My galahs Merlin & Nemo checking out the day's deposit of fresh grass

There are many different ways of setting up the lower half of your cages and aviaries. Most people (myself included) have some sort of wire grill at the base of their setups.

There are many advantages to this. The main one is obviously that a bird’s poo and waste will fall through the grill, which let’s face it – is a much healthier alternative to a bird eating ...

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why punishment does not work with parrots

It wasn’t all that long ago that people used absolutely detrimental training techniques on their puppies. When the inevitable housetraining accident occured, people were advised to rub the puppy’s nose in it. When it got too rambunctious, you rapped it on the snout with a rolled up newspaper. When it barked, you squirted it in the face with water. Ughh!

How could any dog EVER learn to stop pooping in the house with this sequence of events…

1. puppy poops on floor (probably because the owner neglected ...

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African grey

Bird ownership is hard. It is inconvenient. It requires a lot of forethought and planning and sometimes we have to go out of our way to make special concessions for the bird that needs a little extra consideration. Sometimes is is just plain confusing.

We all have our shortcomings as bird owners. None of us are perfect. We are human and it is impossible for us to see things from a bird’s point of view, try as we might.

I had a conversation with someone recently whose african grey was having ...

For those who don’t know, I live with a very young Blue and Gold Macaw named Fid. I believe he is currently around 12 months old, although I can’t be 100% sure. What I can be sure of, is there is a very good reason why the first sentence he learned to say was “You’re a BRAT!!!!”

Friday started in a very typical way. After I unlocked the padlock on his sleeping cage’s door, Fid refused to wait to be let out...

Umbrella cockatoo

If you are the owner of a cockatoo, especially a white one, you have undoubtedly encountered their constant demand for cuddling. For many people, it is their favorite quality about their cockatoo.

Any time I pick up Linus, my umbrella, he will let all of his weight fall against my shoulders to encourage a good cuddle session. He loves it when I completely envelop him with my arms. I always found it interesting that a prey animal would feel comforted in the arms of a predator – something that ...