There are so many aspects to the training experience for both the trainer and the parrot. It’s about bond building and mutual trust. It’s wonderful enrichment for a caged bird. It’s about cooperation. Mostly, though, it’s about communication. It provides a common language through which a human and a parrot can begin to converse and understand one another. It is exciting and deeply rewarding for everyone.

That I would suggest that someone NOT train their bird is troubling to me, especially when it is such a positive thing. But there are ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

If I’m going to be honest, I have to admit that I used to have a real problem with the idea of a training diet. It seemed unthinkable that a bird, virtually a wild animal in terms of its lack of domestication, should be locked in a cage and then denied food, something it would be free to acquire in the wild. It is psychologically damaging for any sentient being to be kept at another’s mercy, how could this ever be considered a good thing?

Training bridges a gap, fills ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

With it’s thick, heavy rind protecting it, canteloupe might not strike most people as being susceptible to contamination. The same could be said about other melons and maybe ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

Q: Why won’t MY bird eat fruits and vegetables?

  – Peter L., Minneapolis, MN

 A: Getting your bird on a proper diet is the single biggest challenge faced by bird owners. The challenge itself is two-fold: 1) getting the owner to understand the meaning of the term “good diet” – to which there are many parts, and 2) getting the bird to cooperate. Neither is easy.

To begin with, the owner, especially the new owner, might only have an awareness of a seed and/or pelleted diet. Most people only learn ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

cockatiel

I got my first parrot, a precious cockatiel, back in the 80’s. When I left the store with my new pet, I was instructed to keep the cage clean and to feed fresh seed and water daily. I remember walking away thinking about how dull that diet seemed to be.
Not long after, I added a second cockatiel. I became enchanted with their outgoing personalities and found myself studying every move they made. I noticed right away how important it was to them to interact with the family so they ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

Budgie

The first couple of ...

Read the rest or post a comment »