Q: What is loud, destructive, high maintenance and totally missed?

 – Patty J., Orlando, FL

A: Linus the umbrella cockatoo.

People have been asking how Linus is doing in New Mexico. It’s hard for me to write about it because I think the only way I get through this is by not thinking about it – or trying not to. I am grateful to so completely trust the person taking care of Linus that I never have to worry for his physical well being. That fact is ...

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These questions pertaining to a bird’s senses have come up in recent weeks. Since they are all related, in a way, I decided to tackle them all in a single post…

Q: My husband loves it when I wear perfume but I don’t know if the smell is too strong for my birds. Should I keep away from the birds when I wear it?
 – Jennifer K., Auburn Hills, MI

A: I would imagine that, as a rule, most animals would prefer to smell your natural scent. It gives up a ...

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Photo by Dave
Location: Nampa,ID
Playing and learning: Baby Toco Toucan “Rocko”

There are tons of reasons for playing with your bird with things such as towels, blankets and clothing. The biggest reason to do so is so that you can towel your bird to hold it still in the event of an emergency. The other reason is so that your bird is not fearful of being covered up by a blanket or towel whether it happens on accident or happens on another account.

While our birds were babies, ...

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Photo by Nathan Slabaugh Photography
Location: Centralia, WA
Pictured: Toco Toucan “Rocko”

There are lots of things that make raising a bird super complicated and scary, just like raising a human child. You worry they won’t turn out right, or that you didn’t do a good enough job in a certain area over another.

As long as you know how to properly raise a bird (you can learn these steps from our Total Transformation Course which also covers flight training indoors and fixing behavioral problems with your current ...

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Many of you asked to see us set up our traveling bird aviaries, to see how long it really takes and we tried to stretch out this time lapse as much as possible but it’s still under a minute! It really doesn’t take long at all, since we welded the sides together to make the process easier knowing that the cages would be set up and taken down weekly.

These outdoor aviaries are from Cages by Design and can be found here on their website.

For more aviary options, you can browse our Flickr photostream.

As you ...

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Hyacinth macaw

Q: Is it okay to feed my new blue and gold macaw the same foods as I eat at dinner?
– Devin B., Bethesda, MD

A: Yes. And no. Most of the foods we eat are good for parrots: fruits, vegetables, pastas, grains, fish and small amounts of  lean cooked meats. The term table food generally is used in reference to our preparation of these foods, at which time they begin to get unhealthy.We add salt, sugar, butter, sour cream, and dressings to make the foods more palatable ...

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