Q: Do any of the anti-plucking products available actually work?
Gary M., New London, CT

A: There are two types of products on the market that address the issue of plucking: one approaches the problem medicinally, the other physically prevents access to the affected areas.

The following is my opinion. It is based on research of the ingredients in the herbal products and on the opinions of trusted sources who have used them and other products:

Ingestible remedies:

There are a few varieties of these products available, but there ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

Photo by Dave
Location: Zazu’s House Parrot Sanctuary
Pictured: Volunteer with blue and gold macaw and Amazon parrots

I love parrot rescues that make you volunteer first so you know exactly what it will be like to have your own parrot. That’s right – no surprises. You’ll be working it all out ahead of time, no excuses either! Though some parrots may act totally different once you get them home for the first time but that’s pretty normal.

Volunteering at a local parrot ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

Q: Why won’t MY bird eat fruits and vegetables?

  – Peter L., Minneapolis, MN

 A: Getting your bird on a proper diet is the single biggest challenge faced by bird owners. The challenge itself is two-fold: 1) getting the owner to understand the meaning of the term “good diet” – to which there are many parts, and 2) getting the bird to cooperate. Neither is easy.

To begin with, the owner, especially the new owner, might only have an awareness of a seed and/or pelleted diet. Most people only learn ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

In my opinion, one of the things that most strongly speaks to the intellect of a parrot is the use and reworking of the words in its vocabulary. Taking two unrelated words and placing them together to form another word or phrase with an entirely different meaning is the “recombining” of words.
Many birds have the ability to put labels to the things around them  Some words are the names of objects, such as a bell. Other words are adjectives such as colors, big or small, hard ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Kent, WA
Pictured: Toco Toucan “Rocko”

The only time you’ll hear and learn about how to give your bird what we call “The Gypsy Experience” is during one our live seminars, or in our Total Transformation Seminar Course which is a recording of that seminar that took place in Orlando, Florida.

We try to live the gypsy life and give the same to our pet birds. We’ve done this with all our parrots, and now we are able to offer this life to ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

The average parrot spends the majority of his time in his cage while his humans are at work or away from home. To keep our birds mentally stimulated and physically healthy we must provide an environment that offers entertainment and promotes activity.This means toys, toys and more toys.

The toys we put in our bird’s cages have multiple functions. They are there not only to entertain, but to teach new activities and to satisfy innate urges, such as chewing. I can always get a sense of the mental health of ...

Read the rest or post a comment »