Q: Since we are supposed to cook beans to eliminate toxins, do we have to cook sprouted beans?
A: No. The pre-digestion process in sprouting deactivates the lectins (toxins) in beans.
Q: Which are the healthiest types of sprouts for parrots?
A: The answer is: all of them. Sprouting tends to enhance or fix some of the seed or legumes qualities - such as increasing vitamins and minerals or reducing cholesterol. Sprouting makes them a better version of themselves.
They all have different benefits that we should explore but among my favorites for parrots are chia seeds for their omegas 3s and the high calcium and magnesium, wheatgrass which is high in vitamins C and E and high in antioxidants, pea shoots as a great source of vitamins K, C and A and mung beans for their antioxidants and general heart healthiness.
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
]]>Before we get into the subject matter of this post, let’s take a minute to talk about seed in the parrot diet…
In the wild, every parrot species consumes seed daily. It has many health benefits, which will be discussed further down, and yet in the world of companion parrots, it is utterly vilified.
The concerns are not without merit, however. Seed is high in fat and calories and when you combine that with it being a favorite food of parrots and often chosen over healthy foods we serve, it can become a problem in the diet.
It is not toxic. It is not dangerous. But it does have to be served responsibly.
The largest portion of the diet should still be reserved for produce and pellets. The seed portion should comprise no more than 20% (on the high end) - ideally 10%. If you choose to allow your bird access to seed throughout the day (free-feed), you should remove the bowl overnight to ensure they are hungry in the morning when you serve vegetables.
Another feeding method is to limit your bird’s access to seed by serving only what your bird can eat in late morning or early afternoon. You can determine this amount by weighing the dish before and after or by measuring the amount served versus what remains in the bowl once your bird walks away from the feeding. Seed must never get in the way of the other important meals.
We recommend that only the smallest species of parrot be allowed seed in their diets for one specific reason: their size. Small parrots cages tend to be roomier, proportionately speaking, and the human environment in which they live is much more spacious and allows more room for flight and other activity. A large parrot might cross a room with a few beats of their wings, a small parrot needs to work harder and they have the means to burn off those excess calories.
That said…
This is intentionally a very basic recipe.
Blueberry’s Seed Mix:
1/2 lb millet
1/2 lb quinoa
1 cup oat groats
1 cup hemp seed
1/2 cup whole brown flax seed
1 cup chia seed
1/2 cup rape seed
1 cup rolled oats
A good seed mix should contain only seed and grains. Too often commercial mixes add ingredients that have no place in a seed mix, have no real nutritional value or are just filler (in some cases, literally twigs!) - something cheap that takes up room in the bag to drive up weight and volume and therefore price. The ingredients are typically old and devoid of nutrition. You get to control all of this by making the ingredient brand selections yourself.
The seeds and grains chosen for Blueberry’s Seed Mix are just right for budgies, lovebirds and parrotlets - nothing too big or too hard for consumption by the little guys.
The nutritional signature of most seeds are fairly similar - all have great fiber and varying amounts of calcium, vitamin E and omega 3s. Some have higher potassium, magnesium and protein than others but since your bird may prefer certain seeds it is best to combine a good variety for them to choose from. Their beneficial components of are nothing to play down.
FIBER: Maintains digestive health, helps keep cholesterol and blood sugar levels on target and helps maintain healthy body weight.
MAGNESIUM: It is impossible to overstate the value of magnesium. Aside from lowering blood pressure, regulating genes, muscle movement and the nervous system, it converts food into energy, it’s a major anti-inflammatory and plays a huge role in brain function and mental health. Seeds are a great source of magnesium.
POTASSIUM: Regulates the balance of fluids in the body, regulates muscle (including heart) contractions, protects against strokes.
VITAMIN E: Aside from being a powerful anti-oxidant, it boosts the immune system and is hugely important to brain function. For parrots, its most important function is its skin and feather health benefits.
OMEGA 3s: Hugely beneficial in preventing heart disease and protecting joints. It also promotes skin and feather health.
CALCIUM: Responsible for bone strength and muscle/heart health. Also, calcium is notably important for parrots as an egg laying species. Egg shells are made up mostly of calcium and when calcium in the blood stream is low it is drawn from the bones to form the shells.
PROTEIN: Increases bone and muscle mass, boosts metabolism, lowers blood pressure and helps the body repair from injury.
]]>If you are paying attention to your bird’s diet (and I know you are because you are reading this) you know that proper diet is crucial to a parrot’s health. The nutrients packed into a science-based vegetable diet like BirdTricks’ Seasonal Feeding System will not only maintain good health but will ward off future problems: the fact is, the majority of companion parrot diseases are the result of poor diet.
So, you may ask, if a vegetable dominant diet is so potent, why must we also feed pellets? The answer, in a word, is minerals.
While vegetables amply provide the vitamins that are so vital to good health, a well-chosen pellet brand will reinforce their mineral content to appropriate levels for a bird. Think of pellets as supplemental to a produce diet and even while the Seasonal Feeding System contains grains which have high mineral content, pellets will provide the majority of your bird’s mineral needs.
If you take a pass on adding a great pellet to your bird’s daily diet, you are missing the opportunity to profoundly supplement the vegetable diet and guarantee full, complete nutrition for your bird.
For instance, that birds are an egg laying species and the shells for which are comprised mainly of calcium. If you have a bird that is producing eggs when calcium is insufficient in their diet, their bodies will alternately rob calcium from their bones. Calcium absorption is reliant on Vitamin D and magnesium…it’s just like an eco-system, all aspects of the diet play a role in the bigger picture.
Things you need to know…
BirdTricks Organic Life Enhancing Pellets for Parrots are comprised of 100% natural ingredients.There are NO wheat or corn fillers, NO added vitamins or minerals, NO artificial flavors, NO sugars/sucrose, NO animal products or by-products, NO GMOs and NO dyes.
They are preserved using natural ingredients and they are suitable for parrots of any size. One of the best things about these pellets is that they are formed using a cold pressed method which eliminates nutrient-destroying heat from their processing.
Take a look at the ingredients in BirdTricks’ Organic Life Enhancing Pellets for Parrots. Not only does it have all the ingredients to round out your bird’s mineral needs, it also builds on the days vitamin intake with ingredients such as carrot and spinach powder and crushed red chili peppers and it adds the huge supplemental advantages of nettle and dandelion leaf powder. This is as good as it gets:
Alfalfa leaf*, millet*, barley*, rice*, (the following ingredients comprise no more than 5% of total volume each) sunflower seeds*, sesame seeds unhulled*, quinoa whole*, pumpkin*, buckwheat*, dandelion leaf powder*, carrot powder*, spinach leaf powder*, purple dulse*, kelp*, rose hips powder*, rose hips crushed*, orange peel powder*, lemon peel powder*, rosemary whole leaf*, cayenne ground*, crushed red chili peppers*, nettle leaf*, cinnamon*.
*organic
ALFALFA LEAVES: Loaded with health-building properties. Its contents are not only balanced for complete absorption, but they help assimilate protein, calcium and other nutrients.
MILLET: A complete food, rich in minerals (especially calcium) and vitamins, particularly lecithin, which is important for the formation of healthy feathers.
BROWN RICE: Is a nutritious, wholesome staple food containing a sizable quantity of minerals. Its 8 amino acids are so proportionately balanced that it has the highest protein digestibility among staple foods.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS: One, if not the most, nutritious and healthy foods to be found in the dried foods sector. They have a high content of healthy unsaturated fatty acids, contain important nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, folate, iron and phytochemicals, plus are a rich source of proteins and fibers. NOTE: While the above is true, sunflower seeds become harmful to health when overfed. The proportion of sunflower seeds used in our pellets takes advantage of their many benefits without crossing that line.
SESAME SEEDS: Loaded with minerals, especially high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, and are so high in vitamin E that its oil or meal is often used as a preservative. Contains all amino and essential fatty acids known today.
QUINOA: A perfectly balanced ratio of amino acids and is rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements. 4.3% of those are Alpha – Linol acid, an essential fatty acid which is, otherwise, only found in fish.
DANDELION POWDER: A rich source of beta carotene, vitamins D, B complex and C. It has a very high potassium content, as well as numerous other minerals, like the bone, nail and feather-strengthening minerals calcium, boron and silicon. Dandelion powder is good for a sluggish liver, to remove toxins from the liver and gall bladder and to help cleanse the blood.
CARROT POWDER: One of the top rated vegetables, providing protein, calcium, iron, and the vitamins A, C, and B, the phytochemicals alpha carotene, p-coumaric, clorogenic acids and the carotene complex.
NETTLE LEAVES: Helps the blood break down proteins, making it a natural kidney and adrenal cleaner.
SPINACH LEAF POWDER: An excellent source of beta carotene, vitamins C, E and K, calcium, potassium, iron, sodium, sulphur, folic acid and oxalic acid. They contain more protein and chlorophyll than most vegetables.
PURPLE DULSE: A sea vegetable that is a natural source of essential minerals, especially iodine, vitamins, ions, sea salt and roughage.
ROSE HIPS: Contain an extremely high amount of natural vitamin C, and are, therefore, a great antioxidant and strengthener of the immune system. They are also very rich in beta carotene, vitamin B-complex, E and rutin.
ROSEMARY: A stimulant for the circulatory system and strengthen the nervous system. Used as a heart tonic, for respiratory ailments, gout and rheumatic pains.
CAYENNE AND RED CHILI PEPPERS: High in vitamin A, C, iron, calcium and contain vitamin G, B-complex, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur. It is a harmless internal disinfectant, increases the effect of other herbs, cleanses the blood, wards off and equalizes blood circulation, increases heart action but not blood pressure, and helps prevent strokes and heart attacks.
SOY BEANS
Soy beans in their natural state contain large quantities of natural toxins and there is data that soy is cumulatively toxic when fed to animals. For example, The PARROT SOCIETY NEW ZEALAND claims that soy products in bird food have caused such problems as immune system breakdown, failure of organs and multiplication of the birds’ own benign bacteria. Soy products are also commonly GMOd.
PEANUTS
Since so many birds have developed allergies to peanuts in recent years, and because raw peanuts can release aflotoxins when packaged and shipped inappropriately we do not recommend their use.
WHEAT
Wheat is a common allergen and contains about 80 different components that can cause a negative reaction.
Find our organic, life enhancing pellets for all size parrots here.
]]>Typically, when our skin gets dry, we grab some hand or body lotion. But when our parrot’s skin gets dry, they might scratch with their feet or make a fuss to let us know that they are uncomfortable. Some might begin to preen…and preen…and preen. Some might cross the line into plucking to alleviate the itchiness.
Bath your parrot more frequently. Somehow, bird owners have gotten the notion that it is unsafe to bath parrots in the cold weather.This is simply untrue. For all the reasons listed above, it might be MORE important to get them nice and wet at least a couple of times a week during the winter. It is a necessary grooming procedure and your bird’s feather and skin health will suffer if it is overlooked.
If your house is cold and drafty, bathe your bird earlier on so it can dry off during the warmest time of the day and be completely dry for bedtime.This is more for comfort than safety.Your bird is not going to “catch it’s death of cold” from being wet in the winter any more than you will. Being cold AND wet temporarily lowers the body’s immune system. It makes one more susceptible to disease but does not CAUSE illness. Don’t let this misinformation cause you to avoid baths in the winter.
Buy a humidifier. Here is a post that outlines the different types available and which ones are safest for use with parrots.
Use bath sprays.There are several brands available on the market today. When it comes to selecting these products (or any type of product) for your parrots, go for the ones with the fewest ingredients. They are typically the safest and most natural. I have gone through the ingredients in some of the more popular bath sprays and these are my findings:
Check out this awesome custom pet portrait by West and Willow. I got a physical framed version of this and it's on its way to my home. I cannot wait to feature it in a video soon on a wall. Just gotta find the wall space, haha...
It was so easy to use their website - I simply selected my background, frame color and uploaded my photo(s) and it was done.
If you get your pet birds done, tag me so I can see how they turn out!
Here are the original photos I sent them to use:
How do you think the portraits turned out?
Thanks so much, West and Willow!
]]>On the left is a treat in its whole form (the nuts have been shelled and in the case of the walnut I only used a portion from an entire walnut), to the right shows how much smaller you can get with each reward. A safflower seed and sunflower seed are ideal sizes of treats. Even a pine nut is an ideal treat size, but I sometimes break those into two pieces for my sun conures or if I want to try to get more repetitions in a single session.
With the cashews and pistachios you can even go a size SMALLER if needed, depending on the size bird you're working with.
So in other words, you can either use 1 almond as 1 repetition or you can get 8 repetitions from a single almond!
I like to use the whole nuts (to the left of the image) as JACKPOT REWARDS. I give these when the bird overcomes fear or discomfort (that's a big deal and should be reinforced! We want to see more of that!) or when a bird exaggerates a behavior to my liking (training my bird to talk he can sometimes be incredibly enthusiastic about it or he can sound bored and as though he isn't trying... when I get ultimate enthusiasm I will jackpot reward to indicate THAT is the standard of behavior I want from now on!)
Treat size plays a HUGE role in your training session success. I keep a mixture of ALL of these in my treat pouch because I'm rewarding 8 birds who have different food preferences and ratings and I like to have something for everyone.
Remember these treats in your treat pouch are your TOOLS for getting more good behaviors from your bird so use them as such. You can always give more, but if you find yourself waiting on your bird to hurry up and consume your treat, you may want to jump it to a size to the right...
Jamieleigh Womach has been working with parrots and toucans since the age of 17. She isn’t homeless but is home less than she prefers to be. She travels the world with her husband, daughter, and a flockful of parrots whom she shares the stage with.
CLIPPED PARROTS CAN BE FLIGHT TRAINED!
They can be trained while clipped, of course within their limitations of what type of clip they have, and they can be trained throughout being clipped as the molting process occurs and their new feathers come in. Sometimes even fully flighted birds, birds that were never clipped, lose multiple flight feathers giving a sort of "toothless" look when they're in flight.
Here is an example of my own bird missing flight feathers through a natural molt:
And another from a 45 year old amazon who was fully flighted:
It's easiest to flight train a clipped bird when it's at the fledging age because it naturally wants to keep trying. An older, clipped bird will give up much faster from past bad experiences failing. Which is why it can be so important not to let the process become negative in any way, or harmful to the bird. It's going to try really hard to fly because that's what it's meant to do, and it is not going to understand why its wings are not working the way they should. So keeping the encouragement up throughout the first molt is paramount.
Here are some stories and timelines of people who have trained their clipped birds for indoor or outdoor flight:
Neo, Scarlet Macaw.
From his owner, Meagan Ramsay: He was clipped as soon as he got all of his feathers in, the breeder I got him from always clipped her babies before they started flying. He could fly 5-10 feet when he only had 2 of his wing feathers, then when he got more of them he was able to fly from my front door to my back door. He's almost 2 years old now, and I've been training him for a little over a year. He's able to ascend and descend, turn corners and do really tight circles.
Here is Neo's transformation from a year of training. Remember, molts take longer the larger the bird.
From his owner, Ailis Stynes: I'm currently training my clipped galah for free flight. At 8 weeks old he was clipped because he was crashing and the breeder was afraid he'd hurt himself and he said he was aggressive. 5 days later I picked him up and he was a sweetheart so no clue where the breeder got that from! I taught him how to fly and now I'm teaching him free flight. I need to wait for his flight feathers to molt before I can continue training but he's got recall down and ascending and descending isn't going too bad. He struggles with turning a lot I can't do out of sight recall yet with him.
This is while clipped, trying to fly anyway and only making it to the floor:
And his progression in clipped flight:
Flora Maple shared this story of her blue and gold macaw: My macaw was clipped by a vet when he was a baby without my consent. He’s now started his free flight journey.
The training of this macaw took 8 months for harness-trained flight. By the time he was 2 years old, he was successfully freeflight trained for outdoors!
Monika Clarke shares this story of her amazon parrot, Blue: I got Blue at 13 weeks old with one wing clipped. He never attempted to fly indoors unless spooked. Sat on the java tree all day long.
18 months of daily outdoor line training to keep muscles in use while feathers grow back resulted in free flight. And more attitude of course! This is Blue now:
Paige May shares the story of two of her birds' journeys: Boo the more severe clip was an unknown age - fully mature rescue. He was especially fully trained the same day I took him outside. He lived in a outdoor aviary and was very bonded to me so I wouldn’t even call it training. Although it took 1-1.5 years before he could fly after his clip. He was free flighted for a year perfectly before passing away from unrelated causes.
Kavi is 18 months old and I hand raised and sold him already free flight trained. He was trained for about 6 months before the owner decided she couldn’t cater for Kavis lifestyle, clipped him and kept him permanently in a cage for 8 months. After developing a screaming problem he was surrendered back to me and I’ve been able to re-train him and it took about a week before he was completely reliable outside.
Anne Cooper shares Bella's story: I've never shared the videos of Bella learning to fly, I've always been self conscious about them. I believe the way we trained Bella to fly and Freefly suited Bella's personality and situation. But I know the way we trained Bella isn't the standard way.
Bella's previous owner only had her for 5-6 months and said she was probably between 5-7 years old. And I have no idea how long she had been clipped. 3 months of daily flight practice once fully-flighted or mostly flighted.
The above image is Bella now!
These two hyacinths (belonging to Bill Brown) were hatched two weeks apart in 2013, and clipped when they came home around 7-8 months old. All 12 primaries were clipped, and it took over a year for all the feathers to naturally fall out and grow back in.
They were 2 years old when they started training and were flight trained in 1 year for one of them, and 2 years for the other in outdoor flight.
Elizabeth Nicole Comai shares her story: Our Green Wing Macaw is 24 years old. I was given him from my Aunt who raised and hand fed him. She was pro-clipper, and clipped him before he could fledge, until the time we got him when he was about 21 years old. We let his wings grow in, as we didn’t agree with clipping. Just recently, however, we have started working really hard with him and flying (since last November). This is a bird who has never had flight feathers for 21 years of his life; and spent it in a cage. For the 3 years we had him, not once did he ever open his wings on his own, to flap them or even stretch.
(pictured clipped with one long primary)
The first day he took flight from my arm he only flew maybe 6 feet; but it was beautiful. He now flaps his wings when just sitting on his cage or a stand, which makes me so happy. He can fly about 10-12 feet now, and now fully understands that he can, and enjoys just flapping his wings on his own. We’ve been working real hard on starting recall training now:
If you would like to submit your story to be featured here about training a currently clipped or previously clipped bird for indoor or outdoor flight, please email your story to me at info@birdtricks.com.
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“You can have a bird or a bank account, not both.”
Truer words had never been spoken, and they were spoken to me by the sales associate of my local pet store, ringing up my 3rd $200+ purchase of bird toys that month. The particular statement was made when I asked him how expensive some of the larger java wood tree stands in the store were.
(Oh, and forget those store bought toys! Get your All-Natural, Non-toxic Parrot Toys by monthly subscription and SAVE!)
You see, I had already done my research online about large tree stands but had a sliver of hope that maybe in the stores they would be cheaper...That hope was soon shot down. Alas, it seemed if I wanted a nice large stand for my two blue and gold macaws, it was going to be costing me almost as much as a mortgage payment.
Now, when I say tree stand, I’m not talking a few small branches here and there for them to stand on. Those were running between $250-450 online and in the store (still a big chunk of change).
No, I wanted a play stand. I wanted a large area where they could climb and explore and chew on those hundreds of dollars of toys I was buying for them. I’m a bit paranoid about FDB (feather destructive behavior) and wanted something that I knew they wouldn’t get bored on, even if I had to leave one of them on it for a few hours during the day while I worked.
When I told my husband what it would cost, he laughed...and laughed...and continued laughing until I told him I was serious. I wanted one. I knew we didn’t have the money but my birds were my babies and I wanted nothing but the best for them.
When he mentioned doing one DIY, I cringed. I was terrible at DIY stuff and had no building talent whatsoever. But he was handy and had some tools and was up for the challenge, so I said ok. Best decision I ever made.
Dragonwood, Java, Manzanita... all hard, all gorgeous, all ridiculously expensive. No wonder large play trees cost so much! So that led us into researching what woods were and were not safe for birds.
We noticed that orange citrus wood was considered safe. It was local to us, and we knew of a grove that had not been fertilized as it had been on a friend’s property (she gave us permission to cut dead branches). Also, the branches tended to be curvy and unique on the trees, which was ideal for a good play stand. We also needed wood for a base, and we decided to go with 2 untreated pine 2x4x8s (do not get treated wood!!). With our woods picked out and an idea in our heads, we set out to make this thing.
Now, you may be thinking to yourself - “that wood is really soft! My birds would chew through that in an instant!” Yes, the woods we chose are softer woods. Yes, our birds do chew on them. But we have found that as long as we have toys on them, the birds choose to chew on the toys rather than the wood beneath their feet.
Also, we designed it with the explicit intention of being able to unscrew and replace parts quickly and easily as they got worn down or chewed off. But if you are worried about the softness of the woods, this design can be done with any type of wood you desire.
First, we went and cut branches off of dead trees that we liked. We decided not to use live trees as we didn’t want to take away from her possible orange harvest. We were aware of diameter, length, and “curviness” when cutting the branches.
Then, we prepped the 2x4x8s. First, each one was measured out to 5 feet. Then, using the Circular Saw, we cut through each one separately. Make sure not to damage the last 3 feet as this will be used later.
Then, take the 2 5-foot long pieces and place them on the Saw Horses stacked on top of each other. Try to make at least one of the ends line up perfectly. The more precise you can get, the more stable the stand will be. Use the C-Clamps on either end of the stacked wood.
Once those are in place, take the 2.5-inch stainless screws and begin drilling. We used a total of 8; 4 on one side 4 on the other, alternating on each one. We did not measure exactly the spacing, and you are welcome to use more screws if you desire.
Then, we began on the legs. Taking the 2 3-foot pieces still left over, measure out 2 feet on each and cut. Then, draw a diagonal line using a straight edge. We drew a diagonal such that the skinny ends of the feet would not be pointy, but instead have a small amount of height to them (about ½ inch). Once drawn, cut along the line using the circular saw.
Once complete, I sanded all the cut sides of all of the boards. Then, standing the now-screwed-together 5 foot pieces on end, begin with one leg and drill into the side of the base. Be careful of being level!! This is where taking your time will really make the stand more stable. Repeat for all 4.
Congrats!! The base of your stand is now made!
Now it’s on to those lovely branches you cut.
First, we took the branches and trimmed some of the small, stick like ends. We also cut some of the longer branches. This part is entirely up to you and what your vision is for your tree and the area it will be in.
Then, we pressure washed all the branches. This was to remove any excess dirt, along with the dead bark along the wood. If the bark didn’t come off with pressure washing, we tried peeling it off. If it didn’t come off even after peeling, then we left it on. Once pressure washed, we allowed them to dry for 24 hours.
The final step is to arrange and screw the branches onto the base.
This is entirely up to you and depends on what branches you have. We kept in mind width and height, and also thought of areas where it would be great to hang toys. This is where we used the 4-inch screws, as the branches we used were pretty thick.
And that’s it...I promise (lol). 2 days of time and, for us, $24 (this was to purchase the 2x4s and screws).
It was a lot of work, but in the end we now have a tree 3 times the size of any I was looking at for literally a fraction of the cost. The birds love it, we love it, and our bank account loves it.
Now to figure out how to make all those toys they love so much...
Article by Ashlyn Kumanchik, a BirdTricks customer.
]]>No matter what level the terrain is, a level can be unexpectedly increased due to a change in winds.
What this means is you could easily be flying at a level 2 (slopes, hills, and trees with up to 10mph wind) and then suddenly find yourself at a level 3-5 based on wind making an appearance and bumping up to 35+ mph. This is very common in "high wind areas" like White Sands, NM (level 2 if winds are less than 10mph) or the Salt Flats in Utah (level 1 if winds are less than 5mph).
It's incredibly important to know your flight areas and ask ahead of time before visiting to see if the area is right for your bird's current skill level. It's also very important to be aware of the immediate surrounding areas, as you could quickly find yourself outside of your bird's skill level.
I get asked many level-related questions so here are the basics of the outdoor freeflight levels we use, explained:
This is where you start; your first flight outside and your ones to follow to work on successful descending, experience your first exploratory, etc.
This is the easiest level to recover your bird because you can clearly see the space. It's a wide open and flat area. Little to no trees or anything else to land on in sight, 0-5mph wind.
There's virtually no "perfect" level 1 - you may be near cactus, bodies of water may be in the distance, there may be a road surrounding your location, etc.
Here are some examples of level 1 flying locations:
The Salt Flats in Utah
Blue Jacket Park in Orlando, FL
Flat grassy area in Centralia, WA
School grounds in Orlando, FL during out-of-school hours/seasons
Shiprock, NM
Front yard in Waynesboro, VA
Hidalgo, TX
Montgomery, Alabama
Castle Valley in Moab, UT
A level 2 is still relatively easy to recover, though a little harder than a level 1 because you've implemented tall shrubs and trees. The wind should be between 5-10mph, and there should be some slopes to the environment making it no longer flat.
Here are some examples of level 2 flying locations:
Open hills with some trees in Waynesboro, VA
Uneven terrain with tall shrubbery in Reno, NV
At the bottom of a hill in Centralia, WA
Slopes and hills in White Sands, NM
Local park in Haleiwa, Hawaii
A level 3 is difficult to recover based on the terrain and wind. This level includes terrain with considerable ground/height variation from 50-100 feet with 100 foot vertical drops. It includes winds up to 10-15 mph.
Terrains that might fall under a level 2, but have wind of a level 3 are considered a level 3 because of the strong wind element (ie: White Sands, Salt Flats). Wind can push a bird further than you'd ever imagine possible so if your bird is not a skilled enough flyer, spend more time at the previous levels before advancing on.
Here are some examples of level 3 flying locations:
Backside of Castle Rock/Castleton in Moab, UT
Valleys and cliffsides on the way to Fisher Towers in Moab, UT
Backside in Moab, UT
This level feels almost impossible to recover your bird from, but it is still possible though greatly difficult. The winds are 15-20mph and the cliffsides are getting higher, the valleys are getting deeper and the terrain can be very difficult to hike/cliff/or otherwise get around on foot on.
On the same token, this would also include city flying (crowded areas with lots of people, other animals, roads/cars and activity) as well as advanced beach flying because of the escalation of danger and skill it takes to return to the correct person in those environments. The more dangers involved and the higher the risk, the higher the level.
Here are some examples of level 4 flying locations:
Wilson Arch in Moab, UT
Basecamp Hike in Moab, UT
Castle Rock Base Camp Hike in Moab, UT
Dinosaur Tracks, Moab, UT
City flying in San Fransisco, CA
Dinosaur Tracks, Moab, UT
Rooftop city flying in San Fransisco, CA
This level is unrecoverable. Your bird HAS to come back to you because otherwise it cannot be accessed by you. Locations of this nature are accessible by flight only! So in other words, if your bird flies over to an airport - you would not be able to go in there and get the bird. If your bird flies down into the Grand Canyon, it takes special permits to go in there. It also could include any winds of up to 25mph+.
Here is an example of a level 5 flying location:
Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
]]>And because we're notorious for our blooper reels, we had to include that, too!
The Family Friendly Parrot Formula is available for instant download here. When people understand the training quadrant it really helps for us to consult even further because you have the basic foundation/understanding of how behavior is modified.
This is a must watch for EVERY member of the family!
]]>In the above video you will see me teaching my blue throated macaw, Jinx, for the first time how to shake his head no.
To my full surprise, he taught my friend Patty's camelot macaw, Morgan to do the same! Check it out, observational learning at its finest!
This is not the first time I've used observational learning to teach multiple birds the same behavior - Bandit, my male galah, learned the "rock out" from watching our female galah, Bondi. We've used this numerous times with flight and target training as well.
It is a very great and powerful tool!
Now I've taught my female galah the head nod (the "yes") which is opposite of this! That one, in my opinion, is way cuter, but there's no reason you can't teach both! Have fun and put natural behaviors on cue, too. Those are really working with nature.
]]>In the meantime while you wait for that course to download, you can watch the above video and see some characteristics that you may recognize!
Hormonal triggers are important to avoid (mushy, warm foods that mimic the texture and temperature of regurgitated food is one) as well as touching your bird in places you shouldn't.
If you need more hormonal resources check out that course, it has a ton of free resource links on the page.
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The quaker parrot, (AKA the monk parakeet) has become a very popularly kept bird over recent years. It is native to South America, but is found in feral populations in different areas of the world. In the United States and Europe, it has adapted to be able to withstand harsh winter climates and is as close to a “native parrot” as either area can claim. It is a delight to watch them fly through an otherwise parrot-less sky.
Anyone who enjoys a quaker parrot at home will tell you what a fun species they are to have around. They are great talkers, with a large vocabulary which they develop from a very early age, and have some unique qualities that make them very interesting birds to keep.
In the wild, the quaker is the one parrot that is not a tree cavity dweller. It builds HUGE, multi-roomed, communal nests (some weighing up to 200 lbs!) that will house several quaker families. In captivity, the quaker will collect items from all over the house for nest building in its cage. If something turns up missing, your quaker has probably incorporated it into its nest.
In addition to stealing your stuff and talking up a storm, they have a warm and loving personality. They know how to turn on the charm when there is a favorite human around, especially if that human has a shiny object at hand.
Building a lasting relationship with your quaker
The quaker parrot will want to spend as much time with its human family as you can provide for. The more socialization your quaker has with ALL members of the family, the less likely it will be to develop a preference for only one person. This behavior generally progresses to aggression towards anyone else over time. It’s okay for your quaker to have a favorite person as long as it interacts well with ALL people.
Quakers are known for their intense cage territorial-ism – especially during breeding season. Their cage is their castle and they don’t much appreciate invasion of any sort – including the hands of their favorite human. Cage territorial-ism is not a problem behavior so much as a fact of life. However, the untrained and unsocialized quaker parrot will be less likely to hold back the bite when you reach in the cage.
As with all parrots, you will get out of your relationship with your quaker what you put into it. To avoid problem behaviors in general, you will find the most success by spending part of your bird’s out of cage time involved in activities where you are both focused on each other and share a common goal.
Taking the time to train your bird is the ideal way to accomplish this. It gives your bird the meaningful interaction it needs, while teaching it that you are a trustworthy and valuable friend.
This point is very clearly driven home in our DVD reality series: One Day Miracles. Dave and Jamieleigh Womach went into the homes of 12 clients to help them with their bird’s issues. In a live setting, the Womachs taped each episode (different birds, different environments and different problems) so that you can watch the techniques they used to help each family begin to improve their relationship with their birds.
Think of training your parrot this way; every interaction you have with your bird is a training session, whether you like it or not. In that time you are either doing something to increase the likelihood your bird is going to repeat that current behavior it's showing or decrease the likelihood through your actions.
For example, if every time your bird comes out with person A and always goes back into the cage with person B, it's likely the bird will be eager to see person A and bond more strongly to that person than person B. It's also likely the bird will begin to resist going to person B by ignoring or running/flying away and later that behavior escalates to lunging and biting.
With a basic understanding in parrot training person B could easily avoid or repair this situation with any of the following training methods:
When people are just getting started in training their bird, there's two important tools we ask them to master first.
You will use these again and again, they're more powerful than I can express. Make sure these are trained to 100% consistency because these will be the foundation of your training.
There's one thing that gives most parrot owners a hang up on training and that's finding the proper reward (remember, it doesn't have to be food and variety is the key to success!) so lets talk about food motivation.
Once you are armed with your 3 fundamental tools of your bird's favorite treat (one he/she is willing to work for), your clicker (and your bird's understanding of its meaning) and your target stick - you are fully capable of "adding and deleting" behaviors your bird displays.
If you want to see that behavior repeated, reward it!
If you don't want to see that behavior again, ignore it.
These are the basics. You can get into things like shaping a behavior - which means to take a behavior like a bird who scratches its head and shape it into a bird who waves on cue. Here's an example of this with an Alexandrian parrot I trained using this very method (and still in the training phase in the video!)
For more parrot training, trouble shooting and advanced parrot training resources:
A good quality cage can be expensive but if you select wisely it will last for the entirety of your bird’s long life. Whether you choose a stainless or powder coated cage, or a wire cage for the smallest of the parrot species, two words to keep in mind are “size” and “safety”.
Since the average companion parrot spends the majority of their time in their cage, size really matters. Birds that are in cages too small have little opportunity to get the exercise they need to stay healthy. A small cage is quickly overwhelmed when you add toys and perches and your bird will have no room to move around.
The overall construction of the cage should feel sturdy and there should no joints or other areas where toes might get trapped when your bird is climbing around. It should be convenient for you to service and keep clean.
Bar spacing must be appropriate for your bird’s species. Heads get caught in bars spaced too widely (they fit through in one direction and the jaw hinges keep it trapped there) and the toes and wings of large birds can get and broken as the bird travels around a cage with bar spacing that is too small.
Appropriate bar spacing:
1/4″ – 1/2″ – finches, canaries
1/2″ – budgies, lovebirds, parrotlets
1/2″ – 5/8″ – cockatiels, ringnecks, doves, pigeons, small conures
5/8″ – 3/4″ – large conures, senegals, caiques, pionus, jardines
3/4″ – 1″ – amazons, african greys, mini macaws, goffins cockatoos
1″ – 1.5″ – large macaws, large cockatoos
The cage should include several perches that are varied in width, size and texture. You can learn about the different perches available and what sizes are right for your species by reading the following articles:
Finally, the cage should be set up in a way that encourages activity. We so often try to give our parrots a life of comfort and leisure out of kindness. However, a parrot’s body is designed for near constant activity level and placing everything within beak’s reach will negatively impact your bird's health down the line.
The perfect cage is a happy place with lots to do, a place that keeps your parrot’s body and mind active and offers the safety and security necessary for a parrot living in a human environment.
For more inspiration for your aviary and cage setup visit our website that was designed just for this purpose at birdtrickscages.com
More resources:
]]>No matter what size your parrot is, from the smallest parrotlet to the largest macaw, ALL parrots require the same level of care. They all deserve nutritious foods, a safe cage and home, lots of entertainment and human companion that sees they get it all – each and every day.
Diet
Every parrot species needs to be fed a diet that supplies them with the nutrients their bodies require to remain healthy. The most common parrot diseases are related to substandard nutrition which cause poor quality of life and premature death.
Malnutrition can be blamed for some of the behavioral problems companion bird display as well – birds that don’t feel well can be mean and uncooperative, and who could blame them?
Contrary to what you read, commercial seed mixes are not a “parrot diet”. Even the best pellet brands can’t rightfully claim to be a “parrot diet”. Birds are a part of nature and that is where their food should come from as well.
Please see our diet page for more details.
Note: If you are seeking diet information for lorikeets, please see the following articles:
Caging
Since most companion parrots spend a great deal of time inside their cages, the cage you choose needs to satisfy a few crucial requirements:
Please visit our cages website for more information and additional reading on cage selection.
Cleanliness
Bacterial and yeast infections in companion birds are commonly treated in vet’s offices worldwide. There are many reasons a bird might find themselves overwhelmed and battling bacteria or yeast. Some causes will be beyond your control. One area you DO control is how clean you keep your cages, dishes, perches and toys.
Changing the cage liner often is not only healthy for your parrot, but also your family. The more often you pull up the papers, the less dander, dust and dried feces that will be floating in the air and sucked into everyone’s lungs. It also reduces the chance of insect or rodent infestations. (See the best liner to use in your parrot's cage.)
Perches need to be scrubbed down often. Your bird is a slob. He wipes his sweet potato covered beak on the perch right where he stands. He steps in his droppings and tracks them everywhere. Later in the day he walks through the messes he left behind earlier and then eats with those same feet. I think you get the point.
Likewise, toys and cage bars need to be wiped down often. A hand-held steam cleaner is a bird owner's best friend when cleaning.
Dishes must be washed after every use with hot soapy water. Dishes containing fresh foods should be collected after a few hours as the food will be collecting bacteria by that time. How often you remove the dishes containing dry food depends on your bird. If droppings, water or fresh food gets into the dishes they must be removed and cleaned. Water dishes should be cleaned with hot soapy water AT LEAST once a day – more often if your bird is a food or toy dunker.
NEVER use chemicals to clean anything your bird comes in contact with (including floors). Vinegar and water, as well as steam (no cleaners or chemicals added) will get the job done well and is safe for use with parrots.
Bathing/feather care
It is just as important to keep your bird clean! Bathing is a big deal to a parrot. For wild parrots, bathing is a social activity for the flock and plays a role in mental well-being, but it is also necessary to their health.
Birds shed a lot of dust and dander – some species more than others. Without bathing, your bird’s feathers and skin will become itchy and dry. This is enough to make some birds begin to pluck.
The humidity level in your home is also something to watch. Even though many parrot species originate in humid rain forests, our parrots are adapted to our homes and 50% humidity is adequate for them, as it is for us. If you feel your own skin and hair getting dry, chances are your bird is feeling the same way. Humidifiers are relatively inexpensive.
Additional reading on the topic:
Air quality
Of all of the things that kills pet parrots, toxic air quality is NUMBER ONE. This includes cookware with Teflon, spray or aerosol cleaners, room fresheners, smoke and candles and incense and more.
We discuss this on our blog repeatedly because it is so important. If you are a parrot owner, you NEED to be aware of this huge, but somehow often overlooked danger to your bird.
General safety
Your bird is going to get into everything. Know that, expect it and be prepared for it. We are all aware of the need to child=proof a home when there are toddlers present. However, when you add wings and powerful beaks to the equation, it gets tricky.
Things on high shelves are not out of reach and plastic cabinet locks are easily broken when we are dealing with a determined parrot. Sometimes we have to take extraordinary measures to keep the feathered ones safe from becoming victims of their own curiosity.
The best advice you will get is to never get complacent, don’t assume that your bird understands (or cares about) house rules and always expect your bird to do the opposite of what you expect.
Your bird’s well-being is ENTIRELY in your hands. It’s a big job and a daunting responsibility. Educate yourself!
I thought I'd put together some how-to videos on tricks I've trained my own flock so that you can use it to train yours.
Bond building game #1: The Roll Over
Method 1
Your bird should already know:
Now, if your bird does not know how to step up or doesn't know the hand shake, or maybe just is not responding to this method, you can apply this one instead...
Method 2
Your bird doesn't need to know all the things it needed to for method 1, in order to use method 2.
I used a totally different method with my male galah, Bandit. Check it out in the video below:
In order to make your bond building games go more smoothly, you really should be using random rewarding.
This is how we use random rewarding:
Bond building game #2: The Lawn Mower
I made this up based on my silly galah Bandit's natural tendencies. Here is what the trick looks like:
You will learn this trick best by watching my training sessions with Bandit:
Here comes our absolute favorite bond building game...
Bond building game #3: Recall/flight training indoors
Your bird should already:
This method for flight training/recall uses target training.
Struggling with getting your bird to fly to you? Let's backtrack and overcome getting your bird to make the initial hop to you. I have 3 methods I use to encourage birds to hop, once they hop, they will be more likely to put those wings out and FLY. Remember, small approximations! In other words, BABY STEPS.
Method 1 (Target Training)
Your bird should already know:
1. Target training.
Method 2 (Simon Says Effect)
In this particular video the owner and her daughter are working on the spin. This method can be applied to flight as well. You would start with cueing the flight to the person that the bird is most likely to recall to and then as you get momentum going and a rhythm started you start to bring in the second person with the first person just behind the second person to start. As the bird gains confidence with the second person the first person can faze out to the background.
Method 3 (Jackpot)
This method works best for birds who are more hesitant than most and need a lot more encouragement to hop or fly.
Bond building game #4: Bird on back/holding your bird like a baby
Your bird just needs to understand the clicker, or the word good to signal it did something right.
Bond building game #5: Spin in a circle/turn around
Your bird should already know target training in order to properly teach the spin in the way that I demonstrate in the videos below.
Bond building game #6: Shake head "no"
There are a couple different methods to train this behavior. I chose "capturing" which just basically means I waited for my bird to offer the behavior I wanted naturally, then clicked and rewarded as often as I could "capture" her doing it. Another method is lightly blowing in your bird's face (we show this method on our Taming Training and Tricks series with a blue and gold macaw, however, this made my African Grey become horny! So I did not use this method.)
Capturing can be a slower method depending on how quickly your bird tends to catch on to training.
We teach a bunch more tricks in our Taming, Training and Tricks series below:
Happy bond building!
]]>The lovebird is a playful and energetic small parrot – with great big opinions about life. They are feisty and spicy and full of themselves. Their inquisitive nature will have them exploring every corner of its world – and yours.
Contrary to their names, they are not cuddly birds. They are independent and can rarely hold still long enough to enjoy being loved on by their owners. Things to do…places to go. They thrive in a busy and active home.
That is not to say that they are not a friendly and sociable bird, quite the contrary. They love to spend time with every member of the household and while they might have a favorite person, they do not tend to discriminate against any others. Love birds love everyone equally, well , almost equally.
A common myth is that lovebirds do not thrive in captivity without another lovebird for companionship. This is untrue! While a lovebird will gladly accept the company of another of its species, it regards its humans as flock mates and will bond closely with them.
How to keep your lovebird showing the love
Lots of socialization is the key to keeping a lovebird happy. They require out of cage time every day that involves interaction with the whole family. The lovebird is not typically known as a bird that demands the attentions of its owner and they are quite content to play independently. However, this fact might contribute to behavioral problems like biting, as owners are more likely to neglect the socialization of a bird that does not demand it.
Those birds that do not receive a lot of interaction with their humans can become unfriendly and unpredictable in their behavior. Lovebirds are, by nature, cage territorial and nippy. They need a daily dose of positive experience with their flock members to remain handle-able.
The majestic macaw
Without a doubt, the macaw is one of the most beautiful animals to inhabit our planet. From the striking blue of the hyacinth, to the vibrant red of the scarlet, to the rich green of the military, they bring to us nearly every color of the rainbow.
Who wouldn’t want to share their life with a creature so stunning it makes your eyes water? On one end of the macaw is a long and sweeping tail, and on the other a formidable beak that is gentle enough to feed chicks in the nest yet strong enough to crack a Brazil nut.
The hyacinth, who holds the title as the largest parrot of any species, can break a broom handle in half effortlessly. With a bite force of hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch, the macaw is not a bird to trifle with.
It is often their powerful beaks that cause people to shy away from macaw ownership. And it’s a good thing, too, because macaws will sense, and take advantage of, the fear they strike in a timid human.
The macaw is famous for the “lunge”, a maneuver that looks like an attempted attack with a “near miss” outcome. In fact, it is the macaw’s way of testing the mettle of the humans around it – rest assured that if a macaw intended to bite, the result would not have been a “miss”!
When that human shrinks away in terror, not only does the bird find it amusing, but it also learns that this human can be manipulated by fear. Clever bird.
If you are afraid of that oversized beak, a macaw is certainly not for you! Even an experienced macaw owner will maintain a healthy respect for its capabilities.
How to keep your macaw from biting you
It is reasonable to assume that you brought your macaw home to be more than just a colorful ornament in your living room. We all want to share our lives with our birds. It is a crime to think of the macaw that languishes in its cage because it is unmanageable. Does your macaw’s aggression keep you from having meaningful interaction – or perhaps any interaction at all?
If the enormous beak is the first thing you see when you look at your bird, the solution will require that you make some changes to YOUR thinking…the beak is not a weapon, it’s a tool.
Birds are social animals and they thrive in a flock setting. Your macaw looks to the humans in its life as its flock members and both WANTS and NEEDS their companionship. Since your macaw can only react to its environment and is unable to make changes to it on its own, it is up to you to turn things around.
Target training, which can begin with your bird still in the cage, is OUR tool. We can use it to undo their manipulative behavior simply by making it unnecessary.
Because training is a cooperative effort, birds learn that we are happy to connect with them and don’t need to be coerced with aggression.
For more help, please take a look at how our One Day Miracle DVD series can help you with your macaw.
Not so very long ago, avian researchers thought that the male and female eclectus parrots were two entirely different species of parrot. That’s not surprising since they look completely different from each other: the male being predominantly florescent green and the female bright red and blue. They are one of very few color dimorphic parrots – those whose gender can be determined by appearance.
As it turns out, there is a lot about the eclectus parrot that makes them different from the rest.
Another notable difference is in the quality of their contour feathers, which line the head, necks, and undersides of the body. Where the feathers on other parrot species have interlocking barbs (the small strands that extend from the feather shaft), the eclectus contour feathers barbs do not interlock and have a hair-like appearance. The tail and flight feathers have interlocking barbs, as it is necessary for flight.
Different behaviors
While the eclectus parrot plays vigorously with its toys and is a great talker and mimicker, they are generally known as quiet and calm birds. There is an upside and a downside to their calmness…
The upside is that, in captivity, they are not regarded as screamers. Anybody with parrot experience will immediately see this is as a plus. They are excellent parrots for apartment dwellers or condo owners.
The downside is not as clear. Experienced owners of the eclectus parrot will tell you that their quiet and calm demeanor makes it especially hard to gauge their level of contentment in captivity.
The eclectus parrot expresses their stress and fear completely differently from other parrot species. Where most parrots will issue a piercing warning call, fly off or bite when they are frightened, the eclectus resorts to a very different behavior: they become still and quiet.
Without obvious signs of distress, owners unfamiliar with the eclectus will not be aware when their parrot is nervous or unhappy in their environment. They will be shocked when they discover a plucking problem or a stress related illness, or receive an unexpected bite one day.
Owners, new owners in particular, must be constantly aware of everything in the eclectus environment. It will be your job to spot potential problems since your bird will not point them out you.
Different dietary needs
The eclectus is considered to be one of the more difficult species to feed properly. They are particularly prone to some illnesses that result from inadequate diet.
The eclectus digestive system is different from that of other parrot species (its intestines are longer and it proventriculus is bigger), making it a more dynamic system with which to deliver nutrients AND fats. Because of this, the eclectus is prone to fatty tumors, obesity and fatty liver disease.
Another common affliction are strange neurological disorders called toe tapping and wing flipping where the feet clench and unclench and/or the wings drop from position and “flick” back into place involuntarily and rhythmically.
Both conditions are said to be a result of their remarkably efficient digestive system’s ability to cause excessive nutrient delivery. This makes appropriate diet an essential part of eclectus ownership.
How to prevent and cure Fatty Liver disease in parrots can be found in our natural feeding system within our cookbooks.
]]>Whoever came up with the name “parrotlet” was definitely on the right track! The name describes them perfectly! They are, indeed, every bit a miniaturized parrot. It’s amusing to watch big bird antics come from such a little body.
The parrotlet is a small bird with a big love of adventure and, given the opportunity, they will be off exploring every corner of their universe, and chewing on everything along the way. They bond closely with their humans and love attention, as long as you don’t interfere with their plans!
A word of caution for out of cage times, though: parrotlets can be very territorial and are completely unaware of their diminutive stature when it comes to defending the cage or a favorite person. This feisty little bird will not think twice about taking on another bird many times its size, or the family cat or dog. Their big bird attitude sometimes puts them in harm’s way.
They can be domineering and controlling even with another of its species with whom it shares a cage. Like little tyrants, they have been known to cause a cage mate to cower in fear, prevent it from eating, and will on occasion attack for unforeseen reasons.
A parrotlet will also take on a human. Don’t think that their size prevents them from landing a painful bite when they believe the occasion calls for one.
You're not the boss of me!
The bold little parrotlet is a bird that isn’t afraid to stand up for its “rights”. If it feels that you are being unreasonable in your requests for cooperation, it might take an aggressive stance with you or fly off to an obscure location. While you are looking for your tiny companion, please keep in mind that parrots of all sizes do not respond to punishment.
Unless you are able to catch your parrotlet in the commission of a crime and implement punishment immediately (such as going back to its cage early), your bird will never be able to connect the behavior with the consequences.
If you catch your bird chewing holes in the curtains and you pick him up and place him back in his cage, your bird will associate your picking it up (your FIRST action) with that behavior. He will make the association that when he chews on curtains, you will pick him up because that’s what you did. This could very well reinforce the unwanted behavior. When he lands in is cage unexpectedly, he will certainly not understand why he has been placed there and you will be regarded as mean and unpredictable.
The most successful way to break the annoying habits of your outlaw parrotlet is to find a meeting of the minds. Simply put: giving it a reason to want to do things your way. When a favorite treat is on the line as a reward, you’ll be amazed at how interested your little parrotlet will become in letting go of its need to always be the boss!
Look but don't touch
The Indian ringneck is a great talker, an impressive attribute in its own right, but it’s their voices that make them such an attractive parrot to many people. They have a most adorably sweet and expressive quality to their voice – it puts an ear to ear grin on your face that is impossible to wipe off. If you go online and check out videos of talking indian ringnecks, you will want one, guaranteed. BUT, before you buy, you should know that they have earned a reputation of being difficult birds to own. Indian ringnecks are not exactly “people” birds. While some will allow some forms of physical interaction, many do not care to be handled by humans.
This quality does not make them unfriendly, just independent. They are perfectly happy in the presence of their owners, and will agreeably step up for a ride to the living room, but generally, they prefer the relationship to be otherwise hands-off. It is our human habit to lavish affection on a new pet when we first bring them home. We mean well, and we aim to make the newcomer feel loved, but while that might feel good to a puppy, it can feel forceful to a bird.
When your bird is an Indian ringneck, you can multiply that discomfort times ten. This information is rarely shared by breeders or store employees with potential customers, some of whom are looking for a cuddly new pet. Heaven forbid a sale be lost.
However, it is their most relevant characteristic because it can result in behavioral problems when poorly informed new owners unintentionally mishandle their new indian ringneck. During breeding season, the indian ringneck changes its tune and becomes very physically affectionate, although not in a good way. They become reactive to the hormones in their system and DEMAND your attention.
It must be understood by the owner that the advances are of a sexual nature, and when you don’t respond appropriately (to their way of thinking,) they become offended and nippy. Another breeding behavior common with this species is regurgitation. During breeding season they will often leave a white, pasty coat of regurgitation of their favorite toys, requiring extra cleaning efforts from their owners.
Loveable in their own way
This is not to imply in any way the the indian ringneck is a poor choice for those looking for a parrot to love – they just require companionship in a different way than other birds. The indian ringneck needs an owner that understands and accepts its nature.
If you are the type of bird owner who doesn’t require physical interaction from your bird, this might be a great species for you. They are remarkably intelligent parrots, who learn to speak from an early age, and you will love spending time teaching new words to your bird – if only to hear its delightful voice.
Why not take it a step further and train your bird to do tricks to accompany that cute voice?
Even birds that prefer not to be touched need meaningful interaction with their owners. Training is the perfect way to spend time with your bird in a way that is non-invasive to him physically but still provides the perfect outlet for quality time together.
Parrots in the loriidae family are among the most visually stunning of all parrot species. They are inquisitive, outgoing and hilarious when at play – hiding under objects or wrapping themselves up in your shirt bottom. They are acrobatic and love to hang upside down on their toys and swing by their powerful feet. They are very intelligent and make fun and interesting companion birds.
Lories and lorikeets have some unique physical characteristics and dietary needs. They have evolved a long brush-like tongue to accommodate a nectar and pollen diet – two distinctions which differentiate them from other parrots species.
However, their specialized diet causes their droppings to be very messy and far reaching. This fact makes the lory and lorikeet a somewhat less popular species in aviculture than others.
Getting to know the Lory and Lorikeets
Both the lory and the lorikeet can be territorial and possessive over their belongings and their favorite people. This possessiveness can lead to aggression and biting when they feel their boundaries have been disrespected. The inexperienced owner will not likely understand the body language that precedes these events and might grow to feel uncertain around this unpredictable species.
Their sometimes shrill vocalizations can be abrasive and unpleasant to some people. Those who are experienced, frequently use the word “ornery” in association with this species. These are species that requires a bit of parrot know-how.
Lories and lorikeets that go unmanaged in the household have been known to fearlessly attack other birds, especially those of other species, regardless of their size. This can result in death or injury to a bird of equal or smaller size, and it puts itself at grave risk when taking the offensive with larger birds.
This is a bird that does not back down and it will stand its ground against you or any other family member or pet in the household – sometimes to its own detriment – sometimes to yours.
Arming yourself with knowledge and having a trusted source for accurate and thoughtful information is the best way to prepare for the task of raising a confident, yet not “overly confident”, lory or lorikeet.
More resources on lorikeets:
]]>The pionus parrot (pronounced pi-oh-nus) is not a well-known species to the average person. They definitely take a back seat to their more colorful parrot cousins. But their larger than life and outgoing personality that makes them an attractive choice to perspective new owners.
The pionus are fun and active birds that enjoy some raucous and rowdy playtime. The pionus is sometimes compared with the caique in their style of play. They are fairly adept at mimicking, and are intelligent parrots. As is always the case with intelligence, it is typically accompanied by unusual behavior.
A friend once told me that her two maximillian pionus parrots would resort to complete deception when frightened. They would begin “gasping”. They might mimic convulsions or a loss of coordination to the point of “falling” from its perch. All of this drama could be brought on by the appearance of a broom – the symptoms would remarkably vanish as soon as the broom did. No doubt, this a tactic to deter the attack of predators in the wild. Does it work? Who knows? But it scared my friend half to death on more than one occasion.
As amusing, and interesting, as this story is, one has to consider the likeliness that this species of parrot is smart enough to use manipulation of other sorts to get its way. We owners can be easily distracted by their charm and fall right into their trap. It is in everyone’s best interest to establish a plan for peaceful co-existence as soon as the new bird has adjusted to being in your home.
How to bond with your pionus parrot
By nature, the pionus makes a pleasant companion bird. They are not loud and they play well independently without making too many demands of the humans in their life. This is an easy going bird that doesn’t seem to let stress get in the way of their fun.
Fun for the pionus is laying on its back wrestling a foot toy. Fun is swinging from the plastic chain link by one foot. Fun is around every corner for this playful species. To help maintain a strong bond with your bird, see that you are a part of you pionus’ play regimen.
Training is the ideal way to create strong bonds as it gives you both the opportunity to spend quality time together while building trust and achieving a common goal.
You will want to establish a time during each day for uninterrupted interaction that involves direct eye contact and your undivided attention. This way, your pionus will view you as something more than a caregiver – you will become a human flock mate.
Perhaps the most notable personality trait found in a caique (pronounced: ki-eek) is their playfulness. This is a parrot that doesn’t think twice about rolling onto its back to wrestle with a foot toy, or swing wildly back and forth from the roof of its cage dangling by a single toe. Their colorful plumage is reminiscent of a circus clown – where there is a caique, there will always be laughter.
The caique is an active bird which is constantly in motion. That may be something of an understatement. In fact, they can be nippy when they aren’t given the opportunity to expend their boundless energy, and their headstrong nature is sure to test boundaries and push limits. Still, they are just plain fun to have around!
Creating The Perfect Play Area For a Caique
To create an environment for a caique that is sure to satisfy its endless need to play while keeping it safe from potential dangers around the house, the wise owner will spend a lot of time bird-proofing before bringing their bird home.
It is always important to safety check your home when you have a bird, removing electrical cords, keeping chemicals out of reach and avoiding the use of aerosol sprays, nonstick coated cookware and room deodorizers, all of which have been responsible for many parrot deaths over the years. But with a caique you may want to spend some extra time tending to the small details.
Your talented caique will find its way into anything, anywhere, if it looks like it might provide the opportunity for fun or exploration. This trait makes it especially important for owners to be aware of what they leave lying around the house.
The caique has a special knack for finding “lost” items – like your missing earring or mailbox key. But don’t expect a caique to simply hand it over to you once they’ve found it- they believe in the #1 rule of acquisition: “finders, keepers”. Everything is a toy to them – THEIR toy!
The perfect, and safest, environment for a caique is one that limits play to a single area of the house which is filled with fun and interesting things to do. Foot toys are a must with this species – which is any toy that is small enough to be manipulated by the feet but large enough not to be a choking hazard.
Swings and boings will be hot spots of activity for your high energy caique. They love motion and can often be found swinging from a toy suspended from a chain in their cage. A play gym that is suspended from the ceiling might be a good investment; interestingly, caiques seem to prefer walking to flying and this may be one way to keep your busy bird stationary for a while.
An Energetic Bird Needs a Great Diet
An energetic bird needs to start every day with a diet that can sustain a high level of activity. That means that daily servings of fresh vegetables and fruit, cooked or sprouted legumes, grains and a high quality pellet are a must.
Aside from providing energy, proper nutrients keep a bird’s body operating at peak efficiency with a strong immune system that wards off bacteria and disease in the environment.
Most avian diseases and conditions can be traced back to poor diet. In order to keep your birds from suffering from illness or losing years off its lifespan due to malnutrition (and to avoid the hundreds, even thousands, of dollars these illnesses can cost you in vet bills) it is wise to learn about appropriate nutrition for parrots.
Too many times new owners are sent home from the pet store or breeders with information on feeding that is not only inappropriate, but downright dangerous for their birds.
]]>The budgie, one of the smallest of the parrot species, occupies a big spot in the hearts of bird lovers all over the world. They are the birds you are most likely to see in pet stores making them the most commonly kept parrot in captivity.
They are colorful, friendly and quiet enough to make great apartment birds. Their cages do not take up the entire living room or empty out the savings account. For many people, a budgie was their first bird, and perhaps the one responsible for their life-long love affair with all parrot species.
Budgies have gained much notoriety for their accomplishments. The 1995 Guinness Book Of World Records documents Puck, a tiny blue budgie, with the largest parrot vocabulary on record with 1,728 words and phrases spoken. It is a title most parrot aficionados would have assumed belonged to the African grey.
Budgies need to be trained because they are very adept fliers. While they aren’t capable of landing a bite that will send you to the hospital for stitches, nor are they loud enough to damage your hearing (although for what they lack in volume they can more than make up for in persistence), your bird does have one huge advantage over you: it can fly!
They have the speed and maneuverability that is to be expected for a bird of their size, and they are natural masters at evading human hands. Even with the best of intentions, our huge hands “snatch up” little birds to take them out of the cage against their will or to put them back in before they are ready to go.
So what do you suppose happens when you have a budgie with advanced flight skills that is afraid your hands? If you guessed that you would spend the next three hours trying to corner and capture your bird to get it back in the cage, you are correct.
This misadventure will give your tiny bird even more reason to fear your big hands!
Frustratingly, the first thing many people do is reach for the scissors to clip the wings without any consideration to the psychological damage that occurs when you strip away a bird’s main method of mobility. A bird that cannot fly is left feeling vulnerable, and this will only add to his mounting fears and negative emotions.
Instead of modifying your bird’s wings, modify your bird’s behavior by taking steps to regain trust. It is never too late to start working towards the relationship you always wanted with your budgie.
Being very intelligent, the budgie is highly trainable!Target training will take away your need to chase your budgie, capture it and force it back into the cage. A trained budgie will fly back to you on cue in exchange for a food or praise reward. A trained budgie has learned that your hands offer only treats; therefore, it will no longer try to avoid them.
If you are new to trick training we recommend you start with our One Day Miracles series to learn all the basics you need to know to get started right. If you already have that and are craving more specific small bird trick training, then check out our Budgie Course.
]]>Did you know that the most common companion parrot illnesses are related to poor nutrition? Liver and kidney diseases (brought on by vitamin and mineral deficiencies) and obesity and heart disease (brought on by diets too high in fat and calories) are vastly responsible for the premature deaths of countless pet parrots. It is sad to think about it…
The good news? All that suffering is completely preventable! You just have to understand how to feed your bird.
Ordinarily, we try to mimic the life of the wild parrot in the way we do things for our companion birds – we try to use natural branches in the cages for perches, we offer wooden and natural plant materials for toys.
However, that approach does not work with their diet for a couple of reasons:
First, captive birds are fed foods that are available in grocery stores and could not be given their natural diet no matter how hard we might try to duplicate it. Many of our birds do not live in their native countries and we don’t have access to the foods their wild cousins are eating. Additionally, because birds fly from one feeding spot to another, researchers are unable to follow them and we do not have the complete picture of the wild parrot diet. In captivity, our birds eat the foods the avian sciences have deemed appropriate to keep them healthy.
Secondly, captive birds have a very different lifestyle than wild birds, who are only still when they are sleeping. Comparatively, our birds get very little exercise. This means that they must not be fed the high fat diet that wild birds thrive on. Our birds simply do not have the means of burning off the calories. A diet that is made up mostly of seed, the diet you were probably told to give to your bird when you got him, is responsible for generations of fat, unhealthy companion parrots.
The best parrot diet is made up of mostly vegetables – 60% or more. We aim to give our birds about 75-80% vegetables in their diet.
The term “fruits and vegetables” just seems to roll off the tongue, but they don’t go hand-in-hand in the parrot diet. The human-cultivated fruit we get at the market is of poor quality nutritionally. It is entirely different than the fruit that grows naturally in the wild and should be offered sparingly as a snack food.
Cooked whole grains, like brown rice can part of the daily diet but in very small portions. Grains and pasta are very high in carbs which are broken down into sugars, the excess of which are stored in our cells for use when we need energy. Too many carbs results in excess body weight.
On the internet, there are places which proudly post recipes for pet parrots that contain excessive and unhealthy amount of grains, pasta and beans. They are simply casseroles of carbs with little else to offer. Please avoid them and feed your bird in the manner we know is working for captive parrots.
To round out the diet, our parrots should be given a high quality pellet. Pellets on their own are not an adequate diet. They are only PART of the diet, but an essential part. They are there to fill in nutritional gaps making them especially important for picky eaters.
Our pellet brand has the most impressive list of ingredients of any brand available and are minimally processed to keep their nutritional quality intact.
There is a gentle balance to the parrot diet, not too little - not too much. If you feed all the foods that are parrot appropriate in moderation, the diet will be complete and your bird will be healthy. Nothing feels better than your vet telling you what a great job you are doing!
If you are feeling insecure about how to feed your bird, please check out Natural Feeding System: Cooking For Parrots, our popular cookbook set in which you will find everything you should know about parrot health and nutrition. The main diet we feature, intended for everyday use, is perfectly balanced to cover all your bird’s nutritional needs.
For more resources on this topic please check out the following:
There are over 350 different parrot species.
The conures alone, with close to 40 different species, account for more than 10% of the total. We find that many of the differences are not noteworthy enough to warrant the confusion of a separate page for each species.
Additionally, too much pointed information often winds up causing misconceptions. For instance, the conure species is split into two genera with one being said to be louder than the other. People have mistakenly taken this information to mean the other is quiet. There is no such thing as a quiet parrot! It’s all relative.
Here is another example of a misconception: it is true that the scarlet macaw tends to be nippier than the blue and gold. However, if someone were to opt for the blue and gold with the expectation of getting a bird that won’t bite them, they would quickly find out that’s not how it works.
In the pages that follow, we have highlighted the shared traits of the parrot species most commonly kept as companions. We think this is the most important and relevant information we can offer.
Parrot Species
Non-Parrot Species