It’s been a regular avian grumpfest around here lately. The falcons are on an all-you-can-eat diet and the molting has commenced, meaning falcons who have no use for me and are nearly impossible to handle. The pigeons or making ostentatious and impossibly loud overtures to one another. Meanwhile, the parrots are touchy and feathers abound in the house. [...]
These are the five books I think should be on every parrot owner’s bookshelf. Click on the titles to read a lengthier review of the books. (and to add your own review if you agree or disagree!)
Parrots of the World by Joseph M. Forshaw
Everyone should have a book to pull off the shelf when they [...]
December 29, 2009 – 11:21 am
…People are Animals too!!
Those of you who have heard me speak on parrot training, have likely heard me say this in 10 different ways in my lecture. We often forget how incredibly important it is to be considerate to the others who live with our parrots and are not necessarily parrot people.
The ex-parrot post got [...]
This is always my least favorite discussion when it comes to new parrots, mostly because I think we get carried away. People slip and hit their heads, killing themselves in bathtubs and on stairs, but we all still have bathtubs and most of us still use stairs. Accidents happen and being overly paranoid doesn’t always [...]
Knowing that birds are sensitive to heavily scented candles and air freshener doesn’t mean your house needs to smell bad. There are several ways to keep you house smelling clean and fresh.
1. Keep it clean.
Clean cages don’t stink. So make sure you change out bowls and papers daily and thoroughly scrub parrot and disinfect cages [...]
From “A Parrot For Life” here is a list and some thoughts on why you might NOT want to get a parrot.
1. I don’t have enough time for a dog.
Sorry, but my parrots take way more time than my dogs. The eat more than kibble, require more direct attention, are more difficult to manage and [...]
I’ve now been engaged in 14 years of what you call “two-way communication through positive reinforcement and operant conditioning.” (Can’t you just call it training? I hear you going on all the time like you’re some sort of parrot “expert”. Please. When I met you, you didn’t even know how to use an event marker.) [...]
February 25, 2009 – 7:56 am
Children in a school in Los Gatos, California read to an African grey parrot in order to gain confidence in their reading skills. Starbuck, the parrot of a parent volunteer probably really enjoys it to. Looks like the little Timneh is pretty into it!
I completely understand. Although I’m way to old to be concerned about [...]
February 11, 2009 – 9:16 pm
This economy is really getting to a lot of us. It’s tough to be living with so much uncertainty. The good news is that you can have fun and do it the cheap when you’re a parrot lover. Turn off the TV and let your parrot do his job…make you smile.
1. Have an enrichment party
Got [...]
February 5, 2009 – 5:09 am
…is a 50 year old macaw who once belonged to his ex-girlfriend’s mother. How does that happen?
Check out the story from the Lansing State Journal.
I guess we parrot folks are always on the lookout for the right home for our birds for if something happens to us. Ruth, the macaw’s owner knew when Jeff LaFlamme [...]
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