Ahhh Spring.

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. Tis the season. What I wasn’t expecting though, was Loki’s first egg. Fifteen years old and my little hen Senegal parrot decided this was the year to settle down and get to business.

I watched her closely as soon as I realized she had made herself a newspaper nest and that she was bulging about the cloaca. I expected aggression, but what I got was adoration and regurgitation. She turned to goo, literally. I tried not to encourage her while watching for signs of egg binding. I was relieved when the first egg arrived and then the second. I might have one more to look forward to and then hopefully we’re done.

Egg laying can actually be dangerous business. An egg the parrot is unable to pass is a death sentence and not uncommon. First time egg layers and older birds may be more likely to become egg bound so keep an eye out. Egg binding can also occur because of compromised health, poor nutrition or simply because of genetics. If your bird is puffed, bright-eyed, interactive, but obviously just nesty, she’s probably fine, but watch closely for signs of distress. Watch for a distended abdomen and straining to pass something through the vent, drooping wings, fluffed feathers, loss of appetite and difficulty breathing. And if there is any question at all in your mind, best just to get to the vet!

Here are a few tips to avoid egg binding:

• Get your bird DNA sexed so you know whether or not to suspect egg-laying
• Try not to encourage nesting and bonding behavior during the breeding season.
• Make sure your parrot has a nutritious well balanced diet with sufficient calcium (smooth muscle requires calcium to function and of course, calcium is required to create fully formed shells)
• Get that bird some exercise! Obese birds are more likely to become egg bound.
• Talk to your vet if your bird lays eggs excessively. Your vet may suggest hormones to get the egg laying to cycle more normally.

If your bird does become egg bound get to the vet right away! Your avian veterinarian can help the egg pass or remove it surgically if necessary before the situation becomes deadly.

Hope you all have a great Spring. It’s gonna be a long one around here…

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

Parrots of the World by Joseph M. Forshaw

Everyone should have a book to pull off the shelf when they are wondering what species of parrot that photo on the web might be or when arguing about the name of that lory species over drinks. (It’s Duyvenbodes, by the way. You win some you lose some…)

More importantly perhaps, this book is a wonderful starting point to finding out a bit of natural history about the parrot in your home. The more you know about what your parrot’s kin does in the wild, the better you will understand his needs and habits in your home!

Good Bird by Barbara Heidenreich

Barbara and I worked together for some time in the arena of free flight bird shows. She took much of what we knew and lived by and put it into this easy to understand book for the pet parrot community. It was just the start of many great tools produced by Good Bird Inc!

The Parrot Problem Solver by Barbara Heidenreich

Taking the basics of “Good Bird” to the next level, Barbara breaks down the basics of behavior and training. She gives those unindoctrinated in the world of using proven techniques and terms standardized by psychologists a great intro and many tools to put their new knowledge to work.

Brinker's All Around Grey Book

For the Love of Greys by Bobbi Brinker

The African grey parrot is unarguably one of the most popular species of pet parrot in the world. And few people are more knowledgable about this particular species than Bobbi. Introducing readers to the idea that positive reinforcement and facilitation rather than force is the best way to live with a grey, she also shares just about everything you need to know about keeping  your grey healthy and happy.

A Parrot for Life by Rebecca K. O’Connor

I won’t review my own book, but of course I think it should be on your shelf! Decades of both living with parrots and training birds professionally inspired me to write the book I wish I had when I trained my first cockatiel at eight years old. I wanted it to be fun to read and full of up-to-date information. My first birds would have had better nutrition, health and my hands would have suffered a lot fewer bits. I’ll leave it to you to decide if I accomplished my goal.

What are your favorite parrot books?

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

by C. Pedersen From Flickr.com click to see source

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 me thinking that I ought to clarify this point just a bit further especially as more and more people commented privately, on Twitter and Facebook that the girlfriend should just “get over it” or “get some self-esteem.”

I’ve been around the block enough times now to know that no gets over anything when you tell them to “get over it.” And no grows self-esteem on demand. I agree that everyone should love parrots, I’m not really sure why they don’t. I also think they should have thicker skin. However, the fact of the matter is that some people don’t care for parrots and therefore don’t have much tolerance. Those people might love you, but not your parrot.

Don’t let the bird (or the dog or the cat) to be a bone of contention in your relationship with your roommate, children or significant other. The people in your life deserve just as much respect and love as your animals. No one deserves to be attacked, even if it is just by a tiny little Senegal parrot and they surely don’t deserved to be laughed at and told to “get over it.”  They also don’t deserve to have to listen to screaming or your ex-girlfriend’s bedroom talk if it really bothers them.
What do the people in your life deserve? Your understanding. Your empathy. Your willingness to work on a solution so that everyone came live comfortably together. They deserve for you to take their feelings seriously and come up with a training plan to change the bothersome parrot behavior. If the bothered party won’t take part in the training plan, then its their own problem that the parrot is being a pain. At least you were understanding of your roommate’s quality of life and tried to make a change for their benefit. At this point, I would say perhaps you are living with the wrong person, but not before.

In the end the quality of life will be better for everyone including your parrot if you care about the humans in your household. More importantly, you will never get to the “it’s me or the parrot” stage of your relationship.

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

1. Zinc poisoning
   

   Watch out for galvanized quick links.

Zinc is poisoning to parrots and can be ingested through metals that have been galvanized. The level of toxicity can cause feather plucking, gasteric distress or even death, depending on how much zinc gets in the bird’s system. Read more about it here.

2. Frayed rope toys

Easy for a parrot to get a toy caught and many a bird has lost a toe this way. It’s even possible for a parrot to get her neck wrapped in strings. Keep an eye on all materials that have the potential of fraying and leaving dangerous strings.

3. Choking

Watch out for anything small enough to swallow or to break down into pieces that can be swallowed and obstruct the throat. Some parrot will destroy things regularly without swallowing the bits, but others are a danger to themselves. Keep an eye on your parrot with new toys.

Glade oil candles should be kept away from bird cages.

4. Toxic fumes (from air fresheners, scented candles, Teflon, etc.)

Lots of things we put in the air are bad for us. And many of stories of dangers are overblown. However, as a rule of thumb, if it smells strongly to you, don’t put it or use it near your bird’s cage. (which the exception of over-heated teflon which doesn’t smell, but rapidly kills birds) And if it seems dangerous to your bird…well, there’s a reason why they used canaries in a coalmine. Maybe you shouldn’t have it in your house in the first place.

5. Poisoning (feeding poisonous or moldy foods)

Feed fresh food from dependable sources that don’t use pesticides. Be especially careful with fruits that bugs find really tasty, like strawberries, raspberries, etc.  Buy organic.

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

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 once a month. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Some soap and water and a good spray down with bleach solution (4 oz per gallon of water). Let the cage dry in the sun.  Of course, this should be done while the parrot is elsewhere.

2. Pick up an Air Purifier

Consider adding an air purifier to your bird area. Dust removal can freshen up the air. If you don’t want to spend the money on a purifier, changer out you central air filter with a hepa filter and change no less than every 30 days.
3.  Bring in a Bouquet.

Fresh flowers are a great substitute for unnatural and often toxic spray. Set out some flowers out of the reach of you parrot and enjoy the scent.

4. Spice things up.

Like the smell of spices? A non-teflon coated pan of water simmering on the stove with cloves, cinnamon and ginger smells delicious!

5. Let the parrots do the work.

Cinnamon sticks make a great toy as well as an air freshner. Let your parrots destroy and scatter the cinnamon sticks and then enjoy the smell while vacuuming!

Anyone else have any tips and tricks? I would love to hear them!

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

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 unlike my dogs, require a lot more effort on my part to be clear about what is and is not acceptable behavior in the house. The dogs seemed pretty darn easy after 10 years of living with parrots.

2. I don’t have enough space for a bigger pet.

Okay, but if you live in apartment and have enough room for a bird, do you have enough of a sound barrier? Even a Senegal that screams all day can get you evicted if you neighbors And don’t forget that your parrot should be out of the cage frequently. Is there enough room for her to remain safe?

3. I can’t afford a bigger pet.

Then you can’t afford a parrot either. Even if you adopt a parrot you should expect to pay close to retail (and that will barely put a dent in the rescue facility’s expenses) So let’s say:

• Purchase: $1000
• Cage: $1000
• Monthly toys: $30
• Monthly food (pellets, nuts, fruits veggies) $50
• Vet check up: $200

=$2280 initial investment and $1160 annually.  Less expensive? You decide.

4. Parrots are so beautiful and one would look great in my home.

Parrot have their own ideas of aesthetics, so I hope you don’t mind the way the cockatoo decides to redecorate your pretty pink and white bathroom. Seriously, buy some parrot art, you’ll be happier.

5. Someone is giving me a parrot for free.

If your best friend decides to divorce her husband, considers the fact that you are single and then offers her husband to you, would you take him? Enough said.

How about the rest of you parrot peeps. Got any good ones to add?

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

Psittacus erithacus Tyrannosaurus Vox, Flock Spokesparrot

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.) Anyway, I still think you are missing a few of the rules around here. So let me clarify them.

1. All food tastes better as soup. It’s a texture thing. It’s not “disgusting”. Don’t grumble about how many times you have to change the water. 

2. If you don’t want me to say something, you probably shouldn’t say it yourself so often, or at least not so emphatically. It seemed pretty important when you said it and I want to see if it works for me too. 

3. The dogs are the easiest members of this household to train and they respond better with rewards. We both know this. I’m going to throw them pellets when I train them. Get over it. 

4. Speaking of training, you’re not so completely untrainable yourself. If you answer the phone when I ring or race to the door when I do my superb imitation of a knock, please have the decency to acknowledge my accomplishment with something other than a glare. It took me all day to perfect those sounds while you were at work. 

5. We’re in this for the long haul though, so I would appreciate it if you would work a little harder at your trainability. I’ve learned some of your language, the least you can do is respond appropriately. Let’s start now, “almond?”

Sincerely,

Ty
Flock Spokesparrot

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

I completely understand. Although I’m way to old to be concerned about my reading outloud skills, I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you really want to proof your writing, nothing beats reading it outloud. I read my manuscripts to my parrots when I’m proofing them or preparing for a presentation.

It might be the only time they don’t heckle me, bless my feathered entourage. Although they are probably just listening intently for the next great word with which to annoy me.

Anybody else read to their birds?

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

1. Have an enrichment party

Got some friends with parrots? Get together and make some toys. Wiffle balls, leather lace, wood spools, wodden blocks, tounge depressors, cereal boxes…  Check out Phoenix Landing’s great Enrichment ebook  for some ideas on what to make. The possibilities are endless, inexpensive and tons of fun to do with friends, especially if there’s snacks and adult beverages. (And if there are, be sure to invite me!)

2. Spend some time exploring your parrot’s family tree

How your bird responds to the day to day has a direct correlation to the species in the wild. Where do they live? What do they eat? When is their breeding season? What do they do all day in the wild? All of these things will help you answer the daily of question of, “Why in world does my parrot DO that?” The answers to these questions will also help you be more aware of how to entertain your bird brain. And as far as YOUR brain is concerned, you’ll have a lot of fun finding out about your parrot’s ”family tree.” Learning new things makes us feel smart, in control and best of all it’s free. So what are you waiting for? Get to Googling! 

3. Teach your parrot something that makes you laugh

It doesn’t have to be demeaning, it just has to make you smile. I LOVE it when my grey follows my “see you later, alligator” with a chipper “after whiiiiile CROCadile.” I’ve been hearing it for 13 years and it still makes me grin. Now would be a good time to teach the birds to say, “Smiles….smiles everyone!” when you get up in the morning. Or “Party time!” when you get home. The best part is, you have to say it yourself to get the gang going. You’ll fall for your own ploy. If you you have a Senegal like mine who refuses to speak, you could teach her to wave or to retreive or dance. If you have to play ball or dance with your parrot it will definitely put a smile on your face. What am I doing? Gathering the props to teach my Senegal to swipe a bill from a wallet. Hey, it might be very amusing (or useful) for my next blind date…and what better reason to smile in this economy.

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.

Check out the story from the Lansing State Journal.

Blue & Gold Macaw

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 and Skipper met in the 1970s that it was a perfect match. What I would really be interested to know is what happened in the years in between…Ruth passed away in 1989. In small ways Jeff is living with his ex-girlfriend (he’s single) and her mother for the rest of Skipper’s life. He seems to be quite happy with it though and enjoying Skipper’s company immensely.

Although my mom is the obvious choice for my African grey, I have to admit that I have an ex-boyfriend in mind for Ty if anything ever happens to me. And two friends were decided upon years ago for my Senegal and red-bellied. It is more about what the birds told me than anything else.

Do you know who your parrots want to live with if something happens to you?

©2010 Heckled By Parrots. All Rights Reserved.