Umbrella cockatoo

I log into Facebook every morning to see what is going on with my bird loving friends. Most days I scroll through the pages quickly only pausing when something catches my eye, but I was stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of what appeared to be a cockatoo wading in soapy dishwater.

Because I know this particular party to be very responsible with birds, I was expecting a humorous story with an explanation for how this bird had gotten himself into this predicament. To my surprise, I learned ...

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Chronic egg laying in parrots

A few days ago, I noticed a strong odor coming from the bathroom. No human had recently been in there, so I felt the need to investigate the source. I found a fresh, poorly formed dropping that I could immediately identify as belonging to Theo , my goffins cockatoo, who is potty trained and will go to her cage or into the bathroom to relieve herself.

Theo’s appearance, weight and behavior were all normal, but knowing that there should never be any trace of odor from a ...

Alexandrine parakeet

We are all very dedicated bird owners here. We not only care deeply for our own birds, but we care about everyone else’s too. I know that I find it very difficult to watch birds being mistreated and I have walked out of some pet stores in tears. I have lied awake at night thinking about a bird that lives half way around the world that I know might not make it through the night.

I think one of the hardest things we deal with as bird owner is coping ...

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Blue and gold macaw

As parrot owners, we spend a great deal of effort fretting over important details: Did our bird eat enough good foods this week? Is there enough to do in the cage? We spend a lot of time contemplating cage placement and safety issues. We budget our time to allow for cleaning.

It is all important. These are common standards in any home that is occupied by a bird. However, in my experience, and this is particularly true of cockatoos, it is the seemingly minor details in their keep ...

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