Controlling Seasonal Bird Noise

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Male King Parrot. He nests close to my house and is constantly talking to my Eclectus from this tree. (Pepi taught him to talk by yelling “Hello” over and over when he was nesting here a few years ago).

When the warmer months come, there is one difficult part about living where your pet birds also live wild. That problem? Noise!

Every year, as spring arrives – the increase in wild bird visitors to my place is significant. Sometimes they come as a flock and ...

 

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Gaining The Trust Of A Bird That Permanently Needs Medication

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Charlie the galah. His previous owner took him to the vet to get his darkened nostrils checked out but no cause was found. We now know that Charlie’s liver was causing vomiting that was mild enough not to be noticed. A discharge from his nostrils were a part of that.

 

I’ve found myself in the worst place to be when it comes to developing a healthy relationship with a bird. My Galah, Charlie, came to me from a decent home but had a rescue ...

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The Hardest Thing About “Owning” Birds…

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The newest member of my flock – Charlie (Galah/Rosebreasted Cockatoo)

As I type this, the newest member of my flock, Charlie the galah is with his avian vet and I’m not sure that he’s coming home. I’m sitting next to my mobile phone waiting for news. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve checked to see if my phone is working. I know I charged it but maybe it has gone flat super fast? Nope. It’s working. It’s also too soon for the ...

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Being Non-Confrontational with New Birds

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Umbrella Cockatoo’s first day out – see his posture, turning away from me? He is feeling uncomfortable.

One of the things we all love as owners is introducing a new bird to the flock. I love that feeling of knowing someone new is there, tucked safely away for now in a separate room. Quarantine serves an important role in health, but it has an added advantage of allowing your bird to hear the rest of the household without having the shock of having to ...

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Setting Up Obtainable Goals for Rescued Parrots

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Setting up obtainable goals for rescued and re-homed parrots: What is progress, and how do you know if you’ve made it?

 

The question of knowing whether you’ve progressed at all can be surprisingly difficult to tell! With our neurotic pet-shop cockatiel, for instance, we had to decide what was her personality, and what was emotional ‘damage’ from her past. Progress for her came in very tiny steps. It took time for me to get that a super-quiet bird may be that way because it is ...

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Spoiling your Parrot Vs. Good Quality of Life

 

 

 

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How do we tell the difference between spoiling a pet, and giving a good quality of life?

There are two main components for a captive bird’s quality of life:

  1. The basics: Food, water, a decently-sized cage, fresh toys, suitable perches, and a clean, safe environment
  2. Unconditional love: Your understanding, patience, dedication, and empathy

If you’re wondering whether a bird is spoiled, ask if what he has or is being given is really necessary in his life?

Providing a parrot the basics isn’t so basic at all in the eyes of many non-bird people. ...

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