Photo by Dave Location: Orlando, FL Galahs: "Bandit", "Ace" & "Bondi"

This picture is of Ace on his second day with us. Jason, his previous owner, said he hadn't bathed in a couple days since being on the road and that he'd probably appreciate a bath. Luckily, Jason took amazing care of Ace before he came to us and so he has settled in really well with our flock already.

Day two he was bathing with Bandit and Bondi and he was able to fit easily into sharing an aviary with all our medium sized birds, including our grey, Cressi.

He already came eating the same pellets ours do, the organic Feed Your Flock parrot pellets. So nutrition has been another easy thing with Ace. He eats and tries everything we give him and is very anxious when in the kitchen and food preparation is going on.

Photo by Dave Location: Orlando, FL Galahs: "Bandit" 

Because Jason did such a great job raising Ace, he has had a very smooth transition into our home. Yet another amazing reason to work and train with your bird. You never know when something might happen to you, and if it does, you need to be prepared and have something planned for your bird. And you don't want that move to be traumatic.

Here are some things you can do with your bird that will help your relationship with him/her now and also make a smoothe transition into someone else's home should something ever happen to you (something none of us want to think about but all of us should be prepared for):

1. Trick training: because Ace knows tricks already he doesn't feel left out when we work with our birds too, in fact, he knows the cues and behaviors to do and has fun competing with the other birds.
2. A great diet: feed fresh foods even if your bird won't touch them, do what you can to get them eaten by your bird and get your bird on a healthy organic pellet diet rather than the unhealthy colored ones.
3. Take your bird to meet new people and get social so it is willing to step up onto new people if you ask it to.
4. Get your bird used to travel cages and day trips so it travels easier.

Article by Jamieleigh Womach. She has been working with parrots and toucans since the age of 17. She isn’t homeless but is home less than she prefers to be. She travels the world with her husband, daughter, and a flockful of parrots whom she shares the stage with.