When my daughter was young and in school, I can remember a few times that I would wake her up in the morning and say:  “How about skipping school today and going to the park instead?” Or keeping her up late on a school night because...

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I read an article in Bird Talk magazine some time ago that just aggravated me. The author, whom I have always respected for her vast experience, went on to describe scenarios in which it is okay to lay back in the care of your bird. While I’m all about making the hard job of bird ownership as easy and simple as possible, it is not a good idea to tell your readers, many of whom are brand new to this experience, the ways in which it is okay to ...

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When a person without bird experience goes into a pet store, it is easy to fall in love with the young, interactive and beautiful parrot on display. She may fall head over heels in love with you, and you with her, and may call loudly to you when you leave making your heart feel heavy. She might remember you when you come back into the store for dog food weeks later, and do everything in her power to get you to return to her cage side and all but ...

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As much as I like the cages I have selected for my birds, It seems to me that there is one major flaw in their design. Most birds primarily occupy the top half of their cage and, given this fact, it makes sense that the majority of the space should be in this area. Average inside dimensions for a large parrot cage are about 30″W X 42″L X 60″H. This leaves half of the cage, for the most part, unused. I often wonder why it is so hard to ...

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Q: I will be bringing home my first bird, an amazon, in a few weeks and want to get a cage ready for him now.  I want it to be perfect.  How do I know what perches and toys are right?

Lillian G,  Las Vegas, NV

A:  Since many parrots spend the majority of their time in their cages while their owners are at work, it really does have to be as close to perfect as we can make it.  The two main factors to consider are safety and comfort ...

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I did a post about a year ago on full spectrum lighting.  Since that time, some new information and findings have been brought forward. We are continually learning that our human solutions to our birds' problems are not always right on the money the first time around. This information is important to be aware of when we are choosing lighting and its positioning.  Following are the best parts of a very helpful and informative thread I read on one of the many great bird boards out there in ...

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