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 ...

Parrots bring a lot of joy to our homes. We involve them in every aspect of our lives. We take them to the store with us. We give them their own Facebook pages. They are prominently featured on our Christmas cards. We beam with pride as we...

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Birds are unusually perceptive. As prey animals, they have to be. They are constantly on the lookout for predators.

Birds remain safest in a flock setting because there are many eyes on the sky and ground in a vigilant watch. If a single bird becomes alarmed for any reason, ALL birds will take to the air in fear.  Interestingly, this frenzied behavior sometimes occurs without a single alarm call being issued. The tension is FELT as clearly as any alarm call can be heard and is enough to set things into motion.

If we put that same perceptive species of animal into ...