White Budgies

There are reasons besides appropriately naming your parrots to have them DNA sexed.  I’m pretty sure that DeeDee, my male cockatiel, has no objections to his effeminate name, and Theo, my female goffins cockatoo, seems to be comfortable with hers as well. I know the sex of all of my parrots except my quaker.  I decided to have her (I think of her as a girl) DNA sexed.

Why should I bother with DNA sexing?

If you’re a breeder, this is pretty important.   If you are not a breeder, it’s still ...

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Blue throated macaws

I had a call on my answering machine when I got home today:  “Hey, ummm, STANLEY just laid an egg. (laughter) One of us is really confused.”  That really made me laugh.  I clearly remember the day that my Henry laid a clutch of two.  Sometimes this is how we find the true gender of our parrots.  It’s that time of year.  The bird talk boards have egg laying posts all over them.  Someone I know just had to have what she called “the mother of all eggs” ...

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Think for a minute about all the things your parrot does with its beak:  It forages for, transports and breaks apart food.  It builds nests and feeds the babies.  It’s used for climbing, gripping and balancing.  It’s used in daily grooming. It’s their tool of choice in picking the padlocks we put on their cages, and, in conjunction with pressure capabilities of up to 1500 psi in their jaws (in macaws, according to tests done with a veterinarian’s oral speculum), it is a formidable weapon. We mere humans require power tools to ...

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Yellow Budgie

Alright, so this isn’t prettiest topic, but it is one you should know your way around as a parrot owner.  Since birds so completely mask their illnesses, there are really only two ways we have to monitor their health at home.  One is by weighing them frequently, and the other is by watching the quality of their poop. Your parrot’s poop will remain fairly consistent as long as it is healthy.  It only takes me a couple seconds, several times a day to take a look at the ...

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Blue throated macaw

I went to a bird club meeting today where the speaker, a long time vet technician, spoke about emergency critical care.  I wanted to hone my skills. She offered ideas in splinting and portable heat sources that I was not aware of. This topic differs from basic first aid care in that these are instances where it is not a question of if you need to bring your bird to the vet, but how soon can you get there.

Prevention is, of course, the best practice ...

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Umbrella Cockatoo

Natural sunlight varies as seasons progress and ebb.  It is the intensity and duration of light that tells a bird that it is breeding season, and when to molt – it regulates it’s cyclical clock and adjusts metabolism. Ultraviolet light strengthens the immune system and works with the glandular system in the synthesis of vitamin D, which through a series of processes, increases calcium absorption.  This means healthier and stronger bones and beaks, and improved feather production.  Additionally, a bird’s vision and perception is dramatically enhanced.  Our parrots ...

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