Chamomile tea photo from Buzzle.com

I love to put things into my birds’ food that adds a special oomph to a meal that might be just a little too familiar – variety being the spice of life and all. It is a real plus when it brings something else to the table like extra nutrition or acts as a natural remedy to common problems or symptoms.

Here is a list of common herbs and spices that can safely be used as needed medicinally with parrots:

Ginger is often used as a preventative for ...

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My three lorikeets love meeting new people and appear friendly but they're fast moving and capable of biting if provoked.

My house hasn’t been the calmest, quietest place lately. I’ve been catching up on a lot of jobs that have needed to be done, many of which are outside of my abilities and have required the assistance of some handy workmen. This has meant my birds have seen more strangers than usual. It’s always interesting to see what happens when a stranger is around.

Photo of green cheeked conure by Anna Sloan

Q: I rehomed a green cheeked conure (Byron) last week. The first few days were great! He was so sweet and really seemed to like me. A couple days ago he started threatening to bite me when I tried to get him out of the cage. What happened?

Jill B., Independence, MO

A: When a new bird comes into our homes, there is usually one of two ways they react to the event: either they are stand-offish and guarded, or they are compliant and eager ...

Blue throated and camelot macaws

When you have parrots, the word “patience” is always on the tip of your tongue. Their odd and unpredictable behaviors would send you straight to the madhouse without patience. Those moments of seasonal insanity would certainly push you over the edge without patience. On certain days, even normal events like the sun-up and sundown calls might not be endurable without patience. Patience has its place.

The definition of patience is this: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. It ...

Working really hard in a genetics lab class.

There are a few different pathways to becoming a vet in Australia. Traditionally it has been a 5-year undergraduate university bachelor degree, which would allow you to apply for registration as a vet. This requirement has changed. You now have to complete an appropriate undergraduate science degree and a postgraduate Doctorate of Veterinary Science (7-8 years full time). Certain subjects must be covered in the undergraduate degree in order to meet DVM pre-requisites. The ...

Congo african grey

Dogs have been living among humans for a very long time – this fact is documented throughout much of our recorded history. During this time, we have bred favorable traits into them and slowly excised the unsociable ones to make them more suited to life as a pet.

We have engineered breeds that are suited to perform certain tasks such as herding (collie), hunting (spaniel) or search and rescue (German shepherd.) that give dogs a place of their own in human society. Throughout the process, dogs have been modified ...