Rose Breasted Cockatoo

Q:  I want to bring my birds outside during the day.  How hot is TOO hot for my birds?

-William B., Buffalo, NY

A:  There are many, many great benefits to giving your birds a daily dose of sunshine and fresh air, but climate and temperature does play a role and involve risks.  For the bird that is accustomed to being outdoors and has been able to make that gradual adjustment from season to season, it is more simple: watching for signs of distress and keeping water plentiful.  ...

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Congo African Grey Parrot

Heavy metals are found throughout our homes and toxicity is a fairly common ailment in our companion birds.  It is life threatening.  A bird not diagnosed and treated will certainly die. Fortunately, the vast majority of birds can be saved with proper treatment.   Depending on the level of toxicity, the symptoms may take a period of time to present themselves as the level of poisoning slowly increases, or symptoms may appear suddenly, where the bird seems fine one day, and is in desperate need of ...

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Blue throated macaw

PDD is a disease that causes a failure in the parrot’s digestive system. While it is also called “Macaw Wasting Syndrome”, it is absolutely not exclusive to the macaw.  In fact, it has been seen in many species of our companion birds and their wild counterparts.

So that you can better understand the impact of this disease, first let me describe the parrot’s digestive system:  The bird breaks down food with its beak and passes it down to the crop.  The crop slowly delivers food to a two ...

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Camelot Macaw

Your parrot’s feathers speak to its overall health.  A healthy parrot will have soft, vibrant and well-formed feathers.  Flaws in the feathering, such as discoloration are often a sign of poor diet or the lack of sunlight, but can also be attributed to illness and the subsequent use of antobiotics.   It can also signal serious organ problems or PBFD.  If you have noticed a change in your parrots feathering, you should seek the attention of an avian certified vet to rule out any significant health issues.

A good, varied ...

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