Rose Breasted Cockatoo

Many parrots are neophobic, meaning that they fear new things.  In fact, maybe most parrots instinctively fear new things.  Since parrots are undomesticated, and bring many of their natural behaviors into our homes, they often display alarm towards things that are unfamiliar to them.  This makes sense from a practical standpoint when you consider that they have to be on high alert in the wild to guard against predators.  A watchful bird is a smart bird, and a safe bird.  It’s the level of fearfulness that takes this ...

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Rose Breasted Cockatoo

I was looking through you tube videos and came across the title Funny Biting Parrot.  I thought to myself: what can possibly be funny about a biting parrot? and I watched the video.  I did find it funny.

When you watch the video, there are a few clues that tell you this is not aggression, but a game between parrot and owner.  First, the owner is encouraging the bird  and  is clearly unafraid of a serious bite.  Secondly, there is no aggressive body language in the bird – just ...

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Rose Breasted Cockatoo and African Grey

While Jamie and Dave are freeflying with their students in Moab, Utah, I am packing up my apartment so I can hitch a ride to Orlando with them on their way back.  They are going to be on the road for two years starting in December, and I am going to be staying at their house while they’re gone.  This is going to be the start of some big changes for me and the flock.

For the past five years, following my divorce, I have ...

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Camelot Macaws, Blue Throated Macaw

Almost all parrot owners have heard that they should not allow their parrots to be higher than them, or above their eye level, because it brings out in them an innate need to express their dominance over us, and that we should never keep a large parrot on our shoulders for this same reason. I agree that we shouldn’t keep our bigger birds on our shoulders, but not because of height dominance issues. Logic tells me it is unsafe to have easily startled animal with ...

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Blue throated macaws

When is the right time to wean a parrot?

There really isn’t an exact answer to that question.  Each species has its own timetable that can be used as a guideline, but it will vary with each individual bird of that species.  The right answer to the question is: when the bird is ready. More important than when is how it is done – a parrot must be weaned properly for developmental reasons.

Unless you are an owner experienced in hand feeding and weaning, or are a breeder, you ...

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Mitred Conure

I took my umbrella cockatoo, Linus, to the vet last week.  His poops were runny and just generally not right.  I have to watch him closely because he contracted AGY (avian gastric yeast) last year, and it took almost a year to get rid of it.  It started out with the same symptoms: runny poops and a bad attitude.  I didn’t want to take any chances, so I had them run the tests, which all came back negative. Problem was, his poops still weren’t quite what they ...

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