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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Military macaw

Birds are very messy creatures who manage to track their meals throughout every square inch of their cage. Many can throw their food with the distance and accuracy that would qualify them for a Cy Young award. That means that we find ourselves cleaning A LOT, and sometimes in strange places.

Hopefully, everyone understands the importance of a clean environment for their bird. Where there is leftover food and fecal matter, there is bacteria and yeast which can inundate a bird and make him very ill. Cleaning thoroughly, and often, ...

Photo of violet necked lories by ProFauna Indonesia

Many countries permit the harvesting of their native parrots for the pet trade, a huge industry worldwide. However, most impose a legal limit that is meant to prevent over-trapping to avoid a decrease in the numbers in wild population. By “impose” I mean write into law – most governments do little to actually enforce those laws.

In actuality, wild parrot populations are dropping dramatically. Of course, it can’t all be blamed on trapping. Deforestation has had a devastating effect on wild parrot species. But ...

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There has been a video circulating for a couple of years that depicts a parrot on a counter top feeding long strands of pasta to a large dog waiting below. It is an adorable video of an interaction between two species that are not naturally seen together. While it is touching and sweet, I cringe every time I see it.

There are two parts to my discomfort. First, there is the idea of a prey animal and a predator interacting. I can’t tell you how many stories I have ...

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Camelot macaws

Q: I make a lot of toys for Puffin, my african grey, by myself. Her favorite ones are the hanging toys that I string up with rope, but now she bites through the rope and they end up on the bottom of the cage and get “messy”, if you know what I mean. I want to use chain so she can’t bite her toys down but I don’t what metal is safe to use. What do you suggest?

Ashley G, Scranton, OH

 A: This is a great question because while ...