The Difficulties of Handling a Handicapped Parrot

When a bird is handicapped in some way, we tend to "baby" it. Treat it differently then we would another bird. And sometimes this is necessary (different types of perching for specific injuries, softer foods for beak deformities, etc.) but most of the time, it is not necessary and we are only making things harder on the bird to be a bird.  Such...
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The Big Day: Will Morgan Choose Her Trainer Over Her Owner?!

The day is finally here - asking Morgan to fly to her current owner over her trainer for the past 2 weeks and 6 days, Jamieleigh.  Her owner, Patty has had Morgan for 4-5 months and in that time had her toe amputated and toweled Morgan to give her meds for two weeks.  Her trainer, Jamieleigh, has had Morgan 2.5 weeks and has become her favorite...
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Crashing During Flight Training: The Important Lessons

Reminder: Morgan is a 7 year old camelot macaw with a foot defect she was hatched with. To catch up with Morgan's story, please click here.  Lessons from this video: Always end the session on a positive note and while the enthusiasm is still high!  Crashing is part of the learning process - just like a toddler looks to its parents for how to re...
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Foot First vs Beak First (The Language of Parrots)

Because Morgan has a left foot defect, she has always had people who had no clue how to properly handle her. Do they treat her as normal? Do they compensate for her, or does she do that? The questions become endless.  Morgan has not been able to speak a common language with her previous owners and I'm determined for this to come to a stop. How? ...
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Flight Training a Macaw With a Foot Defect

Some interesting things happened recently with Morgan, the 7 year old Camelot macaw with a left foot defect. I'm super excited to share the ups and downs with you this week! Check it out: First, I've got her making the LONGEST flights possible in my living room space which I am so excited about! Now, repetition will build stamina and muscle, an...
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Parrots on Shoulders "Rules": Keeping a Bird Off Your Shoulder

The best way to keep a bird from biting, nipping or otherwise acting out while on your shoulder is by avoiding letting your bird up there in the first place.  Now, this can be challenging in and of itself!  Here are some avoidance techniques:  Hold your bird's feet while on your hand so it can't walk up your arm Hold your arm position in o...
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