Ellen DeGeneres & Quito the parrot

Great video from the Ellen DeGeneres show.

Acclimating New Birds

Now that my services have expanded into the "matchmaking" business, It dawned on me that we need to talk about the transition of a bird moving to a new home, whether a hand fed baby just adopted to a new home or an older bird going to a second home. This is a stressful time for any bird, but you can help lessen the strife and make the move easier for both your new bird and the rest of the family.

Good planning ahead of time is essential. A pet parrot should NEVER be an impulse buy. Adopting a companion parrot is just that - ADOPTING a new family member - they're not used cars to be traded in when you get bored! They are living, feeling, sensitive beings who should always be considered PERMANENT additions to the family. I'll never forget the first local bird expo I went to after moving to the Northwest. It was winter - cold and rainy, and I saw a person after person exiting the expo, each with a tiny baby African Grey tucked under their coats. There was a vendor inside with lots of cute baby Grays and a cheap price - apparently, many folks couldn't resist. Since no one seemed to have brought a carrier, it didn't seem to me that these were "planned" purchases, but rather spur of the moment purchases. I wonder how many went home to a nice cage, all set up with new toys and the proper diet? Not many, I'll bet. It's a deadly combo - cute, cheap, and baby! I'll bet not too many folks had done their homework either, studying up on African Greys and bird care in general.

The other common scenario is the "petshop rescue" - the pitiful bird at some pet store that knows nothing about birds - there he is, in a tiny cage, eating sunflower seeds, no toys, tucked in between the hamsters and the snakes, while the resident shop cat climbs freely through the store. So, on a whim, you take him home.

So, whether it's the irresistible baby, the sad ill cared for rescue, or an actual well thought out carefully chosen new addition - there he is, coming in your front door, hoping to spend the rest of his life with you, his ever loving devoted family!! So how do we transition from scared outsider to contented feathered child?

First, be prepared. Have the cage, toys, and food all set up prior to his arrival so he can slide right in and not have to stand by while everyone scrambles around, frantically searching for bird stuff. Normally, we advise putting a bird's cage in the busiest part of the house, where he can be the center of attention. But new birds need some space, quiet and privacy during the settling in process, so find him a comfortable safe corner where he can observe, but at a distance. Of course, he should have made a trip to the vet first thing and quarantining him for at least one month away from any other birds is always recommended. So this may not be his permanent location, but rather serve as a "pit-stop" in the beginning. You may want to partially cover his cage, draping a towel over the back and one side to help him feel safe. If possible, have some of his previous diet to mix in with the new (wonderful) cuisine you'll be serving.

Find out as much as possible about, not only his diet, but preference in toys, play time, bed time, and daily routine. Keeping some consistency helps for a smoother transitional time. Radical changes don't agree with many parrots, so go slow. Introduce him to every family member, but avoid anyone doing too much "hands on" stuff in the beginning. Rather, spend time just sitting by him, talking to him and offering some treats by hand. Don't force him or expect instant love. Work on building trust with "step-ups". Play "The Towel Game" to have interactive fun, as well as aiding future needs for handling by a vet or groomer.

Put your new guy on a regular schedule. Feed him lots of fresh veggies and nice warm cooked grains and legumes. Warm food is "comfort food" and helps strengthen the bond when fed by hand. Share some family dinner with him, preferably on a stand by the dining table. Watch TV together and preen his head feathers for him while you hang out on the couch. Include him in lots of family activities to help him feel a part of the flock. If everyone is gone to work or school during the day, leave a radio or TV on and make sure he's got plenty of interesting toys that provide both chewing exercise and mental stimulation. Talk to him before leaving, tell him he's okay and reassure him that you'll be back. When you do return give him a warm hello and a big hug. If you do have other birds, try to maintain the flock order. It won't help him relax if the other birds are resentful of all the attention the new guy gets. Always address your primary bird first - first one out, first one kissed, first one fed, etc. Don't allow the birds to get together until you're sure everyone gets along. First time together, it's helpful if it's on a neutral new stand that no one is territorial about. If you expect the two to ultimately share a cage, remember that will take time and patience - you don't want the new guy intimidated by an overbearing dominant "resident" who thinks he runs the place.

An important point to remember - don't make the mistake of totally doting on the bird at first, then ignoring him after the novelty wears off. He'll definitely need extra attention in the beginning, but try to maintain a balance from the start, to avoid rebound problems down the road. So be prepared, go slow, build trust, and have fun getting to know each other. This is the beginning of a beautiful lifelong friendship.

by Marilu Anderson, Bird Nutrition and Behavior Counselor
Phone: (503) 771-BIRD

How to Keep Your Bird Busy

In nature, your bird would be busy the whole day. Birds fly to find something to eat, play with their flock mates, bathe, etc. When we have them in our homes, we generally only spend limited time with them. Even when we don't have to leave for 8-10 hours to earn some food for them, we still have things to do, while they have to occupy themselves when they don't eat or sleep.

How can we keep them occupied? There are many toys that keep them busy for a while, but usually that is not enough. Some birds are happy to chew up all kinds of things, others need challenges, and a toy that is very interesting to one bird may be rather boring for the next. Usually with a little attention we can find ways to entertain them.

So, what can we do to provide stimuli and entertainment when we don't have time to interact with them? One possibility is to provide something to get your bird to work for its food. There are many different toys that do that; for example, Hide-A-Treats, Pyramid Puzzle and Carousel Treat holders. My birds always look to see if something is in there, even if they found nothing the last few times they looked. If they have several of these kinds of treat providers, the goody can be put into another one every day.

There are lots of simple things that give them something to do, like paper, boxes, old socks, etc. With 14 birds, I sometimes have to be very inventive to find the right thing for each bird. For some of my Conures and my Indian Ringneck, the wood blocks to shred can't be big enough. The smaller birds get the rest of the blocks that the bigger birds leave. One of my conures and my macaws don't touch anything but leather. They chew for hours on anything - even just strings, as long as it is made of leather - and turn them into tiny little pieces. My red-fronted loves metal things, which are best when they can be taken apart.

My cockatoo needs challenges. He needs things to take apart, and it is even better when he can rebuild something from them. His favorite is bunches of quick links on a chain. Unscrewing them and putting them on the bars of his cage occupies him for hours. Also, all kinds of chains are another favorite. I have one plastic chain that he tied on the cage bars in a way that I can't get them off anymore. I hope that one day he will get tired of them there and take them off again. He also likes goofy links, because he can take them apart and put them all over the cage on the bars or at the perch or on other toys. He has chains and ropes woven all over his cage. I just hang them there and he produces all kinds of art with them.

Some other birds like things that rattle. My GW, for example, sometimes likes to chew wood blocks, other times she does not even look at them for weeks and takes a sisal rope apart or rattles her plastic toys for hours.

Some birds just like to organize things, so for them some containers with things to take out and put back in are a lot of fun. For example, my grey loves a box on his cage floor, loaded with wood blocks, plastic toys, and pieces of bird kabobs. He takes them out, puts them all over the cage, and puts them back into the container. Sometimes he chews some of them up. The container can also be rolled around and makes wonderful noises that way. Socks also occupy him; he chews the most artistic designs into them.

For almost 9 years, I thought my budgies didn't like to chew anything, until the day I put some balsa buddies in their cage. The thing was gone within a few hours. It just takes the right thing.

It does not do much good to just provide a bunch of toys. We have to figure out the right ones. It sometimes takes awhile and some money, but when we find the right object, it is a lot of fun to watch our little artists working. So, go for it!

by Gudrun Maybaum, Avian Nutrition and Herb Consultant
www.totallyorganics.com E-mail: gudrun@totallyorganics.com

Another Smart Parrot

Great video showing the intelligents of parrots. Also, very entertaining.

Five Ways To Pamper Your Parrot

We are all busy these days and I know it’s hard to meet all the demands in your life. But, it’s time for a breather. Take an some time with each of your feathered kids and give them the royal treatment. I know some of you out there have multiple birds, so it doesn’t have to be all the parrots in the same day! Get into the habit of doing at least a short version of this regularly. Your parrots will thank you! Some birds are more 'social' than others. Two of mine I can pick up and snuggle with without fear of needing stitches. The other one I have to be really careful with. I use a stick as his main form of transport. No matter what level of 'snuggliness' your parrot prefers, you can adjust each step to your parrot’s comfort level.

I hope both you and your feathered kids have a great time. Not only is this a great time for your bird, but you get a relax a bit as well. For an added bonus, turn the phone off!

Spend some quality one-on-one time

Just hang out together. Let them help you pick up around the house. My cockatoo likes to help me fold laundry. One of my African Greys prefers to chat in English back and forth. My other African Grey likes to sit on me and get scratches while I lay on the couch.

He runs up and down me, the couch and sometimes perches on my knee and just sits there. You could put on some rainforest or classical music and just sit quietly together for a little bit. There are no rules, the point is just to give your bird your undivided attention.

Share a meal

Fix up some nice vegetables, fruit, pasta or any other bird-safe dish that pleases your parrot’s palate. Share with your bird, heck, eat off the same plate. One bite for you, one little bite for them. Of course, remember to give them their own spoon or fork so you don’t give them your icky human germs.

Interactive Play

Hand toys like birdie bagels, barbells or marbella shapes; a piece of rope, a popsicle stick, a towel, even a wadded up piece of paper can be really run interactive bird toys.

There are hundreds of safe and fun things to play with. Lighten up and show your bird a good time. One of my African Greys loves to play catch with a wadded up piece of paper. When catch time is over, he loves to shred it up. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be fun!

New Toy

Give your parrot something new to do when hanging out in inside the cage! Remodel a little. Rearrange the toys that are in there and purchase a new one. Parrots get board! Why not buy an extra toy or two for later while you are at it. You could rotate the toys when your parrot loses interest in it. I have a birdie toy box that all my toys go into. Periodically, I pull their current toys out and put some from the box in. The others go back into the toy box for later use. If the toys are damaged quite a bit, see if you can use the parts from several toys to make a new toy. Rotating and recycling toys prevents boredom, saves you money and gives your parrot a change of scenery regularly.

Shower

What pampering session would be complete without a nice shower or bath? Depending on your parrot’s preference, let them splash around in the sink or tub. Mist your bird with a squirt bottle or for a finer water spray you could use a birdie mister like Mr. Mister. I use a Mr. Mister for all my parrots, in fact they have their own shower perch. Whatever they prefer, make it fun!

by Taylor Knight - Your Parrot Place

Parrot Tricks Video

Funny video of parrot doing tricks including golf.

What's That Bird Cage Made Of?

There are currently no standards regarding construction of bird cages for pet birds. Whether the cage is intended for small or large companion birds, the materials used for construction are as different as the designs themselves. The variability of materials is more extreme in smaller bird cages where cost is more often a primary consideration, and fewer demands are placed on the structural integrity of the cage. Large psittacines require greater tensile strength in cage components due to the extreme force these birds can exert with their beaks. The need for greater tensile strength usually translates into more costly materials and a more predictable product.

Components and Manufacturing Techniques for Indoor Birdcages

One of the most common materials used to make bird cages is steel. Steel is composed of iron and carbon and, if left untreated, oxidizes very easily. Grades of steel differ primarily in purity, varying in carbon or other alloy content. Higher grades of steel are typically subjected to heating processes that result in a tempered product with a smoother finish. Wrought iron and cold rolled steel are similar types of carbon steel, with wrought iron having a less finished surface and rougher texture, and cold rolled steel having a more finished, smoother surface. Hot rolled steel is subjected to additional heating processes that result in an even smoother finish. Regardless of how the carbon steel is produced, it must be finished with an anticorrosive material to prevent oxidation.

The best way to prevent corrosion and add tensile strength to steel is to add the elements chromium and nickel, producing stainless steel (S/S). Stainless steel cages have become extremely popular in the last few years as consumers demanded safer, longer lasting, and more beautiful enclosures. Stainless steel cages are designed to last for 50 years. If designed well, they provide a safe, secure, beautiful, and easy to maintain enclosure. The high cost of these enclosures reflects the increased costs of raw materials and more labor intensive construction techniques. Stainless steel cages are most commonly used to house larger psittacine species. They are particularly well suited for large macaws and cockatoos which are capable of dismantling inferior materials. Stainless steel cages have also become popular for many medium sized birds. Even though these birds usually do not test the structural integrity of the enclosure, stainless steel cages provides a safe, lasting, easy to maintain environment for pet birds.

Powder coating is a technique commonly used to prevent corrosion of steel. It provides a durable finish that helps protect steel components. Powder coating involves the electrostatic application of a specialized paint, followed by high temperature baking. The finished product is versatile and attractive. Although originally designed for lawn furniture, this technique caught on in bird cage production. Some of the original powder coating formulas contained high levels of zinc to harden the finish and speed curing time. Most formulas currently in use have eliminated the need for zinc. Variability in paint formulas and application processes will affect the finished product and can result in chipping, peeling, and corrosion. Most cages commercially available today for medium and large psittacines species are powder coated steel. These cages, if properly manufactured, will provide decades of service and functional, safe, beautiful enclosures. Recent market trends show a rising demand for powder coated cages for smaller birds like budgerigars, cockatiels, and lovebirds.

While powder coated steel is the safest type of painted cage, some manufacturers sell powder coated galvanized wire cages as an inexpensive alternative. These cages pose an increased risk of zinc consumption. In many cases this is due to the fact that proper preparation for powder coating involves some roughening of the surface to be painted. This roughening can pit the galvanized surface and result in irregularities. Powder coating often adheres poorly to slick galvanized surfaces and can quickly peel and flake. The paint flakes can contain high levels of zinc, which has leached from the galvanizing into the powder coating. Pet birds intent on cage chewing can quickly ingest toxic levels of zinc and/or lead which is a common industrial contaminant of some galvanized wire (see below). Unfortunately, most owners who purchase these cages are unaware that they are buying an inferior product.

While stainless or powder coated steel cages are ideal, less expensive methods of preventing corrosion are commonly used in bird cages designed for smaller psittacines, whose owners tend to be more cost conscious. The most commonly used method involves electro-plating steel wire with an inexpensive metal to prevent oxidation and corrosion. Zinc is probably the most commonly used metal for electroplating. Some manufacturers will layer different metals over the steel to achieve the desired result. The resulting wire is usually a shiny silver color but can also be shiny gold. Most electroplated finishes contain at least some zinc. An informal survey of commercially available cages (8 randomly chosen) for smaller parrots revealed zinc levels in the plating from .5% to 42%. Electrostatically applied plating is unlikely to be consumed by a bird as long as the finish is smooth. However, once the cage shows signs of oxidation, pitting, loss of sheen, or white rust, the cage poses unacceptable risk of zinc ingestion, and should be replaced. Cage grates are likely to show degenerative changes first because of the constant exposure to droppings and food waste. Oxidation of these surfaces often result in deposits of elemental zinc. These deposits appear as white burrs or pits. These imperfections can draw the attention of birds. When removed and ingested by birds, these deposits can result in potentially dangerous zinc exposures. Birds that develop behaviors involving chewing, mouthing, or biting the cage are at increased risk and would be safer in a zinc free enclosure.

Another inexpensive method of preventing oxidation involves coating steel or galvanized wire with plastic or vinyl. While these coatings do protect wire from oxidation, they can be easily removed by busy birds. Plastic and vinyl coatings often degrade quickly and flake off the underlying wire. As lead is a common ingredient of plastic and vinyl, pieces of coating ingested by birds can expose the bird to toxic metals. In addition, ingested coating can act as a gastrointestinal irritant, regardless of its metal content. When a vinyl or plastic coating is used over galvanized wire, there is the added risk of zinc ingestion if the wire is chewed on and eaten.

Galvanizing is the process of coating steel wire with zinc by dipping it into molten zinc. This method is the least expensive way of preventing corrosion of steel wire. Galvanized wire can be distinguished from plated wire in that it is a dull gray, rather than a shiny silver. There are two primary types of galvanized wire commercially available. Wire galvanized prior to welding is commonly produced in the Unites States. Wire galvanized after welding is a process more typical of production in United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Regardless of when the zinc is applied, the welds in most galvanized wire are electrostatic and contain no additional metals. Lead is a common manufacturing contaminant of some galvanizing processes and will obviously increase the risk of problems if consumed. Using higher grades of wire will minimize the risk of lead exposure.

Galvanized cages are the least expensive bird enclosures available, and are often manufactured in large sizes suitable for flight. They are also light and easy to move. Unfortunately the behavior characteristics of many birds include picking at, chewing, and ingesting anything available. For these birds a galvanized cage can pose a huge risk of zinc intoxication. The number of birds adversely affected by these cages is likely under-reported because thorough diagnostics are often not run. The toxic potential of zinc ingestion has been proven but much remains unknown about the impact of chronic, non lethal exposure.1,2,3 In fact, the biologic mechanisms of lethal exposures remain poorly defined.

Properly finishing galvanized wire eliminates blebs and imperfections, making the cage less inviting to chew. Excess material at welds creates easily removable pieces of elemental zinc. If ingested, these pieces can contribute to disease. Wire that is galvanized after welding usually has a smoother surface, and therefore becomes the preferred wire for aviculture. New galvanized wire is often coated with a petroleum based protective oil. If not washed off prior to use, and if ingested, this oil can pose additional health risks. Sheffield Manufacturing, producers of Tinsley Wire, requires that rolls of wire be sold with a warning label advising of the risk of zinc ingestion, of the need to prepare the wire for usage by removing any residues of oil, and of the need to use a soft brush to remove any tags of material. 4

Many aviculturists mistakenly think that treating galvanized wire with a vinegar wash will remove any risk of zinc ingestion. While vinegar will dissolve small, oxidized deposits and hasten their removal with a soft brush, vinegar will not remove the zinc coating from the wire.

Acrylic cages have appeared on the market as an alternative to traditional metal wire cages. They certainly offer the advantage of using safe, relatively inexpensive materials and many bird owners find them appealing. Certainly they have distinct advantages for debris containment. However, this same property gives rise to problems with air quality and ventilation. Some have additional built in air cleaners to address air quality problems. Whereas these cages may be suitable at moderate temperatures, the small airspace could become overheated at warmer temperatures.

Great Parrot Video

This video just goes to show how amazing and intelligent the avian species really is.

Clicker Training For Pet Birds

Does your parrot scream or bite? These are two very common and very annoying behaviors. Especially when company is over! If you are at your wits end, give clicker training a shot. Since we can not reason, or sometimes beg, with our pets, we must communicate through other means. Clicker training helps bridge the communication gap and be quite successful in ending bothersome behaviors.



You don’t have to be a professional trainer to teach your pet. Owners have successfully trained their parrots to hold their wings out for feather trimming and hold out their toes for nail cutting. Can you imagine your bird holding still while you put a harness on it in order to go outdoors? And the joy of a veterinary examination without biting! Bring on the clicker training.

Before you can teach Polly how to fly around freely and come when called, you must first teach her what the clicker is. So, what is a clicker? A clicker is a small, hand-held devise that makes a “clicking” noise when pressed. You can purchase a clicker at any pet supply store. Now, just going around clicking is not going to do anything for your bird. The next step is to teach her that the clicker is good.

When beginning, don’t make your parrot do too much to get a treat. In fact, they need not do anything at all. For the first session or two have your treats ready and hand them out freely. Good treats are nuts and seeds. For about 5-10 min just press your clicker and then give your bird a treat. The idea here is for the bird to put the sound and the treat together. “Click-Click” means “treat-treat.” Birds are smart and it won’t take long for the connection to be made.

Once the sound and treat mechanism is established, try to get an actual response from your bird before pressing your clicker and handing out a treat. Trainers use what they call a “target.” This target is some sort of object that the bird can touch and then get rewarded with the click and treat. Often, your bird will accidentally touch whatever you choose as the target. Who cares?! Click and treat. Soon your bird will figure out that to get a treat he needs to touch the target. You do need to take care when picking a target. After your bird is trained to look for the target, you can then use it to lead your bird to another target. And it’s definitely wise not to use their perch. Once you get the basics down, there are a myriad of tricks you can teach your parrot. It all depends on what your end goal is.

Training your parrot truly doesn’t take terribly long. Birds are smart and you will be quickly rewarded with the time you spend together. Remember to have fun, your bird will sense it and be even more responsive to your training!

Emergency Preparedness Planning for Parrots

No one likes to think about emergencies which threaten the lives of family, friends, or parrots. Such experiences can be intense, upsetting, and scary, to say the least. Nevertheless, planning and practicing for those moments when you need to act quickly to save lives, both human and avian, can help make the experience safer and less stressful.

Emergency preparedness covers a wide range of conditions and there is no way to be ready for every situation. An emergency could be as small as an extended winter power outage, as intensely personal as a house fire, or as generally dangerous as a forest fire, flood, wind storm, volcanic eruption, or earthquake.

The primary goal of emergency preparedness planning is simply to be as ready as possible in case of evacuation or the loss of normal day-to-day amenities such as utilities, phones, or even a reliable transportation system. You cannot be prepared for EVERYTHING: be a generalist, be inventive, adapt and improvise!

Here in Alaska, the 1996 Miller's Reach fire -- which devastated a huge area north of Anchorage -- made it painfully apparent that some kind of orderly emergency response process was necessary for animals in addition to the established plans for humans. While there was a great outpouring of assistance from the general community during the fire, it was often uncoordinated and, sometimes, ineffective. In addition, some people were sleeping in their cars with their pets because the human shelters would not allow them inside with their companion animals.

In response to these circumstances, People for Emergency Preparedness Planning for Animals in Alaska (PEPPA) took form in August, 1996 two months after the Miller's Reach fire. Working with other volunteer organizations brought together under the umbrella group called Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), PEPPA's goal is to provide emergency response sheltering and veterinary assistance for animals who are the victims of emergencies.

Since PEPPA's inception, the topic of animal emergency preparedness has come up in a number of places across the country. Many local and state governments have either already included animals in their emergency response plans, or are trying to figure out how to do this. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recognized the importance of considering the needs of animals in emergencies.

Other than our obvious personal needs for saving our non-human companions, for emergency response organizations there are three big benefits in incorporating animals in disaster response planning: 1) If people with animals have to evacuate, they tend to leave with less delay if their animals are allowed to evacuate with them; 2) People who have evacuated their animals are less likely to return to a dangerous area to retrieve their pets, an act that endangers themselves as well as any emergency response personnel who have to retrieve or rescue them; and 3) stress levels for people in emergency shelters tend to be reduced when their loved ones and animals are safe.

However, while emergency response organizations are immensely helpful during disasters, WE are the first line of defense in protecting our families, human and otherwise. It is vitally important for pet owners to have appropriate supplies available and to practice personal response to emergencies and evacuations. For the first 72 to 96 hours of a major disaster, self-reliance can make a huge difference in the quality of life for ourselves and our animals.

Prepare your human family disaster kit first! FEMA, the American Red Cross, and local emergency agencies have lots of information about what to have in your disaster survival kit. If you cannot take care of yourself and your family, you aren't going to be of much help to your birds!

Finally, many of the guidelines and suggestions in this presentation assume the availability of some kind of emergency evacuation shelter for your birds. This may be the home of a friend or family member, or a shelter established by emergency response agencies. Check with your local emergency response people and see what their plan is for animals. If they give you a deer-in-the-headlights stare, make your own arrangements, then get active in your community and make emergency shelters a reality.



WHAT DO I NEED, AND WHAT DO I DO WITH IT?

Here are some suggested bird-related items to have on hand in case of an emergency in addition to the supplies set aside for human use. Remember that you may have to adjust the quantities and types of items mentioned here to fit your flock! Also, it is better to have a little more than necessary, but not so much that you cannot easily transport the supplies.

WATER: 1 to 2 quarts per day for large birds, for drinking and bathing. A good rule of thumb: keep track of how much water you give your birds each day, double that amount, and store a seven-day supply.

FOOD: store a seven-day supply. Pelleted diets, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, pasta, seeds, and other "dry" foods should be kept in airtight containers. On a regular basis, rotate the emergency food into the daily food supply and store fresh food in the emergency containers. Do not assume that there will be cooking facilities available for special foods; if you shelter at home, you may not have power or gas for refrigeration or cooking, and an emergency shelter may not have a kitchen at all.

SPRAY BOTTLE: for cleaning and misting the birds

FOOD AND WATER DISHES: something non-breakable and easily cleaned.

GARBAGE BAGS, PAPER TOWELS, BIRD-SAFE DISINFECTANT: for general cage and carrier cleaning. Nolvasan, a 1:20 bleach:water solution, OxyFresh: use a product that you are familiar with as your emergency disinfectant.

PORTABLE CAGES OR CARRIERS: collapsible models are commercially available, as are airline kennels. Special cardboard carriers may be available from some vets or pet supply stores. Write your name and address on the carrier using an indelible marker, or on a tag attached to the carrier or cage.

CAGE COVERS: old sheets or large towels work well. Blankets may be more appropriate for cold weather emergencies. Even if you do not normally cover your bird at night, an emergency cover is a good idea because in the shelter other birds and animals may be visible to your bird, adding stress to an already upsetting environment.

TOWELS: for restraining birds for handling, exams, or treatment. Many folks prefer having their bird held in a towel from home, rather than one which was already used on another bird.

NEWSPAPER: or other bird-safe, easily disposable cage/carrier lining.

BIRD CAGE TOYS: select something familiar from the regular cage, or similar to normal cage toys. This can help ease the turmoil of evacuation or special sheltering conditions.

MEDICINES: keep all pet medicines in one location at home, preferably in a waterproof container which can be grabbed on the run. Store special instructions for administering medications and any other important medical history with the medicine, or with the identification documentation.

AVIAN FIRST AID KIT: this can be the general kit for use at home, or preferably, an emergency kit stored with the other emergency supplies.

BIRD IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTATION: ideally, have two photographs of each bird; you keep one, the other goes with the bird. You can write important information on the back of each photo, such as your name; phone number; address; a description of the bird; the name of the bird; microchip ID if appropriate; tattoo ID if appropriate; pet insurance policy number; leg band numbers; and any other information which links your bird to you.

BABY BIRD SUPPLIES: if you have breeding pairs of birds, plan for baby bird emergency supplies as well. Store and periodically rotate a supply of hand feeding formula. Also store a supply of syringes, spoons, pipettes, or whatever is used to feed the babies. Set aside some type of portable, durable emergency brooder for the babies, such as 2-1/2 gallon buckets or plastic containers. Also, consider a heat source for the babies: a heating pad is OK if electricity is available; a hot water bottle can also be used if there is a way to heat water; a third alternative is a chemical "heat pack" which can be stored until needed.


WHAT DO I PUT ALL THIS STUFF IN?

A large, lidded garbage or large Rubbermaid storage container makes an excellent place to store emergency avian supplies. Supplies can also be stored in a pet carrier, crate, or kennel.

Make sure the supplies and birds will fit your vehicle! An evacuation event is not the time to discover your carefully prepared emergency supplies don't fit in the car! If necessary, make arrangements with friends and family for emergency transportation. Have backup plans, and backup-backup plans for transport.


PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Just as with family fire drills, it is important to practice quick, safe evacuations of your birds. Since the evacuation drill can be stressful to your birds, consider using stuffed animals for practice. Another possibility is to turn the drills into a game for your birds so they will be easier to handle in case of a real evacuation. You will need to decide the best way to handle emergency drills with the members of your animal family.

If a speedy evacuation becomes necessary, trying to assemble pet carriers or portable cages may take up valuable time, so try to store them in an assembled state. If this is not possible, consider the use of "cable tie" plastic strips to connect the top and bottom of pet carrier shells. As an alternative for birds, a pillow case or small cloth bag could be used; the pet carriers or cages can be assembled later and the evacuees transferred to them from the bags. The ultimate goal is to have emergency evacuation containers which are almost-immediately available if necessary.

SMALL-SCALE EMERGENCIES

SHELTER-IN-PLACE: Follow standard guidelines for making sure your house is safe to stay in. If you use auxiliary heating, cooking, or power generation equipment, make sure they are adequately ventilated so that a carbon monoxide buildup is not a hazard.

EVACUATION: Animal assistance organizations may not be activated. Talk to family, friends, and/or your veterinarian ahead of time for emergency housing arrangements.



LARGE-SCALE EMERGENCIES

SHELTER-IN-PLACE: Follow standard guidelines for making sure your house is safe to stay in. If you use auxiliary heating, cooking, or power generation equipment, make sure they are adequately ventilated so that a carbon monoxide buildup is not a hazard. 72-96 hours may pass before full recovery efforts are underway, so be prepared to feed and house your family and flock for at least that long.

EVACUATION: Listen to the radio for evacuation and shelter instructions. Standard transportation routes may be unavailable, so plan for alternate routes as needed. Transport your birds to the nearest safe haven or animal evacuation shelter.

If you own or have easy access to a recreational vehicle, such as a camper, trailer, or motor home, it may serve as an excellent emergency shelter, depending on its size and how it is equipped for heating and ventilation.



EVACUATION AND THE SHELTER ENVIRONMENT

If you do have to evacuate to a public shelter, remember that they are for people only; health and safety concerns make it impossible for animals to coexist with humans at such a shelter. For this reason, if an emergency animal shelter has been established, it will be in a separate facility. In a "normal" emergency, you will register your pet at the animal-related facility first and then register yourself with the agency operating the human shelter.

Be prepared for an environment of "controlled chaos" at the shelter, depending on the severity and scope of the emergency. Veterinarians and/or emergency vet technicians should be available at the animal-related facility. A triage process will be in place; injured animals will be stabilized and transported to veterinary facilities, and healthy animals will be transported to safe housing.

Life in the emergency shelter will be strange and stressful, especially when compounded by worry about your human and animal family members. Sometimes, visiting your pets at their shelter may be possible; it all depends on the nature of the emergency. For this, and to help reunite you with your companion animal after the emergency is over, being able to link each animal to their human is vital.

For this reason, it is very important to have your name and address on the carrier or cage, a photo of your animal, and other backup identification information.

In review, take care of your family emergency preparedness plan first, then work on your kit for the birds; be flexible in how you can respond to an emergency; prepare to take care of yourself and your family (human and otherwise) for up to 96 hours; and practice evacuations so that the process is easier to deal with when it is time for the real thing.

Funny African Grey

Parrot Personality Profiles

There is no single perfect parrot species just as there is no perfect parrot owner. Each species we breed can make a wonderful pet for the well-informed and realistic individual. Each species is a compromise of positive traits as well as some weaknesses. Many incorrect generalizations and outright myths exist about virtually any species you'd care to name and it is a wrong to take them literally. It is important that they be dispelled up front lest they contribute to bad choices being made. For example, articles and Internet chat postings abound about neurotic feather plucking African Greys, aggressive sexually mature Amazons, moody Eclectus or unpredictable Hawkheads. Every type of animal and all of humanity has individuals with the potential for aberrant behaviors. Most behavior problems with companion parrots occur as a direct result of inadvertent mistakes made by the owner which are further exacerbated by a lack of proper information or unrealistic expectations.

Parrots essentially become what their owners teach them to be, either deliberately or inadvertently. Behavioral problems seem to be reported at the speed of light and tend to overshadow any good news. It is absolutely amazing how a few writers can "contaminate" a species with their words of "wisdom". It is simply incorrect to draw conclusions about a certain species from the reported bad behavior of an individual or even a few individual birds of that species, especially when someone who didn't know what they were doing caused the problem.

There is a great deal that can be done to prevent or correct aberrant behavior in parrots and the solution lies in proper education. It is the new owner's responsibility to acquire that knowledge and bring out the best behavior in any companion parrot. Sally Blanchard, one of the most experienced and respected parrot behavior consultants states very clearly in The Beak Book - "Behavioral problems are NEVER the parrot's fault ".

Individual Personalities:
Just like people, each parrot is an individual with it's own unique personality. Many factors such as genetics, upbringing, socialization, training, life stages, and other environmental factors all contribute to personality development. Therefore it is very difficult to generalize about personality traits for any parrot species. Exceptions to any general trait can exist among different individuals, even among clutch mates.

Domestication:
Although Parrots are now bred domestically, they are far from being domesticated animals like dogs or cats. Domestic-bred parrots are at best only a few generations removed from their counterparts in the wild. They are genetically wild creatures socialized to life in the human habitat. They have no conception of being "owned" or how to be a good "pet". Therefore it is essential not to have unrealistic expectations of them. People must learn to understand, accept, accommodate and appreciate natural parrot behaviour rather than become disappointed when their baby bird grows up and behaves differently than expected because of its genetic programming.

A Lifetime Commitment:
The purchase of a parrot should be viewed as nothing less than a lifetime commitment. With proper care many parrots will live a human life span. Never purchase a bird on impulse, under sales pressure or strictly out of pity for a bad situation. Never acquire more birds than you can properly care for and devote enough attention to or problems will surely develop. No one expects a human child to remain cute & cuddly forever. Some children grow up to be perfect angels, yet others become cantankerous old farts. There is a place in our world for everyone and so it should be with parrots. Please take the time and spend a few dollars up front to become properly educated in the principles of normal parrot behaviour (babies vs. adults). There are many excellent books available written by very perceptive, knowledgeable & experienced authors. This will provide a sound basis for a great lifetime relationship with your bird.

The Plain Truth:
Parrots are noisy, messy, potentially destructive, costly to purchase and keep, and they need lots of time & attention. There are just varying degrees of these factors between different species. Also, all parrots have beaks and they will bite the hand that feeds them under certain conditions.

Finally - The Personality Profiles:
The following information on the species we breed is based on personal experience. It is presented in as unbiased a manner as possible so that people can make an informed decision as to which species is best suited for them. The positive attributes are what you can normally expect from a properly raised, properly socialized and well cared for bird. The potential concerns are what you may encounter with certain individuals under different circumstances.

All Species:
Potential for the development of aggressive or unpredictable behaviour certainly does exist for a wide variety of reasons with mistakes made by the owner and the lack of proper training being primary causes. It seems that every dog owner understands the necessity and importance of proper handling and training of their animal. By comparison, very few novice parrot people understand that the same requirements apply to parrots until bad behavior develops.

African Greys:
Unquestionably, African Greys are the most popular species we breed. Many people choose an African Grey after being disappointed with the talking ability of another species. Warning! If you already have a noisy parrot, getting a Grey may quickly double the problem because of its exceptional mimicking ability.

African Grey Positive Attributes:
* African Greys have a reputation as the best talking parrot species. They can develop an extensive vocabulary and repertoire of unusual sounds. They can also replicate the tone of a persons voice to perfection.
* They are highly intelligent and have a great capacity for learning.
* African Greys can be very cuddly and affectionate, but they require an attentive and gentle owner to stay that way long term.
* They are relatively quiet and make a variety of natural sounds that are pleasant to the ear. As a result, African Greys are considered to be easy to live with birds.
* African Greys are relatively non aggressive as a species, even during breeding.

African Grey Potential Concerns:
* African Greys are special birds that require owners with adequate time, patience and empathy in order that the bird can lead a happy and fulfilled life. They do best in stable homes and often poorly in others.
* Some African Greys are prone to becoming nervous or fearful birds. Fearfulness is the most common problem avian behaviourists are asked to deal with in Greys. Certain individuals do become feather pluckers especially if they were raised incorrectly or are constantly under stress. Mistakes made in their care & handling by owners who don't understand the sensitivity of this species can contribute to this problem.
* African Greys thrive best in an intellectually stimulating environment. They can become easily bored.
* Greys tend to dislike change unless the owner deliberately conditions the parrot to accept change early in life and continuously there after.
* African Greys can easily develop into one-person birds.
* African Greys produce lots of feather dust but not as much as a white Cockatoo. People with respiratory illness in the house should seriously consider a different species.
* Their eating habits can be quite messy and wasteful compared to other parrot species. Some Greys love to pick up a fist full of pellets or seeds and see how far they can throw them.
* African Greys are susceptible to calcium deficiency problems if fed incorrectly or if given insufficient access to natural sunlight or full spectrum lighting.

Amazons:
In our opinion, Amazons fit the bill as the best overall species we breed for the majority of people. They are highly resilient and very adaptable birds.

Amazon Positive Attributes:
* Several species (YN, DYH and BF) have exceptional talking ability, which rivals that of African Greys. Double Yellow-heads are also renowned for their opera singing ability.
* Amazons are normally very confident and particularly gregarious.
* Amazons are one of the very least prone species to develop neurotic behaviours such as feather plucking or fearfulness.
* Amazons are very colourful although many bright colours are hidden in folded wings & tails.
* Amazons are normally very playful & entertaining. They are able to amuse themselves with little difficulties compared to other species while their owners are away at work.
In general, Amazons cope very well with changes in their daily routine and lives.

Amazon Potential Concerns:
* Some Amazons can be relatively noisy at times. This varies considerably among sub species and individuals.
* A springtime hormonal rush can cause temporary aggressive behaviour. Read the article Understanding Amazon Behaviour for detailed information.
* Amazons are prone to becoming obese when fed inappropriately.
* In some sub species such as Yellow-napes and Double Yellow-heads, full adult colouration is not achieved for several years. So patience is needed before some Amazons "bloom" in appearance.

Eclectus:
They are a very unique and beautiful species from the South Pacific. They look, act, and behave significantly differently from all other species.

Eclectus Positive Attributes:
* Eclectus are gorgeous in appearance. They are often referred to as having an elegant appearance. They are especially striking when kept as true pairs because they are sexually dimorphic. Males are primarily Green and females are primarily red & blue. Their unusual velvet/fur like feather structure on the breast & head makes them unique in the parrot world.
* They are relatively quiet birds often suitable for apartment living.
* Eclectus are less destructive chewers than other species.
* They have excellent talking ability and a most pleasant speaking voice.
* Eclectus are not normally one-person birds.
* They do not demand a large amount of hands on attention. Eclectus are quite content to be near their owners and interact on an intellectual rather than physical level with their owner.

Eclectus Potential Concerns:
* Eclectus behave much differently from other parrot species. Owners must become educated in this area to truly appreciate the uniqueness of this species. For example, fixation (delayed reaction) behaviour is normal with this species and is generally misunderstood, especially by people experience with other species. Eclectus simply think before they act.
* Some Eclectus are prone to feather plucking especially if mistakes are made in their diet and care. Red-Sided seem to be the least sensitive sub-species in this regard.
* A lack of adequate beta-carotene (precursor to Vitamin A) in the diet can lead to illness in Eclectus more quickly than in other species.
* Excess chemical vitamins, preservatives and artificial food colour agents in the diet can cause a variety of health, behaviour, and plumage problems.
* Eclectus can at times be quite moody (just like people).
* Mature Eclectus hens can be strongly motivated to make a nest and lay eggs, even without a male present. These hens may not actually want a mate. They just want to go through the nesting process even though they are pets.
Allowing a hen to play in dark areas (kitchen cupboards, boxes, etc.) can
trigger this behaviour.
* Some Eclectus can be quite cantankerous as youngsters. They do out grow this phase for patient and tolerant owners.
* Hybrid Eclectus are quite common in the pet trade. This is a very controversial subject. Hybrids do make good pets but are considered to be unsuitable as future breeders by responsible aviculturists wishing to preserve the pure sub species.

Hawk-Headed (Red Fan Parrot):
Personality-plus is something that all Hawkheads have. They are one of the most adorable bundles of feathers you will ever see. This is a fascinating species even for the most experienced aviculturist. We concur with the statement that Hawk-headed parrots make one of the greatest pet birds possible. Because of their rarity especially in companion bird situations, this species hasn't received nearly all the good press it deserves. It is highly under-rated as a companion bird.

Hawk-headed Parrot Positive Attributes:
* Hawkheads are incredibly energetic birds that thoroughly enjoy verbal and physical interaction with their owner. They take advantage of all the cage space available to them as their playground. They are a joy to watch at play.
* These playful clowns can be very affectionate. They love lying on their backs in the palm of their owner's hand or lap. We've observed ours sleeping on their back in the nest box.
* Hawkheads are very exotic in appearance particularly because of their stand up crest, which resembles an American Indian headdress. They project a very impressive presence for their size. They raise their crest whenever they become excited or frightened.
* They have very unusual and beautiful feather colouration.
* Hawkheads have a cute speaking voice and do have the ability to learn many words and phrases.
* Because of the shape of their beak, Hawkheads seem to us like they are always smiling. They are too cute.

Hawk-headed Parrot Potential Concerns:
* In order to have a well behaved pet for the long term, prevention of negative behaviors is extremely important. Advice on behavior issues should be obtained from someone experienced with this species and not from others. Treated with gentleness and respect, Hawkheads make endearing pets.
* Hawkheads may not be suitable for apartment dwellers as they do have a high-pitched natural call. Having said that, we do not find them to be particularly noisy when kept singly or with other quiet birds.
* Juveniles can have more green on the nape and less-defined blue-edged feathers on the chest. They aren't quite as colourful as the adult.

Conclusion:
Education and an open mind are prerequisites to developing a successful lifetime positive relationship with any pet parrot. All good relationships are based first and foremost on trust and enhanced with proper training. We wish you the best of luck with your choice of bird.

In The Bird's Mind

Birds are emotional beings and can be highly sensitive. Your attentiveness to her needs and responses to stimuli, your understanding of her intellectual and emotional signals and your constant presence all contribute to the health and well-being of your bird. Without these, you risk distress, anxiety and resultant health disorders in your bird.

You have to pay attention. Your bird will display emotional patterns, which betray her inherent tendencies and behavior toward the world around her. Her needs will vary according to species, the atmosphere, her surroundings and the stimuli she must respond to. The bottom line is, your expression of emotional support to a needy, oftentimes dependent bird will be vital.

One of the most important ways you can express your attentiveness to your bird is simply by being there. If you are gone for much of the day, your bird will need special time with you in the morning or evening. Even if you're home during the day, but overly busy, your bird will want you to slow down a while to spend quality time with her. This relaxation period will not only be good for your bird, but will also be beneficial to you.

Remember, your bird requires a constant and methodical schedule of eating, playing and sleeping. If you skip playtime or considerably disrupt her routine, your bird may sink into a period of anxiety and confusion, and may attempt to win back your attention through self-mutilation.

Disruption and Degeneration

Harry, an Amazon parrot, spent the first two years of his life happily settled in his owner's living area in a second floor condominium in the suburbs. His owner talked to him, played with him and taught him new words. They even sang together. Suddenly Harry's world turned upside down, literally and figuratively. An earthquake, measuring just 4.5 on the Richter scale, struck his hometown. Although the quake lasted only a few minutes, it sent dishes crashing to the floor from their precarious perches along the narrow shelf near the ceiling.

The crash as the dishes hit the floor and the shudder of the concrete building as the condo walls flexed sent Harry into a tailspin. He no longer wanted to play and was even afraid of familiar toys and perches. Any newcomer in his owner's home was the enemy, and he responded by flapping about the cage, making peculiar squawking noises and hurting his delicate feathers on the cage bars.

This behavior soon turned to feather picking, a form of self-mutilation and a habit that greatly alarmed Harry's owner. She talked to him constantly, begging him to stop. She bought him treats and let him walk all over her table during mealtimes, but this departure from the normal routines and rules worsened the situation.

Finally, she read an article about skittish birds, which gave her the key to Harry's behavior. He needed continual training, constant emotional support and a methodical schedule of playtime, feedings and rest. Harry is now back on track, his wounds from his feather picking healed. He enjoys plenty of socialization time with his owner and any visitors she has in her home. Harry now spends his time in activity and rest. The stress of the earthquake still exists, as do other stresses such as loud police sirens, injuries, freeway noise and apartment living, but his now-predictable schedule and extra recovery time with his owner have helped him adjust from his stressful experience.

Insecurity and Interaction

Violet, a delightful female Budgie, wouldn't mount her owner's arm and frequently fell off her perch for no apparent reason. An insecure bird, Violet spent most of her day alone in her cage. A neighbor boy who visited her owner frequently would taunt her and poke at her through the cage bars without mercy.

One day, she bit her owner, who yelled, and Violet hid behind her water dish the rest of the evening. The next day, he caught Violet plucking feathers from her own body, but instead of reacting negatively to this behavior, Violet's owner used his head. He began to talk to Violet in soothing tones, giving her treats and lightly scratching her neck. Violet warmed up to this activity, but after a few minutes, she returned to her hideout behind the water dish.

The next morning, her owner was up early with Violet. He opened her cage and moved her gently to her perch. The bird seemed thrilled, stayed on the perch with ease and mounted her owner's arm when commanded. They played ball. Violet screeched with joy as she bit at the rubber ball and chased it under the couch. They went around and around for a full hour of playtime. After breakfast, her owner left for the office, and Violet settled down for a long wait. A few hours later, her owner was back for lunch and more play. He left music playing all afternoon, and when he returned home in the evening, they played more games.

Within a few weeks, Violet had stopped plucking her feathers, and she ran to the cage door to see her owner when he walked up. Her behavior had turned 180 degrees. Suddenly this normally insecure bird was receiving the stimulation she needed for survival. By having scheduled and routine interaction and playtimes, meals and rest, Violet became fully adjusted to her owner's work schedule.

Violet's owner also refused to allow the neighbor boy to come into his apartment, unless he was with his parents. This eliminated the last cause of stress for Violet, and she no longer feared strangers. Her owner understood that by ignoring the behavior and addressing the stress that was causing the behavior, he could much more quickly bring Violet's life back to normal.

Territory and Trauma

A territorial bird is not acting on instinct. She is simply suffering from a form of aggression. She thinks she needs to stake out a claim on a particular person, room or toy because of emotional instability, usually the result of some sort of trauma or unwanted pressure. Often, being harassed can lead to territorial tendencies in birds. Remember to ignore a negative behavior in your bird, since any behavior, negative or positive, will continue when given attention. The best approach is to maintain a schedule or return to an already existing routine, and stick with it.

Hormones and Mates

The sexually active bird is imitating its own behavior in the wild. Birds have frequent hormonal rushes and find themselves attracted to their reflection in a mirror or try to mate with their owners. Don't get a mate for your bird just because your African Gray is in love with you. Be patient with her. Remember that she is simply showing her affection for you. Place her back in her cage and continue on with your day, or place her on her perch and give her a spoken command. Continue to train your bird through this difficult behavior, always maintain a regular schedule and he will soon cool down.

Aggression and Adrenaline

The aggressive bird is often overloaded with excitement and not sure what to do with her adrenaline rush. A large Macaw may be thrilled with the idea of a visitor to your home, but you may not recognize her excitement as pleasure when she rushes at the cage bars or attempts to bite you or your visitor. This behavior stems from feeling overwhelmed and can be remedied by calmly ignoring the behavior. A Macaw may frequently use her voice to insult, bludgeon and intimidate any visitor, making the guest feel uneasy. Don't punish your bird for this display. Simply train her out of it. Teach her something nice to say to visitors instead, or if she can't say something nice, teach her not to say anything at all!

Patience and Persistence

Seeing into your bird's mind takes patience, knowledge and plenty of persistence, but it will pay handsomely in the final analysis. Give your bird time for adjustment, training and socialization, and you will be rewarded with a happy, well-adjusted pet.

Pet Bird Behavior and Misbehavior

If you think men are from Mars and women are from Venus, imagine where birds are from. Not only is a bird owner required to feed and care for his pet, he must also read the bird's mind and try to understand why she behaves or misbehaves. However, there are clues to help you understand what makes birds tick and how to interact with them.

Much as with children, normal behavior in birds can go awry as a result of physical or psychological difficulties, or just plain boredom. For example, if your bird is bored and lonely, she may scream for attention. Your bird thrives on interaction with the 'flock,' and her flock is you! Being a flock is a lot of work, but learning the ropes can be quite rewarding.

Why Birds Misbehave

Because parrots are intelligent, they are easily bored and express their frustration in a variety of ways. In addition to screaming, other indications of boredom include biting, fits of jealousy, feather-picking, overeating, refusing to eat and destroying objects within reach. During out-of-cage time, she may attack the furniture, woodwork, telephone cord, computer keyboards or any other object she can sink her beak into.

Parrots are social creatures, and they need to be included in the activities of the human flock. Bonding with a favorite human is important. You are the master of the flock, and it's up to you to set boundaries and provide opportunities for exercise, play and mental stimulation. Isolation can turn a potentially wonderful pet bird into either a screeching, biting menace or a quiet, obsessed feather picker.

Food for Thought

A varied and nutritious diet can also influence behavior. Include interesting and challenging foods like corn on the cob, unshelled peas and nuts. Many single pet budgies without out-of-cage time for exercising and socializing will spend their days overeating, particularly fattening seeds and treats. The addition of fresh fruits and vegetables will keep those little beaks busy while providing in-cage exercise.

Some of the budgie's larger cousins tend to undereat or feather-pick when bored. Give larger parrots stimulating fresh foods on a birdie kabob, a skewer for serving large pieces of fresh foods, and make sure you provide a wide variety of choices for the food cup. Varying the diet and presentation will stimulate a new interest in eating.

Overstimulation

Just as a child can become too overwhelmed at his birthday party, your parrot may wiggle away from an extended head scratch, back rub or cuddle session. She may either tire of the attention and want to move on to something else or may have to go potty. If you don't react in time to her need to eliminate, you may have droppings on your furniture, carpet, clothing or hand. When she squirms, put her in the cage or on some paper provided for the occasion. You can always try playing again when she's finished!

Despite your efforts, your parrot may eventually become restless and bored with toys and games. She'll want something else to do like explore the out-of-cage environment, eat or take a drink. If you don't pay attention to the mood swings, your cranky bird may move on to biting as a signal that it's time to do something else.

Boredom has a profound effect on your bird's overall well-being. If you've made the effort to keep her from being bored, but the undesired behavior persists, it is important you look in other areas of her life to discover what's causing the problem.

Screaming

Parrots are verbal creatures with voices that vary from pleasant whistles to raucous screeches and screams. Normal screaming occurs when the bird greets the morning, when she is ready to roost at night, when she is frightened or in pain, when hormones surge at breeding time and even when she's just plain happy.

Just as parents must learn with infants, a parrot owner must quickly learn to differentiate normal screaming from a learned behavior. Screaming frequently may indicate hunger, thirst, boredom, loneliness, fear, stress, fatigue, a reaction to the owner's stress or a lack of toys.

Screaming may also be an attempt to copy another bird or a behavior that has been unwittingly rewarded in the past by a novice owner.

Screaming, often combined with other undesirable behaviors such as biting or jealousy, can be prevented once the cause is discovered. To determine the reasons for this ear-shattering behavior, you should examine your bird's environment, her state of physical and psychological well being, the way she is handled, whether her nutritional needs are being met, whether she has been spoiled by too much attention or if a change in the bird's or family's life has drastically disrupted her routine.

If you need help with behavior modification, document when the screaming occurs and report your findings when you take your bird to see an avian vet or bird behaviorist.

Biting

For bird owners, biting is probably the most fearsome bird behavior. A little budgie beak is capable of piercing a hole in a finger, lip or earlobe. The thought of a bite by a conure, Amazon, cockatoo or macaw can certainly cause even the most unflinching owner to shudder.

There are a number of reasons why parrots bite, most involving the owner's behavior. For example, birds will usually bite when they feel threatened by a fearful owner who, at the approach of that formidable beak, jumps back waving arms, hands and fingers.

An otherwise docile bird may bite if disturbed while eating, bathing, playing or sleeping. Biting is a way to let others know she does not want their attention. Other reasons for a biting reaction may include changes in the environment; an invasion of the bird's territory; a lack of trust of the owner, family members or strangers; sudden movements, noises or vibrations; neglect or abuse including hitting and isolating; a lack of guidance; insufficient social interaction; improper nutrition or care; a separation from a human or feathered mate; and hormonal changes during the breeding season.

Young birds going through an explore-the-environment stage use their sensitive beaks to taste and 'feel' humans and objects and to help them keep their balance when they are climbing or stepping up to something. The best way to handle the little 'toddler' is to avoid the beak, but if it does get a hold of you, gently remove your finger. Be forewarned that innocent beak explorations in the form of nibbling may, if encouraged, grow into full-fledged biting as the bird grows older.

In order to prevent biting, you must learn to read the bird's body language and understand her personality and moods. It's important not to engage in negative reinforcement by shouting in pain, screaming or hitting the bird. These actions will make your bird think you are playing a game of 'I Bite/You Dramatize.' Biting can also be discouraged with the use of a calm 'no' command and by providing foot toys, chew toys or a piece of vegetable or fruit. Brief timeout periods in the cage, followed by attention and a reward such as a head scratch or a treat, may also be effective.

Feather Picking or Self-Mutilation

Feather picking and self-mutilation are behaviors exclusive to pet birds. Normally, birds will pull out a couple of feathers here and there when they are preening or molting. However, when birds carry this to an extreme by chewing off breast, wing or tail feathers, the behavior must be stopped before it becomes an obsessive habit. Continued feather plucking will eventually damage the feather follicles and stop the growth of normal, healthy feathers.

Cockatoos, African grays, macaws, conures, Timneh parrots and Amazons are prone to feather picking. They sometimes carry the activity one step further to self-mutilation by chewing on the legs, feet or skin to create rather nasty, bloody messes ripe for infection.

Parrots may develop this behavior for either medical or psychological reasons. These include changes in hormone levels, malnutrition, external or internal parasites, bacterial or fungal infections of the skin or feather follicles, Psittacine beak and feather disease, environmental stress, nervousness, sudden temperature changes, insufficient sleep, lack of bathing time, not enough playtime, too small of a cage, incorrect cage location, isolation, boredom, lack of physical activity and exercise, inappropriate handling, insufficient light, constant fear and constant fear of danger from other pets.

A cure or prevention should begin with an examination by an avian vet. You need to keep a good record of your bird's feather picking and self-mutilation habits as well as the circumstances surrounding each incident. Take note of your bird's overall psychological condition and examine her environment with an eye for what might be improved.

Routines are important for your bird and should be followed as closely as possible. Make sure your bird gets enough sleep and good nutrition. Provide the opportunity for frequent bathing. Give your bird quality time for play and cuddling every day, offering her a variety of chew toys.

Regurgitation

Regurgitation, or bringing up undigested food from the crop (a saclike enlargement of a bird's gullet in which food is stored before digestion) and attempting to feed a favorite human, mirror or toy is a common behavior. This behavior is similar to when a cat brings home a prized dead mouse for its owner. What people perceive as disgusting is the highest honor their bird can bestow. It is the avian way of expressing love and affection to their human mate, just as it is part of normal courtship and breeding behavior between birds.

If your bird regurgitates on you, accept it graciously and don't confuse your amorous 'mate' by expressing your disgust.

Since regurgitation is more likely to occur during breeding season when hormones are raging, it is best not to arouse your parrot by stroking her abdomen, neck or back. Be prepared to receive this precious gift if your bird begins to bob her head, pump her crop and neck muscles, and pin her eyes (narrow and dilate her pupils rather quickly). One good strategy to prevent regurgitation is to distract her with a game or toy.

Regurgitation directed at a toy or mirror, accompanied by rubbing against the object, signals an attempt at mating. Budgies are famous for this since they think their reflection is another bird. Removing the object of your bird's affection can easily prevent this behavior.

Frequent regurgitation could be a sign of illness, such as a crop or upper digestive tract infection. If the behavior persists, you should take your bird in to see an avian vet.

Inexperienced bird owners frequently mistake regurgitation for vomiting, a forceful expulsion of the crop contents. If the cage, the walls and the bird are sticky with vomit, it is likely she has become ill with poisoning from zinc, lead or another toxic substance, has a gastrointestinal disorder or has ingested a foreign object. Take the bird to the avian vet immediately.

Night Frights

Cockatiels, cockatoos and macaws frequently experience night frights, also common among small children, when startled from sleep by a loud noise, vibration or sudden movement, or simply for an unidentifiable reason. Your startled bird may try to take flight, fall off her perch, thrash around the cage or bang against the cage bars, toys and feeders. She may become injured, bleed from pulled feathers, bruise her wing tips, feet, chest or abdomen, go into shock and even sustain internal injuries. When night frights occur, try to calm your bird. Stop any bleeding with styptic powder and call your avian vet for advice.

To circumvent injuries due to night frights, try placing a small night light near the cage or in the aviary so your bird can see where she is during this episode. Or, place an air purifier in the room to drown out potentially frightening noises. You can also provide a small, toy-free sleeping cage to reduce the possibility of injury. To lessen the chance of injury, place a towel on the bottom and lower sides of the cage to cushion the impact of a fall or from thrashing about.

Seizures

Seizures are sometimes mistaken for night frights. In fact, they are symptomatic of more serious, life-threatening problems such as lead or zinc poisoning, head trauma, epilepsy, infection or diet deficiency.

Following a seizure, your bird will look dazed and extremely tired. She will usually sit on the bottom of the cage or on a low perch for a prolonged period of time. You should keep it quiet in a toy-free, covered cage. After treating any bleeding from pulled feathers, take your bird to the avian vet for immediate evaluation.

Nurturing Intervention

As a bird owner, you'll need to become familiar with your parrot's body language, moods, likes, dislikes and personality traits. This will help you to discern behavioral changes and determine the reasons for them, and recognize you may inadvertently be causing or encouraging undesirable behaviors.

Never punish your bird, as she cannot make the connection between the crime and the punishment. For example, screaming at a screaming bird can actually encourage her to scream more, if only for the attention she receives. You should never hit a bird. Hitting or grabbing a bird's beak causes the bird to respond aggressively, fostering fear and distrust.

To help control inappropriate behaviors, let your bird know you will both love and protect her. Once you have gained the bird's trust and affection, she will begin to bond with you. This opens the gate to easy handling, learning commands, verbal interaction in both human and parrot language, and successful behavior modification.

Play Toys

Parrots, like children, need play activities to exercise and strengthen the body, burn energy, stimulate intellectual activity and for fun and entertainment. They must also learn to play by themselves, substituting the wild bird's instincts for flight, flock interaction and foraging for food with caged bird alternatives. Some safe toys readily available in your home include paper cups, cardboard rolls from toilet paper and paper towels (ideal chewing toys for Amazons, macaws and African grays) and uncooked pasta strung on vegetable-tanned leather strips.

Retail bird toys include blocks of wood with unshelled nuts or seed treat sticks inside, wooden blocks with rope and leather knots strung through them, wooden ladders and barbells, natural ropes and branches, zinc and lead-free chains, swings with wooden beads, nylon or acrylic keys or rings, hanging toys with zinc-free and lead-free bells, shapes made out of plain or vegetable-dyed soft woods or pieces of hide and leather strung on rope.

More complex toys include a mix of branches, rope, wooden beads and blocks, hide, leather, parrot cookies, pieces of cholla and manzanita wood and chains. These provide your parrot with decision-making opportunities and hours of mental and physical stimulation as she figures out how to take her toy apart.

To avoid tragedies such as lead or zinc poisoning, cut tongues, beak or foot injuries, strangulation or infection, toys must have lead-free and zinc-free links to attach them to the cage. Check your bird's toys frequently and remove them from her cage if cotton rope is frayed or sagging. If your bird has made holes that could trap a foot, beak or neck, or if the toy is covered with food residue or droppings, discard or clean the toys immediately.

Toys should be selected according to the size of the bird to avoid injuries caused by toy parts that are too large or too small. Avoid toys made with loose-linked chains, jingle bells, and metal parts that are not lead-free or zinc-free, such as bells with lead clappers; weighted toys containing lead, locks, nuts and bolts that may contain zinc or other heavy metals; eye screws that can be swallowed or caught in the mouth; and objects made from brittle plastic that can easily be broken into sharp-edges.

Naturally, if your bird shows no interest in a toy, or clearly dislikes it, take it away.

Play Activities

There are many interactive games people can play with their pet birds. Playing these games encourages trust, strengthens parrot/human communication, helps your bird release energy in a non-destructive way and gives you the opportunity to spend quality time with your little feathered bundle of energy.

Games

The Blinking Game: First establish eye contact, then close your eyes and the bird will copy you. Birds will generally blink whenever their human playmate does and sometimes will do it first to initiate play.

Peek-A-Boo: When a person leaves the room, a bird will normally stretch its neck to see where he went. To play, peek around the door so your bird sees you again. This game is also fun as an out-of-cage activity. Place a towel or light cage cover over your head. Your bird may burrow under it or pull it off entirely. Or place a cover over your bird and reward her with a cuddle or head scratch when she peeks out.

Yoo-Hoo: This game is fun when you are somewhere else in the house. Teach your bird to cry 'yoo-hoo' or 'hi there,' and you whistle or call back. This can also help teach your bird to whistle or speak, rather than scream, when she wants attention.

Drop-and-Pick-Up: Much like toddlers, birds love to repeatedly drop a toy and watch you retrieve it.

Tug-O-War: Take a towel and allow your bird to grab an end and pull while you gently pull on the other end. Allow your pet to win a few times so she doesn't develop aggressive behavior. If you have a shy bird, the odds of winning should be in her favor.

Upside-Down Game: Some birds enjoy hanging upside-down from the top of the cage or from a perch, often while holding an object such as a wooden barbell in its mouth. Your bird may become so expert she can hang upside-down from your finger while twisting her body around. Reward this fine trick with high praise, a good neck and head scratch or a piece of fruit.

Games are most successful if they are designed according to your bird's personality and favorite solo activities. Your bird may graduate from simple games to more complex tricks such as shaking hands, playing basketball, riding toys and playing dead. Parrots can also become great talkers and wonderful dancing and singing partners. Some like jazz or golden oldies music while others prefer Viennese waltzes or a bit of Mozart.

Obviously, it takes time, understanding and patience for birds and humans to learn to play together successfully. Take the time to observe your bird's individual behavior and learn the essentials of training and handling. This effort will result in hours of fun and laughs for both you and your bird.

How Can I Tell If My Bird Is Bored?

Your bird needs to socialize every day. It is easy for her to get bored if she's not getting enough stimulation. Parrots get bored easily because they are very intelligent and social creatures. If your parrot is being ignored, she'll go out of her way to let you know. Be careful, though, because many indications of boredom are also indications of illness.

Signs of boredom include screaming, biting fits of jealousy, feather picking, overeating (especially in budgies who are housed alone), refusing to eat (more common in larger birds) and destructive behavior.

If you think your bird is bored, restructure your schedule so you can spend more time with her. She needs to hear you talk, get out of her cage for exercise and interact with everyone in the family. Give her a good head-scratching, backrub or cuddle session. Introduce new toys or new foods. Teach her a new trick. If she's a talker, teach her a new word or phrase. Most important, don't get in the habit of ignoring her. Whenever you walk by her cage, take a moment to interact and if you're near her doing something, talk to her while you work.

You'll find that keeping your bird happy is rewarding for you both.

Kids, Family, and Birds!

In todays world almost every family with kids has a family pet. Whatever pet it may be, it becomes just like another child or family member. Birds are commonly among these family pets, especially budgies and cockatiels. Any family that mixes birds and kids has a few extra things to consider that they never may have thought of!

A Bird as a Family Pet: the Pros and Cons

Lets start with the bad part of mixing children with birds. Birds, being fragile creatures, obviously can't put up with any rough housing and big hugs such as a dog or cat might. However, if kids are properly taught how to handle feathered friends gently this may never pose a problem. Secondly birds can be stubborn and sometimes not very friendly, and children need to understand this before they're allowed to handle them. In the first months of a bird living in the house, it should be handled and tamed by an older individual before interacting with younger family members.

Now for the good! Birds are hardy and fairly easy to care for, making them great pets for teaching responsibility to kids. Birds are also very social creatures that enjoy company and interaction with their flock (whether it is people or other birds). Interacting with birds can make a great activity that the entire family can participate in.

Bird Breeds That Are Best for a Family

Depending on how much the family plans to interact with their birds, there are a few bird breed common to families with kids. The most common of these would be budgies and cockatiels. Both of these birds are good for first birds and children's pets, as they are hardy and once tamed can become very affectionate. There are a few differences as always between the two breeds, as budgies are sometimes more difficult to tame and cockatiels commonly learn to speak more easily.

Other breeds sometimes owned by families include finches and lovebirds. Finches are nice to look at, fun to watch and easy to care for but aren't the best for families interested in taming their birds. Lovebirds are on the other side of the spectrum: they need an abundance of attention, especially if you decide only to purchase a single bird. Contrary to popular belief lovebirds don't require a mate; however they are very social and need daily attention and interaction with family.

Always keep in mind that larger birds might not be the best for children. They have stronger beaks and claws that can cause a lot more damage, and are best suited as pets for experienced bird persons. When choosing the breed of bird for your family, do a lot of research on the breeds you are interested in by taking a trip to the library and checking out some breed specific books.

Helping Children Care For Birds

However responsible they may be, younger children shouldn't be in full responsibility of a bird. They should be encouraged to do a lot of their own research on the care and handling of a bird, but the parent(s) should also do plenty of research on their own. Always make sure that children know what they're doing when feeding, handling, and caring for their birds and try to supervise this as much as possible. Birds are small creatures that are sensitive, and a mistake made in their care can be a serious problem. However with proper supervision and a bit of luck, a bird could be your family's next perfect family pet!

How To Choose The Right Bird Toys

Birds are intelligent creatures with active minds and they can soon become bored if they had not kept entertained. Birds that are bored and start to exhibit a desirable behavior such as squawking a lot and pulling out all the feathers. One way to keep your bird amused even when you're not around is to make sure that you provide him with a variety of bird toys.

One thing to think about when picking out toys for your bird is whether or not the toys match with your bird size. Toys designed for small bird like a parakeet might not be safe for a large parrot because the powerful beaks of the bigger birds can easily break the toys into pieces which can be dangerous for your pet.

Different sized birds do seem to enjoy different types of toys but one toy that all birds seem to like is the ladder. you want to be careful, however, that you choose the right side letter for your bird obviously smaller birds will meet once with wrongs that are closer together.

Swings and hanging ring seemed to be a bit more popular for the smaller pet birds. That's not to say that larger birds don't enjoy them as some do but in general the smaller birds seem to have a lot more fun. Hang a couple in your pets cage and you soon see him swinging around and hanging from them and just having a heck of a time.

The bigger birds seem to like maize toys and puzzles especially if you can put some of their favorite treats inside the toy. They also like ropes that have leather knots which they can unknot with their beaks. This gives them something to work out of their mind instead of hanging around doing nothing.

Birds have the mentality of small child and just like children birds can really get enjoyment out of a play gym. you can find these In all shapes and sizes, but typically they either sit on a table on top of the birds cage and when he is out of the cage they provide him with a variety of interesting things to play on including ladders seesaws and swings. Not only will your bird entertain himself on these though probably entertain you as well!

When you are shopping for bird toys there are some you might want to think twice about buying. Although most birds love mirrors and love to look at themselves, it does might not serve the purpose you want if they actually think it's another bird they may bond with their own reflection and not care so much about bonding with people.

Always evaluated toy for safety purposes toys that are not well made and can come apart and harm your bird should be avoided. Also toys that have little areas that might pinch your bird's toes or that he can get his head caught and should be avoided. Remember, your bird can get his little beak into just about anything so you want and make sure the toys are tough enough so that he can't break anything off and swallow it which could be disastrous and possibly even fatal.

Your pet bird doesn't necessarily need expensive toys to play with, many birds love things like paper towel tubes and tongue depressors. Just be sure that if you do you keep your bird toy like that that you make sure he doesn't rip apart and start eating it - it might not be a bad idea to stay around and watch them whenever you give him any new toy.

Because your pet bird gets bored easily you want to rotate his toys. Put a few toys in his cage and then hide the others away where he can't see them. After a week or two remove the toys that are in his cage and replace them with the ones you hid away. You can take this opportunity to clean the toys that he has already played with, then hide them away for a week or two. When you bring them out again he'll think he's got new toys to play with!

Birds Need Toys Too!

Because birds are such intelligent animals, they need mental stimulation. Bird toys and accessories help provide this mental stimulation. They can also help in maintaining the beak and nails at their proper length.

Providing your bird with toys and appropriate chew items will go a long way towards eliminating undesirable behavior such a screaming or nipping. That's because your bird will not have so much pent-up energy that it becomes unmanageable when you want to play with it.

There are a variety of bird toys available; some are better suited for certain types of birds. Select toys that are appropriate for the type and size of your bird. Toys that are too small will break and shatter with large beaks. Toys that are too large will frighten smaller birds.

Plastic toys and metal toys with bells are ideal for the smaller birds, such as Budgerigars (Parakeets) and Cockatiels. Rawhides, wooden toys, metal toys with bells, and rope toys are also suggested.

Plastic toys should never be given to a larger parrot, such as a Macaw. A large parrot can dismantle a plastic toy in seconds and could ingest the pieces. Instead, provide big birds with larger durable rope toys, rawhides, leather, and large wooden or acrylic toys.

All toys should be made with nontoxic materials. Leather should be untreated or vegetable dyed. Wood should be untreated or colored with a nontoxic coloring.

Make sure the toy is sturdy. It should not have small parts that could be broken off and swallowed, or clasps that could pierce the beak, mouth or eyes. Toys with smooth edges are best. Toys should be strung on sisal or cotton rope, or a closed-link chain (where each chain is welded shut). When the end of a piece of rope begins to unravel, clip it off so your bird does not become entangled.

Purchase several toys and frequently rotate them into the cage to keep it interesting for your bird. Wash and disinfect toys when they become soiled and discard them if you notice excessive wear.

Are Plastic Bird Toys Safe For Your Bird?

Is plastic a safe product for my bird? Are there any unnatural chemicals used? I have read about phthalates, is that still used in plastic? Will my bird swallow plastic? Will plastic pass safely through if accidentally swallowed? Will my bird like playing with plastic? Why use plastic toys for my bird? What are some advantages and disadvantages of plastic toys compared to wooden toys?

Powder coated paint is plastic. Bird cages that are powder coated are painted with plastic paint. Birds living in powder coated cages without the presence of metallic or other harmful additives are healthy and have no known adverse effects from the plastic paint.If zinc or other metallic additives are added to the plastic paint to help it adhere to the metal better, the zinc can cause a health problem. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water, as most plastic does not have any metallic additives. The photo shows a powder coated cage with a playtop. My Greater Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo is very secure, healthy and happy with her plastic painted surfaces and toys.

As a general rule, birds don't swallow non-food items like wood or plastic except by accident. Plastic requires 400 degrees of heat to break down. Due to this high-heat requirement, plastic will not melt or be compromised in your birds system. Anything small enough to swallow should pass right through their system and come out as "confetti bird poop."
Plastic was first widely used on toys in my area of Texas in the early 1990s. Alphabet letters, airplanes, dominoes, dice, animal figures, and boats were the first plastic items many of us used on bird toys. These plastic toys continue to be great favorites of many parrots.

In 1998, the plastics industry began changing its softener from phthalates to natural citrus softeners. Citrate Esters is the name usually associated with the softening of plastic this natural way. Today's plastic is a clean product that can be completely disinfected after purchase. I clean bought toys with 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% water, rinse well and dry outside in the sunlight to kill any germs the cleaner missed.

My observation is that birds who are afraid of toys are attracted to acrylic toys. Acrylic is a plastic. If the bird can see through a toy the timid bird feels better about the toy. Acrylics like pacifiers, see-through beads and buttons, and any sturdy acrylic part delight some birds that have never played with toys before. The Umbrella Cockatoo in the photo sleeps snuggled to her translucent toys. (See Picture of snuggled Cockatoo)

Many birds adore plastic based toys and attack them with enthusiasm. People often say that plastic toys are the only ones their birds will play with. Wooden toys are used for beak conditioning, and the plastic ones are courted, danced for, and completely enjoyed by parrots. (See Picture of my Umbrella dancing with her plastic toy.)

I am privileged to share my heart with a male Moluccan named Cowboy Dallas. His 2 wooden toys have been hanging in his cage since Christmas morning, over 6 months. He plays with plastic toys, using his wooden toys for leveling off his beak growth. He is a happy, strong, handsome boy and his plastic toys are a big part of his joyful and exuberant personality. (See picture of Dallas)Plastic's affordability to manufacture, friendliness to the environment, and cost-effective shipping costs due to lighter-than-wood weight makes it a product our parrot's can enjoy for hours and hours when they can't be out of the cage playing. Wood can not be as completely disinfected as plastic due to its porous nature.

Some food dishes are plastic and no ill effects have been reported. To relieve cage boredom, provide more toys at affordable pricing, and just for the fun of it, see if your parrot would enjoy the plastic lid from a can or a soda straw or coffee stir. To see if your bird likes plastic toys, you can try toys with wood and plastic parts like the toy pictured with Skeeter the Eclectus. (See Picture of Skeeter)

Match the bird's size and strength to plastic toys. A powerful Moluccan can play safely with tough plastics and pliable plastics. A smaller parrot can play with a wider variety of plastics safely. Plastics have proven to be a safe part of today's avian products. For more than 10 years we have housed our parrots in plastic coated cages and offered them toys of plastic. Today's citrus-softened plastics have given parrot keepers new and exciting plastic products to enrich our parrots lives.

Pet Bird Body Language

Have you ever taken the time to watch your birds really closely and notice the different behaviours they have that can indicate an enormous amount of information about each bird ? Just as humans have a definite body language so to do our birds. In this article I will go through some that I have noticed and I would love to hear from other members who may have made observations of their own while observing their birds. Even without inspecting the nestbox it is possible to tell by the behaviour of a breeding pair when their chicks are starting to hatch. Over the 21 days your birds will most likely have been taking regular shifts of looking after the eggs with the male sitting all day and the hen sitting all night. The changeovers are usually fairly predictable the hen emerging around 6 or 7 am and the cock taking over and changing back around 5 or 6pm. Things are quite calm and orderly. Then around 21 days after the first egg was laid the sitting routine goes right out of the window. Changeovers are much more frequent as each parent take a turn of feeding up and returning to the nestbox to feed the chicks. Things take on a much more frenetic pace and woe betide you if your late taking them their soft food and greens in the morning. You won't be met with the calm happy twitters of your grateful birds, more like an exasperated looking parent pacing the perch or hanging off the front wire of the aviary indicating in no uncertain terms that you better hurry up as they have babies waiting for breakfast. If you don't pick up on these sort of signals you may not be as in tune with you birds as you could be. From the moment a baby bird hatches its very existence depends on its ability to convey to its parent that it is hungry and needs food. This carries on for as long as the chick is dependent on the parent bird for food and sometimes they will try it on even after it is weaned and usually the parent bird will respond with the bird equivalent to a clip on the ear. The one thing I love watching the most is when a chick first emerges from the nestbox. After finally working up the courage to follow it's parent who has been patiently flying backwards and forwards from the nestbox to the front of the aviary to encourage their offspring to follow, for all the world as if it is saying come on watch me, you can do it. Then once that first giant step is taken the very next thing the parent starts to teach the chick is where the food is . The parent will fly from beside the chick to where the food supply is backwards and forwards until the chick follows and starts the long process of learning to eat by itself. Then once all the chicks are fledged and all demanding food from the parents at the same time you can soon see who has the dominant personality amongst the group or who is the more quiet one who usually is last in line for a feed. Other examples of reading a bird's body language are when your birds go into a sudden panic and fly around madly then just as quickly go completely still, not making a sound. In my part of the woods this usually heralds the arrival of a bird of prey such as a hawk. I don't need to see the bird to know that it's there. One thing that fascinates me is that usually just before the arrival of such a bird you will often see some wild rainbow lorikeets screaming through the sky, yelling their heads off, as if in warning to other birds who don't have the lorikeets speed to escape, to take cover as danger is approaching. We have a lot of spotted turtle doves around here, unfortunately for them, much sought after by hawks for their lunch. Their plan of action when a hawk arrives on the scene is to keep perfectly still so as not to attract attention to themselves. Usually after a short while one will panic and try to escape and is usually snapped up by the waiting hawk. Back to watching your own birds, obviously there are the signs to look for if you suspect a bird is unwell. We all know that birds will try to hide the fact that they are sick for as long as possible, but if you are really in tune with your birds you should be able to pick up very slight changes in their personality and behaviour that may indicate they have a problem before it gets too serious. Things like sleeping a bit more than usual, changes in eating habits, irritability, being a bit dominated by the other birds more than would normally happen could all mean something is not quite right. You can usually tell when a hen is about to start laying . She will get a bit of a humpy look to her stance and her dropping will become large and runny. She should however still be eating well and generally be in good health. This is the time to make extra sure you hen has a fresh and plentiful supply of calcium to replace what she uses up laying her eggs. If a bird is egg bound ( unable to pass the egg) she may go down to the floor of the aviary and appear in some distress. The first thing to do if this occurs is to keep the bird warm and administer a liquid calcium supplement such as Calcium Sandoz by mouth. If you are unsure of what to do or the bird doesn't seem to be responding contact your avian vet immediately. Sexing your birds can be made easier by some careful observation of their behaviour. Young males will start to show tell tale signs of the first throaty whistles at quite a young age, but it is easy to miss if you aren't watching. It is best to observe them from a distance and don't stare at them or they will stop doing it. If you can't tell which one is making the noise look at their tails for a tell tale slight movement in time with the whistle. Once you have an idea a particular bird might be a male you can either shift him to a different aviary and continue to observe the rest of his siblings or make a note of his ring number for future reference. Compatibility is very a important factor in breeding. If you have the opportunity to let your birds select their own partners you will see they have very definite ideas about who they want to be paired with. If you have an aviary with equal numbers of young un-bonded cocks and hens it is quite often the case that one of the hens has the attention of all the males or conversely one of the cock birds has all the young females trailing after him. I don't know what that exactly says about those more popular birds body language to the other birds but I think I'll let you figure it out for yourselves!!

Flock Behavior: How It Affects Our Parrots

An often-made mistake by behavior experts and other experienced bird-keepers is to consider all parrots’ behavior as the same, having the same roots and causes. By that thinking, all species react the same to any stimuli. However, we know this is not true. For instance, African Grey parrots have very different social patterns and behaviors than Amazons. Even among the same genus, different species can have very different social needs and behaviors.

THE INCORRECT COMPARISON TO DOGS AND CATS

Sometimes it’s all too easy to compare parrots as we do our dogs and cats. Domestic dogs are different breeds within the same canine species. Likewise, domestic cats are merely different breeds within the species feline. However, parrots comprise many different species within the hook bill or psitticine genus. Therefore, there’s a big difference between the behavior of individual parrot species and that of dog or cat breeds. Even the behavior within a flock of wild parrots varies greatly between the species. According to ornithologists, there are two kinds of flocks in the psitticine world---- multi-species and single-species flocks.

MULTI-SPECIES AND SINGLE-SPECIES FLOCKS

A group of birds are described as a flock when they: 1) fly at the same speed and 2) forage together at the same feeding grounds. This includes flocks where there are more than one species......called multi-species flocks. Multi-species flocks are often found in South America, where a flock of parrots may include several Macaw species, Amazons, Conures and more. They also are seen in Australia, where Greater Sulfur-crested, Galahs (Rose-breasted) and Corellas are often seen flying and eating together.

SINGLE-SPECIES flocks are a group of the same species only, such as African Grey Parrots. They allow no other species to co-mingle with their flock.

Why do we care about who and what makes up a flock of wild parrots? We care because the social structure and behavior of those wild parrots is very dependent upon the type of flock to which the parrots belong. For survival purposes that social structure is hard-wired (instinctive) behavior within parrot genes. That same instinctive behavior establishes the patterns we see with our hand-fed companion parrot behaviors.

For instance, many African Grey Parrots do not tolerate new additions to the parrot family, especially when they are the first bird. As first bird it appears that they instinctively establish themselves and their human flock as if it were a single-species African Grey flock, where a bird of another species would not be welcomed. Try bringing an Amazon home to a now territorial Grey Parrot. Even other African species, such as Poicephalus or Lovebirds, are enough to bring a dark cloud over the African Grey’s house. However, those of you with different Macaw and Amazon species in the same house often see a very different perspective----- a happy, chattering multi-species flock, just like in the wild. Multi-species flock birds are definitely more accepting of other species than are single-species flock birds.

MULTI-SPECIES FLOCKS
Why are there multi-species flocks? Why doesn’t every individual species have its own flock, as do the African parrots?

In South America, there are many species confined to a relatively small area. Competition for nest holes and foraging grounds is great. Apparently, parrots have found the best way to locate a nest hole or feeding ground is by FOLLOWING THE CROWD. Therefore, we see a variety of species within a single flock of New World parrots.

Another consideration for South American parrots is that the scarcity of nest holes limits the numbers produced of any one species. This means there are no huge flocks of Amazons and Macaws that might band together for protection against predators. Instead, they must rely on the numbers brought about through mingling several different species together.

We all know how noisy some South American parrots can be. I’ve always felt this was partly due to the different species inhabiting a flock. If you were a Conure living among Amazons and Macaws, you just might develop a loud voice to be heard by your mate above the dim of the other species’ calls.

Parrots vocalize for a reason. They sound off to call a mate with a contact call. They send alarm calls of impending danger. They call their mates to food sources. Do they care about other species within a multi-species flock? Probably not, since their own species is what they are genetically programmed to preserve. Therefore, they must be loud to be heard. Plus, finding your mate in a large flock of several different and brightly colored species is no mean feat. We, as the human caregivers, should realize that vocalization is a critical factor with certain species and treat it with due respect. Is that Conure really screaming, or is he raising his voice in a natural manner to bring you over to him and away from the strange human with whom you were having a discussion?

African Greys, on the other hand, have no need to be heard above other species. They all speak the same flock dialect. For that reason, Greys often are considered quieter parrots than some of those species from multi-species flocks. Pionus are another example of single-species flock birds that are known as QUIET parrots. Unlike some of their other South American cousins, Pionus are single-species flock birds.

STABLE PERSONALITIES

Individual species personalities within multi-species flocks tend to be more stable than many of the single-species flock parrots. For instance, how many people have heard of a phobic Amazon? Feather mutilation among Conures and Macaws for reasons other than physical causes is rare, while much more often seen as behavior-based with African Grey Parrots, several Poicephalus species and those Cockatoo species that flock by themselves. My own belief regarding the stability of many domesticated South American parrots is that they naturally raise their young in the wild to become individual flock members at a younger age than do many of the single-species flock birds. This may be a necessity due to the lack of large numbers of their own species within a flock, or that multi-species flock dynamics are not suitable for extended parent or family group instruction.

For instance, a Yellow-headed Amazon might be hard-wired (instinctive behavior) to leave its parents and join the flock sooner than would an African Grey juvenile. In our domestic situations, where parrot species are often handled as if they were all the same, breeders often wean Amazons and African Greys on the same schedule.....a big mistake.

Researchers have recorded that Greys appear to stay with their FAMILY GROUP within the flock much longer than do some multi-species flock birds, such as Amazon parrots. This later independence factor may account for the extreme sensitivity and lack of confidence we often see in domestically bred African Grey Parrots. Phobic behavior, while seldom a problem with Amazons, is all too prevalent in African Greys.

SINGLE-SPECIES FLOCKS
African Greys are a good example of single-species flock birds. There are only Greys within their flock. Observations made in the mid-1990's in Africa by Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s student, Diana May, showed Grey Parrots in many separate groups of five or six birds within flocks consisting of hundreds of Greys. This observation presents a possibility that African Greys may have a longer maturation period, where juveniles stay in FAMILY GROUPS for as long as several years, before going into the flock to find a mate.

Should that be the case, it would explain why Grey Parrots often change their bond from the human who took care of them as juveniles to someone else in the family when the bird is between two and three years old. In order to keep the species gene pool strong and prevent inbreeding, a wild parrot would have to reject its family group and find a mate elsewhere within the flock; therefore, they reject the initial primary caregiver (who represents a ‘parent’) and pair-bond with someone else in the family (flock).

Like the single-species African Grey Parrot with its family group structure, the Rose-breasted Cockatoo has a crèche system of raising and socializing its young. As the chicks fledge, they go to what some refer to as a ‘nursery tree.’ There they receive associated learning (socialization) from older Galahs, until they are educated enough and old enough to become independent flock members.

According to Sam Foster, Galahs are now found nearly throughout Australia, and they are one of the few species that have adapted successfully to changes in their natural habitats due to man’s intervention. Therefore, they may or may not have always been multi-flock birds. If this is not the case, they have joined and have been accepted by, other species, such as the Great Sulphur and Corella, in order to survive in certain areas.

The above are two examples of ‘continuing education’ that we do not see and isn’t practical within a multi-species flock, such as the South American parrots. These same two examples are also two of our more troubled species, as far as insecurity behavior problems, such as phobias and feather mutilation. From a behavior viewpoint, we may not be providing the necessary associative learning with our hand-raised Greys and Galahs that wild birds receive in their specialized environments.

PREDATORS
Both African Greys and Galahs are part-time ground feeders, something that, due to dangers from ground predators, requires a strong flock bond. It also requires that all of the birds look alike, so that an overhead predator (hawk) doesn’t see individual birds— just a continuous gray mass. Flying predators don’t like to take a victim from a flock where the predator cannot distinguish individual birds. If it did it would ruin the risk of breaking its own wing should it hit an object other than its individual prey. Single-species flocks can afford to feed on the ground because they all are the same color and blend together easily.

ACCEPTANCE OF OTHER SPECIES---- ONE PERSON BIRDS
I believe that company is a great preventative factor for behavior problems. In the case of multi-species flock birds, adding another bird or two to the room seems to keep everyone happy when the human flock is not present. However, this is not the case with a single African Grey parrot in a household. Bring another bird into that house and it’s as if the cloud of doom descended over the house. Other species are usually not allowed within this single-species flock animal’s domain. It may take weeks or months before the Grey is reasonably comfortable with the new bird and that bird’s cage had better be well out of the Grey’s perceived territory. However, put a mirror in a Grey’s cage and it will be happy for hours, while the human flock-member is at work. A mirror is, to the Grey, like having another of their own species with them......one without an attitude.

You might ask, why then do single-species flock birds accept we humans as ‘flock members?’ When we hand-raise them and they associate food from our hands to their beaks, we become part of the flock. Wild Grey Parrots have, in the past when they were imported, the ability to become our close friends simply because their parents taught them who are birds and who are not. I have also seen African Greys that were hand-reared with Cockatoos and did accept the white birds as flock members, even to the point where the Greys over-preened their own feathers, attempting to imitate the vigorous grooming techniques of the Cockatoos.

TERRITORIALISM
I believe you see far more territorial aggression from single-species flock birds than from multi-species flock birds, with the exception of mating season when competition for nest holes makes some species extremely aggressive. Again, this may be because other species are instinctively not allowed within a flock of African Greys, for instance. Within our homes, where you might have an Amazon climbing over Macaw’s cage with no hostility from either side, many Greys will not allow another species to set foot on their cages. Often just separating the cages by placing them at opposite corners of a room gives the Grey enough breathing room that he accepts the presence of the other parrot in the room.

If we are to learn to live compatibly with our feathered friends, we are going to have to learn more about them. They are not going to adjust their behavior to what they perceive in us. It doesn’t work that way. We are the ones who have raised them in an unnatural manner and keep them in an unnatural them in an unnatural environment. Our responsibility is to make their social lives as close to natural for each species as possible. When we do not do that the result is a confused, unhappy bird with what we call behavior problems.

Feather Plucking

Feather plucking by caged birds has been almost totally enigmatic through these past few decades. Some of what I opine to be causes are listed below:

• BEHAVIORAL: This is found mainly in Cockatoos and Congo African Greys. Timneh Greys are not as susceptible to the neurotic plucking that their close relatives tend to do when upset emotionally. Cockatoos pluck out of frustration from lack of attention, being kept covered or away from stimuli because of their loud calls, and/or other physical factors. Once a Cockatoo begins to pluck itself, the whole regime can turn into a nasty mutilation scene. It becomes a vicious circle of irritation, itchiness, more plucking and then mutilation. Unless you can put up with the noise of these magnificent birds, and afford to give it the attention it deserves, then an affectionate loving Cockatoo is not for you. The larger Greys, being very intelligent and sensitive birds, have a tendency to pluck when anything in their environment changes - maybe even a new visitor.

• PHYSIOLOGICAL: Upon medical exam, some birds have been diagnosed with parasites or bacterial infections. Some bacterial infections may be secondary to the cause of plucking and as a result of the irritation.

• DIETARY: Chemical additives in some artificial pelleted diets may well be a cause of plucking in birds that become sensitive to the chemical buildup. Lack of foods rich in amino acids and phytonutrients (fresh produce) can be a cause of plucking. I believe in a varied diet with a good vitamin, mineral, amino acid supplement to keep the bird's system from becoming immuno compromised. Dietary requirements are also species specific in many cases. It's best to do some research on the type of bird(s) that you own before making dietary changes or decisions.

• HOUSING: A happy healthy bird is one that can ideally fly or at least have a cage large enough to be able to hop around and stretch and flap its wings. Extra care must be taken with a bird that has flight, though, to keep it from escaping and to keep it from getting into trouble. Birds need to chew and need stimuli, so a few safe bird toys in its cage will help it to escape the boredom of being confined. I've found that fresh clean sliced or chunked pine 2x4s are the bird's favorites. My breeders chew them vigorously to use as nesting material while the others love them as hand held chew toys.

• ENVIRONMENTAL: Last, but not least is the environmental factor. New carpeting, upholstered or laminated furniture, new sheet rock, and neurotoxic odors from household sprays can be deadly to birds. The first four items outgas the highly carcinogenic formaldehyde for many years. Weather permitting, birds should have a source of fresh air and/or air conditioning. A good HEPA filter air cleaner will do the best job in keeping stale air fresh and bird dust down. Ozone air cleaners are a no-no because of the after effects that are lung irritants. Birds have been known to succumb to fumes from running trucks or cars close to their room. Most everyone is aware of the danger of overheated Teflon™ or Silverstone™ coated pans, utensils, and new appliances.

• MOLD: This should be covered under environmental, but I feel it important enough to be given its own heading. If you can see mold anywhere in your home or aviary, you have a problem that could cause the itchiness in plucking birds. If you have had water seepage or leaks that were fixed or have stopped, you can still have a problem with hidden mold that emits mycotoxins. Mycotoxins cannot be seen or measured, but they can be physically devastating to both birds and humans. Sheet rock is fodder for mold. Bleach does NOT kill mold. It masks it and then leaves a residue that feeds the spores later on. White vinegar is the best cleaning agent that I know of to kill mold. Stachybotrys mold can only be killed at temperatures above 500 degrees! This is one of the most toxic types of mold and can cause CNS (central nervous system) problems, cancer, and many other ailments. Aspergillus (very common) can cause bad respiratory problems that are difficult to cure. There are a few other lesser toxic molds and numerous non-toxic types. I believe that these mycotoxins are the main offender in birds that pluck.

Bird Cage Territoriality

Guarding One's Turf

This behavior is called cage territoriality or cage dominance, and like many (most?) of the behaviors we see in captive parrots, it has a foundation in instinct. In the wild, a parrot must protect its territory from invasion not only by predators but also other parrots. Dr. Charles Munn, in his National Geographic article on macaws in the Peruvian Amazon ("Macaws: Winged Rainbows", Jan. 94), comments that "a contributing factor in the macaws' low reproduction rate [in the wild] is an acute housing shortage." An unprotected nest is often subject to a hostile takeover by another pair of parrots eager to start a family. So guarding one's territory is necessary to successfully raise a family and therefore fulfill the Prime Directive of propagating one's own species. John's parrot didn't exhibit this behavior before, because it was just a baby.

In working with clients, I like to use as an example the behavior of a pair of mockingbirds who made it on the news several times a couple of years ago. (It must have been a slow news week.) These birds had built a nest in a parking garage and they were dive bombing any humans who dared try to retrieve their cars. After describing the situation, I then point out just how small a mockingbird actually is [about 10" from beak to tail] compared to the size of a human. To say the least, this is a formidable instinctive drive!



Aberrant Behavior

In captivity we often see territorial behaviors that have become excessive, with the bird driving off not just strangers but other members of the household (other flock members) and even the person with whom the parrot is most bonded -- the equivalent of the bird driving its own mate away from the nest. Obviously, this is a serious behavior problem, which will seriously threaten the animal’s pet potential if allowed to go unchecked. It is also extremely common.

Some people feel that a pet parrot should be allowed this territorial behavior -- that its cage is its very own special place and it should be allowed to do as it pleases within that area. I emphatically do not agree.

Just as a human child should be allowed privacy in their own room, I feel a parrot should be allowed to have its moods -- and sometimes it will simply not be in the mood to interact with its human – it is playing happily by itself, it for example, or pondering a particularly tough concept of astral physics. An experienced parrot owner knows when their bird is not in the mood by simply watching its body language, and he/ she respects the bird's privacy and does not approach during these times.

However, privacy notwithstanding, I don't feel it is acceptable for a small child to be allowed to ban parents from his/her room -- nor do I think a pet parrot should be allowed to refuse their human flock entry into its "room" -- which is what John's parrot is doing.

If a person has a pair of breeding birds, that is a different story -- I would liken that to having a grown child visiting his parents with his wife -- at which point the rules change. In that case, I think the young adult's room should be private with the parents entering by invitation only.

Establishing Nurturing Dominance

A pet parrot that is excessively territorial is a bird who has been allowed to believe it outranks the humans in its flock, and is therefore, ordering these humans around. To get this little tyrant under control, the humans must establish a relationship of nurturing dominance or guidance (a la Sally Blanchard) by teaching the bird the commands of "up" and "down" to put controls on the bird's behavior. This simple and incredibly effective training technique was explained in detail in a separate article ("Nurturing Dominance: What It Is and How To Establish It").

As I explained in that article, the bird is removed from its cage and control is taught in daily training sessions that take place on a neutral perch in a neutral territory -- a perch (i.e. the back of a kitchen chair) and room (i.e. a guest room or bath) that the bird does not consider to be its own turf. (Trying to establish controls over a headstrong parrot while it is in, on or even within sight of its cage is an exercise in futility and a great way to get bitten.)

Once the bird is responding to the human's order by stepping onto his/her hand every time the person says Up and off the hand onto the perch every time with a Down, then the human can start moving the training perch out of the neutral area and into the area of the bird's cage. He/she needs to move the perch slowly -- maybe only a few inches at a time -- and then work again on the commands, making sure the bird follows them to the letter. To maintain consistency from then on, the person will ALWAYS use these commands whenever and wherever he/she is handling the bird.

Back on the Bird's Turf.....

Once in sight of the bird's cage, the training sessions often become more difficult, but the person should not lose heart.

With patience and consistency (and a little time), the bird will again respond to the commands that it followed beautifully when out of sight of its territory. Under NO circumstance should the human lose his/her temper (tempting though it may be at times), since that usually provides the drama that parrots love -- few things tickle them more than making their pet person mad enough to yell. After all, what a wonderful game! (I discussed the Drama Reward in another article.)

When the teacher and the pupil have at last worked their way back to the cage, the human should put the bird onto his perch in the cage with the Down command, then immediately pick him up again with the Up command. Doing this several times in a row will teach the bird that these commands work just as well inside the cage as out. This process should also be repeated on the cage top, as well as on and around any other place where the parrot hangs out.


New Patterns For In and Out of the Cage

From that point on, whenever the bird wants to be let out of its cage, it must step onto the person's hand when the human says Up. If it refuses, then it is not allowed out of the cage until it changes its mind and follows the command. Under no circumstance should the person simply open the cage door and walk away -- this will convince the parrot it is again in control of its life and the humans in its flock.

Once the bird has come out of the cage with the proper commands, if the human wishes, the parrot can be placed on top with the Down so it can go in and out at will. At the end of the day, the bird should be returned to his cage with a Down.


Altitude vs. Attitude

Always keep in mind that height is correlated directly with dominance in the mind of the companion parrot -- so a bird above eye level generally considers itself higher on the pecking order. This height significance must be considered when choosing the training perch, as well as with perch placement in a parrot’s cage. Aggressive birds should not be allowed to perch higher than the person’s chest level. The top of the bird's cage may not be a good place for the parrot to play if it starts getting delusions of superiority. A separate play area set on a low table usually solves this problem.

Even after the parrot is behaving itself around the cage (and everywhere else), the human should keep up training sessions every week or so, just to remind the bird that the rules are still in force. It is also critical that any other humans handling the bird should use the same commands in exactly the same manner -- ALWAYS using the Up to get the bird on his/her hand, and off the hand with a Down. Otherwise, the bird will become confused -- just as a human child does when two parents enforce different rules.

Also keep in mind that nothing is permanent in the mind of a parrot -- in the wild, there appears to be a constant push-pull going on within the flock, with challenges happening constantly. So the human should not be surprised when a previously well behaved parrot suddenly refuses a command -- it is just checking to see if the human is really in control. By insisting the command be followed, the human simply reaffirms that.

So by following these easy training techniques and handling their parrot in a firm, loving and consistent manner, John and his wife can get control of their headstrong bundle of feathers -- therefore regaining the loving relationship they used to enjoy.

Pet Bird Potty Training

Over the years there have been hundreds of examples of birds who have been potty trained. We have heard of macaws, cockatoos, cockatiels, lories, conures, amazons, lovebirds and greys who have been successfully trained. Because parrots are among the most intelligent of the animal species, it is easy to understand why they can so easily be trained to go potty.

Birds have a much higher metabolism than mammals. Their normal body temperature is over 100 degrees farenheit and food passes through the digestive track of a parrot in about 30 minutes. After eating, food is stored in the crop and is gradually passed into the rest of the digestive tract. For this reason, birds will poop periodically for 2-3 hours after eating.

Birds also tend not to poop overnight, when asleep, and thus the first poop of the day is often a massive one. In addition, birds usually take a poop before they fly.

Potty training an older bird may take more effort, but young birds are relatively easy to teach. Wait until the bird is about four months old, since birds have difficulty in controlling their poops until that age.

Follow the same guidelines used with other animals such as dogs and cats. Observation, positive reinforcement, persistence, patience, and consistency are the keys to successful potty training.

There are a few things which must be understood and decided in order to successfuly complete the potty training process. You need to observe the frequency of eliminating and the behavior patterns the bird exhibits when ready to poop. You should identify any special behaviors the bird makes just prior to pooping. These are signals that the bird is about to poop. You should also decide where you want to allow the bird to go to the bathroom - in the cage, on a perch, in a wastebasket, etc. Additional questions are: Do you also wish to train the bird to poop on command? and Who is going to perform the training - is it one person or a group of people? Whoever does the training must also be committed, be consistant and have patience.

Successful training depends upon positive reinforcement. When the bird does what is desired, it should be rewarded with praise.

Frequency

Anticipating the needs of the parrot by its owner is an important step in the training process. Spend a few days observing the bird. How frequently does it poop?

How often after eating does it take it's first poop and then how frequently after that does it take another one? If the bird has not eaten for a few hours, does the frequency change? Record the number of minutes between eliminations and the situation. Watch the first dropping in the morning. Is it a massive one?

Does the bird poop just before it steps up onto your hand or if it is coming out of the cage? If not clipped, does it eliminate when about to fly? Does it poop when nervous? Learning the specifics will help you in predicting episodes and in training the bird.

Most small birds, like budgies, conures and cockatiels, poop about every 10-20 minutes. They often go when you pick them up. Smaller birds need to eliminate more often than big birds. Time between droppings may vary from 10 - 30 minutes. Cockatoos and macaws can last an hour or more, but many are more comfortable going more frequently.

Our cockatoos are often out for a period of 2 hours at night. Although there is a place for them to take a poop, two of them often go for more than an hour and one of them usually lasts the whole 2 hours. The length of time before taking a poop is shorter if they have eaten immediately before coming out or eat during the time they are out.

Many people report that the longer the bird is out, the less frequently it eliminates. Unless more food is eaten, apparently the source of the droppings runs out.

Behaviors

What behaviors does the bird exhibit when getting ready to take a poop? Learning the particular signs of your bird enables you to anticipate when it is about to go to the bathroom and to intervene for training.

Watch the bird in its cage, and while it is out playing. You will notice that the bird will squat and sometimes raise its wings and back up a bit before going. They will also crouch a bit and lift up the tail to facilitate pooping.

Our birds prefer taking a poop from a height - on a perch, from one edge of the top of the cage or the cage door. If on a bed, sofa, chair, playpen or shoulder, they seem to prefer going to the edge of the surface so that the droppings fall down and away. If your bird moves this way, it may be a sign that it is getting ready to potty.

Others have described getting ready to poop as - a low, crouching stance with the rear end of the bird extended as if stretching. If on a flat surface this is often accompanied by a backward step or two.

Still others refer to the bird as getting antzy or doing a little dance or wiggling the tail.

One pet owner believes that his bird's feet become hot. Another has a bird who makes small noises, and one has a bird who when sitting on her shoulder, fidgets and grabs her ear when it has to go to the bathroom.

Observe your bird and get to know what behaviors it performs when getting ready to poop. Catching the bird as it begins these behaviors, is the time to intervene and train the bird on where to go potty.

Once trained, you may find that your bird will tell you when he needs to potty. The bird may repeat a phrase you have used during training or go over to the place it is allowed to poop on by himself. It may become agitated, wiggle, make noises or do something unique to alert you that it has to eliminate.

Where

Give some thought as to where you want to train your bird to potty. Some people prefer that their bird go only on or in its cage. Others train them to go when on a playpen, perch or chair, over a newspaper, on a wicker basket with a handle, or when over a wastebasket. Some even hold the bird over a sink or toilet.

Others train their bird to go whenever they hear a certain phrase. The bird can be placed over anything its owner wishes and when the phrase is uttered, the bird knows it is all right to take a poop.

It really doesn't matter where you teach a bird to poop, as long as you choose places which are readily available when the bird needs to evacuate.

Teaching a bird to go over a newspaper or paper towels, in a wastebasket, when on a portable perch or on command gives maximum flexibility. Such places enable you to vary the location. If the bird, and the items it has been trained to go on, are taken with you to visit friends or other places, then it is easy to ensure the bird will know where to take a poop.

Methods

Choose a simple word or phrase which you want the bird to associate with taking a poop, such as 'go potty' or 'poop' or whatever seems right for you. Be aware that the bird may learn and repeat this phrase, so choose carefully.

Begin while the bird is in the cage. Watch the bird for the behaviors it makes when it is about to take a poop. When it starts to go, then use the phrase you have chosen. Use a firm, positive tone of voice. When it does poop, then praise the bird lavishly. You can also scratch it's head or perform some petting which the bird enjoys. You want to give the bird positive reinforcement. Continue this for a few days. You want the bird to associate this phrase with the act of pooping.

If you are able, then return to the cage when you expect the bird will be ready to poop again. If you can, try to be there when the bird takes its first poop in the morning. This is usually a large one.

Once you believe the bird has made an association with the words, begin training when you take the bird out to play. Some people make it a game.

When the bird begins making signs that it has to potty, pick it up and take it to wherever you have decided you want the bird to poop and speak the phrase you have chosen. It can be the cage, a playpen, a newspaper or what ever. If the bird is already on the designated spot, then watch it and when it is about to poop, speak the phrase.

Again, lavish praise on the bird when it takes a poop. You may wish to train the bird to eliminate in more than one place. If so, teach it one place at a time or it may become confused.

The time it takes to train the bird will vary depending upon the bird and the amount of time devoted to the training. It could be a few days to a few weeks. Have patience and be consistent. Birds are intelligent and are capable of learning.

Once trained, some birds will let you know when they have to poop by making a special sound, by uttering the phrase you have used for taking a poop, or by performing a special action (we have heard that one bird nips it's owner's ear, another does a dance, another gets nervous). Others will walk over to the designated place on their own when they need to potty.

Expect that there will be times when accidents happen. Nothing is perfect.

Managing Parrot Behavior : Behaviour Problems and the Future of Companion Parrots

Due to the increasing incidence of behavior problems in companion parrots, many psittacines are losing their homes. Problem behaviors manifest in a variety of ways. Despite being flock species in the wild, over-bonded "one person birds" won't allow interaction with anyone other than their favorite- even refusing the attentions of other family members. Over-dependent psittacids are unable to amuse themselves, requiring constant attention from their human caretakers. In complete control of their diet, food-rigid parrots are living on abysmal nutritional planes, eating only such things as junk food, corn and grapes. Sensitive adolescent parrots abruptly become phobic, often overnight- responding to their formerly beloved and trusted caretakers as if to deadly predators. High strung birds pluck incessantly, driving caretakers to distraction and making themselves look like something that should be cooked for dinner. Self-mutilating parrots appear to be attempting suicide. Previously gentle parrots abruptly won't allow caretakers access to their cages, so that reaching into the cage to feed entails serious personal risk. Biting and screaming are probably the most common complaints heard about companion birds; biting parrots terrorize families, attacking without provocation the humans can recognize. Screamers are getting caretakers threatened with evictions and/or divorces.

Despite all this, numbers of companion parrots are increasing rapidly- consequently, so are the numbers of parrots that are ending up in adoption and rescue organizations. It is important to understand that these aberrant behaviors can-at least to some degree- be modified. Education is the key to lessening these dilemmas.

Behavior Problems -General Etiologies

There are several reasons why behavior problems develop with companion parrots, and these must be addressed or no long-term resolution will be possible. Stop-gap measures, or what lay behaviorists call "quick fixes," do nothing to resolve the source of the problem, so they just postpone the inevitable result of the bird losing its home. What must be sought is a resolution of the problem, not a Band-Aid.

Physical or Management Etiologies

When the parrot does not have everything it needs for a happy, healthy life in captivity, problems will result. For example, when my own macaw had an annoying screaming episode a few years ago, investigation revealed (to my chagrin) that she'd knocked down her pellet bowl and was without food. Besides inadequate food and/or water, other management problems that can impact behavior would include: cage issues related to size, location, height and monotony (as in, boredom) and sleep deprivation.

Cage Size: Overly small caging is extremely common. One client kept her Moluccan cockatoo in a 20" x 20" cage, and could not understand why the bird self-mutilated. Part of a bird's medical history should include the brand and measurements of the bird's cage. I believe that birds should be housed in the largest possible cage with safe bar spacing, and feel that the absolute minimum cage size should be 11/2 times the bird's wingspan in width, depth, and height from the highest perch. This, of course, is judged after cage furniture (food and water cups, toys, etc.) is added to the cage space.

Cage Location: Depending on individual personality, cage location can be critical. If the bird is gregarious, being caged off in a room by itself often results in excessive screaming, as the bird calls for the rest of its flock. Nervous, high-strung parrots may become feather pluckers if caged in the middle of a high traffic area, especially if the cage shares a wall with a door. If so, the bird is constantly startled by people appearing without warning. Cage location is also an important factor with many screamers, especially if the bird's cage is against a window. With this type of placement, the bird has a full 360 degree view in which to watch for predators, and can therefore rarely relax. Relief can be virtually instantaneous if a hiding place is provided in the cage, or the cage is moved, at least partially, against a solid wall.

Cage Height: There is a definite correlation between altitude and attitude with captive parrots. Consequently, if a bird has an aggressive or dominant personality, this can be exacerbated if the cage allows it to sit above the human eye level in its environment. This is especially problematic with the so-called "cage-top playgyms" marketed with various types of cages. People often don't wish to give up their own living space, so tall but narrow cages and cage-top play areas are popular. Ironically, they also contribute to home-threatening behaviors. Aggressive or dominant psittacids can be lowered a couple of wayseither by lowering the cage, or by lowering the perches within the cage. Denying access to cage tops and removing the highest perches from tall climbing 'trees' can also help a great deal. If cage and playgym designs don't allow alteration, then (using Chris Davis' trick) one can raise the people. By placing a footstool or small ladder next to the cage, the owner thereby raises smaller humans to a position of higher rank.

If too high is potentially problematic with parrot behavior, so also is the opposite. A nervous, high-strung and/or phobic bird's condition can be worsened if its cage placement is too low. I also do not approve of the old technique of placing an aggressive parrot's cage on the floor. Being trapped on the ground must be terrifying to prey animals like psittacids, and the act of terrifying an animal has no place in behavior modification.

Height and Shouldering: As an addendum to the issue of height dominance, a common practice that can be especially dangerous is the ancient fashion of allowing parrots on shoulders. A popular custom over centuries of parrot custodianship, this practice probably didn't become especially dangerous until the advent of domestic-bred parrots. Wild caught parrots have a fundamental respect for humans as predators, whereas domestics have no such regard. As a result, domestics are capable of much greater violence towards people. Hence, allowing parrotsespecially adolescentsto shoulder is particularly dangerous, not just because of the superior altitude and therefore dominance of the bird. Shouldering parrots places the birds within easy access of extremely vulnerable (and valuable) parts of the owner's anatomy (eyes, ears, noses, lips, etc.), which are then subject to severe damage from the parrot's beak. This type of injury can permanently harm not only the human anatomy, but also the parrot-human bond. Damage can occur even if the bird didn't intend to bite but was startled into grabbing onto something to keep from falling. Knowing the parrot meant no malice does not decrease healing time. This is probably the only issue on which all experienced lay parrot behaviorists totally agree.1, 2, 3, 4

Boredom: Just as boredom is a major source of behavior problems in adolescent humans, it is a major factor for many companion parrots. Home alone for hours while caretakers work, many parrots are expected to just sit there. Dr. James Harris described the generic wild parrot's day as being divided into quarters: one quarter of the day is spent interacting with one's mate and/or other flock members; two quarters are spent locating, procuring and eating food; one quarter is spent grooming.5 The average companion parrot in this country is alone all day, has few/no interesting toys and has a food cup under its nose. No wonder that many birds get into aberrant behaviors such as feather destruction and excessive screaming. After all, what else is there to do?

Ideally, parrots should be allowed relatively small numbers of stimulating toys, rotated on a weekly basis to keep life interesting. (This also allows them maximum space in which to play.) Debbie Foush described four categories of parrot toys: chew toys, climbing toys, foot toys and puzzle toys.6 One toy from each category would satisfy most parrots' need to play, investigate and destroy, and also leave the bird room to move around its cage. Food can be offered in new and challenging ways, such as stuffing an empty tissue box with greens, or hiding a nut within view but not easy reach inside a puzzle toy. These are extremely intelligent animals and intelligent animals need challenges in their lives. So parrot caretakers need to spend time figuring out ways to keep their birds occupied, especially during the long hours alone. Foraging behaviors are not only natural parrot behaviors, they are also important activities in terms of physical and psychological health.

Insufficient Exercise: Parrots are extremely animated creatures in the wild, often flying many miles between roosting and feeding sites. Consequently, they are designed to be activenot sit quietly in their cages all day. Veterinary ethologists estimate most canine behavior problems would be solved by the simple expedient of having owners run their dogs daily. The same is true with parrots, and owners who encourage daily wing-flapping exercises and frequent, drenching showers, rarely have parrots that have serious behavior problems.

Sleep Deprivation: Since parrots are equatorial birds, they would be getting 10-12 hours of darkness in the wild, year-round, and as is the case with people, sleep deprivation can be the origin for many forms of behavior problems in companion parrots. I recommend an absolute minimum of 8 hours of sleep a night for adult parrots, and 10-12 is better. Those hours are counted from the time the humans exit the vicinity of the bird's cage and that area is dark and quiet, until dawn the next day or the first person in the house awakenswhichever comes first.

Since parrots are flock animals, they generally enjoy being in the center of the home, and that often means they are housed in the same room with the television. Caretakers generally assume parrots are sleeping if their cages are covered, even if humans continue their use of the same area. This is fine, except that parrots, as prey animals, are not going to sleep deeply while someone is moving around in the vicinity. Consequently, the idea of 'sleep cages' is excellent. A small, often portable and spartanly equipped cage is set up in a room that isn't occupied at night, and the parrot is put to bed at a reasonable hour, as one would with a small child. First thing in the morning, the birds are moved back into their regular 'day' cages, in the center of human activity. Problems like biting and screaming often decrease dramatically as soon as birds get more sleep. Incidentally, the quiet period most parrots have in the afternoon does not counteract this deficiency. Sleeping in the daylight hours cannot be a safe activity for a prey animal, so parrots nap very lightly. As with humans, a light nap cannot compensate for the lack of deep sleep.

Owner Problems

An extremely common cause of parrot behavior problems is the owner, and owner problems manifest in a plethora of ways. Often, caretakers have unrealistic expectations about parrot ownership. Since most purchases are made on impulse, these people did no research and have no realistic conception of what a parrot is...and is not. Parrots are genetically wild animals, whether born in captivity or not. They have no conception of being "owned" or a "pet." Most humans are accustomed to dogs and assume all other animals see people as dogs do. Dogs perceive humans to be superior, god-like beings who are the center of the universewhich agrees with most of humanity's perspective. However, as far as I know, this is an opinion shared only by dogs and humans. Parrots certainly do not view humans in that manner, and this can be quite a shock to many people.

A parrot is a loud, boisterous, highly social creature with a talent for destruction and a gift for making huge messes. A parrot is NOT a little person with feathers, a dog with feathers or a surrogate child. Often caretakers have serious misconceptions of a parrot's normal
behavior. An important question to ask is, whose problem is it?7 Many psittacine behaviors are normal for parrots and therefore are not the parrot's problem at all. For example, chewing is a normal, natural parrot occupation. It is the owner who perceives the bird's chewing as a problem, therefore the bird's chewing is the owner's problem.

Other owner issues can include those who have difficult relationships with other humans, such as marital problems. Hostility is hardly veiled when an owner smirks while proudly stating something like, "I'm the only one who can touch my parrothe hates my husband!" I vividly recall one young woman who claimed her cockatoo was extremely well-behaved. Questioning other family members revealed that the bird routinely attacked and drew blood on her husband, and had repeatedly chased her mother out of the house. One must assume this owner has difficulties with repressed hostility. In this situation, the parrot is unquestionably getting rewarded for its aggression and there is little an outsider can do to alleviate this problem. The owner must want this aberrant behavior corrected, or nothing will change.

Control Issues: By far the most common source of psittacine behavior problems is a lack of control by the caretakers. They set no behavioral guidelines for baby parrots, allowing the birds to do anything they please. Then these same people get rid of their parrots as they mature because the bird isn't a good pet. Yet it is a fundamental concept that a parrotor any other companion animalwill not know how to be a good pet unless it is taught how to be a good pet.

When behavior problems develop with parrots, it is perhaps human nature that many people are concerned only with fixing the symptoms of a problem, without addressing the actual underlying cause, which is a lack of control on the part of the caretakers. Addressing only symptoms fixes nothing. Deadening the itch solves nothing long-termtrue resolution requires curing the rash.

Basic Training-Curing the Rash, Not Deadening the Itch

No matter what the behavior problem, resolution requires that humans establish themselves in a position of higher rank first. Once in that position, they can then make the adjustments necessary to resolve or decrease the occurrence of a negative behavior. Changing a parrot's actions requires a correlative change in that of the human. Successful behavior modification, therefore, requires the cooperative effort of all the people involved with the parrot.

From my experience, the easiest way to increase the humans' rank in the bird's eyes is for the human to assume a major decision-making role. The bird is no longer allowed to make such important decisions as whether or not to get off the human's shoulder, whether or not to come out of -or off of- the cage, etc.. Using the techniques of nurturing guidance, the owner teaches the bird to step onto and off of the human hand on the commands of 'Up' and 'Down.' The bird is patterned to respond to these commands during short, upbeat daily lessons that happen in 'neutral territory'-out of sight of any area in the environment that the bird considers to be under its dominion. True to the tenets of behavior modification, the lessons must end on a positive note.

The neutrality of the training location is critical to the success of the behavior modification training, especially with aggressive parrots. It is a rare parrot who will bite their human in truly neutral territory. Parrots are prey animals, and it is illogical that they would chose to alienate the only familiar being when placed in a completely unfamiliar surroundings. This explains why the terrors of the veterinary exam room can transform a normally homicidal psittacid into a sweetly gentle bird with the owner-at least temporarily.

Working in neutral territory, caretakers teach their parrots flawless responses to the commands, therefore establishing themselves in a position of higher rank. Once this is accomplished, the owner can start adjusting the parrot's behaviors that have become problematic. But once again, this training is not a step that can be circumvented.

The Most Common Behavior Problems

Biting and excessive screaming are the most prevalent complaints the lay behaviorists hear of especially in the springso this article will address each of these issues in depth.

Biting

Oddly enough, the term biting first needs to be clarified. Contrary to the belief of some inexperienced caretakers, biting does not include a human just being touched by a bird's beak. A good rule of thumb for estimating the true severity of a bite is encompassed by questions such
as, "Did you bleed?" A real bite is characterized by either bleeding or bruising, and "nipping" would be defined as pinching, sometimes with minor bleeding or bruising.

Biting Isn't "Natural" ??

It is important to understand that wild parrots rarely seem to use their beaks as weapons against other flock members. If necessary, the beak is used as a defense against predation, but not against other members of their own flock. In their natural environments, competition and/or conflict between parrots rarely appears to escalate to physical violence-instead, they vocalize or use body language by strutting, posturing, and fluffing feathers to make themselves look bigger. (This appears to be the psittacine equivalent to the popular street phrase, "Yo' mama.") Consequently, beaks are used for climbing, eating, playing and preening... not for fighting. In a dangerous situation, flight is the first choice of prey animals such as parrots-not warfare. However, for the captive parrot, flight is curtailed by either wing clipping or caging; therefore, biting becomes the primary solution if a bird finds itself in close proximity with something it perceives as a threat.

This means that biting may not be an instinctive flock behavior, so biting behaviors are not, in my experience, difficult problems to resolve. Biting is probably an example of what ethologists call a displacement behavior. Natural behaviors designed for survival in the rain forest are not generally possible in the average living room, so others take their place and these are displacement behaviors. These improvised responses are not all negative, incidentally. A positive example of displacement behavior would be a parrot's ability to bond to a human in the absence of other psittacids, and to accept the humans it lives with as members of its flock.

Why Is The Bird Biting?

The first question to ask when dealing with a biting parrot is why- under what circumstance is this happening? Generally speaking, birds bite for one of two reasons: survival or control. The category of "survival" would include a bird biting when it is terrified (i.e., when a smoke detector goes off and a shouldered parrot freaks out and bites off a chunk of a person's ear) or when it is hurt. (Vet hospital personnel have learned from experience that the old saying that "Animals can sense if you're trying to help them" is not a truism.) Other behaviors that would fall under the category of survival would include hormonal behavior, cage territoriality, and veterinary appointments. Under the category of control would include, for example, biting the owner's significant other, or biting the owner to keep them away from their significant other. Survival and control will be discussed in greater detail in subsequent paragraphs.

Hormonal Behavior

Hormonal behavior is related to reproduction, so aggressive behavior during nesting season is logically categorized under survival. An increase in aggression is common with many life forms when hormone levels are raging- human teenagers being a good example. However, if controls are established before puberty's onset, the frequency and severity of aggressive incidents are greatly reduced. A parrot in a dominant position will give orders and expect them to be followed, often enforcing its wishes with violence. Conversely, parrots in a submissive position within the human flock will look to the dominant flock members for direction, thereby decreasing aggressive incidents.

Learning a bird's body language will go a long way toward preventing problems during this time and the advice is simple: when a parrot is in full sexual display, the owner should not reach for it. Instead, it should be left alone until it settles down. Hormonal behavior is one of many reasons why experienced lay behaviorists strongly recommend parrot caretakers perch train their birds, in addition to hand training them. This eliminates the handling dangers if a bird becomes seasonally aggressive.

As an aside, despite common opinion, increased aggression is not always the hallmark of hormonal behavior. Indeed, some parrots become incredibly affectionate during this period, soliciting physical attention much more than at any other time of year.

Survival Situations - The Veterinary Hospital

A prime survival situation, as far as a parrot is concerned, is encountered in the office of the avian veterinarian. Many practitioners are extremely short on time, so they may neglect to properly introduce themselves to the psittacine patient. This negative situation is exacerbated by the veterinarian or veterinary technician swooping down from behind with a towel, to capture the unwary parrot.

As an avian technician who used to train veterinary students, I admit to personal guilt in this area, since I taught countless vets and veterinary students how to
capture in exactly this manner. Indeed, with imported or untamed parrots, this is still the capture technique of choice to protect both the bird and the handler.

However, a majority of the parrots currently seen in the US are domestically raised and do not perceive humans as predators. Hence, the Harpy Eagle Catch8 is not only unnecessary, it is detrimental. I have found that the stress of handling and restraint is greatly assuaged by what I call the Frontal Towel Approach.9 This technique is not only friendlier, it is also more realistic. Prey animals like parrots have their eyes on the sides of their heads, so their peripheral vision warns them of a forthcoming predatory attack; therefore, the Harpy Eagle Catch serves only to throw a parrot into a full fight or flight response as it is captured in the towel. Once this physical response is initiated, the resulting adrenaline rush causes the bird to fight the restraint frantically. An autonomic nervous system response is not a process that is easily shut down like a light switch.

The Frontal Towel Approach

In contrast, the Frontal Towel Approach does not elicit this kind of response. When placing a parrot under restraint, I do the following. Talking quietly, I step the parrot onto my hand and pin the feet, while smiling in a friendly and relaxed manner. While talking to the bird (not the owner), I catch one corner of the towel in the fingers of the hand on which the parrot is sitting, and wrap the towel around the parrot while it sits on my hand. Then, I gently put the bird under restraint. Even parrots that are terrified of towels can be captured in this manner. These birds generally flip backwards as the towel approaches, but since their feet are pinned, they cannot escape. The towel is then wrapped around the upside down bird, it is lowered to the table or floor, and restraint is commenced as usual. Consequently, a full autonomic response has not been initiated, and the bird settles down very quickly.

This capture technique can easily be done by the owner, who then hands the towel-wrapped parrot to the veterinarian or technician. If the veterinarian is not comfortable having the owner do this, then the veterinarian or technician can accomplish this in the same friendly, non-aggressive manner. It is absolutely unnecessary, in my opinion, for a tame parrot to be grabbed from behind or by first turning off the exam room lights. I have been using this frontal approach for over a decade, and have not yet been bitten using this technique - and thanks to this method, most birds seem dramatically less stressed by restraint.

How To Turn A Nice Parrot Into A Biter

If biting in parrots is a displacement, not an instinctive behavior, it is logical to assume that the behavior must be rewarded in some way or it would not continue. In other words, if it did not accomplish something positive in the parrot's experience, then the parrot would not continue to do it. It is vital to understand that companion parrots are actually rewarded for biting - by humans who simply do not understand how differently parrots can perceive things. The following are classic examples.

"The Teething Stage:" Young parrots often have no idea what their beaks can do, especially if they were raised isolated from other baby parrots. During "The Teething Stage," the baby parrot is learning to eat and explore with its beak, and an unfortunate scenario is often acted out. The youngster, in the process of investigating with its beak, encounters those fascinating things called fingers. If the human makes the mistake of using these extremities as toys in the baby's mouth, sooner or later the baby will bite down harder than the owner of the fingers might like. If the human responds to this accidental nip by yelling (as in, "Ow, NO BITE!!!"), then they have inadvertently taken the first step towards actually teaching their baby parrot to bite.

Contrary to human beliefs, parrots often enjoy it when humans shout at them. Parrots frequently scream simply for the fun of it so it is a fallacy to think they perceive that yelling is a reprimand. On the contrary, they may interpret it as positive feedback, since it is a drama reward.10 The groundwork has now been laid for the parrot (baby or adult) to bite again, because the behavior was inadvertently rewarded.

The Indecisive Pick Up: This scenario usually occurs when inexperienced caretakers are not clear in their signals to their parrots. For example, when offering a hand for the bird to step on, novice caretakers often aren't quite sure of themselves so their hand motion is uncertain. A young parrot is generally eager to climb on, but like a workman unsure of the stability of a ladder, it will reach with its mouth to steady the human perch, using its beak as a hand. Humans who are afraid of the beak, then pull their hands away. Confused but still eager for interaction, the baby will probably grab the hand with its beak the next time it is offered. Once again, the bird has now taken the first step in learning to bite a human for control.

Fear = Lost Control: When people pull away when parrots reach with their beaks, the birds begin to learn the use of lunging and biting as an effective technique with which to control the humans, and the birds will remain in control for as long as the humans remain afraid. Parrots can sense when someone is frightened and will take advantage of the situation every time. If people cannot get over their fear response, then they will probably never gain control of their parrots.

Bad Advice: There is a lot of outdated and incorrect advice being given about biting parrots. People are often told to grab the bird's beak and shake it and yell NO!! This doesn't work because ornithologists have now realized that grabbing a parrot's beak (what experts call "Beak Wrestling"), is considered to be play behavior between parrots. So once again, in the human effort to give negative feed-back to parrots, they have only succeeded in rewarding them.

It also doesn't usually work to punish by putting a parrot in its cage. By the time the door is closed, it has probably completely forgotten the connection between biting someone and being locked up. Obviously, the bird can't bite anyone again because it has been removed from human proximity, but it hasn't learned anything about not biting. In addition, since parrots often spend prolonged periods in their cages while caretakers work, it is not logical to use the cage as punishment.

Effective Response

In actuality, it is quite simple to discourage a parrot from biting. If the owner has already established a relationship of nurturing guidance with their bird, then the bird already perceives the person as higher in rank and it is already trained to step onto a hand when told "up". To reprimand the bird, the owner needs to do the following things immediately.

First, the owner should show displeasure by giving the bird an extremely dirty look. Parrots are extremely empathic creatures who watch facial expressions closely. A parrot will understand the owner's displeasure if the owner frowns sufficiently. Simultaneously, the owner should step the bird from one hand to the other several times while saying Up in a very firm and negative but not loud voice. This is a non-abusive technique to give the parrot negative feedback because parrots really understand this as a reprimand. This technique is called "Laddering" and it is an exercise in controlreminding the bird that it does not have sufficient rank in the flock for that kind of behavior to be tolerated. If the owner is firm and consistent, reminding the psittacid of this will put it back under control. Without the positive feedback that it inadvertently received before, and through the judicious use of the laddering exercise, the biting should be curtailed. For this reprimand to be most effective, it must be done the second the bird bites. The owner should not take the bird into a neutral room to perform this exercise - the time lag will negate the effectiveness, since the bird will probably not make the proper association. Under NO circumstances should the owner show any aggression at all, since aggression begets aggression and facilitates a lack of trust.

When dealing with a youngster in the Teething Stage, it is also quite simple. When a baby bites too hard, the owner should say No in a firm but quiet voice and give the baby a dirty look. The young parrot will understand that the human is unhappy and will try very hard not to do it again. When humans are interacting with baby parrots, it is also often useful to have a favorite small toy within reach. If the bird starts getting too excited and overly rough, the owner can introduce the toy as a distraction, thereby preventing a bite. The human should also immediately lower the parrot's excitement level by slowing and quieting the activity.

Excessive Screaming

Excessive screaming is a more complex problem and not as easily resolved. Parrots are not by nature quiet animals, as attested by those who have observed them in the wild. Nature has equipped them with prodigious voices, and they seem biologically driven to use them. "Normal" sound levels vary with species. Cockatoos are known to sound off with an ear-splitting racket twice daily, dawn and dusk, whereas the macaws seem more inclined to vocalize (loudly) off and on throughout the day. Some species are reputed to be "quiet," but this is completely relative. To be considered quiet in the parrot world, a species need only be quieter than the avian species that are considered to be noisy, which would be like saying a terrier is quieter than a beagle. As the saying goes, If you want a quiet pet, get a reptile.11 However, screaming non-stop for hours at a time would obviously be considered excessive. Any individual who repeatedly engages in the same behavior over and over can be said to be obsessive.

Incidentally, the time of year can also be an important factor with excessive noise. The moment the days start to lengthen, many parrots respond by starting to scream much more than is "normal." This is strictly seasonal behavior, and if not inadvertently rewarded by the caretakers, the birds will settle back down on their own after a few weeks.

Time Limits and Problem Humans: The problem of unreasonable noise is often exacerbated by a limited time frame, since many people do not seek help until an ultimatum has been set by family members, neighbors, landlords or even the local police. It takes time to create behavior problems and it takes time to change them. Consequently, these issues are not fixed overnight, which is of course what the caretakers need. However, the judicious use of ear plugs can often prevent the dilemma from worsening while the caretakers are trying to improve the situation. Often, angry neighbors are mollified when they hear the caretakers are actively working on resolving the problem. From my experience, the primary obstacle to improvement in parrot behavior is the impatience of the caretakers.

Simply put, parrots who scream constantly are birds who have been rewarded for screaming. Giving birds what they want to silence them is easy to understand, since obsessive screamers can be a nightmare with which to live, and people reach a point where they will do almost anything to get the birds to stop. Consequently, they offer treats, let them out of their cages, etc., thereby rewarding the behavior. It is also no mystery why so many screaming parrots end up abused.

To change an unwanted behavior, the caretaker must be clear, consistent, and above all, patient. The caretaker must also change his/her behaviors that created or exacerbated the bird's behavior. If there are multiple humans in the household, there must be a group effort whereby all members have to be consistent in their approach to the bird. With biting problems, one member of the household refusing to work with the bird does not impact the rest. Regrettably, this isn't the case with the excessive screamer, because one person rewarding the bird for inordinate noise will undo any progress the others might make.

Step By Step: Dealing with screamers requires a step by step approach. As with all "behavior problems," a medical work-up should be done first, to make certain there is not a physical reason for the racket. Other fundamentals need to be reviewed, such as proper diet (meaning not what the caretakers feed, but what the bird actually consumes), hours of sleep, and cage placement. The normal noise level of the home must be reviewed as well. I remember one phone call from a woman complaining bitterly about her noisy parrot - but the conversation was almost obliterated by the background noise of a blaring television, barking dogs, and shrieking children. Noisy environments beget noisy parrots.

Redundant screamers are birds who are unable to amuse themselves in acceptable ways, so this problem can be perceived as a failure of independence. Consequently, the caretakers need find to lots and lots of acceptable activities for the parrots, such as chewing wood, beating up on wonderful toys, eating (and throwing) lots of interesting and delectable foods. The birds need to be encouraged to find other outlets for their energy. Caretakers who give their parrots frequent long, soaking showers and flapping exercise times often have substantially quieter birds.

The next step would entail having the caretakers train their parrots as explained previously, thereby establishing themselves in a position of higher rank. Parrots respond best to those they perceive as being higher in rank.

Keeping A Diary: It can be extremely useful to caretakers to see if there are patterns to obsessive screaming episodes, so all people living in the household should keep diaries for a couple of weeks. Whenever the bird has a screaming incident, they should note such things as:

a. time of day

b. day of the week

c. phase of the moon

d. mood of the people around the bird

e. the bird's apparent mood

f. what is happening at the time, and

g. any other information that might have a bearing on the parrot's behavior.

After 10-14 days of collecting information, the people get together and review the information, looking for patterns in the bird's excessive vocalizations. They should not to go over their notes or discuss the content prior to that time, so that artificial patterns are not created. If there are patterns to the screaming episodes, then they can change the pattern before the screaming starts, thus preventing the problem from even beginning. For example, most dominant birds scream when the caretakers have company. If so, caretakers can move the bird (in cage) to a quiet part of the house before the company arrives. Giving the bird a soaking shower prior to the move, then a new or different toy, lots of safe branches with bark for chewing, etc. will give the bird plenty to do in its isolation, and likely prevent the problem from beginning. Caretakers must stay ahead of this behavior, not wait until it begins. As an aside, getting complaining neighbors in this activity can be very positive, since they have now become a part of the problem resolution process.

Rewarding Good Behaviors and Ignoring The Bad: Human flock members need to start rewarding their birds for sounds they like, and ignore the sounds they don't like. Consequently, if a bird talks, people should answer it. If it whistles, they should whistle back. If it screams while people are in the same room, they should give the bird a dirty look and turn their backs on it. This is an example of using the bird's own body language to express feelings, since this is what parrots do when they are not pleased with something. If the racket continues, they should give the parrot another dirty look and leave the room.

The absolute worst thing the caretakers of a screamer can do is yell back, since that is a prime example of the drama reward. If the bird is screaming in another room, caretakers can do absolutely nothing. Any attempt at reprimand would be perceived as a reward, since the birds are getting the attention they crave. Instead, care-takers should wait until the birds stop squawking- even for a couple of seconds- before entering the room. They cannot enter the room while the birds are screaming without rewarding the behavior. If caretakers are consistent, their parrots will learn that screaming does the opposite that it used to do- but this will take time and people must be patient.

As always, under NO circumstance are people to use punishment or aggression. Aggression and punishment can destroy any potential for a trusting relationship with parrots and it doesn't work, anyway. Again, there must be full cooperation from everyone in the environment. Birds will not change their behaviors if even one person is yelling at them and therefore reinforcing their noise with drama.

So the process of rehabilitating screamers is not to 'unlearn' the behavior. Since the birds have been rewarded for their racket, they have learned that yelling is a successful activity. Instead, caretakers have to teach their birds that other behaviors are more successful. By replacing the screaming with new behaviors that become habits, the excessive squawking becomes extinguished.12

The Exceptions: Parrots appear to have an instinctive need to vocalize loudly when the human flock comes home, and this is not a behavior that can be eliminated. Instead, the human caretaker needs to respond to this call. Rather than ignoring the bird, the human should go directly to the bird and greet it. Ideally, the bird should be removed from its cage and physically acknowledged, then given a treat to eat and returned immediately to its cage. Caretakers can then go about their business, leaving the psittacid to munch at leisure.

The other exception is one that can cause far-reaching ramifications if the caretaker mishandles the situation. Very young parrots can go through a stage that aviculturist-behaviorist Phoebe Linden calls "Lost in the Woods." Ms. Linden feels this happens around the time parrots fledge13, and these babies often act extremely anxious and vocalize excessively. Ms. Linden says:

"A baby who feels 'lost in the woods' may call repetitively and plaintively, pace or weave back and forth as if they are going to jump from their perch, jump down from the perch, seem unsettled and nervous, and crave attention." 14

Ms. Linden feels a baby like this needs comfort and reassurance and caretakers should respond to the bird's crying. This stage should last less than a month, at which point the youngster should settle down again.

Conclusion

By establishing themselves in a position of higher rank through the patterning and constant use of simple commands, parrot caretakers place themselves in a position of authority with their companion birds, giving them clear guidelines for acceptable behaviors. Then as problem behaviors manifest, the people can use positive reinforcement to replace negative displacement behaviors with ones that are more acceptable in the human habitat.

With a clear understanding of what parrots are and are not, caretakers can get a better grasp of what can be expected from their psittacids in terms of behavior. By not inadvertently rewarding unwanted conduct with confusion and drama, annoying behaviors need not become established. Clear controls, consistency, patience and non-aggression will prove to be successful when dealing with common unacceptable behaviors we see in companion parrots.

This article was printed first in the proceedings for the annual conference of the Mid-Atlantic States Association of Avian Veterinarians, April, 1999.

1 Blanchard, S. "Problems With Parrots On Shoulders." The Pet Bird Report, Issue #25, 1995.

2 Athan, M.S. "The Importance Of Being Tall." Guide to a Well-behaved Parrot. Barrons, 1993, 64-66.

3 Davis, C. "New Techniques in Pet Avian Behavior Modification." Proceedings of Annual Conference, Association of Avian Veterinarians. 1989, pp. 183-189.

4 Wilson, L. "Behavior Problems in Adolescent Parrots: Guide to a Well-Adjusted Pet." Proceedings of Annual Conference, Association of Avian Veterinarians, 1995, pp. 415-418.

5 Harris, J. Behavior round table discussion, AAV Annual Conference, 1996.

6 Foush_, D. "Play Therapy." The Pet Bird Report, Issue # 23, pp. 30-32.

7 Doane, B. My Parrot, My Friend. Howell Book House, NY. 1994, pp. 110-155.

8 Blanchard, S. "Trust Building Towel Handling Techniques," The Pet Bird Report, Issue #14, pp. 36-37.

9 Wilson, L. "Phobic Psittacine Birds - An Increasing Phenomenon?" Proceedings of Annual Conference, Association of Avian Veterinarians, 1998, pp. 125-132.

10 Blanchard, S. "Games Parrots Play." Bird Talk, Nov. 1991, Vol. 9, No. 11.

11 Anonymous

12 Athan, M.S. Personal communications, 1999.

13 Fledging, the developmental stage prior to weaning, generally happens around 21/2-3 months of age for medium-sized birds [amazons, greys], and at 3-41/2 months for large macaws and cockatoos.

14 "Socializing Baby Parrots", The Pet Bird Report, Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 12-15, 1992.

Biting Parrots - Why do they do it and how to control it

In the course of my behavior consultations, I have encountered many different manifestations of aggression in pet parrots. This article discusses what I find to be the most common - biting - and how to use the foundation of what Blanchard calls Nurturing Dominance or Nurturing Guidance to control it. Fortunately, I find this to be one of the easiest parrot behavior problems to correct - IF the owner is patient and consistent.

Biting Isn't "Natural"

It is important to understand that parrots in the wild rarely appear to use their beaks as a weapon against other parrots. If needed, the beak is a protection against predators such as snakes and raptors (birds of prey), but not against others in their own flock. In their natural environments, competition and/ or conflict between parrots rarely escalates to physical violence instead, they vocalize (scream) and/or use body language by strutting, posturing, and fluffing feathers to make themselves look bigger. Beaks are used for climbing, eating, playing (wrestling) and preening... not for biting.

This means that biting is not instinctive behavior. In actuality, biting is considered to be a "displacement behavior." Natural behaviors designed for survival in the rain forest are generally not possible in a human's living room so other behaviors take their place these are displacement behaviors. These "improvised" responses are not all negative, either a positive example would be a parrot's ability to bond to a human in the absence of members of its own species, and to accept the humans with whom it lives as members of its flock.

Why Is The Bird Biting?

The first question to ask when dealing with a biting parrot is why, under what circumstance is this happening? From my experience, birds bite for generally one of two reasons: survival or control. The category of "survival" would include a bird biting when it is terrified (i.e. when your smoke detector goes off and your parrot runs up your face) or when it is hurt. Contrary to that nice old saying, most animals CANNOT sense when you're trying to help them (i.e. "I was only trying to pull a broken blood feather, but he bit the @&%$# out of me!").

A slight variation on this theme would be hormonal behavior, which I will discuss in more detail in another article. Suffice it to say, an increase in aggression is common with many life forms when hormone levels are raging after all, look at many teenagers! (The parallel I like to use is myself and my bouts with PMS). Learning the bird's body language will go a long way towards preventing hurt feelings and fingers during this time and the advice is simple: when they are in full sexual display, DON'T REACH FOR THEM. Leave them alone until they settle down.

CONTROL PROBLEMS, or How To Turn A Nice Parrot Into A Biter

Since biting in parrots is a displacement, not an instinctive behavior, it is logical to assume that the behavior must be reinforced in some way or it would not continue. In other words, if it did not accomplish something positive in the parrot's experience, then the parrot would not continue to do it. This is important to understand: parrots in captivity are actually rewarded for biting by humans that simply do not understand how differently parrots can perceive things. The following are a few classic examples.

"The Teething Stage"

Young bappies (baby parrots) often have no idea what their beaks can do, especially if they were raised isolated from other bappies. During "The Teething Stage", the bappy is learning to eat and explore with it's beak, and a tragic scenario is often acted out. The bappy, in the process of exploring with it's beak, encounters those wondrous things called human fingers. If the human makes the mistake of using their fingers as toys in the baby's mouth, sooner or later the baby will bite down harder than the finger's owner might like. If the human responds to this accidental nip by yelling (as in, "OUCH, NO BITE!!!"), then they have inadvertently taken the first step towards actually teaching their bappy to bite.

Contrary to human beliefs, parrots really enjoy it when humans yell at them. Parrots often scream simply for the fun of it so it is a fallacy to think they perceive that yelling is a reprimand. On the contrary, they generally interpret yelling as positive feedback. This is what we call The Drama Reward. So the baby parrot will nip again, because the human inadvertently rewarded it for nipping. Sooner or later, the experimental nips will actually hurt the human (emotionally as well as physically), and the human's response becomes something to the effect of "YOU BAD BABY, YOUR MOMMY (or DADDY) LOVES YOU, HOW COULD YOU BITE YOUR MOMMY (or DADDY)??!??!!

The bappy doesn't understand what's happening here, of course it thinks this is a wonderful new game. You know, grab a finger and your person makes lots of WONDERFUL noise!!

The Wishy Washy Pick Up

This scenario usually happens when an inexperienced owner is not clear in their signals to the parrot. For example, when offering a hand for the bird to step up, a novice owner often isn't quite sure of him/herself... so their hand motion is uncertain. The bappy may wish very much to climb on, but like a workman unsure of the stability of a ladder, it reaches with its mouth (in this case, the beak functions as a hand) to steady the human perch.

The human, afraid of that beak, pulls their hand away. Now the bappy is confused! The next time the human's hand is offered uncertainly, the bappy grabs onto the hand with its beak to hold it steady so it can climb on and the human jerks away. The baby has no idea what has happened but if the scene is repeated (as it usually is), the bird will learn that its beak will make its person go away. The bappy doesn't really want the person to go away, but it is fun to control one's pet human so the behavior will happen again and again. Once again, the parrot has no idea it has done anything wrong.

Fear = Lost Control

If the human is afraid of being bitten, then he/she will often unconsciously pull away when the bird reaches with their beak. The parrot will now use lunging and biting as an effective technique with which to control the human and that bird will remain in control for as long as the human remains afraid. Parrots can sense when someone is frightened and will take advantage of it every time. If the person cannot get over their fear response, then (s)he will probably never gain control of the bird.

Other Mistakes To Make

So what else DON'T you do? You do not under ANY circumstance, use violence against the bird. If you do, even if you don't physically harm him, you will do permanent damage to your relationship with him like I said earlier, violence does not appear to be a routine flock behavior, and your parrot simply will not understand your use of violence against him so odds are, he will never be able to trust you again.

There is a lot of outdated and incorrect advice being given about biting parrots. People are often told to grab the bird's beak and shake it and yell NO!! This doesn't work for two reasons. First, we have now realized that grabbing a parrot's beak [what experts call "Beak Wrestling"], is considered to be play behavior between parrots. Secondly, as mentioned before, parrots love the drama of a person yelling. So once again, in our effort to give negative feedback to parrots, we have only succeeded in rewarding them.

It also doesn't usually work to punish by putting the bird in its cage, because by the time you get him there he's probably completely forgotten the connection between biting you and being locked up. Obviously, he can't bite you again because you've removed him from your vicinity, but you haven't taught him anything about NOT BITING.

So What SHOULD You Do?

Enough of this stuff about all the things that don't work what exactly does? Actually, it is quite simple. If you have already established a relationship of Nurturing Dominance with your parrot, then he already perceives you as head of the flock and he is already trained to step onto your hand when you say, "Up". To then thoroughly reprimand that bird, you need only do the following things immediately.

First, show the bird your displeasure by giving it a REALLY DIRTY LOOK ("The Evil Eye"). I'm really serious about this you have to look at it as if it were the lowest of the low, or pond scum, or something you might find stuck to the bottom of your shoe. Parrots are extremely empathic creatures who watch our facial expressions closely. He will understand your displeasure if you give him a tremendously dirty look.

Then, make him step from one hand to the other over and over while you keep saying "Up" in a very firm but not loud voice (remember the Drama Reward). Do this several times in a row (i.e., 34 times) and you will be amazed at the difference. This is a nonaggressive, nurturing technique with which to give the parrot negative feedback because parrots really understand this as a reprimand. We call this technique "Laddering" and it is an exercise in control reminding him that YOU are the alpha in the flock, NOT him. If you are firm and consistent, reminding him of this will put him back under control. And without the positive feedback that he inadvertently received before, the biting should end.

When dealing with a bappy in the Teething Stage, it is also quite simple. When the baby bites too hard, say No in a firm voice and give the baby a very dirty look. The bappy will understand that you are unhappy and will try very hard not to do it again. Under NO circumstances should you yell.

My favorite story about laddering parrots came from a client of mine named Debbie who has a three year old Yellow Naped Amazon named Charlie. Charlie had been getting overly rambunctious and to regain control, Betsy laddered him over and over with the Up command until he calmed down, then she put him on his perch with the Down command and went on about her business, leaving the room. A few minutes later she returned and found Charlie stomping back and forth on his perch, saying Up! Up! Up! in an EXTREMELY disgusted voice!

Now, THAT is a bird who understands EXACTLY what laddering means!!

20 Things You Must Know About Nutrition

Nutrition is one of the most important facets of pet bird ownership and it is one that you, as a pet bird owner, have the most control over. By providing your pet bird with a healthy, nutritious diet, and by practicing good sanitation and hygiene, combined with preventative veterinary care, you will be doing the best job you can to ensure that your bird will live a long, disease-free life. It is up to you to supply a balanced diet to your bird, and then to ensure that it is consuming what is offered. Some foods are toxic to birds, and others are not always safe to feed, and others, if fed in excess, can be bad for a bird's health. Let's learn the essentials of avian nutrition so that we can make educated choices for our birds.

1. Make Sure Your Bird is Healthy BEFORE Attempting to Change the Diet

Although it is tempting to make changes to your bird's diet once you have discovered that you could be providing a better diet, it is very important that your bird receive a clean bill of health first. Since birds are so good at hiding signs of illness, by stressing a bird with dietary changes, it is possible to precipitate a health crisis in a bird that is marginally ill. Take your bird to your avian vet for a thorough check-up and any recommended lab tests before making radical dietary changes. Remember, it is impossible to ascertain the health of a bird just by looking at it; some lab testing should be performed. As a minimum data base, a complete blood count (CBC) should be evaluated on each and every bird. Blood chemistries, radiographs, bacterial culture and sensitivity and Gram's staining may also be performed. Other tests for polyoma virus, Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), chlamydiosis (psittacosis), aspergillosis and protein electrophoresis may be performed.

Once your bird has been checked-up, it is time to discuss tailoring a diet specifically for your bird with your avian vet. Your vet should be able to give you guidelines and recommendations for the species of bird that you have, and for your individual pet, based on the exam, your lifestyle and your bird's activity level and health condition.

2. A Seed-Based Diet is Inappropriate for Psittacine Birds

Most parrots will preferentially consume seeds if a variety of foods are offered. Seed is high in fat, and low in most of the nutrients necessary for good health. Parrots that eat only seed will suffer from malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies, even though they may look healthy, and may even be overweight!

Budgies and cockatiels do eat primarily seeds, grass seeds and small amounts of other types of vegetation in the wild, and they will do remarkably well on a diet that would be dangerous for other species of parrot. However, feeding only seed is not recommended for any type of parrot or softbill.

3. Fortified Seed Has Most of the Fortification in the Hulls

Often, bird owners think that they are providing a better diet by purchasing fortified seed mixes. Unfortunately, the vitamins and minerals are impregnated into the seed hulls, which are discarded when the bird eats the seed. Often pellets, dried fruits and nuts are also included. The pellets are often rejected by the bird, in favor of the seeds in the mix. As nutritious as the pellets may be, they do the bird no good on the cage floor. Fruits are a part of a good avian diet, however, they usually contain an improper calcium:phosphorus ratio and contain lots of sugar, so vegetables are more nutritious to feed than fruit.

4. Pellets Are a Good Base for a Diet

Because pellets have a blend of many nutrients, each bite a bird takes will contain good nutrition. We still have much to learn regarding parrot nutrition, and pellets are formulated to provide what is thought to be a balanced diet for most psittacines. While the bird food manufacturers are constantly improving their diets, it is best to provide your bird with pellets, fresh vegetables, small amounts of fruit, table food (including pasta, whole wheat bread, small amounts of meat, cheese and other items), nuts, and perhaps, some seed.

5. Birds On a Pelleted Diet Usually Do Not Need Vitamin or Mineral Supplementation

Unless your avian veterinarian prescribes a supplement for a specific reason, it is most often not necessary, and can actually prove dangerous, to give a bird eating a pelleted diet a vitamin or mineral supplement. Pellets contain what should amount to adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals for the healthy psittacine. Most folks don't realize it, but it is possible to oversupplement with vitamins or minerals, resulting in toxicosis or organ damage. However, some birds may have special needs during certain times, and your avian vet may prescribe a specific supplement. For example, an African Grey parrot patient of mine, Poppy, is on a pelleted diet, supplemented with table foods, fruit and veggies. She developed seizures due to low blood calcium (hypocalcemia) and was prescribed a liquid calcium supplement to be placed in the drinking water. (This condition, peculiar to African Greys and the occasional other species, is the result of problems utilizing or absorbing calcium, and not the result of the bird not having enough calcium in the diet, usually). Poppy's blood calcium levels will be monitored periodically, to determine if the supplement is being administered at the correct dose. At this writing, Poppy's seizures have ceased, and she is doing well.

6. As Far As Seeds Go, There Isn't Much Difference, Nutritionally Speaking, Between Sunflower and Safflower

An old rumor used to go around about sunflower seeds having something addictive in them. Seed mixes were formulated using safflower seed in place of sunflower. Unfortunately, safflower has similar nutritive values when compared to sunflower, except it is a more bitter tasting seed, so most birds will consume fewer of them as opposed to sunflower seeds. Safflower is also more expensive. Let's finally put this rumor to rest: there is nothing addictive in sunflower seeds. There are probably no benefits to feeding a safflower-based diet, as opposed to a sunflower-based one, except birds may eat fewer of them.

Both safflower and sunflower contain lots of fat, and not much else that is nutritional for birds. It is thought that the sunflower seeds with more white in the hulls are better nutritionally than the little, black seeds. Occasionally, feeding foods high in fat is beneficial, especially for the bird that needs to gain weight.

One final note: feeding a diet high in fat may cause problems with calcium absorption. If a bird like my Poppy patient above is suffering from calcium problems, the diet must be evaluated to ensure that she is not consuming too many fat calories, which may interfere with her ability to properly absorb calcium.

7. Although Feeding Table Foods to Dogs and Cats is a No-No, It is Beneficial for Pet Birds to Share People-Food

In addition to feeding a pelleted diet, bird food manufacturers recommend supplementing the diet with some vegetables, fruits and table foods. Many birds really enjoy sharing mealtime with their owners. Birds can be suspicious by nature when it comes to eating new foods. This makes sense, because wild birds in a flock eat what they see other birds eating. This way, they are less likely to consume something toxic. By sharing your meal with your bird, it will be much more interested in tasting what you are eating, since you are part of your bird's flock. Of course, there are some foods that birds should not eat (see #8) and some that are not very healthy additions to the diet (fatty, fried foods, very salty foods). Use common sense when supplementing your bird's diet. And remember, we should never allow a bird to eat directly out of our mouths or off our fork, since we carry microbes in our mouths that can be dangerous to our birds.

8. Some Foods Are Toxic to Birds

Chocolate is toxic to birds. It is digested differently in birds than it is in humans, and the resultant digested products are toxic. Bittersweet, baker's chocolate and dark chocolates are more toxic than milk chocolate. Chocolate, in any form, should never be fed to birds. Signs of chocolate toxicosis may include disorientation, hyperactivity, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, seizures, dark colored droppings and death.

Some types of avocados are toxic to birds. The skin, meat or pit may contain toxins, so it is best to not feed avocados at all.

Caffeine is also toxic to birds. No products containing caffeine should be offered to birds (including coffee, tea, cola drinks).

Excessive consumption of table salt (sodium chloride) can cause increased thirst, increased water consumption, increased urination, depression, neurological excitement, tremors, incoordination and death.

Onions can be toxic to dogs and cats, and although onion toxicosis is not well-documented in birds, it is probably best to avoid feeding onions to birds. In mammals, onions cause Heinz-Body Hemolytic Anemia, which causes red blood cells to rupture. Red blood cells of birds contain a nucleus, which those of mammals do not, and this may offer some protection against cell rupturing. However, until studies are performed, avoid feeding onions. Small amounts of onions used in cooking are probably not dangerous, but be aware that there might be a problem.

Alcoholic beverages can lead to incoordination and death. Birds should never be allowed access to any products containing ethanol (alcohol).

Some seeds and pits may be toxic to birds. Apple seeds contain cyanide. It is safest to remove all seeds from an apple before offering it for feeding. Cherries, plums, apricots and peaches are safe to feed, but the pits contain seeds that produce cyanogenic glycosides (which release free cyanide). The pits should not be consumed, but if they are, by mistake, the rapid transit time of the gastrointestinal tract of birds, coupled with the type of stomach that they have, seems to protect the birds from intoxication.

Parsley has been reported to be toxic to birds. It has only been shown to cause photosensitivity to sunlight in ducks and ostriches. I routinely feed parsley to my birds, as it is a good source of vitamin A, and it contains some calcium. My finches and canaries love it. It is safe to feed to indoor birds.

9. Feeding Greens Does NOT Cause Diarrhea

When a bird eats foods with high moisture content (fruits and vegetables), the bird will urinate more to compensate for the increased water intake.

There are three parts to a bird's dropping: the urine (the clear liquid), the urates (the white to cream-colored portion) and the feces (the green to brown solid part). Diarrhea occurs when the fecal portion is unformed, loose or very watery. Birds that urinate a large amount may be incorrectly diagnosed as having diarrhea. It is possible for a bird to urinate independently of passing feces in the dropping. So, not every dropping will have all three portions every time. A nervous bird may also urinate more.

Often, older budgie books erroneously stated that feeding a budgie greens (with increased moisture content) would cause diarrhea. Let's disabuse that notion once and for all. It simply isn't true.

10. Droppings Will Vary Depending on What a Bird Eats

Birds eating a seed-based diet usually have dark green feces. Birds consuming a pellet-based diet usually have brown feces. Some birds that pick out certain colored pellets from a color assortment may develop droppings tinted the same as their favorite pellets. Colored pellets use harmless food-coloring to tint the pellets, and this may pass through the gastrointestinal tract of a bird, resulting in rainbow-hued droppings.

Birds that eat berries will develop berry-colored droppings within a few hours. Other foods with pigments will also cause unusual colored droppings. For example, feeding sweet potatoes may result in orange droppings.

11. Birds Cannot Digest Milk

If you think about it, this makes sense. Mammals are nourished during infancy with their mother's milk. Birds would never be in a situation in the wild where they would drink milk. For this reason, birds do not possess the digestive enzymes necessary to process milk. Parent birds regurgitate food to their babies in the nest. Although you might have heard about pigeons feeding their babies crop milk, this is actually sloughed cells from the crop and secretions, and not a milk product at all.

Milk sugar is called lactose. Mammals have a digestive enzyme, lactase, to digest milk sugar. Birds simply lack lactase and cannot digest milk products containing lactose. Birds will develop diarrhea when lactose in the diet reaches between 10 and 30 percent. Products that contain a significant amount of lactose are dried skim milk and dried whey. Humans may also suffer from an inability to digest lactose, and this is called lactose intolerance.

Some milk products contain little or no lactose, and these may be safely fed to birds. And actually, these products (cheese and yogurt) are a good source of calcium for birds. Some owners have asked me if they can feed birds items containing lactose if they also give them one of those products for humans (such as Lactaid) to aid in the digestion of milk sugar. Unfortunately, that is also dangerous, as one of the by-products of lactose digestion is galactose, which is also toxic to birds. So these products must never be used in birds.

12.Some Foods are Nutrient Antagonists

Oxalate (oxalic acid) is an organic acid that efficiently binds calcium and other trace minerals, making them unavailable to the bird. The highest levels of oxalates are found in tea, spinach and rhubarb. Potentially toxic levels are found in the leaves of rhubarb and the houseplant, diffenbachia. High levels of oxalates can cause vomiting, diarrhea, poor blood clotting and convulsions. Lower levels can result in decreased growth, poor bone mineralization and kidney stones. Feeding some spinach occasionally will not cause problems, however if a bird consumes enough of it daily, it might present a problem.

13. Vitamin A Can Be Toxic When Overdosed, Whereas Beta-Carotene Cannot

Beta-carotene is a non-toxic form of a precursor of vitamin A. When ingested, the body turns what it needs into vitamin A and the rest passes out of the body unchanged. The carotenoids are found in several plant pigments.

Vitamin A is necessary for the immune system to function properly, it is involved in vision and is important for the proper growth of bones, for reproduction and for maintaining healthy mucous membranes. Seed is notoriously deficient in vitamin A precursors or vitamin A. Birds that eat a seed diet for a long time are prone to sinus and respiratory problems. Often, the choana is swollen and the choanal papillae will be blunted. Many birds suffering from respiratory problems that are eating a seed-based diet will benefit from an injection of vitamin A during their initial veterinary evaluation.

Vitamin A is stored in the liver, and small amounts can also be found in the kidneys, lungs, adrenal glands and blood.

14. Grit is Not Required By the Normal, Healthy Psittacine or Passerine Bird

Grit, usually defined as a granular, dense, insoluble mineral material (generally granite or quartz), is required for birds that consume whole, intact seeds. Examples of some birds requiring grit are pigeons, doves, free-ranging gallinaceous species (Red Junglefowl, Common Turkey, Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Domestic Fowl, quail, megapodes, pheasants, grouse, and more) and ostriches. Notice that parrots, canaries and finches aren't on the list. The smaller psittacines (budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds and parrotlets) may overeat grit when they aren't feeling well, and this may result in an impaction of the gizzard. Psittacines and passerines will get all the minerals they need from a balanced diet.

15. Baby Birds on Hand-Feeding Formula Do Not Need Any Vitamin Supplementation, Nor Should Other Ingredients Be Added

Manufacturers of hand-feeding formula have spent a tremendous amount of time researching formulas. When the hand-feeder, aviculturist, pet retainer or new pet baby bird owner starts adding baby food, baby cereal, or other ingredients to the formula, this will change the fat to protein ratio of the diet. When this occurs, digestion may slow, resulting in what is commonly called "slow crop" or "sour crop." Vitamins and minerals are already incorporated into the formula, so additional amounts are neither necessary nor advisable. It is always best to feed the formula exactly as the label instructions recommend. If you carefully read the label, you will see that you can feed hand-feeding formula from day one. My husband and I have incubator-hatched close to 100 baby birds, including Queen of Bavaria conures, blue and gold macaws, green-winged macaws, scarlet macaws and several species of Amazons, and we have fed them all commercial hand-feeding formula from day one. You can too!

16. Healthy Birds Consuming a Pelleted Diet Should Not Require Sunshine (Unfiltered By Glass or Plastic) for Their Vitamin D

Don't get me wrong. Sunshine is very good for birds, and if possible, pet birds should receive sunlight, not filtered through glass or plastic (which filters out the ultraviolet rays), an hour a week during the summer months, and perhaps an hour a month during the winter.

The uropygeal gland (also called the preen gland) secretes an oily substance that the bird spreads over the feathers. This secretion aids in waterproofing the feathers and helps keep them supple. The secretion also has precursors of vitamin D that are spread on the feathers during preening. When the bird's feathers are exposed to natural sunlight (or full-spectrum indoor lighting), the secretion is changed to the active form of vitamin D, which is then ingested when the bird preens. Vitamin D is necessary for a bird to properly utilize calcium, which is necessary for strong bones, normal eggshells, muscle contractility and more. However, if a bird is eating pellets, vitamin D is added to them, so providing a bird with sunlight shouldn't be necessary. (As an interesting side-note, Amazon parrots and Hyacinth macaws don't have a preen gland, yet their feathers are as water-proof and supple as those found in birds that do have one.)

17. Monkey Biscuits are for Monkeys, Avian Pellets are for Birds

Monkey biscuits designed for New World primates (those from Central and South America) have very high levels of vitamin D in them, because New World primates have a very high vitamin D requirement. Unfortunately, these biscuits have too much D for parrots, especially macaws, which may show signs of toxicosis, including kidney problems, mineralization of tissues and increased urination. Birds with vitamin D toxicosis may go off feed, become lame, develop diarrhea and become lethargic. It is my opinion that there is no reason today to feed a monkey biscuit based baby-food diet, nor should they be fed to adults. One manufacturer has recently increased the vitamin D levels in the biscuits. The biscuits may also harbor acceptable levels of Gram negative rod bacteria, which is harmless to monkeys, but potentially dangerous to birds.

18.For the Hard-Core Seed Junkie Bird, Sprouting Seeds May Be a Way to Increase the Nutritive Value of the Diet, and Get the Bird to Experiment With a Better Diet

Sprouted seeds have a lower oil content, which is better for the bird, and can help the bird that prefers seeds make the transition from hard, dry seeds to the more fleshy foods. Fresh seed can be sprouted by placing them in a shallow, flat pan. First, the seeds should be rinsed well in lots of fresh, clean water, and then soaked in water overnight. Next, the bottom of the flat pan should be covered with wet paper towels, then the seeds should be placed in the pan, in a single layer. The pan is then covered tightly in plastic wrap, with a few holes poked into the plastic. The pan is then placed in a warm environment, and the paper towels are checked daily, and remoistened, if necessary. If the seed mix is of good quality, and is fresh, then the seeds will begin sprouting within two to five days. The should be rinsed in cold water several times and stored in the refrigerator to retard bacterial and fungal growth, once they have sprouted.

Some seed companies offer little tins of seed that come pre-packaged for sprouting for birds. These are very good for budgies and other small birds.

19.The Way A Food is Presented May Determine if a Bird Eats It or Not

Your bird may reject a carrot stick, but it may be willing to taste carrot if it is grated or peeled. A bird may prefer to eat bits of carrot mixed into special birdy muffins or bread, baked just for your pet, even though it won't go near grated carrot in its bowl. Some birds really relish corn wheels (corn on the cob, cut into round pieces) and others prefer corn cut into long pieces. Yet, other birds prefer the corn cut off the cob.

Skewering veggies onto a metal pole, and hanging it in the cage, may entice a bird to nibble foods good for it. It is easy for a bird to take a piece of food that it doesn't want to taste, and hurl it out of the food bowl, but if it wants to remove a shish-kabobed veggie from the cage, it will need to rip it up into pieces to drop it to the cage bottom, and in the process, it will be likely to taste the veggie, and may even ingest a bit. The same goes for food that is tied to a perch.

Instead of putting veggies and other nutritious foods into a separate dish, it may be beneficial to mix it into the seed mix, so that the bird runs into it while fishing for the seeds.

Of course, it should go without saying that all fresh fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed before being offered to your birds. Potentially harmful bacteria and other microorganisms may be found on the surface of fresh produce.

20. Water, Clean and Pure, Is Necessary for a Healthy Bird

If your water quality is suspect, I recommend serving your pet bird bottled spring water. Do not use distilled water for a birds water source, as this water has all mineral content removed, and is a very flat-tasting water. As an alternative, a water filter may be used to purify the water prior to offering it to your bird.

Consider having your water professionally analyzed by a private laboratory or through your local health department. If the coliform (this is a group of bacteria commonly found in the intestinal tract of mammals, that may cause disease in birds) count is elevated, it will be safer to offer bottled water for your bird. Although sulfur or other compounds may impart an odor to tap water, this is not usually dangerous, but it may decrease palatability of the water. The lab that analyzes your water can give you specific recommendations. Be careful if you submit a water sample to a company that sells water treatment systems, as they are in business to sell them. It is better to have an independent lab perform the testing.

I always recommend that an owner supply water to their birds via water bottles. Parrots are so smart that they will figure out how to use a water bottle in no time. By using a water bottle, birds will not be able to dump food into the water, making a horrible soup that quickly grows bacteria. It seems that no matter how often you clean their bowls, bacteria will rapidly multiply. In my experience, birds with water bowls and not bottles have higher levels of sub-clinical bacterial infections. Also, contamination of water in a bowl by fecal material can also cause problems with reinfestation with certain protozoa, including Giardia. While some canaries and finches will successfully drink from a water bottle, they should also have a water bowl for bathing and drinking.

It is vital that an owner check the water level in the bottle daily, and also check the tube, to ensure that the water is flowing properly. Occasionally, a bird will figure out how to stick its beak or toenail into the bottle, draining it in just a few minutes. Some birds, notably the cockatoos, will figure out how to stuff a seed or piece of veggie into the tube, effectively blocking the water. Birds cannot survive without water, and after three days of water deprivation, a bird will be near death. That is why it is so very important to check the bottle daily to make sure that it working properly.

Conclusions

I hope that this has given you some "food for thought" about your bird's diet. Remember, always discuss your birds diet with your avian veterinarian, and make sure that your bird has received a clean bill of health from your avian vet prior to making any dietary changes. As a bird owner, you have the most control over your bird's health on a daily basis by providing a healthy, nutritious diet and making sure that your bird is actually consuming the diet. Mealtime should be fun for you and your bird.

Bird Cages, Perches, Dishes, and Other Cage Accessories

Large bird cages provide parrots lots of mobilityThe most important item needed before your bird is brought home is a cage. Remember, even birds that come out of the cage to socialize spend a large part of the day in their cage. Providing the right bird cage, perches, dishes, and other cage accessories will help your bird have a happy, healthy environment.

Bird Cages

Bar spacing: Bigger is better as long as the spacing between the bars is narrow enough to prevent injury if the bird tries to escape. The bird's head should not be able to fit between the bars.

Cage Size: For medium to large size birds, the cage living area (does not include space between floor grate and tray floor) should be a minimum of 1-1/2 times your bird’s adult wingspan in width, depth, and height. This allows comfortable movement and may reduce the risk of feather damage. For smaller birds, a cage should provide the room needed for flying.

Budgies like to move around and should have a cage that is tall and wide. Canaries and finches like to fly and should have a cage that is wide and long to allow for flight. Cockatiels need a cage that is big enough so the crest on the head and the long tail fit without being crushed. The size recommended at most pet stores is going to be the minimum size for that species of bird. Your bird will be happier with a larger, more spacious cage.

Cage Door: The door needs to be large enough to comfortably put your hand through, catch the bird, remove the bird, and replace the bird. The latch on the door needs to be escape-proof also as the bird is going to have a lot of time to find a way to open it. Some owners place a clip or a padlock on the door of their escape artist's cage.

Cage Shape: Stick with square or rectangular cages as these are easier to clean and safer for the pet. As the number of corners in the cage increases, the flight area is decreased and the connecting edges decrease safety.

Cage Material: Metal is usually the best material as it stands up to the abuse birds give it and is easy to clean and disinfect.

Cage Bottom: A sliding bottom tray is commonly seen in bird cages. This should be easy to remove, clean, and replace with no gaps that the bird can escape through, either while the tray is removed for cleaning or while the tray is in place. Newspapers are commonly used to line the tray and should be changed daily. Do not use wood shavings or chips as they are dustier and can irritate your bird's airways.

Cage location

Place the cage so the bird perches at about your chest level. Lower than that (especially if placed on the ground) and the bird will be anxious and feel vulnerable. Do not place it higher than your chest level as 'higher' means 'superior' to birds. In the wild, the more dominant birds perch on higher branches. Keep the bird in a sunny, draft-free area. If the bird is more social, keep it in an area of human activity. If the bird is less social, it may be happier in a quieter area of the house.

Several furnishings are needed for the cage. These include perches, dishes, grooming supplies, nest box (depending upon species), cage cover, and toys. Make sure that when the accessories are all in the cage that the bird still has plenty of room to fly and move about without colliding with obstacles. Remember that many cage accessories will need to be replaced periodically due to chewing, constant cleaning, and regular wear and tear.

Perches

Birds spend the majority of their time standing on their feet so good perches are essential. A variety of types and sizes should be supplied. It is often recommended that each cage have a concrete perch, a natural branch perch, and a manmade perch. Choose a perch size appropriate to the size of the bird (see above table).

Concrete or mineral perches: A concrete (mineral) perch gives the bird a spot to groom his beak and nails. These may also be called grooming perches.

Branch perches: Natural tree branches are better than the wooden dowels normally supplied when the cage is purchased. Because of their uneven shape of branches, the bird is not always putting pressure on the same part of the foot when he stands. Most fruit and nut trees are fine to use as are ash, elm, dogwood, and magnolia. Grapevines can also be tried. Cut the branches to fit the cage, scrub and clean them well with detergent, rinse, and dry in the sun. Check for insect egg pods and remove before placing the perch in the cage or the egg pods will hatch in the cage. It is recommended to heat natural branches for 45 minutes in a 200º oven to kill any insects.

Manmade perches: Bird on a natural rope perchUntreated cotton rope is great to use for perches. It can be tossed in the washing machine for cleaning. Monitor it closely so the bird does not eat any of the strings or catch a toe in a frayed area.

Other perch options include swings, which parakeets and some of the medium-sized birds often enjoy. As you select perches, realize that birds will chew and shred everything in the cage except the dishes and the cage itself. All other items, including perches, should be obtained knowing that birds like to chew, shred, and destroy things. As perches wear, remember to replace what he is destroying with more of the same (as long as it is safe). Plastic perches are not recommended as they are slippery and can cause medical problems if eaten. Sandpaper should not be used on the perch as it scratches the bird's feet.

Perch placement: When placing perches, locate one by the food and water dishes, one by the toys, and the concrete perch elsewhere in the cage for grooming. Place the perches so they do not inhibit bird movement or cause damage to the feathers as the bird moves around the cage. Perches should be placed so the bird's tail will not touch the side of the cage when sitting on the perch. Avoid placing perches directly over food and water dishes.

Dishes

Dishes need to be appropriately sized for the bird. The food and water dishes need to be easy to remove and clean since this needs to be done on a daily basis. Those made out of stainless steel, crockery, or high-impact plastic are able to withstand the washing and disinfecting necessary to maintain the health of the bird. Water may be given in a dish or in a water bottle such as the type guinea pigs use. Make sure the bird knows how to use the bottle and that it is easy to remove, wash, and refill. Use a bottle brush for cleaning it. Locate food and water dishes where they will not be contaminated with droppings. Having an extra set of dishes makes cleaning easier.

Grooming supplies

Grooming supplies include nail clippers, a sharp pair of scissors, a spray bottle for misting, and a bird bath. An ordinary plant mister and plastic dish for the bird's bath are fine but should not be used for anything else to prevent contamination.

Nest boxes

For smaller birds, such as finches, nest boxes should be supplied for a place to hide. These boxes can be attached toward the top of the cage and should be easy to remove and clean.

Cage covers

Cage covers are used to signal to the bird that it is bedtime and he should be quiet. A cover made to fit the cage can be purchased. An old sheet or pillowcase will also work to cover the cage at night. A cage cover should not be used as punishment or for extended periods of time outside of sleeping hours. For larger birds that are used to handling, many people prefer to have a separate cage in a quiet room for nighttime use. Providing a quiet, dark area for sleeping is very important since sleep deprivation can result in health and behavior problems.

Toys

Bird playing with a bird toy pinata Toys should be plentiful and alternated. Toys are what will occupy the bird through the largest part of the day while the owners are gone. Small birds like small, lightweight toys, and tiny mirrors. Larger birds like to manipulate toys with their beak, tongue, and feet. Birds will chew their toys so choose items made from nontoxic wood or hardened plastic. Check the toys daily for damage. Rotating the toys every several days to a week will help keep the bird interested in the toys. A bored bird is at high risk for behavioral and health problems. Finding toys that are favorites will entail trial and error. Try a wide variety as long as they are safe. Locate the toys where they are easily accessible to the bird, e.g., at the end of perches. Foraging toys require birds to work for their food, giving much-needed mental stimulation, and providing a way of feeding that more closely resembles what the bird would do in the wild.

Sanitation

All items should be able to be cleaned in hot soapy water or put through the dishwasher set on the hot water cycle. Disinfecting can be done by mixing one-half cup bleach to one gallon of water. Clean and disinfect items away from the bird, rinse thoroughly, and air-dry completely before returning the item to the bird. Do not use scented cleaners as they can be harmful to the bird's respiratory membranes.

Other Accessories

Other bird accessories you should consider include:

* A carrier cage for visits to the veterinarian and other travel, and/or a "sleep" cage
* A play area for the larger birds
* Bird baths, misters and showers
* Good reference books
* Air filters and humidifiers if your bird lives in an environment in which these may be necessary
* UV lighting

Each species is going to require research on their specific needs for housing, feeding, and socialization. The above is a good starting point toward providing your bird with the necessities for a good life.

Biting

A common behavior problem reported by bird owners, especially parrot owners, is biting. Parrots have large beaks and their bite can cause severe damage, so this is a behavior problem that needs to be corrected. Several ways are available to help control and reform the offending parrot rather than finding it a new home.

Why do birds bite?

Birds may bite for a number of reasons, and it is important for you to know why your bird is biting. It may influence which behavior modification techniques you use.

Biting in parrots is not a common wild bird behavior. The beak is used to grasp items for balance or climbing as well as eating. A bird uses its beak like a hand. Conflicts in birds tend to be handled with body language and vocalizations not biting.

Baby bird behavior: Just as children and puppies tend to 'mouthe' everything in sight, baby birds use their beaks to explore their surroundings. Young puppies who are playing will soon yelp if a sibling is biting too hard, letting the biter know he overstepped his bounds. Similarly, young birds need to be taught boundaries. Especially if raised alone without other nestlings, the young bird may not realize what pain its bite can cause. Unlike a puppy, who will change his behavior because he does not like the sound of the yelp, a baby parrot will think yelling is a fantastic response and it will actually reinforce the behavior, as we describe later.

Biting may also be inadvertently taught when the new owner reaches his/her hand to pick up the baby parrot. The young parrot will usually reach toward the hand with its beak as a way to grasp it and climb on. If the owner pulls his hand back too quickly, the baby realizes that to get picked up, it better grab quicker next time. And soon grabbing can turn into biting.

Fear: 'Fight' or 'flight' are the common mechanisms used by animals if they are afraid or hurt. Birds in the wild will generally take to flight if they are startled or afraid, and biting would rarely be used. Birds in houses, with clipped wings, however, do not have that as an avenue. They may bite if startled or hurt.

Control or Dominance: As we all know, groups of birds tend to have a pecking order, and the birds we have as pets are often no different. A bird may use biting as a way to defend his territory, and thus his status. This 'territory' may be a cage, another bird, or the human being to whom he is bonded. Some birds soon learn that if they bite, they get what they want, be it the drama of seeing their owner dancing around and yelling in pain, or a trip back to the cage where they can eat. Birds may also learn to bite to avoid doing something, such as getting their nails trimmed or being put back in their cage when they want to stay out.


Breeding behavior: For many species, sexually mature adult birds in breeding mode can become aggressive and much more protective of their mate and more likely to defend their cage as their area. It is important to distinguish if biting behavior may be hormonal driven and more of a 'phase,' or if the biting is a sign of dominance aggression.

Medical: If a bird does not feel well, they will often want to be left alone, just as we do. If biting starts in a bird who normally does not bite, or if you see other behavior changes such as eating or playing less, have your bird examined by a veterinarian.

Playing: During the course of play, a bird may occasionally bite. This can occur if the bird is overexcited, or the bird inadvertently grasps some part of human anatomy to keep its balance.

Learn to read the body language of birds. They will often show you how they feel. For instance, they may show signs they have had enough play or 'outside' time and need to go back to their cage. If you do not recognize this, the bird may start to bite to signal he has 'had enough.'

Correcting the biting behavior

To start correcting a biting problem, first determine the cause and correct any underlying problems such as treating an illness.

Correcting aggressive biting: The human needs to be seen by the bird as having a higher ranking. To start this, the parrot needs to be taught the 'step up,' 'ladder,' or 'up' and 'down' commands, which are used to get the bird to move from the perch to the owner's finger and back to the perch, or from one finger to the other. Short, daily training sessions should begin ideally from the first day the bird is brought home, before behavior problems occur. Training sessions should take place away from the bird's usual environment. If the parrot has already been biting for some time, and the owner is wary of the bird's beak, training may need to occur in a totally new environment. The bird will be much less likely to bite the only human it knows when it is in an unfamiliar place. Try your veterinary clinic, if needed. Family or friends may also let you use their house for the short training sessions.

Parrots respond to facial expressions and verbal praise. This type of positive reinforcement should be used when an appropriate response is given by the bird. If the bird responds inappropriately, raise your head above the bird's level and say "no" in a normal speaking voice. Do not use a loud voice or yell. They may think you are 'squawking,' which they love. No aggression or punishment is involved in the training. The daily lessons need to continue until the bird responds willingly to the commands. Once the commands are followed, discontinue the training but continue to use the commands during the daily handling of the bird.

Higher altitude means higher ranking to birds, so it is important that the biting bird should not be above the human's heart level while in or out of the cage. Do not allow these birds to ride on your shoulder. It increases their ranking as well as puts your face, ears, eyes, and lips at risk of a serious bite. The owners need to learn to anticipate the biting and stop it with a stern look and command before it escalates to a bite.

If a bite occurs, reprimanding needs to be immediate and effective. If the bird is on the hand, the owner can drop the hand a short distance to unbalance the bird. If on the arm, the arm can be rotated causing the loss of balance. The bird should never be made to fall, just lose its balance for a second. The bird should not be rewarded with the drama of yelling. Having the bird do 'step-ups' 5-6 times with a quiet command and a stern look on the owner's face, is also successful in reprimanding the bite. Some birds may need to be placed in a cage for a 'time-out,' but be sure this is not what the bird was hoping for when he bit you. Once the reprimand has been given, the episode is over. Do not continue to punish the bird, such as isolating it for a long period. Take into account the parrot's temperament when providing a reprimand. Some birds respond well to just a stern look, others need a stern look and a quiet verbal no, and others need a time out.

Correcting fearful biting: If a bird is biting out of fear, it is important to determine the exact thing or situation that is causing the bird to be afraid. Sometimes, the fear may be understandable, such as the sound of a vacuum cleaner. Other times, it may appear illogical, but perhaps something happened in the bird's past that causes it to fear something we consider harmless.

Once you have isolated the cause of the fear, avoid exposing the bird to it. If that is not possible, try exposing the bird to it from a long distance, at which the bird is not normally afraid. Praise and give the bird a treat for remaining calm. Over the course of weeks, gradually move the bird closer to the fear-causing stimulus, always staying at a far enough distance to keep the bird calm, and giving it positive reinforcement. The bird may then learn to associate the stimulus with good things happening, and lose its fear of it.

Conclusion

To control biting behaviors of birds, it is important to know why they may bite. Then, with time and perhaps help from an experienced avian behaviorist, you can help your bird be much more fun to be around. Your bird will be happier, too.

Foot Loose And Fancy Free

Providing the best furniture for the inside of your parrot's home is paramount to good health. Next to perching on his favorite person, your bird will spend the rest of his/her time on perches. There are a wide variety of textures and styles to choose from including natural woods, plastic, acrylic, dowel stock, and cement. Finding the right combination for your parrot's cage is extremely important in order to prevent foot abnormalities from developing.

Size is a critical factor when choosing a perch. Your bird should be able to rest comfortably on his perch. Your birds feet should not wrap completely around the perch but rest on the top half as shown in the accompanying photo. Perches that vary in diameter will give your bird a choice as to the most comfortable spot to roost. Several perches of different sizes also exercise the feet while improving strength and dexterity. Improperly sized perches can cause medical conditions, such as arthritis and atrophy, to develop.

Natural branches make the best perches. They not only give the birds a comfortable perch, but provide a source for chewing. Parrots enjoy removing the bark and chewing the branches so they may need to be replaced often. Some of the safe woods that can be used to make perches are Apple, Ash, Beech, Birch, Cactus Wood, Cottonwood, Crabapple, Dogwood, Elm, Fir, Mulberry, Manzanita, Pine, Popular, and Willow.

Only use branches from trees that have not been sprayed with insecticides or pesticides. Clean branches using a 10% bleach to water solution. Leave bleach on for 10 minutes then, rinse well. Seasoned branches are safer but may be inhabited by insects. To kill insects: bake branches for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. For large branches: seal the branches is an air tight plastic bag for 30 days to kill any bugs.

Plastic perches are easier to clean than wood perches but they do not always offer the varying textures and diameters that natural perches do. Some plastic and acrylic perches are slippery, which make grasping difficult. Sanding these perches with a coarse piece of sandpaper will give the perch more texture making gripping easier. There are a few companies that are now offering textured PVC perches that vary in diameter.

Cement perches help keep nails rounded. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. They are a little pricey but they can save money by preventing your clothes from getting those little holes in them. Placing one cement perch near a food or water dish ensures that your bird will use the cement perch. Your bird will still need his/her nails trimmed, but cement perches can reduce the frequency of the need for nail trimmings. Cleaning cement perches does take some elbow grease. And placing them near food dishes does mean your bird will also use the perch to wipe his beak on, causing them to become dirty quickly. To be effective your bird's foot must reach 3/4 of the way around the perch. Be sure to have non-cement perches in the cage as well. Birds who only have access to cement perches may develop foot problems such as arthritis.

Dowel stock is often used for perches. It is inexpensive and easy to clean. On the down side, they do not exercise the feet because of their uniform shape. Birds who only have dowel rod for perches may develop medical problems with their feet such as loss of grasping strength, arthritis, and atrophy. Use dowel stock perches in conjunction with other types of perches and vary their diameters.

Sandpaper perch covers are not recommended. They are too rough and can cause wear on pads and open sores on the bottom of your bird's feet.

Several perches should be placed in each cage at different heights. Place a natural branch at the highest level in the cage for the roosting perch. Make sure the roosting perch varies in diameter so that your bird can pick the most comfortable spot to sleep. Using at least one hardwood perch in the cage will reduce the frequency of replacing perches. Do not overcrowd the cage with perches or toys. Leave enough room in the cage for exercise and wing stretching.

Clean and disinfect perches as needed. Do not allow your birds to perch and play on dirty perches. Parrots often use their perches to wipe their beaks on, so the perch nearest the food dishes should be a perch that is easily cleaned and disinfected. Placement of the perches can make a difference on how often they need to be cleaned. Try to install the perches so that they do not cross under or over another perch. If your bird is pooping on a lower perch then move a perch a few inches in either direction to prevent it from becoming soiled. Make sure that perches are completely dry before you return them to the cage. It is best to have 2 sets of perches so that you can always have a clean dry perch ready to replace a dirty one.

Stability is another important factor to consider when installing perches. Your parrot needs to feel secure and a perch that wobbles, or is slippery, may contribute to slip and fall accidents. Secure perches to cage bars with lag studs, washers, and wingnuts. Or cut perches 2 inches longer than the cage measurements and cut slits on the both ends to fit over the cage bar. Sand perches or router grooves in them to add texture to make grasping easier.

In conclusion, outfit your birds cage with several perches that vary in texture and diameter. Choose your birds perches carefully, considering all aspects of your birds behavior, size, and health and your bird will benefit from long term health and happiness.

Body Language of Birds

Pet birds have been described by some as moody: playful and loving one minute, demanding and aloof the next. Sometimes very obvious and sometimes very subtle, a bird's body language can give you insight into what your bird needs and wants. Although parrots and other birds communicate through different body languages, the following behaviors are observed in most pet birds, some more often than others, and some more prominently than others. Observing your bird's eyes, vocalizations, wings, tail, beak, and overall posture can be very telling.

Eyes

Unlike humans, birds are able to control their irises, enlarging and shrinking their pupils rapidly. This display is called "flashing" or "pinning" and birds may do this when they are excited, greatly interested in something, or when they are angry, frightened, or aggressive. Eye pinning should be taken into context with the bird's immediate environment and body posture to get an accurate emotional reading.

Vocalizations

In the wild, birds use various vocalizations to warn others of danger, attract mates, protect their territory, and maintain social contacts. Most birds are highly vocal and many times may be trying to communicate with you.

• Singing, talking, and whistling: These vocalizations are often signs of a happy, healthy, content bird. Some birds love an audience and sing, talk, and whistle the most when others are around. Other birds will remain quiet when others are watching.

• Chattering: Chattering can be very soft or very loud. Soft chatter can be a sign of contentment or can be the practice of a bird learning to talk. Loud chatter can be an attention-getter, reminding you that she is there. In the wild, birds often chatter in the evening before going to sleep to connect with other flock members.

• Purring: Not the same as a cat's purr, a bird's purr is more like a soft growl that can be a sign of contentment or a sign of annoyance. When purring, the bird's environment and other body language should be taken into consideration to determine what the bird is expressing.

• Tongue-clicking: By clicking her tongue against her beak, your bird may be entertaining herself or asking to be petted or picked up.

• Growling: Not heard in all pet birds, growling is an aggressive vocalization. If your bird is growling, examine her environment and remove anything that may be bothering her. Growling birds should not be handled as they do not want to be touched.

Wings

Wings are not always meant for flying; they often are used to communicate.

• Wing flapping: Wing flapping, or flying in place, is used as exercise, to get your attention, or just display happiness. Birds may often simply lift their wings as a means to stretch or to cool themselves.

• Wing flipping: Wing flipping can mean many different things such as being angry or in pain. Flipping can also be used to fluff the feathers or get the feathers to lay just right. Wing flipping accompanied by hunching of the shoulders and head bobbing is attention-getting and often means that a bird wants to be fed.

• Wing drooping: Young birds must learn how to fold and tuck in their wings and often let their wings droop before learning this. However, in older birds, wing drooping may indicate illness. If the bird has just physically exerted herself or has recently bathed, she may let her wings droop from tiredness or to let the feathers dry.

Feathers

A bird's body language includes how she holds her feathers.

• Ruffled feathers: Birds will ruffle or fluff their feathers during the preening process. This helps remove any dirt or feather dust, and also helps to return the feathers to their normal position. Birds may also be observed fluffing their feathers as a way to relieve tension. If cold, a bird may also fluff her feathers. Finally, if a bird's feathers remain fluffed, it could be a sign of illness and she should be checked by your veterinarian.

• Crest position: Birds such as cockatoos and cockatiels have a large, expressive crest. A contented, relaxed bird will usually have the crest held back, with just the tip tilted up. If she is excited about seeing you, a new toy, food item, etc., she will often lift her crest. If, however, the crest is held very high, it indicates fear or great excitement, and should be taken as a warning. An aggressive or alarmed bird may hold the crest flat while crouching and hissing.

• Quivering: Quivering may occur when the bird is frightened, overly excited, or part of breeding behavior.

Tail

A bird's tail feathers, like other pets' tails, are also used to communicate.

• Tail wagging: A bird, like a dog, may wag her tail to tell you that she is glad to see you. Tail wagging can also be a precursor to defecating. This is often helpful if you are trying to housetrain your bird. For more information on housetraining your bird, see the article Housetraining (Potty Training) Birds.

• Tail flipping: Tail flipping is a general sign of happiness and can be seen when she is happy to see you, plays with her favorite toy, or gets a treat.

• Tail bobbing: Tail bobbing accompanied by rapid breathing that follows strenuous exercise is your bird's way of catching her breath. If, however, your bird is bobbing her tail feathers and breathing hard without activity, she may be showing signs of respiratory distress or infection. If this occurs, see your veterinarian.

• Tail fanning: Fanning the tail feathers often accompanies other behaviors in a show of aggression or anger. Spreading out the tail feathers is a show that displays the bird's strength and vitality.

Legs and Feet

The legs and feet are not used as often as other body parts to communicate but they are some of the most interesting of bird behaviors.

• Foot tapping: Some birds, especially cockatoos, will tap their feet as a sign of dominance over their territory. This usually only happens when they feel their territory is threatened.

• Weak legs: Some birds that do not want to stand or perch for themselves display the sudden onset of "weak legs." This most often occurs when you have been handling them and must put them back in their cage; it is their way of resisting. Simply hold and pet the bird a while longer and, when she feels she has been given adequate attention, her legs will suddenly become strong enough to perch. Some birds become very good at this behavior and make it routine.

• Hanging upside down: Some birds consider hanging upside down a natural part of their behavior. When doing this, they are happy and content with their environment.

• Scratching on the cage bottom: Birds from those species who normally forage on the ground for food, like the African Grey, may scratch on the floor of the cage, much like a chicken.

Beaks and Head

The beak is used for several functions from grooming to cracking nuts and seeds. It can be used as a weapon or to build a nest. There are also many ways a bird uses her beak to tell you things.

• Grinding: Beak grinding is often a sign of contentment in birds and is heard most often as the bird falls asleep. It is characterized by the side-to-side sliding of one beak over the other. It is believed by some experts that birds grind their beaks to keep them in their best condition.

• Clicking: Clicking of the beak, or the back and forth sliding of one beak tip over the other, can mean several things. If she clicks once and pins her eyes but is otherwise unthreatening, she is greeting you or acknowledging something. If she clicks several times in a series, she is giving a warning and should not be handled. Beak clicking is seen most often in cockatiels and cockatoos.

• Wiping: It is common to see a bird wiping her beak after eating. Often, the bird will wipe her beak on a perch, the cage floor, or the cage sides to get it clean. Some birds use beak wiping as a way to mark their territory. This behavior may be seen in birds when introduced to others or kept in areas in which other birds are near.

• Biting: Birds will bite for several reasons so it is important to observe other behaviors and the bird's immediate environment to determine the reason behind it. Defending territory, being fearful, or being angry can all cause a bird to bite. An open beak combined with a crouching position and hissing is a definite indication that the bird is prepared to bite.

• Chewing: Most birds enjoy chewing and do it for many reasons including to condition their beaks and to entertain themselves. A variety of chew toys should be provided to keep your bird stimulated and interested and to keep her from chewing, and possibly ingesting, inappropriate things.

• Regurgitating: Regurgitation is the expulsion of contents from the mouth, esophagus, or crop. If your bird pins her eyes, bobs her head and stretches out her neck, then regurgitates her dinner, she is showing you a great deal of affection. Birds feed their young by regurgitating food and breeding pairs often do this for each other as a part of bonding.

• Mouthing: One way birds play is to grab each other's beaks and wrestle. They will often use their beaks to joust at one another during play.

• Head shaking: It is very common for African Greys to shake their heads. The reason for this is not well understood.

• Head bobbing: Birds who want attention, may bob their heads back and forth.

Postures

Overall body posture is important in determining what your bird is trying to tell you. Some postures have specific meanings; below are a few of the common bird postures.

• Relaxed: If the bird has a relaxed body and her head and body are at attention, she is happy and content.

• At Attention: If her head and body are at attention but her body is rigid and her feathers are flared, she is letting you know she owns that territory.

• Bowing: When a bird is crouching with her head tipped downward toward you, and perhaps bobbing her head, she is asking to be petted or scratched.

• Head down: If she is crouching with her head down with a relaxed body and raised wings, she is trying to attract attention, either from you or from a potential mate.

• Aggressive: If a bird is crouching with her head down, eyes pinning, flared tail feathers, ruffled feathers, and a rigid body, weaving from side to side, she is giving a warning and won't hesitate to bite if provoked, even in the most minor way. If this stance is accompanied by an urgent walk toward you, it is best to get out of the way until she has time to cool off. Hissing and a raised crest may be additional clues that the bird is in an aggressive state.

• Lying on back: Though probably uncommon in the wild, some pet birds will lie on their backs, and may even sleep in that position.

• Elimination posture: Prior to defecating, a bird may take several steps backward, crouch, and lift her tail.

Birds use their body and body parts to communicate messages to others. These messages are sometimes very obvious and almost any animal could interpret their meaning. Other body language may be subtle and experience will be needed to interpret it correctly. Many species have their own body languages, while many body languages cross the bird-species border. Communicating with your bird by observing and interpreting her body language will make your relationship much easier and satisfying for you both.

References and Further Reading

Doane, B. The Pleasure of Their Company. Howell Book House. Wiley Publishing Inc. New York, NY; 1998.

Doane, B; Qualkinbush, T. My Parrot, My Friend. Howell Book House. Wiley Publishing Inc. New York, NY; 1994.

Moustak, N. Parrots for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, NY; 2005.

Rach, J. Why Does My Bird Do That? Howell Book House. Macmillan Publishing. New York, NY; 1998.

Spadafori, G; Speer, B. DVM. Birds for Dummies. IDG Books Worldwide. Foster City, CA; 1999.

Avian Health Care Tips

Birds get sick for many reasons but there are two main categories where most of the problems lie. These two categories are the bird's environment and diet. After these comes trauma as a source of problems, but it runs a weak third. If bird owners can optimize their bird's environment and diet, many problems that we avian veterinarians see could be avoided. This means that your bird can live a longer, healthier life and your wallet will also be spared much trauma!

When you do need the services of a veterinarian, make sure that the veterinarian is an avian veterinarian who sees birds on a regular basis. It is not a bad idea to call around and talk to some of the local veterinarians who claim to be "bird experts" and ask them some questions. Don't be afraid to ask for references either.

Diet
Poor or inadequate diet is the number one reason for illness in birds. Whether the illness is due primarily to the deficiency or the birds get a secondary infection, diet is the key. Dietary deficiencies cause a wide range of disease, ranging from poor feather color and feather picking to severe upper respiratory infections to egg binding in laying hens (a situation where an egg is stuck in the reproductive tract of the female bird).

We will break diet into categories then offer some ideas of optimal or healthy diets for your bird: The five categories are: 1. vitamin and mineral, 2. protein, 3.carbohydrates, 4. vegetables and fruits, 5. fats.

Vitamin and Mineral: Vitamin A deficiency is the most common single dietary deficiency or problem seen in cage birds. Vitamin A may be provided as actual vitamin A or as beta carotene. The advantage of beta carotene is that you cannot give too much to your birds whereas vitamin A, if over- supplemented could cause liver and bone disease. Many foods are high in vitamin A and this list, along with other healthy fruits and vegetables will be provided in the vegetable and fruit section.

Vitamin D3 is the next most common problem. Vitamin D3 is essential for healthy bones, feathers, and egg laying. Without this vitamin, calcium cannot be properly used by the body. Natural sunlight will allow the body to produce normal amounts of this vitamin so will using vita lights or other full spectrum lighting if indoors. Windows absorb too much of the UV light necessary for vitamin D3 so placing your bird by a window will not work. Vitamin supplementation is an easy and inexpensive way to ensure your bird receives proper amounts of all vitamins. It is important to use vitamins made for birds as they will contain vitamin D3. Other forms of vitamin D will not be properly utilized by your bird; they need to have D3. Although the rest of the vitamins are also necessary, I just wanted to review the two most important ones.

In the case of minerals, calcium is the most important. The only birds that require extra calcium in their diet are African Gray parrots, Blue Fronted Amazons, and any bird laying eggs. All other birds will receive enough calcium from a good vitamin/mineral supplement. Cuttle bone, mineral blocks, manu blocks, oyster shell grit, and D-CA-PHOS (Fort Dodge) are all excellent and natural sources of calcium. Do not overdose your birds with the food additive type of calcium supplements as it may cause calcification of their internal organs.

The best type of supplements to give your bird are the powder forms that go on the food. Water soluble types are not as good as they are low in the fat soluble (A and D3) and vitamins break down fast in water losing potency and increase the growth of bacteria.

A few brands I would recommend are Prime, Avia, Superpreen, and Necton. Only buy enough vitamins to last six months or less as they slowly lose their potency when exposed to air. Vitamins/mineral supplements are utilized best when mixed with wet foods not seeds or pellets.

Protein: Birds do need protein in their diet; the amount and type vary on the bird's activity and age. More active birds (show birds and birds in large flights that fly around a lot) and breeding birds (egg laying hens, parents feeding their young) and growing birds need more protein than the average caged pet bird. Older birds or birds with certain metabolic diseases such as liver and kidney disease or gout need less protein. The quality of the protein is also important. While many seeds have decent amounts of protein, the quality is not that great unless the bird eats all the seed types in the mix in proper proportions. Since this is not realistic, I prefer to give the birds pellets. Seeds are also very high in fat and most birds prefer the taste of seeds over other foods, this may lead to obesity as well as deficiencies.

There are many brands of pellets available, stick to the brand names, avoid newcomers to the market that are not from a regular bird food manufacturer. Many of the pellet companies have a variety of pellets for your birds needs, Consult your avian veterinarian if you are unsure of which type to feed your bird.

Many birds who have been on seed will not readily accept the pellets. You may need to "cold turkey" them on to the pellets by withholding their seeds, make sure they have plenty of water and "wet" foods. If you are uncomfortable doing this type of change over, you can offer your bird a mix of pellets and seeds or place an additional bowl of pellets next to the seeds. You may want to offer a limited amount of seed so that your bird is hungry enough to try the pellets (this holds true when offering any new food to your bird that they do not seem to want).

Birds are like young children, they will not make wise nutritional choices on their own, and are usually afraid to try new things. Be patient whenever you are attempting diet changes or offering new foods to your birds. If your bird will not eat pellets or you want to offer seeds, their diet should be no more than 20-50% seed (depending on their activity levels and whether they are outside or inside and the environmental temperature). Avoid sunflower seeds unless using the new low fat sunflower seeds available, the birds really enjoy the taste of sunflower seeds and will preferentially eat them over other foods. They are high in fat and not very nutritious. If you want to give your birds sunflower seeds, use them as treats or rewards.

Other good sources of protein for your bird are non-fat cottage cheese, regular cheese (high in fat), lean cooked meats (beef and poultry) and well- cooked chicken bones. Give these protein sources once or twice a week in addition to a balanced diet offered daily.

Carbohydrates: There are two forms of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple ones are the sugars. They are rapidly digested and absorbed and are not very good for your bird. Avoid giving treats that are high in sugar, never give your bird chocolate as there is a substance in there which can kill your bird. Fruits are high in sugar and therefore need to be given in moderation.

Complex carbohydrates are the starches. These are great energy sources for you bird and serve as building blocks for non-essential amino acid (the building blocks of protein) and fats. Your bird should have starches in its diet in the form of cooked rice, beans (good for protein as well), cooked potatoes, pizza crust, pasta, corn, and tortillas.

Vegetables and Fruit: There are only a few things your bird should not have in this group of foods. One is avocado. There is a substance avocado that is fatal to birds and there is no treatment once they have eaten it and get sick. Iceberg lettuce is mostly water and has little nutritional value, birds seem to like it and will eat it over other good vegetables.

The following list is not complete but contains many of the vegetables and fruits that are high in vitamin A or beta carotene: broccoli, dried red chili peppers (birds do not salivate so they do not detect the hotness of these peppers like you or I would but if your bird kisses you after eating some of these, watch out!), Sweet potatoes and yams -- cooked or raw, carrots, winter squash, pumpkin, red cabbage, mustard greens, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale asparagus, parsley (give sparingly), dark leafy lettuce -- not iceberg lettuce, papaya, apricots, peaches, mango, cantaloupe, cherries (may turn stool or droppings a dark red color that looks like blood but is harmless), and watermelon. Many of the other vegetables not listed are okay to eat. You can use fresh or frozen vegetables, but avoid canned vegetables as they are processed and have had most of the good nutritional value destroyed. You can give these raw or in the case of frozen, thawed out. Cooking is not necessary (you may find that your bird prefers cooked yams and sweet potatoes over raw, just make sure they have cooled down).

Your bird can eat as many vegetables as it wants, that's okay, but avoid too much fruit as it is mostly sugar and water and therefore, not all that nutritious. Always wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly before feeding. If you use fruit cocktail, buy the type with no sugar or syrup added. Your bird's droppings will get more watery when you feed them fruits and vegetables, especially with fruits. Do not mistake this for diarrhea. It is usually an increase in urine production due to the high water content of these types of food, or in other words, water in, water out!

The fecal portion of the dropping should remain formed but you will see less of the white stuff (urates) and more "water" (urine). This is okay. If the fecal portion is also unformed or has an odor, then you need to have the bird checked. Remember, your vet needs to see the droppings so do not clean the cage before your visit.

Fats: Fat deficiency is rare to non-existent in birds, especially in the pet bird. There are cases where birds require a certain type of oil in their diet, but fat is usually quite plentiful. Most cage or pet birds tend to have diets that are too high in fat. This is usually due to a high seed intake. Most seeds are high in fat. A good rule of thumb is the larger the seed, the greater the fat content (by percentage of makeup). Sunflower seeds are the largest contributor to obesity in birds. Peanuts are another high fat food that birds love to eat, so offer them as treats only (or not at all). Large nuts are also high in fat. Seed treats like honey sticks are very high calorie, high fat foods and should only be given to your birds once a month or less. Many people think that since these birds eat high fat foods in the wild that they need them in captivity, however, your bird is not getting the exercise that a wild bird gets when flying around looking for food. Besides, if a wild bird gets an obesity problem, it falls easy prey for a predator or gets sick and dies. Not a good outcome.

The best way to minimize your bird's fat intake is to minimize fatty foods. Seeds should constitute only 20-50% of the diet if you want to feed seeds. Pellets are good, since they are low in fat. Your bird can eat all it wants and will not get fat. If you bird likes regular cheeses, give them sparingly. The yolk of hard boiled eggs is high in fat and should be given judiciously, egg whites are a good protein source and have no appreciable fat content. Chicken and turkey skin and meat trimmings are very high in fat and should be avoided. Do not supplement your birds diet with any fats or oils unless you consult your avian veterinarian first.

The Optimal Diet
What should your bird eat? Here are some suggestions. They are offered only as a guide line; some variation is okay. A good rule of thumb is that anything that is good for a human with a heart condition (remember, no avocado or chocolates).

Diet 1. Maintenance pellets (Pretty Bird ), offered on an as eat basis. If your birds are breeding/laying you may need to go to a pellet designed for production. Offer vegetables and fruits -- 75-90% vegetables, the rest fruit daily. Mix your vitamins in with this. Change the bowl daily, clean and disinfect it on a regular basis. If you live in a humid climate, you may need to change this bowl two to three times a day to prevent spoilage. Offer daily table foods, part of your breakfast, lunch, or dinner if you want. Remember, moderation is the key. Treats such as honey sticks and nuts should be given once a month or less.

Diet 2. Use a safflower based seed mix in place of the pellets. Sunflower and peanut type diets, while they taste good, are too high in fat and not nutritious enough for your bird. If there is left-over seed at the end of the day you are probably offering your bird too much seed. Make sure your bird eats the other goodies. Some times it is best to offer seeds twice a day for 15-30 minutes then remove the seed bowl so the bird will eat the other foods. If your bird is overweight despite a low fat, healthy diet, consult your avian veterinarian.

Diet 3. This is not really a diet as much as a place to put table food! Offer your bird what you are eating. Do not offer your bird food off your fork or spoon, out of your mouth, or anything you have bitten off of as this is a great way to make your bird sick. The bacteria in our mouths are not good for your bird.

Another treat you can give your bird is Zu-preem Monkey Chow. This is a good brand since it is not oily and has a low bacterial count. Purina Monkey Chow is very oily and has a high E.coli count so it should not be used. Dog and cat food, while a good source of protein and a balanced meal is designed for dogs and cats. It is high in bacteria that will not hurt your dog or cat but could get your bird sick. With all the good commercial diets available for your bird, using foods formulated for other species is not really necessary.

Water: Birds need plenty of fresh water, not only for drinking but also for bathing. If your bird does not like to take baths, there is nothing wrong with him; he just does not like to take baths! The water bowl should be large enough for the bird to get its head into, not just his beak. You should change your bird's water daily, if your bird is a messy eater, or likes to dip his food in his water, you may need to change it more often. Depending on the number of birds and their location, the water bowl(s) should be disinfected on a regular basis. This will be covered in the section on disinfection. It is best to use bottled or filtered water since many municipal supplies are borderline at best and may be high in minerals and contaminants. Tap water sometimes has low levels of bacteria that may be harmful to your bird. Water that is safe for human consumption is not necessarily safe for your bird!

If your bird has a habit of defecating in its water then you need a covered or hooded bowl for water, this helps to keep the water clean. You should never add anything to your bird's water without consulting with your avian veterinarian. As mentioned earlier, vitamins should not be added to your bird's water. Your bird may like to be misted with a spray bottle on a regular basis. If this is to be done, make sure that the water is fresh and has no additives. Outdoor birds should be provided with misters or Sprinklers that can be turned on in the hot weather to help cool the aviary as well as allows your birds something to play in.

Environment
This is another very important area that you need to pay attention to when you have a feathered friend. Cage, location, lighting, noise, routine, toys, perches, cleaning/disinfecting, Teflon and other toxins, heat and drafts are all important factors. Bathing will also be covered at the end of this section.

Cage: The cage should be large enough for your bird to spread and flap its wings without hitting the bars. Cages are important as they protect your birds from the "outside" world (other pets, children, friends and relatives) as well as keeping the bird out of trouble.

Birds are like two year olds. They should not be left out alone because they have a way of getting into trouble. Many a nice piece of furniture and curtains have been ruined by an all too curious bird. Lead poisoning in birds is usually due to the bird being left out alone or unattended and he finds something neat to chew. If the cage is painted, make sure it is with non- leaded paint, the label should read safe for children/infants, contains no lead. If the cage is painted and is of questionable or unknown origin, have the paint removed and re-apply the proper paint. It is imperative that the old paint be removed, not covered, as the bird can chew through the new layer of paint to the old layer.

Playground areas are nice for your bird, they allow exercise and "fresh air" and a time to socialize with other birds in the house (if they get along!). There are many types of playgrounds, wood and PVC are the most popular, make sure the perches are the right size for your birds feet. If using PVC, make sure that it is either roughened or has a grippable material on it so that the bird will not slip. More about perches will be covered under the toy and perch section.

Perches and Toys: The best perches are the natural hard woods such as manzanita, ribbon wood and eucalyptus (very hard when it dries). Other woods may or may not be safe but it is best to stick to one of the three mentioned above. PVC, as mentioned earlier, is also a popular perch playground material that is easy to clean. If you cover it for better grip, use a material that can be easily changed for easy cleaning. Terra-cotta is a recently introduced perch material that seems to work well, is sage, and does seem to help keep the nails a bit shorter.

Another new perch material is rope. These perches are fine except they are easily destroyed by larger birds and need to replaced often as the frayed and loose strand may entangle your birds feet. With any of the perching materials, varying diameter perches need to be offered to prevent fatigue to the birds feet and simulate more natural perching behaviors. Sandpaper covers should be avoided as they may irritate the skin on the bottom of the feet and lead to bumble foot, a seriously debilitating foot disease.

Toys should be made of very strong materials, especially for the larger parrots, macaws, and cockatoos. Large dog choker chains are very good for suspending things. Dog chews such as the large one-piece cowhide (do not use pig ears) can make fun and chewable toys. Many of the acrylic toys, while expensive, are excellent and safe toys. Human infant teething toys that are not fluid filled are good for young birds who are still developing jaw strength and for small birds of all ages. It is natural for birds to be destructive so do not be surprised when your macaw or cockatoo (or even some of the other birds) break these "unbreakable" toys and perches. Expect to buy more and you will not be let down.

Dishes: Ceramic, plastic, and stainless steel are your best bets. All are good and depend on your birds needs and the design of the cage. If you get ceramic crocks get them from a reputable manufacturer that has lead free claims. If the glazing gets chipped off, and it will, the porous clay underneath is easily chewed off by your bird. If there is lead in the clay, your bird could end up being poisoned. Always replace crocks with chips or cracks. I have found that many of the high impact plastic bowls that clamp on the cage are easy to use, easy to clean, cheaper than other bowls, and come in many colors. These are my personal favorite. Disinfect your bowls on a regular basis ( see the section on Disinfection).

Light: Outdoor birds enjoy the benefit of natural sunlight. If your birds are outdoors, make sure they have access to sunlight but also make sure they have a way to get out of the sunlight or adverse weather conditions if necessary. Indoor birds need 12-16 hours of light a day. It is best to keep your bird(s) on the same schedule so their internal clocks are not constantly being reset. Fluorescent lights, especially full spectrum or gro-lights, are better than incandescent lights. The UV component of full spectrum lights is important for the natural production of Vitamin D3 . If D3 is provided in the diet via supplementation then the type of light is less important.

Noise and Routine: There are multiple theories on these two subjects. I have found that most birds will get use to whatever they are raised with. Birds raised in quiet homes with very strict routines do not do well when placed into a more hectic situation. My own birds are very use to a "non-routine" routine of lighting, feeding, and cleaning schedules, being up at midnight was no big deal to them' Certain birds like the African Gray Parrots are more susceptible to change. It is important when a change has occurred that the bird is watched closely for signs of illness or unhappiness. These include excessive sleeping and fluffing, decrease or loss of appetite (watch for change in droppings), decreased vocalization, aggressive behavior, etc. If any of these should occur, call your avian veterinarian as soon as possible.

Heat and drafts: The ambient (air) temperature of most homes is adequate for your bird. Sudden changes in temperature are not good but the changes that occur in our every day living are not drastic. If you are going away, make sure you leave your thermostat set such that your indoor pets, if left behind, do not experience sudden temperature fluctuations. They will be stressed enough with you being gone, there is no need to make things worse. Birds should never be placed near vents, ducts, or drafty windows and doors as they are unable to get out of the way of the air flows and can become sick after prolonged exposure. If your bird is sick it is important to provide them with plenty of heat and comfort. This does not replace a proper veterinary exam but may be part of the at home treatment recommended by your vet.

Teflon: Cookware coated with non-stick surfaces should not be used if there are birds in the house. When new or over heated they emit Teflon gas that is odorless, colorless, and harmless to mammals. It is fatal to birds, there is no known antidote. If you have Teflon coated cookware (pans, waffle irons, etc.), either get rid of them or make sure you keep the bird on the other side of the house with windows open while using them.

There are very good stainless and cast iron cookware available, that when used properly, are also non-stick. If you burn or over heat coated cookware, open all windows immediately and get your bird as far away as possible from the source.

Disinfection
A clean environment is just as important to preventing disease and disease spread as is good nutrition. Many diseases can be contained or prevented with proper disinfection. A detailed analysis of disinfection with all the various chemicals could easily become a book.

My goal is to give you a brief overview of what I know will work under most conditions. In time of certain disease outbreaks, the rules become more stringent, check with your avian veterinarian if you are having an on going problem that you have not been able to resolve. Do not be afraid to ask for a second opinion.

I will discuss only two classes of disinfectants that should be used in the average bird owner/breeder home/aviary. The first group is the quaternary ammonias such as Kenosol Roccal -D (hard to find in California), Neon Pet Products and Pursue (Amway), just to name a few. They are good at killing Chlamydia (psittacosis), Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease virus (PBFD), Pseuodomonas bacteria, and Polyoma virus. Make sure they are listed to kill Pseudomonas, many times the product needs to be used at a stronger concentration to kill the bacteria.

The other class of chemicals are the chlorinated compounds. The most notable of these is bleach. Bleach used at 4 ounces per gallon of water will kill just about anything. Bleach is inexpensive but can be very awkward to use due to its odor and ability to ruin clothes and carpets. The new members to this group are the stabilized chlorine dioxides. The most notable of this group are Oxygene and Dentagene, both by Oxyfresh. This would be the best product to use during a Polyoma outbreak or during the handfeeding period in and aviary. Due to its expense, it may not be appropriate for pet birds, non breeding birds, or in the offbreeding season.

In multiple bird household and aviaries I recommend disinfecting wet food and water bowls daily. They should be cleaned with hot, soapy water to remove as much debris as possible then soaked in disinfectant for 20-30 minutes. In homes with one to two birds, the bowls should be cleaned daily and disinfected once a week. Cages may be periodically washed then sprayed with disinfectant and left to air dry, once Cry, hose with fresh water. Make sure you remove the bird first! The frequency at which you wash and disinfect your cages depends on how dirty they get and how many birds you have. The more birds you have, the more often you need to disinfect. Perched should be brushed with a wire brush as needed to remove dried feces and food, they should be replaced twice a year or as needed.

Flooring in the bird room should be easily cleaned. If your birds are on carpet, put some plastic under their cage to facilitate cleaning, your carpet will appreciate this as well as yourself. Linoleum and tile can be mopped or hosed on a weekly basis, after cleaning, coat the floor with disinfectant and let it air dry, then mop it with warm water. If you cannot remove the birds from the room when cleaning the floor, make sure there is plenty of ventilation and that you do not spray the birds with disinfectant.

If you will be disinfecting electronic equipment or equipment that cannot get wet then you need to use an aerosol that contains an ortho-phenyphenol disinfectant. These are capable of killing all the problem organisms, it even kills tuberculosis, a problem seen occasionally in wild caught or imported birds. Two brand I can think of are Pursue Broad Spectrum Disinfectant Deodorizer Spray (no TFHC, environmentally friendly) and Lysol Disinfectant Deodorizer Spray. Spray these in to or on to the appropriate area, including fan and motor housings, and let air dry. If spraying in to a fan or motor, turn off before spraying and let sit for 30 minutes before starting again.

Bird Toy Safety

Is plastic a safe product for my bird? Are there any unnatural chemicals used? I have read about phthalates, is that still used in plastic? Will my bird swallow plastic? Will plastic pass safely through if accidentally swallowed? Will my bird like playing with plastic? Why use plastic toys for my bird? What are some advantages and disadvantages of plastic toys compared to wooden toys?

Powder coated paint is plastic. Bird cages that are powder coated are painted with plastic paint. Birds living in powder coated cages without the presence of metallic or other harmful additives are healthy and have no known adverse effects from the plastic paint.

If zinc or other metallic additives are added to the plastic paint to help it adhere to the metal better, the zinc can cause a health problem. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water, as most plastic does not have any metallic additives. The photo shows a powder coated cage with a playtop. My Greater Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo is very secure, healthy and happy with her plastic painted surfaces and toys.

As a general rule, birds don't swallow non-food items like wood or plastic except by accident. Plastic requires 400 degrees of heat to break down. Due to this high-heat requirement, plastic will not melt or be compromised in your birds system. Anything small enough to swallow should pass right through their system and come out as "confetti bird poop."

Plastic was first widely used on toys in my area of Texas in the early 1990s. Alphabet letters, airplanes, dominoes, dice, animal figures, and boats were the first plastic items many of us used on bird toys. These plastic toys continue to be great favorites of many parrots.

In 1998, the plastics industry began changing its softener from phthalates to natural citrus softeners. Citrate Esters is the name usually associated with the softening of plastic this natural way. Today's plastic is a clean product that can be completely disinfected after purchase. I clean bought toys with 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% water, rinse well and dry outside in the sunlight to kill any germs the cleaner missed.

My observation is that birds who are afraid of toys are attracted to acrylic toys. Acrylic is a plastic. If the bird can see through a toy the timid bird feels better about the toy. Acrylics like pacifiers, see-through beads and buttons, and any sturdy acrylic part delight some birds that have never played with toys before. The Umbrella Cockatoo in the photo sleeps snuggled to her translucent toys. (See Picture of snuggled Cockatoo)

Many birds adore plastic based toys and attack them with enthusiasm. People often say that plastic toys are the only ones their birds will play with. Wooden toys are used for beak conditioning, and the plastic ones are courted, danced for, and completely enjoyed by parrots. (See Picture of my Umbrella dancing with her plastic toy.)

I am privileged to share my heart with a male Moluccan named Cowboy Dallas. His 2 wooden toys have been hanging in his cage since Christmas morning, over 6 months. He plays with plastic toys, using his wooden toys for leveling off his beak growth. He is a happy, strong, handsome boy and his plastic toys are a big part of his joyful and exuberant personality. (See picture of Dallas)

Plastic's affordability to manufacture, friendliness to the environment, and cost-effective shipping costs due to lighter-than-wood weight makes it a product our parrot's can enjoy for hours and hours when they can't be out of the cage playing. Wood can not be as completely disinfected as plastic due to its porous nature.

Some food dishes are plastic and no ill effects have been reported. To relieve cage boredom, provide more toys at affordable pricing, and just for the fun of it, see if your parrot would enjoy the plastic lid from a can or a soda straw or coffee stir. To see if your bird likes plastic toys, you can try toys with wood and plastic parts like the toy pictured with Skeeter the Eclectus. (See Picture of Skeeter)

Match the bird's size and strength to plastic toys. A powerful Moluccan can play safely with tough plastics and pliable plastics. A smaller parrot can play with a wider variety of plastics safely. Plastics have proven to be a safe part of today's avian products. For more than 10 years we have housed our parrots in plastic coated cages and offered them toys of plastic. Today's citrus-softened plastics have given parrot keepers new and exciting plastic products to enrich our parrots lives.

Home Tweet Home

Your bird's cage is his/her home and should bring your bird a feeling of comfort and security. It is also the largest expense, after the initial purchase of the bird, that you will need to make. Great care should be taken when selecting a cage, especially, when you consider the amount of time that a bird spends in it's cage.

Safety should be your first consideration when shopping for a cage. Many pet birds have become injured from the very thing that should make them feel safe....their cage. These injuries can range from minor toe abrasions to death from strangulation. Look at the overall cage construction and ask yourself the following list of questions.

* Is the cage knock down or welded?
* Are there screws, nuts, and bolts, used to hold the cage together?
* What type of material is used in the cage construction?
* What type of finish is used on the cage and how is it applied?

* Does the cage have any scroll work or other decorative features?
* What is the bar spacing?
* What is the diameter of the bars?
* How many crossbars are in the design?

* What shape is the cage?
* What are the dimensions of the cage?

* Are there swing out feeder doors?
* Is there a locking mechanism on all of the doors, including the feeder doors?
* Is there a litter tray?
* Is there a removable grid?
* Is there a seed guard?
* Is there a play top?


Safety- Consider the type of bird that will call the cage home. Knock down cages require assembly and may use hardware to hold the cage together. If so, find out what type of metal hardware is used in the cage construction. Also consider if your bird will have access to the hardware and whether he/she will be able to disassemble the hardware. Look for any pieces that could easily be removed. These pieces could accidently be swallowed by your pet bird. Solid welded cages are stronger, but it is possible that the welds can break over time.

The majority of cages are constructed from a variety of different metals that include: wire, stainless steel, zinc, brass, and chrome. Wire cages are the most economical and are often used as breeding cages and travel carriers. These cages are processed in two different ways. You have the choice of Galvanized after welded and Galvanized before welded. The cages are Galvanized to prevent the metal from rusting. Galvanized after welded is generally considered safer. The welds may expose hazardous metals that can cause metal poisoning. Most wire cage manufacturers recommend an initial cleaning using vinegar and a wire brush. Metal poisoning can occur if the metal or metal flakes are ingested. Clean and inspect wire cages regularly looking for broken welds, broken wires, and metal flakes.

Metal cages are in the medium price range. They are manufactured in a wide variety of metals, sizes, shapes, and colors. They are usually brass or chrome plated, or have a powdered coated paint finish. Powdered coated finishes are more resistant to chipping, rust, and are easier to clean than the plated cages The plating can wear off over time. Some of the cage manufacturers offer a textured finish which not only make chips and scratches less noticeable, but give a better footing for grasping and climbing.

Stainless steel is the most expensive cage on the market, but stainless steel is the safest material for cage construction. These cages will never rust, chip, or cause metal poisoning. They are easy to clean and they are strong enough for even the most powerful beaks. A stainless steel cage will last a lifetime and be the most economical when you consider that it will never need replacing.

Some decorative features enhance the appearance of the cage, but can pose a safety risk. Scroll work may trap beaks, heads or toes, resulting in minor injuries or death.

Bar spacing is equally important in preventing injuries and allowing for maximum climbing mobility. Make sure the bar spacing is smaller than your bird's head to prevent him/her from becoming trapped in the bars. Horizontal bars give greater climbing mobility for increased exercise and play. The diameters of the bars determine the strength of the bars. The bars should be stronger than your bird and they should be large enough to allow for easy gripping.

SIZE and shape is also an important factor when considering a cage. I generally recommend that you purchase the largest cage that your can afford and can accommodate space wise. At the very minimum, your bird should be able to comfortably extend both of his/her wings at the same time. Highly active birds such as: Lovebirds, Parrotlets, Caiques, etc., require a larger cage than their size would indicate. The cage should be large enough to hang a few toys and allow for active play such as climbing, swinging, hopping, jumping, etc.

The overall shape of the cage will determine how much actually usable space is available.With the exception of Macaws and other long tailed birds, the width of the cage is more important than the height. Use the inside width dimensions to determine the amount of usable space. Round or dome top cages can make placement of hanging toys more difficult.

COMPONENTS such as Swing out feeder doors offer a safe and convenient way to feed, especially for the aggressive bird and breeding pairs. Your bird sitter will also appreciate the added security. Most cages come with 2 feeding stations and two dishes. Several cages are manufactured with 3 to 4 feeding stations. Extra feeding stations will allow you to offer several different types of food at the same time. For added convenience, purchase an extra set of food dishes.

Food dishes come in a varity of styles, colors, shapes, and are made from plastic, ceramic, or stainless steel. Lock down feeder dishes will prevent your bird from dumping his/her dishes over. Some birds like to toss their seed out of their dish. Dish covers and hoods can help contain the mess and save on wasted seed.

The main entry door on your cage should be large enough to remove the bird with ease. Entry doors and feeder doors should have a locking mechanism that will prevent accidental escape. If your bird learns how to open the cage doors, then you will have to add some type of safety feature such as quick links or locks. Make sure the quick links and/or locks are inaccessible to your bird.

Removable grids and litter trays are other cage options. They are easier to clean than solid cage floors.They can also prevent your bird from getting to the old food on the bottom of the cage, provided the distance between the grid and the tray is greater than your bird can reach. It is amazing at how far they can stretch those legs.

Removable seed guards can also help contain the mess to the inside of the cage making clean up outside of the cage easier. Seed guards will also need to be cleaned regularly.

Play tops are a convenient way to give birds time out of the cage. They can save space and money by not having to purchase an additional playstand. Many of the play top cages have an extra litter tray for use on the play top to make clean up easier.

CLEANING the cage is an important aspect to maintaining the good health of your pet bird. Change the litter tray daily. Wash the entire cage and perches weekly (or more often if necessary) using a mild soap. Disinfect the cage monthly using a 10% bleach/water solution, or other commercial disinfectant, and rinse well.

Purchasing a new bird is an exciting time and shopping for all of the supplies can be fun. Consider all aspects of the cage construction and disign . Remember to consider safety first and your bird's cage will truly become his/her castle.

Cages, Cages, Cages

With so many cages available on the market today how do you choose the right one? That is the question I asked everyone from veterinarians to manufacturers, breeders, distributors, retailers, bird owners and anyone else who might have an educated opinion. I received many different opinions, all valuable, but the most important issue that all mentioned was safety. Some liked special features, colors, etc. However, the one item that was first and foremost in everyone's mind is safety.

Safety is not something that can be limited to one item on a cage, it involves the whole cage - the paint, casters, dishes, feeding areas, perches, grills, trays, bar spacing and the locking devices. I will attempt to cover some helpful hints to keep in mind while you are out shopping for a home for your special friend.

Hint #1 - GO TO THE SOURCE!!!!
Speak to the manufacturers about their cages versus other cages on the market. Keep in mind that they are trying to sell a cage and will emphasize their good points. However, I did find that most of them simply try to explain their features and why they are important to your bird. Make notes, and compare price versus quality. Use what you learn from one manufacturer to ask similar questions of another manufacturer. The manufacturers themselves can be your most reliable source for getting the correct information to us the consumers. Simply ask "Why should I buy your cage over your competitors?".

Be sure to ask the manufacturers about their paint or powdercoating. Ask if the cages are non-toxic. Lead and zinc have become a very widespread subject of concern. Birds do require some lead and zinc to be healthy, but above certain levels these elements are toxic. Ask the manufacturer to explain what tests he uses on his cages. Stainless steel cages don't need paint and last very well. However, they are also much more expensive.

Everyone from vets to breeders have different opinions about what causes heavy metal poisoning. One thing I did find out was that lead and zinc are found in many different sources. Pennies, water, wall paint, food, vitamins, treatments for carpets and furniture - just to name few - all contain these elements. One thing is for sure, we are surrounded by it everyday. In this confusion, it is necessary to ask about the materials used to manufacture the cages. However, simply stated, cages from responsible companies are rarely to blame for toxicity. When a bird becomes ill, a complete analysis is necessary (testing almost everything the bird has been in contact with) to determine the true cause. No one wants to lose an animal due to this. So again, ask the question to make an educated decision.

Hint #2 - CHECK OUT THE WELDS!!!!
Many companies' cages are constructed by placing the bars into holes drilled in the main frame. This is a less expensive and faster way to manufacture. The painting process fills the holes superficially with paint. When the cage is shipped from the plant to its final destination or if it receives stress, the paint can separate from the holes. Once the cage gets wet, the water sits inside the tubular steel and the cage can begin to rust. I've learned that welding the bars to the main frame is really the best way to go. The cage is stronger and rusting is not a concern because there is no place for water to sit and rust the cage from the inside out.

Hint #3 - UP ON WHEELS!!!!
The cage itself must be sturdy; this starts from the bottom up. The wheels (casters) are very important. Checks to see what type of casters are on your cage or cage stand. Plastic wheels seem to break a bit more easily than ball bearing casters. This of course depends on the size and weight of the cage itself. However, keep in mind you will be moving the cage for cleaning etc....

Hint #4 - FEED ME!!!!
The dishes used in cages are very important. Certain materials such as plastic and ceramic can absorb food product. These materials are very difficult to sanitize properly. In addition, birds can chew plastic and ceramic can break. Metal dishes are best. Also, make sure to use stainless steel dishes. Some are simply metal. This too can be a problem. They can rust very easily or the metal may contain zinc or lead. Stainless steel cups can be sanitized quickly and easily and unless run over or beaten with a blunt object they will not break. Sanitation is a very important part of the nutrition process for our feathered friends. Remember, veterinarians use stainless steel instruments.

Hint #5 - KEEP OUT!!!
Just like you and I, sometimes our beloved pet does not want to be bothered, even with something as important as feeding time. Maybe you have a breeding mom or you have gone out of town and someone else is caring for your bird or your bird is just not in a good mood or wants to sleep. At such times, if a hand goes into the cage, it might not come out without a good nip. I recommend cages with outside access to the cups. Be sure the accesses are easy to open and close, the cups are secure and not easy to dump, and that the doors are difficult for your bird to open or have a locking mechanism. This is very important with larger birds.

Hint #6 - SIT ON IT!!!!
Perches can come in many different sizes. In the wild, birds rest on tree branches of many different sizes and at many different angles. Let's try not to forget this. It is important to place different sized perches in the cage. Those with varying widths, bumps and angles like tree branches are best. It helps prevent the bird's feet from becoming arthritic. Birds pick different sizes to stand on just like we pick different shoes, so their feet and muscles do not become stiff. Most manufacturers have basic perches in the cages. It is really up to us to create a complete environment for them.

That however is not the only important part of the perches. Also make sure they are properly placed in the cage. Look at the placement inside the cage. Can the bird reach the feeding area from a perch? If not, the bird will sit on or in its dish to eat or drink. Don't place a perch where fecal droppings may fall on a perch below or into the feeding bowls which could contaminate the food. And place at least one perch high up in the cage.

Hint #7 - GRILLS AND TRAYS!!!!
Well this was a subject that got a bit touchy. Again, safety is the concern. Make sure the bars on the grill are close enough together for your bird to walk on, yet far enough apart for items such as food, droppings, etc. to fall through. It must fit around all four sides of the cage well. You also want to make sure that there is enough distance between the grill and the tray. The little pooper-scoopers may try to get at the bottom tray for decaying food product or the paper product that is protecting the tray. The tray itself is hard enough to get to for cleaning. Again, ask if they slide out. If so, the problem of cleaning the grill and tray are taken care of. Just slide them out and wash them down.

Hint #8 - LOCK ME UP!!!
In my cage search I found so many cages locks my head was spinning. They swing up, push in, pull down, use a key, pull up and out or swing out. Needless to say, I saw everything but one that sings and dances. Keep in mind the front door lock is very important not just for your safety but for your bird's safety as well. Ask the manufacturers about their locks. Ask how they work. Let them explain it. If the food doors have locks, ask about them as well. Make sure your little Houdini can't just watch you do it and bingo - your end table became lunch while you were away. Ask the question!!!

Hint #9 - BAR NONE???
Bar spacing is extremely important for your bird's safety as well. Again, people had different opinions on this subject. Birds come in all different sizes. If the bars are too close together your bird could get stuck. If they are too far apart your baby could escape or get his head or body stuck in the bars as well. Also, for our larger feathered friends, if the spacing is too close together, they could get their beaks wrapped around and snap the welds.

Ask a reliable source what bar spacing is recommended for your type of bird. Then ask the manufacturers if they measure the bar spacing from the middle of the bar to the middle of the bar. Do they measure the space between the bars only or do they measure from the beginning of the bar to the beginning of the next bar? This will help you figure out which cage size to buy from that manufacturer. Also, keep in mind that you do want to show your bird off, yet make sure that the cage is completely safe. Ask, Ask, Ask.

Hint #10 - SIZING IT UP!!!
Make sure your bird has plenty of room to move around and exercise while in its home. Check for proper wing span room as well as tail feather room. They should be able to easily open and flap their wings for exercise from a few places within the cage. They must have enough room to move around as freely as possible and get exercise. For birds with long tails, be sure that the tail will not constantly be extending outside of the cage. Also consider having at least two sides of the cage with vertical bars, so that the tail can easily ride up and down without destroying the tail feathers. Space is a concern in most homes; most of us would love to have a rainforest in our back yards. However, since this is a bit unrealistic, the more room the better.

Also consider your height when purchasing a cage. Can you easily reach the top to retrieve your bird from it? Is it so high that the bird can feel dominant over you?

Hint #11 - PLAYTIME
A bored bird can become very destructive. Birds chew a lot. It helps keep the beak in condition and is also a natural nesting instinct. Most birds will chew on anything - paint, walls, furniture, jewelry. You name it, they will chew it. Toys, and a lot of them, are great. Get inside your cage. Find out if toys can be easily hung. If there aren't any loops inside the cage for hanging toys, make sure the bars are strong enough to hold toys, swings, manzanita, etc.. Again, your end table could be lunch.

Hint #12 - DESIGN QUALITY!!!
Depending on your preferences many different cage designs are available - round, flat, pointy, perch tops, removable tops, tops that open, tops that fold out. Take your bird's personality into account when making your choice. Make sure that the quality of the cage extends from the bottom to the top of the cage. Quality is not only in the design of the exterior of the cage. A quality cage is one that meets or exceeds standards of excellence throughout the design and includes extra features that meet the special needs of our feathered friends.

Hint #13 - Ouch!!!
Watch for sharp edges on the cage. This usually happesn where metal meets metal. Look on the inside as well as the outside of the cage. Run your hands around any area that may be suspect.

Hint #14 - Who do you trust???
Many people offer advice, and they do mean well. However, with technology becoming more and more advanced, it is easy to fall prey to incorrect remarks about a brand of cages. Remember there are 2 sides to every story. Check out the reliability of the source. You don't want to lose out on a great cage because someone has ignorantly repeated an erroneous story. Check out the facts.

As consumers we tend to want to believe other consumers. We have been taught that word of mouth is the best way to find things out. Technology has given us the freedom to do this without using our mouths. With the touch of a button we can create a harmful slant , believing that we will not have any backlash. The scary part is that, true or untrue, we can affect many people with our stories and opinions.

The manufacturers that I spoke with were very helpful and also very informed. Remember the one simple question "Why should I buy your cage?". So please get the facts and make an educated decision. It really is as simple as a few phone calls.

Selecting the right bird for you

Now that you have found a breeder or pet store to purchase a bird from, your next decision is to find that special bird for you and your family.

There are many factors to consider that will help you determine which species of bird is right for you. Your level of experience, budget, time commitments, environment, and personality are all key elements in choosing the right bird.

Parrots have long life expectencies ranging from 15 years for a cockatiel, to 70 to 100 years for larger parrots. Parrots form strong bonds with their owners. It can be very traumatic and stressful for them to be sold to another family. Be sure you can make the commitment before you purchase a parrot.

Remember that each bird is an individual and has his/her own unique personality. General species characteristics may not apply to individual birds.

EXPERIENCE

Have you previously owned a parrot?
Do you have other birds?
Have you done a lot of research on birds?
Do you know how to take proper care of the species you are considering?
Do you have an Avian vet?
Do you have other resources available to you?

Before you purchase a bird read as much material as you can on various species of birds. Research as many different species as possible. Talk to several breeders, pet stores, and avian vets to find out as much as you can on particular species of birds.

Make sure the place of business you are purchasing your bird from will answer all of your questions and is willing to continue to answer your questions long after the sale is made.

First time bird owners may want to start out with a smaller bird, such as a Cockatiel, Lovebird, Finch, Parakeet, or a Canary. Smaller birds may be less intimidating and easier to handle than their larger cousins. First time bird owners should purchase a bird that was handfed and well socialized. Birds who were handfed and handled as babies are usually tamer and friendlier than parent raised babies.

Conures, Quakers, and smaller African birds are usually the next bird purchase for people who have owned smaller birds. These birds are a little larger but are still easy to handle.

Macaws, Cockatoos, Amazons, and Greys require owners with previous experience in owning parrots as pets. These birds need a firm hand and new owners may find them intimidating.

Birds who have been abused, neglected, or have behavioral problems should be purchased by people who have a great deal of experience working with birds. These birds may require special care, taming, training, diets, environments, and handling.

BUDGET

How much can you afford to spend to purchase the bird?
How much can you afford to spend on a cage, toys, food,and other accessories?
How much can you afford to spend for the initial vet check up?
How much can you afford to spend on the on-going costs for emergency and annual vet care, food, toys, etc.?

Your budget is an important factor when deciding which bird to purchase. If you are on a limited budget you should keep that in mind when deciding which species of bird to purchase. Larger birds require larger budgets. In general, the bigger the bird, the more it will cost to maintain the bird.

TIME COMMITMENTS

How much free time do you have?
Do you travel often?
What is your daily routine?

If your daily schedule is very demanding then you should consider purchasing birds that do not require a great deal of time to take care of and socialize, such as Finches and Canaries. Parrots need to have time out of the cage each day to interact with their family.

If your job requires out of town travel, than you need to consider whether you have someone who can expertly take care of your bird during your absence. Parrots can become stressed and lonely when their families are absent which may lead to behavioral problems. Frequent travelers who cannot take parrots with them should consider this before purchasing a parrot.

Make sure your routine will allow for daily food preparation, cage cleaning, and playtime. Parrots are intelligent social creatures who need daily interaction with their owners, fresh fruits & veggies, and a clean cage. Have plenty of toys available for independent playtime to keep those beaks busy and in good condition.

ENVIRONMENT

How much room do you have for a cage, playstand, and accessories?
Do you have other pets?
Do you have young children?
What type of building do you live in?
How much noise can you, and other family members, and neighbors become accustomed to?

I always suggest purchasing the largest cage that your budget and space will allow for. Make sure you can adequately house the species of bird that you are considering to purchase. Playstands and other accessories will also take up space. Cages should be placed in an area of the home where the bird can interact with the family. Artificial full spectrum lighting should be installed if natural light is not available.

There are many multiple pet households, but you have to consider whether existing pets and a new bird can co-exist safely and happily. Multiple pet households must be able to keep their pets separate and supervise their pets at all times.

Young children and parrots may not get along. Children can be loud and their quick movements can startle birds and make them nervous. Birds and children can also become jealous of each other. If you have young rambunctious children then you may want to consider waiting until the children are a little older before you purchase a parrot.

Your residence may determine which species of bird to purchase. Apartment and Condo dwellers may want to purchase birds who are known to be less noisy, such as Lovebirds, Cockatiels, Finches, Canaries, PYRRHURA Conures, and Lories. The purchase of a bird is a life long commitment and you will want to avoid any potential problems with your neighbors which could result in having to find a new home for your pet.

Aratinga Conures, Cockatoos, and Macaws can be quite loud with their daily chattering and screaming rituals. When you are visiting pet stores and breeders be sure to listen to the birds vocalizing. Are the sounds music to your ears or annoying interruptions? Birds vocalize to communicate and you should expect and be able to tolerate a fair amount of chattering and screaming from a pet bird.

Birds can be quite messy. If seed and droppings on the floor, and daily sweeping/vacuuming will be troublesome for you, then you should reconsider whether a bird is the right pet for your household.

Birds have delicate respiratory systems. They need to be housed in pollution free environments. Cigarette and cigar smoke can cause lung cancer in birds. Air fresheners, pesticides, non-stick coating pots and appliances, cleaning solutions, and other fumes can kill a bird instantly or from long term exposure. Hepa air filters will help your bird breath easier but you should not depend on them to remove all hazardous fumes. If you can't live without your air fresheners, cigarettes, and non-stick cookware then do NOT purchase a bird.

SPECIES PERSONALITY

What are your expectations?
Do you want an affectionate bird?
Do you want a more independent Bird?

Certain species of birds are generally known for certain personality traits. Please remember that there are always exceptions and birds are individuals. Early socialization, training, discipline, and whether the bird was handfed (and the method of handfeeding) also contribute to the birds personality.

Finches and Canaries are relatively small so they don't require as much space as larger birds. They are also quieter than larger parrots. The song of a male Canary is quite delightful. These birds generally do not require much handling.

Parakeets are a popular first time bird. Their small size, gentleness, price, and talking ability make them desirable for beginners.

Lovebirds and Parrotlets are the smallest two species of parrots. They have big bird personality in a diminutive size. They require a larger size cage than you would expect. They are quite playful and enjoy daily interaction and handling. They may also learn to speak a few words. Lovebirds are full of energy and can become a bit nippy. .

Cockatiels make wonderful first time pets. They are gentle, affectionate, and playful. They are a little larger than Lovebirds and Parakeets. They enjoy whistling and males can learn to speak. Handfed babies are readily available. These birds are hardy and breed quite well which make them ideal pets for the beginner.

Conures are usually the next step up from a small bird. Aratinga conures can be quite noisy and some people may find the pitch of their screams annoying. The Pyrrhura family are notably quieter. Conures are quite playful and many Conure owners have been startled by their birds laying on their backs on the bottom of the cage. They enjoy being handled by their owners and head scratches are greatly appreciated. Most can learn to speak a few words in a gravely type of voice. Blue Crowns have the best potential for speech.

African Greys are highly intelligent birds who are very sensitive to their environment. They are not for people with little or no experience in bird keeping. They are very desirable as pets due to their uncanny speaking ability. They can mimic household sounds so well that they fool their owners regularly. Greys like routine and sudden changes can cause them to become stressed. They need to have time out of the cage each day and interaction with the family on a daily basis. Greys have the tendency to bond with only one family member unless they are handled frequently by all of the members of the family.

Amazons are another species of bird noted for their ability to talk, sing, whistle, and mimic household sounds. They are basically green in color which makes identification difficult for the novice. They make excellent pets for the experienced bird owner, but they tend to bond with one family member. They are playful and they enjoy interacting with their owners, but they can be quite noisy with their ear shattering screams, which may irritate other family members and neighbors.

Cockatoos are very affectionate and can be very demanding of their owners time. Cockatoos need experienced owners that can deliver a firm hand. They can be quite loud with ear shattering screams. They are strong chewers and require a constant supply of objects to chew otherwise your furniture is fair game. They require a large, strong, escape proof cage. Most Cockatoo owners find they have to purchase locks for their bird's cage to keep them from escaping. Cockatoos really enjoy daily showers and grooming. The hardest part of owning a Cockatoo is trying not to spoil them. They prefer to be with their owners 24 hours a day.

Macaws are one of the most colorful species of parrots. The mini Macaws are very playful, smart, and do enjoy spending time in the lap of their owners. The larger Macaws are definitely for the most experienced bird owner. Their massive beaks and large size can be quite intimidating for the beginner. They need to be handled with gentle guidance and a firm hand. They need an extra large cage with plenty of perches and toys to chew. Their screams will be heard throughout your entire neighborhood.

Before you decide on which species of bird to purchase you need to consider all aspects of bird ownership. Owning a pet parrot can be fun and rewarding but the bird's welfare has to be taken into consideration. Choose your bird carefully and do not make an emotional decision.

Adopting an older parrot

Statics show that the average parrot may have up to 7 owners in his/her lifetime. Due to changing circumstances in their lives, some parrot owners may need to look for new homes for their pet birds. Some of the more common reasons pet birds are offered for sale are: a change in the family such as divorce or the addition of a new human baby, or the bird has not lived up to the owner expectations and they find the noise, the mess, and time commitment overwhelming. Also parrots may live between 70 to 100 years and thus outlive their owners.

Adopting an older bird can be both challenging and rewarding. So, is adopting a previously owned bird the right choice for you? There are many different aspects that you need to consider before you make the decision to purchase someone else's pet bird.

Your first consideration is to determine whether you can make the commitment to give the bird a permanent home and that you have the time to socialize and care for the bird . Many of these birds may have had more than one previous owner, some may not have been tamed and/or trained, and some have even been neglected or abused or have developed behavioral problems such as screaming, biting, or feather picking. Then, you have to determine whether you have the knowledge, experience, and/or have the resources to take care of the bird and give him/her a safe and healthy environment to live it.

Purchasing an older bird may have a few advantages. Some of these birds may already be trained and very friendly. Usually pet birds are offered for sale at prices less than the cost of a handfed baby. Investigate the background of the bird that you are considering to purchase. Gather as much information as you can on the previous owners, the birds diet, medical history, age, whether it was handfeed or imported, the breeding history if applicable, and personality traits. It may be difficult to trace the previous owners if there are more than a few. If the bird is banded or microchipped you may be able to find the original owner or breeder. Use all of the information that you have gathered to determine whether it is the right bird for you.

Your expectations should be realistic. Some older birds may have behavioral problems such as biting, screaming, or feather picking, and these problems may be the reason that the bird is up for sale. Sometimes these problems diminish or disappear with a change in environment but often they stay the same or the behavioral problems could even get worse. Make sure you have the available resources to handle any behavioral problems that may arise.

Patience is a standard requirement for anyone considering the purchase of an older bird. Some previously owned birds may bond instantly while others may take months. Each bird has his/her own individual personality and should be treated accordingly. Some of these birds may have been neglected by uncaring owners because of ignorance and even worse....ABUSE. Birds raised under these conditions may require more even care and time to adjust.

When you bring your new bird home be sure to place the cage in a quiet area of the house for a minimum quarantine period of 90 days. Be sure to follow strict quarantine procedures if you already have the other birds. Have a complete medical check-up performed on the new bird as soon as possible by an Avian Certified Veterinarian. During the initial medical exam, give the vet all of the background information that you have on the bird. Throughout the entire quarantine period you need to monitor your birds weight daily, and observe him/her closely looking for signs or illness and stress. Moving to a new home can be more stressful for an older bird, so try and duplicate his/her old diet and routine if possible. Having some familiar belongings such as his old cage, favorite treats, and toys may help comfort him/her during the transition period. Some signs of stress are loose watery droppings, shivering, heavy breathing, fluffed feathers, lack of vocalizations, poor appetite, and lethargy. These symptoms should disappear in a few days. Many of these symptoms can be signs of more serious medical conditions so close observation is imperative.

Building a trusting relationship may take longer with an older bird. Some birds will adapt rather quickly to their new environment while other birds may take a few months to adjust.. Older birds can form strong bonds with their owners if given the time to trust their new owners. Proceed slowly, while always keeping the bird's comfort level in mind. Approach the cage slowly, hand at your side or behind your back, and speak softly. Sitting on the floor will help the bird to feel less threatened. Allow the bird to determine how fast the relationship will develop. Don't force your bird into interacting with you. It will only delay the bonding process because he may fear you and not trust you.

Taming, training, or behavior modification may be necessary for certain birds. Begin training after your bird has become comfortable with you and his/her new home. Before you begin training or taming, be sure to keep your new bird's wings clipped. In addition to the safety aspect, birds with unclipped wings can have an attitude of superiority to their human companions which can make taming and training more difficult. Teaching the "step up" and "down commands" are a must for all untrained birds Be consistent in setting limits of acceptable behaviors, and use positive reinforcement to encourage desirable behaviors. Reward good behavior with head scratches, favorite treats, and praise. Ignore unwanted behaviors and don't reinforce negative behaviors.

Some older birds may require changes in their diet. Dietary changes should be made gradually, to ensure that your bird is eating enough to maintain weight. New foods may not be readily accepted so continue to offer them even if your bird refuses to eat them. Eventually, your bird will begin to eat more nutritious foods so don't give up.

Birds with physical handicaps can make wonderful pets. These birds deserve loving caring homes too. Most physical handicaps can be accommodate with custom designed cages, toys, and/or special diets.

Adopting an older bird may initially require more time, work, and patience but it is well worth the work. You can form a lasting bond as strong as you would with a handfed baby. So don't overlook the purchase of an adult bird.