Congo African Grey Parrot

1. Dirty Food:

The expression “you are what you eat” is so true.  Since we are in charge of our parrot’s food selection, we have to make sure that it is not only the best quality we can offer, but that it is safely edible.  Thoroughly wash all fresh foods. Even organically grown produce use pesticides, although not chemical ones.

Many of us work full time jobs and are in a rush to get out the door in the morning.  It’s convenient to feed the birds and go.  ...

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Congo African Grey Parrot

There are countless sources of information about parrots online.  There are online forums and web pages that are dedicated solely to the specific bird you are looking for.  There are sites for conures, macaws,  cockatoos, eclectus, you name it.  Within each group you can learn the habits of the individual species.

The behavior differences between a macaw and a cockatoo are enormous, but even within a family of birds, different species behave differently.  For instance, the goffins cockatoo species is entirely different from the umbrella cockatoo.  Then when ...

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Blue and Gold Macaw

Parrots are very self-serving creatures.  Mostly, they are in it for themselves.  We’d like to think they are appreciative for the new toys, the clean cage and the fabulous food, but they aren’t any more than a young child would be.  While they might enjoy and take advantage of all of these creature comforts, the fact is that they don’t really care how these things got there, just that they are there.  It is unrealistic for us to expect them to be grateful for what they’ve got.  ...

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In the early morning hours, as the sun is rising and weather permitting, wild parrots all over the world visit clay licks on tall riverbanks to eat dirt.  This practice has long confounded bird watchers, conservationists and scientists alike, and while all of the benefits of this activity are still a mystery, more and more is being discovered and understood.

Wild parrots forage on plants, their fruits and their seeds as part of  their natural diet.  However, plants naturally produce chemicals, poisons, that protect themselves, their ...

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Umbrella Cockatoo

Breakfast time!  There are four macaws, four cockatoos, three parakeets, two cockatiels, one congo african grey, a swainson’s toucan and a quaker waiting patiently for their breakfast every morning.  On the menu today is fruit pasta blend, fresh broccoli, beets, sweet potato, and kale.

Breakfast time is always one of my favorite parts of the day.  I really enjoy the preparation of foods and I love seeing the birds watching everything I do in anticipation of their first meal.  I often let one of the birds be my “helper” ...

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Fights, falls and flight injuries can bring about beak injuries that can come in the form of fractures, punctures, breakage or crushing.  The part of the beak nearest the head contains a blood supply that may require cauterization.  Nerve endings in a damaged beak can cause eating to be painful.  Since a parrot uses its beak in everything it does this must be considered a very serious injury and requires the immediate attention of your avian veterinarian. BUT… The good news is that beaks are repairable.  The use of acrylics and dental bonding reform and replace broken, cracked ...

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