Posts
Sexing Cockatiels
Determining the sex of the young cockatiel is not always easy; it often consists of an educated guess. The males and females of the normal greys and cinnamons are identical when young. They show little or no yellow on the face and both have…
Hand Feeding
Hand feeding is the process used by bird breeders to feed a baby bird before weaning in a manner that replaces the parent bird's regurgitation of food into the baby's crop. It allows us to create a very tame and trainable bird because the baby…
Hand Feeding Problems & Possible Solutions
Food not being digested
This can be caused by improperly mixed food, lack of bacteria in the crop, food fed too hot or cold, yeast infections and the baby being kept too cool. Try feeding a small amount of baby applesauce and water. If this…
Nutrition & Treats
I purchased my first Amazon parrot 34 years ago from the previous owner in Tucson, Arizona. It was a Double Yellow Head Amazon, an adult that had been originally imported to the USA thru a quarantine station. As a child I'd had parakeets…
The New Baby
Bringing home your new baby parrot is very similar to bringing home a human baby. There really isn't anything difficult about the process but it has a tendency to make people nervous and apprehensive. What I would like to give you here is a…
The "Up" Command
There is one thing you can train your parrot to do that will improve and help maintain your relationship, it is to step up on command. This can be done with a simple two word command, "Step up" or as I use with my birds, "UP". The command…
The Problem with Bird Mills
Know the Source of Your Bird to Avoid Life-Long Issues
Most of us have seen the sad videos of puppy mills. Hundreds of wretched creatures huddle in too-small cages. Their only purpose in life is to breed, breed, breed with little regard for…
When a Bird Escapes
How to Prevent It - How Best to Find a Lost Bird
There is nothing quite like the feeling you get when a pet bird suddenly takes off, flying into the wild blue yonder, while you watch helplessly from the ground below. The first time this happened…
Quinoa: A Nutritious Grain for Birds
Quinoa (pronounced "kee-nwa") is a South American grain that looks somewhat like millet, but has a lighter, more golden color. It was the favored grain of the Incas of Peru before the Conquistadors arrived in the 16th century. It was "re-discovered"…
Protect Your Birds from Theft
The rise in popularity of exotic birds has led to an increase in popularity of another activity: theft of exotic birds. Some large breeders have been devastated by large-scale thefts by professionals. In some states, such as Florida, the increase…