If I am out shopping and I see a pet store, I am unable to walk past it. My heart melts when I look at puppies and kittens; and heaven help me, the birds, but I tend to walk away from even the best...

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I have written a number of posts urging people to consider rehoming a parrot from a rescue rather than purchasing a baby from a pet store or a breeder. On my Facebook wall this...

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As a human being, I have witnessed, and experienced, how seriously a lack of confidence can hold a person back in life. The belief that one is not up to a challenge or living in fear of possible failure can be debilhitating, and the result can be...

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Blue and gold macaw

We all learn as we go through our lives. Some of life’s lessons are taught in the harshest of ways when someone, or something,  pays for our errors or lapses in judgment, leaving us to suffer not only loss, but guilt.

Sometimes other people’s actions are unthinkable to us. Some can be appropriately described as acts of cruelty or neglect. Others are the result of preoccupation, something we are ALL guilty of with our busy lives. We have to be careful not to condemn someone whose heart was ...

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pacific parrotlets

A questions that we often hear at Birdtricks is: “what is a good first bird to get?”. It’s a difficult question and one that I answer reluctantly. I will try to offer my opinion…

First, I want to say that I don’t really believe in “starter” birds. It is often said that a smaller bird is more suitable for the first time owner. I don’t entirely agree.

All birds are created equally. There is no one species of parrot that requires less care or commitment than the others. Every single species ...

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mexican red headed amazon

A Birdtricks reader asked that we do a post in memory of a 1 year old Mexican redheaded amazon. His death is tragic and hard to think about, but it is something that we can all learn from. Thanks to this reader for sharing her friend’s story with us.

The story is uncomplicated, and could easily happen to any of us. This reader’s friend planned to take her Amazon to work with her. She loaded his carrier into her mother’s car for her ride to work. Six ...

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