My three lorikeets love meeting new people and appear friendly but they're fast moving and capable of biting if provoked.

My house hasn’t been the calmest, quietest place lately. I’ve been catching up on a lot of jobs that have needed to be done, many of which are outside of my abilities and have required the assistance of some handy workmen. This has meant my birds have seen more strangers than usual. It’s always interesting to see what happens when a stranger is around.

Q: Is it true that I should have my bird’s beak trimmed?
 – Miles.B., Billings. MO

A:  A bird’s beak is made of keratin, the same fibrous protein that forms our nails and hair. And like our nails and hair, beaks are in a state of perpetual growth throughout life. One would think that this would necessitate a beak trim every now and again, but this is not usually the case. If your bird’s beak is normal in appearance, there is no need to have ...

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