I’ve said it before and will probably say it again; parrots don’t give unconditional love.  A dog will rest his head on your lap and say, “It’s okay that you forgot to feed me before you left this morning. My tummy is full now. You’re the greatest." A parrot will turn his back to you and give you the cold shoulder for a week for the same infraction. Trust is a hard-won commodity. It sure is in this house. It only takes one incident to break apart all that you’ve established. 

While there are several way to lose your parrot’s trust, here are three sure-fire bets:
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Congo African Grey Parrot

I am resistant to change.  It is my nature.  I try not to pass that trait along to my parrots, but I have to work really hard to avoid it.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I said: “Boy, I should’ve done this sooner.”   A lot of my hesitation has stemmed from my concerns about how the birds might respond to certain changes.  I’ve worried about moving because the birds are happy where we are.  I worried about starting a new job because they ...

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White Budgies

There are reasons besides appropriately naming your parrots to have them DNA sexed.  I’m pretty sure that DeeDee, my male cockatiel, has no objections to his effeminate name, and Theo, my female goffins cockatoo, seems to be comfortable with hers as well. I know the sex of all of my parrots except my quaker.  I decided to have her (I think of her as a girl) DNA sexed.

Why should I bother with DNA sexing?

If you’re a breeder, this is pretty important.   If you are not a breeder, it’s still ...

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Blue and Gold Macaw

I rehome or rescue my parrots.  It’s something that I strongly believe in.  Healthy baby parrots will almost always find a home, but the ones that have been given up, often because of behavioral problems, might not be so lucky.  The feeling of accomplishment and pride I have felt when the parrot finally gives in to trust is unlike any other.  Still, there have been a couple of babies that have more than caught my eye.

The pet store where I get some of my supplies specializes in ...

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Military Macaw

Maybe it’s the rebellious kid in me, but nothing makes me more uncooperative than being told what to do.  Ask me to do something, sure, no problem.  Suggest that something needs to be done, I’m all over it. Barking an order to me is the surest way of seeing that I’ll get to it in my own sweet time, which might mean next month.  My umbrella cockatoo, Linus, seems to take after his mom.

I think it’s really important to allow our parrots to have some control over their environment. ...

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I recently had someone ask me about making their own parrot toys for their cockatiel and other birds so I thought I’d write about it this week. So, “can I make my bird its own toys?”

Making your own bird toys is a fun and economical way to provide entertainment for a parrot of any size.  Most of the online parrot toy stores and many pet stores now carry supplies for those of us who make their own parrot toys. I make most of my own.  My cockatoos go through so much wood that I had to buy a ...

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