There has been a video circulating for a couple of years that depicts a parrot on a counter top feeding long strands of pasta to a large dog waiting below. It is an adorable video of an interaction between two species that are not naturally seen together. While it is touching and sweet, I cringe every time I see it.

There are two parts to my discomfort. First, there is the idea of a prey animal and a predator interacting. I can’t tell you how many stories I have ...

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Every now and again, people write to me complaining that they have seen a photo of me with a bird on my shoulder. People tell me that I shouldn’t allow this. I’ve also had some negative feedback about perch location in some of my aviaries. Some of my perches are above my eye level. I am told that this is a terrible idea and very dangerous.

Now you’d think high perches and having a bird on your shoulder are completely different topics? I’m grouping them together because the ...

Camelot macaws

Q: I make a lot of toys for Puffin, my african grey, by myself. Her favorite ones are the hanging toys that I string up with rope, but now she bites through the rope and they end up on the bottom of the cage and get “messy”, if you know what I mean. I want to use chain so she can’t bite her toys down but I don’t what metal is safe to use. What do you suggest?

Ashley G, Scranton, OH

 A: This is a great question because while ...

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Blue throated macaw

Most of us view bird chores with a sense of dread. It’s reasonable that one wouldn’t necessarily enjoy the unpleasantries left at the bottom of cages. It can be a lot of work to keep up on the cleaning that bird ownership requires.

But there is a very big advantage to doing those chores: you get an intimate look at your bird’s health and its activities. Birds are such masters of disguise when it comes to illness that we have to actively investigate to get to the truth.

Wild birds ...

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Did you know that YOU are a trainer? Blue and gold macaws

Does the idea of training your bird put you off? Are you thinking: “I don’t want to train my bird, I just want it to behave”? Are you unwilling to begin a process that you might not have the time or energy to commit to?

I get it. Life is busy and complicated enough without having to delegate time to training an uncooperative bird.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: you already are a trainer. You train ...