Peanuts are not, in fact, a nut. They are a legume – in the same family as beans and peas. They are seeds, enclosed in pods, that grow underground.

Peanuts are a great source of protein and because the protein is plant based, they don’t contain cholesterol and are low in saturated fats. They are an antioxidant.
They are popular in cooking in many parts of the world, especially China, where they are used much in the same ways as nuts traditionaly are. It’s no wonder that nut loving ...

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Q: I know we are supposed feed our birds fruits and vegetables, but which is better for them?
 – Elena B., Modesto, CA

A: The most important things to understand about your parrot’s diet are the needs for variety and moderation in  EVERYTHING you feed them. Let me explain why…

Fruits and vegetables each have different nutritional values. They are all great in their own way, but they all have something unique to offer the overall diet.  When compared, two veggies might both be high in vitamins C and A, ...

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There are a lot of big hearted people out there who are just naturally inclined to try to save those in need. I feel similarly. I find it difficult to look away from need even when I know that involvement will make life more complicated for me. I try to do what I can. It’s who I am, and I’m proud of it.

Someone from Austin, the city I lived in before I moved here to Florida, contacted me and asked me if I would speak with a neighbor of his who ...

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Outdoor aviaries have become all the rage in the avian community. It’s a great thing. There are untold benefits from getting our birds into just a few minutes of moderate, natural sunlight daily:

• Sunlight interacts with the oils from our parrot’s uropygial gland (which are spread throughout the feathers during preening) and converts to vitamin D3 in the body. Vitamin D3 has a large role in the body’s ability to maintain normal calcium levels in the blood and to absorb calcium, which in turn determines our bird’s bone, feather ...

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Just like people, parrots sometimes find themselves in a place in life where they have a hard time getting around. This might be the result of a deformity, an injury or the struggles of old age. And, just like people, parrots learn to adapt to their circumstances with a little help from those around them.

To most people it makes sense that a parrot hatched with a deformity would be better able to learn to get by. After all, it has never known any other way. ...

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For those of you with outdoor aviaries or cages for your birds, I am sure the consideration of insects has crossed your mind. Can they be harmful to your parrot?

BEES:

Bees are not terribly fast moving and are really no match for the speed of your parrot. Any bee that gets close enough to your bird will be moving right on it’s way as soon as it realizes the speed and agility with which a parrot a parrot can manoeuvre that snapping beak. And if a bee were ...

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