Care & Handling
Don’t Turn an Incident into a Pattern- by Sally Blanchard
DON’T TURN AN INCIDENT INTO A PATTERN This article and artwork is copyrighted and has been reprinted with the permission of Sally Blanchard. Please read her other articles: https://companionparrotonline.com by Sally Blanchard A Grey Who Bit His Owner Talking with people about their parrots usually helps me clarify my own theories about parrot behavior. A long-term .. read more
Mar
Feathers Aren’t Everything
Sure, I may not be beautiful and perfect on the outside, but inside I am yearning for a forever home where I’ll receive lots of love and companionship. I watch you go by and hear you whisper “what’s wrong with that bird”? Nothing’s wrong with me, I’m perfect inside can’t you see that? All my .. read more
What’s Wrong with the Step Up Command?
[ Author - Barbara Heidenreich, Good Bird Inc, www.GoodBirdInc.com ] It has been reiterated for years in the companion parrot literature…your parrot must obey the step up command! Obey and command. For me these words carry strong implications. I visualize a parrot with no desire to step up onto the hand being forced to comply. .. read more
An Introduction to Positive Reinforcement Training and its Benefits
[ Author: By Barbara Heidenreich, "Good Bird Inc", www.GoodBirdInc.com ] Macaws on bicycles, cockatoos raising flags, conures snatching dollar notes from audience members. These are images that often come to mind when the word “training” is mentioned in conjunction with parrots. While it is true that training is responsible for those resulting entertaining tricks, this .. read more
Forming A Bond
[ reprinted with permission from The Bailey Foundation] Forming a bond with an older bird who is either rescued or adopted is not as difficult as it may seem. The bond will grow very slowly and surely. First and foremost the bird needs to feel secure in order to start to establish a bond with .. read more
Toys: How to Clean a Coconut
[ Reprinted with Permission from Cheep Parrot Toys & Tips- Yahoo Group] First off, the ‘milk’ of the coconut is VERY good for our birds, and they will love love love you for forever for sharing this unique treat with them; IF you still have a whole one: Wash and scrub the coconut. Then put .. read more
The Avian First Aid Kit
[ Author - Sybil Erden and Carol Highfill, reprinted with permission from The Bailey Foundation ] One of the most important items a responsible bird owner should have is a special First Aid Kit just for your bird. Having a well stocked avian First Aid kit handy can prepare you to handle minor emergencies yourself .. read more
Household Hazards
Teflon is Deadly! Birds can die within minutes of a Teflon pot overheating. At normal temperatures it is safe, but when it gets overheated it puts out a poisonous gas that we can’t smell. Some home heating appliances have Teflon or other coatings on the wires to prevent corrosion before sale. These MUST be “broken .. read more
General Care
Note – for more detailed information please contact us, follow our links or consult your avian veterinarian. Clean food dishes The bird’s food dishes should be kept clean and free from droppings, wet food, insects, etc. If this means cleaning them more than once a day, it should be done. If you won’t eat out .. read more
Top 10 Adoption Considerations
Top 10 Things You Need to Know Before Adopting a Bird* Parrots, including lovebirds, parakeets, and cockatiels, are noisy and messy, and can be destructive. Vocalizing (squawking, chirping, talking) is an important part of any parrot’s social communication. Birds eat continually throughout the day, dropping and discarding bits of food everywhere. Birds are instinctively .. read more
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