A bird laying an egg is the most natural thing in the world.  Still, we humans always seem so surprised when it happens.

Egg production is not the result of mating, as many astonished single bird owners have discovered.  It is the breeding stimuli in the environment that causes a hen to generate an egg.  If you have only one bird, or are certain that your male and female are nothing more than good friends, the egg will be unviable.  Without fertilization, an egg will not produce a chick.  ...

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For those of you who have read my posts over the past year, I hope I have impressed upon you the importance of feeding your birds a nutritious, healthful diet. Anyone who knows me, or has contacted me with questions about certain products has learned quickly that I hate everything. I could never bring myself to suggest a product that I know falls short of it’s claims, or worse, might actually harm a bird.  I don’t recommend commercial supplements, in large part because of their questionable ingredients, but mainly because I have never found ...

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Congo African Grey Parrot

Q:  Why does my bird act crazy when it rains?

Laura G.,  Oakland, CA

A:  Rain can mean many things to a parrot.  The warm rains of spring mean that the plants are being nourished and food will soon be plentiful.  It is a precursor to breeding season and can signal the onset of hormonal behaviors.  Parrots are able to detect a change in barometric pressure and may be aware of a coming rainstorm well before we are.

At other times of the year, a rain shower will inspire my ...

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Blue throated macaw

I can’t help it.  I cringe every time I see a large parrot with a small child.  From a toddler to a teenager, children carry a significant amount of energy.  You can feel that a child is present no matter where they are. Parrots, as prey animals, are easily alarmed. It is their nature and red flags go up any time something is amiss. We are far more tolerant of our parrots natures than they are of our children’s, and I have seen things go wrong, regardless of ...

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Blue throated macaw

Think, for a moment, about all of the life-stages a human being goes through from birth to old age, and the way each stage effects and changes the person that you are:  from the complete dependence of infancy to the confident and very mobile 6 year old; from the hormonal teen years to early adulthood, the child bearing years; from adulthood to middle age; from middle to old age, where health might start to decline.  Then consider the long life span of our companion parrots.  Parrots go through ...

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Congo African Grey Parrot

Heavy metals are found throughout our homes and toxicity is a fairly common ailment in our companion birds.  It is life threatening.  A bird not diagnosed and treated will certainly die. Fortunately, the vast majority of birds can be saved with proper treatment.   Depending on the level of toxicity, the symptoms may take a period of time to present themselves as the level of poisoning slowly increases, or symptoms may appear suddenly, where the bird seems fine one day, and is in desperate need of ...

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