Parrot Tricks: The Bat and Upside Down Retrieve

Photo by Jamieleigh Location: Orlando, Florida Bat Look-a-like: Galah “Bondi”   Some people are able to train the “bat” behavior using behavior shaping. I personally prefer using behavior shaping for everything if possible but it’s not always. Some birds love to flip upside down while others will bite you for merely looking at their backside....
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Cruise Ship Questions Answered!

I wanted to take the time to answer the most common cruise ship related questions I get asked that have to do with my birds.   Q: How did you get your birds on board? A: The only reason the birds are on board is because they are part of the guest entertainment. Regular cruise ship passengers are not allowed to bring “pets” on board.    Photo b...
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Plucking vs. Preening vs. Molting

I’ve seen and read people mistaking these three importantly different aspects of parrots and their plumage. Although plucking parrots can tend to look somewhat like those parrots going through a molt and sometimes the act of plucking can look somewhat like a preening parrot – all aspects are entirely different and it’s important to be able to te...
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Bathing = Bonding

My three year old galah, Bondi, is not so fond of her new younger brother, Bandit. However, he is fond of being around her! So what to do? Well, I found that they both needed a bath one day and there was no sense in me taking two just so they could each have one so I decided to give bathing them at the same time, on the same perch, a try. I ran ...
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How to Properly Hold Your Parrot

One of the many reasons it can be hard to introuduce your bird to new people is because new people who don't know birds, don't know how to properly handle or hold them. I've experienced it before - both not knowing what the heck I am doing and witnessing someone else not know for themselves! Neither feels better than the other!   Here are some p...
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The Different Ways Parrots Play

I believe firmly (and from personal experience with MANY birds) that every bird is different and there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to keeping them. Which also makes it fun!   My military macaw plays HARD. And that is why he plays with Dave, and not me! Here is a video of Cash actually playing…   Cash also loves playing hard with h...
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