Camelot macaws

I recently wrote a blog post that discussed how important it is to try mimic nature in the environment we provide for our birds. Being undomesticated animals so new to captivity that some of their their grandparents may have lived their lives in the wild, they will certainly appreciate that level of attention to detail.

But recently, I had a conversation with someone specifically about looking to nature for guidance in the parrot diet. It brought to light how very confusing this message might be – in fact, we actually ...

Sun conure

I’m fairly certain that nature never meant for humans and birds to come together. I don’t think we could be less alike. There are the obvious physical differences which cause us to have to perform certain tasks in different ways, but there really big differences aren’t the physical ones.

We think nothing alike. Their concerns and goals are entirely different than ours. They communicate through body language, we use speech. With their body language they are precise and to the point. We ramble on endlessly, sometimes not stopping in time ...

Earlier in the week I made an appointment with Linus (my umbrella cockatoo) for a nail trim. Some of his nails were a bit long and one was painfully sharp. I hunted for my favorite nail trimming clippers and couldn’t find them, so I put off the trim until they could be located.

I had bought these clippers perhaps as many as 12 or 13 years ago. I brought them home and tested them out on my dog and loved the handling so much that I returned to the store the next day to purchase ...

My Blue and Gold Macaw, Fid.

I just had my hair dyed yesterday. I got rid of all of my grey roots. I had finally found a colour that I liked and my hair was still at that stage where it looked like I’d been to a human hairdresser rather than to a lorikeet frizzathon. I had chocolate in the house and no one needed me to do anything. I had no assignments due and I had at least 10 minutes to myself. Only ...

Greenwing macaw

You have heard us recommend many times that you should strive to mimic nature with your birds. You will hear it many more times in the future. This should always be in the back of your mind and if you are doing things the right way, you will find this idea infiltrating all aspects of your parrot’s care.

The most emotionally healthy birds are the ones that are allowed, and encouraged, to be birds. My feeling is that birds that are parent raised (avian parents!) and allowed to fledge make ...