I got my blue throated macaw, whom I call "Jinx", back in October 2008. He lived with me in Orlando for less than a month before I took my first traveling trip (via airlines) with him to Seattle, Washington for Halloween (I love spending holidays with my flock!)   Photo by David Location: Lacey, Washington Stealing the Bandana: Blue Throated Ma...

Photo by Jamieleigh Location: Las Vegas, NV In Travel Cage: Blue Throated Macaw "Jinx"   Getting your parrot to go into a travel cage can be pretty rough sometimes... especially when you haven't done it except for to take your bird to the vet, which isn't the best experience of your bird's life...   My parrots are just fine going into their tra...

Photo by Chris Biro Location: Moab, UT Parrots Pictured: Shamrock Macaw "Buckle" and Blue Throated Macaw "Gleam"   I recently found out through an avian vet that a free flighted bird who flies outside should not have its nails clipped due to being able to grasp its landing spots more securely outside. That doesn't mean I want my birds landing i...

Photo by Jamieleigh Location: Orlando, Florida Stepping up: Military Macaw "Cash"   Cash is my military macaw who is between the age of 2.5-3 years old. He was always “Dave’s boy” and I never had much to do with him. Not that I didn’t like him but when we got him we got two other macaws and most of my time was with them. We let the birds choo...

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...

Photo by Dave Location: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands Hugging: Blue and Gold Macaw "Chayko" Earning your bird's trust can be hard depending on your bird's situation. One of my favorite behaviors to train is based on trust and that is getting your parrot to lay on its back; whether it's on a hard surface or in your arms. It's important to g...