White Budgie

I was lying on my bed watching the History channel this morning, when Theo, my goffins cockatoo, toddled up to the side of the bed wanting to come up.  I swung my leg over the side of the bed and she hopped on my foot waiting for the elevator ride up.  She marched right up and took her usual spot on my chest, resting her head on my chin.

It was just a couple of minutes before I could feel all of her body weight on the side of ...

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Blue throated macaws

If you look at the skeletal structure of many dinosaurs, the link between them and parrots is a no-brainer.  Still, it took the scientific community forever to accept this as a possibility.  Down the road, it was proposed by a small group of paleontologists that some dinosaurs may have been feathered.  They were treated like lepers…until fossilized feathers were found among the remains of a dinosaur previously thought to be covered in scales.

The theory has been that parrots evolved from the theropod family, which includes the infamous ...

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Blue and Gold Macaws

If you choose to smoke, that’s your business and your right.  This post is about secondhand smoke, and how smoking around you birds affects affects their health.

What is secondhand smoke?

Secondhand smoke is the smoke that is emitted from a cigarette, from either the burning end or the filtered end.  It contains thousands of different chemicals that fill the air as either gases or particulates.  Following are facts about secondhand smoke by the National Cancer Institute and the EPA:

• “Secondhand smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, including 69 compounds that ...

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Blue throated macaw

The word enrichment means to enhance and make fuller.  It has become a very popular word among bird owners.  It’s a wonderful thing that humans are considering ways to improve their parrots lives.  I usually hear the word enrichment used in connection with toys and foraging opportunities.  These are huge ways to better a parrots life, but there are SO many other applications.

Enrichment means maintaining or improving health through diet and exercise. When our finicky eaters turn their beaks up at the new food you have introduced, ...

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Sun Conure

Parrot toes

One of the things that distinguishes parrots from many other birds is their zygodactyl feet.  It sounds really prehistoric, but it simply means two toes forward and two toes back, specifically the second and third toe point forward, and the first and the fourth point back.  This configuration of toes allows for greater ability in grasping and manipulating objects like food and toys, climbing and perching.

Perches

Since they are on their feet 24/7,  many perches should be made available in your parrots cage.  They should vary in ...

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