Military macaw

Q: I have had a problem with my macaw lunging at me since I got her 4 years ago. I recently switched her onto a better diet and the lunging has stopped. Is it possible that the new diet is responsible for the change in her personality?  

A: It’s not only possible, it is probable.

There isn’t any area of your bird’s life that isn’t touched by its diet. Aside from being the largest contributing factor in your bird’s overall physical health, it comes as a huge surprise to most ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

Scarlet macaw photo by Chris Padgett

I only want to take my birds to the vet once a year – for their annual well bird exam. Even with the excellent diet my parrots enjoy, things happen that are beyond my control that cause me to have to bring them in for unscheduled maintenance.

There was one year that I made a total of 16 visits to my vet in a nine month period with the same bird, over the same issue. I was still paying for those visits well into the next ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

At Birdtricks.com, we have daily contact with many bird owners and we listen to their complaints and concerns over their bird’s diet: “My parrot won’t eat vegetables!”

When we were putting together our cookbook, Cooking For Parrots, we took these concerns to heart and tried to find solutions to the biggest and most common parrot feeding problems. It became obvious that the list of concerns is neatly divided into two categories: human considerations, and our bird’s determination NOT to cooperate with our efforts.

In the end, it ALL comes down to us because, as caregivers, it is ultimately our responsibility ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE spending holidays with my birds! They are so much fun and there is some desensitization that comes with sharing the holiday with your parrots. I immediately assumed (so not to be disappointed) that my birds might be scared...

Read more »