Doing your birds nails and beak at home!

This trick is something my mom has done with all of her birds that feel comfortable and safe around family members. Take a nail file, emery board or whatever you use on your own finger nails and start to condition your bird to liking getting their nails and beak done.

We started doing this with our Cockatoo Bimini when she first came to us in November of 2009.

Instructions:

- The first couple times you introduce the nail file the bird may be scared so have a treat handy. Show the bird that its a "nice" file and give them a treat when you touch their foot with the file. Dont start to file for the time being, because if they get too scared they will never ever let you try it again.

- Only do this step for about a week, each day... then start to tap the birds foot GENTLY with either your fingers or the file, and then lift their foot up. Give them a treat each time you do this. Try this for a week straight... each time focusing on a different foot. *eventually the bird will lift its foot on its own without a treat or you having to lift it.

-Start to introduce filing. Rub the file gently on the top of the birds foot, do not scrape the skin off or anything, just show them that it wont hurt them. Tap the foot you want to start with and then start with the longest toenail and only do it for about 30 seconds then try to have the bird let you do the other foot with the same toe nail. This will show the bird that it is safe to file their toes.

-Eventually the bird will let you do all of their toes. Make sure you give the bird plenty of praises and usually a big treat when you are all finished as they will be expecting one at some point during the filings.

This video shows someone (not me) doing the cockatoos toes

New Post...

I havent been posting for a while due to finals week at my college! It has been a stressful time for me! My birds on the other hand are loving it! For me, a great stress reliever is to hold and cuddle my birds... and they love it! Our Too has been so naughty lately! She has been breaking her toys and destroying everything in sight! She is a total toddler! She also has done the whole: sweet one second, shit head the next. She is cute, but seriously!

:)

African Greys!

There are two "officially" subspecies of African Congo Grey Parrots:

The first one is the Congo African Grey parrot, ''Psittacus erithacus erithacus'' - these are larger birds (about 12 inches long) with light grey feathers, deep red tails and black beaks.

The second is the Timneh African Grey parrot, ''Psittacus erithacus timneh'' - these are smaller in size, have a darker charcoal gray coloring, a darker maroon tail, and a light, horn colored upper mandible.

The history of African Grey parrots kept as pets dates back over 4,000 years. Some Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly depict pet parrots. The ancient Greeks also valued parrots as pets, and this custom was later adopted by the Wealthy Roman families often kept parrots in ornate bird cages, and parrots were prized for their ability to talk.

King Henry VIII of England also had an African Grey. The Portuguese sailors kept them as companions on their long sea voyages today, many African Grey parrots are hand reared by breeders for the pet trade and they make wonderful and very affectionate companion parrots; however, because they can be unpredictable at times, they may not be compatible with small children.

African Grey parrots are very strong and they can bite with their strong pointed beak and scratch with their claws. African Grey parrots have a high intelligence and they are generally thought to be the best mimics of all parrots. Pet owners often refer to their relationship with their hand reared pet African Greys as being "like having a five-year-old child".

On the other hand, wild African Grey parrots captured from the wild need time and effort to adapt to human presence, and have a tendency to growl and bite when they are approached. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has made the sale of all wild caught parrot species illegal.

African Grey parrots, like any pet parrot, can require a large commitment as they require a lot of attention. While numbers vary with each source, most agree that three hours out of cage daily and 45 minutes of physical interaction is the minimum attention required for good mental health. African Greys particularly Congo African Greys are known to be shy amongst strangers. African Greys have the tendency to bond to only one person if they do not interact with different people regularly. While inter-species friendships with other parrots are uncommon with African Greys, they require socialization with other parrots of any species.

African Greys require a lot of stimulating toys due to their high intelligence and to avoid boredom. Three to five toys at a time are typically enough to satisfy African Greys, but too many toys can crowd the cage. Toys should be rotated and switched regularly to keep the stimulation constant and diverse. For an African Grey spending most of its day in the cage, 36"W x 24"D is a good bird cage size. The height of a congo grey cages are typically not important, except in the case of playtop cages that are taller than the owner, in which case the bird can become territorial. An African Grey who spends most of its time on a playstand and uses the cage solely for sleeping only needs a cage large enough so that the bird's wingspan doesn't touch the cage's sides and its head and tail do not touch the cage's top and bottom respectively. The bar-spacing should be 1/2 inch to 1 inch. A companion African Grey should be kept in a bird-safe environment and placed in a busy part of the home, such as the living room, where the bird can occupy himself (or herself) in watching the household activities.

African Greys have special dietary requirements and should be fed with calcium and Vitamin A rich foods such as leafy greens like mustard greens, broccoli etc., almonds or little amount of cheese. It is usual to give African grey parrots carefully calculated quantities of calcium and vitamin supplements. An excess of these added vitamins and minerals in an African Greys diet can lead to health problems. Only a few feathers should be clipped from the wings of an African Grey since they are heavy birds. Clipping too many of the Grey's feathers can severely impair flight and may lead to injuries as they may have a tendency to crash to the ground. If very young birds are wing clipped they may never gain full coordination and agility in flight. African Grey parrots' lifespans are upto about 50 years (or more) in captivity.
Read these books to find out more:

• "The Grey Parrot"" by Wolfgang de Grahl, T.F.H. Publications, 5th edition, 1987
• "African Gray Parrots" by Annette Wolter, Barron's, First English edition, 1987
• "African Grey Parrots" by Paul R. Paradise, T.F.H. Publications, 1979
• "Guide to a Well-behaved Parrot" by Mattie Sue Athan, Barron's, 1993
• "Parrots of the World" by Joseph M. Forshaw, T.F.H. Publications, 1973

Macaws!

#3 on my bird specific series!

Macaws are beautiful, brilliantly colored members of the parrot family.
Many macaws have vibrant plumage. The coloring is suited to life in Central and South American rain forests, with their green canopies and colorful fruits and flowers. The birds boast large, powerful beaks that easily crack nuts and seeds, while their dry, scaly tongues have a bone inside them that makes them an effective tool for tapping into fruits.

Macaws also have gripping toes that they use to latch onto branches and to grab, hold, and examine items. The birds sport graceful tails that are typically very long.
Macaws are intelligent, social birds that often gather in flocks of 10 to 30 individuals. Their loud calls, squawks, and screams echo through the forest canopy. Macaws vocalize to communicate within the flock, mark territory, and identify one another. Some species can even mimic human speech.
Flocks sleep in the trees at night, and in the morning they may fly long distances to feed on fruit, nuts, insects, and snails. Some species also eat damp soil, which may help to neutralize chemicals in their fruity diet and ease their stomachs.
Macaws typically mate for life. They not only breed with, but also share food with their mates and enjoy mutual grooming. In breeding season, mothers incubate eggs while fathers hunt and bring food back to the nest.
There are 17 species of macaws, and several are endangered. These playful birds are popular pets, and many are illegally trapped for that trade. The rain forest homes of many species are also disappearing at an alarming rate.

Hyacinth, red-fronted, and blue-throated macaws are seriously endangered. The glaucus macaw and Spix's macaw may already be extinct in the wild.

Love Birds!

#2 on my bird specific series!


Source : http://www.parrotparrot.com/lovebirds/

Lovebirds are pint-sized bundles of joy. They have the full personality of parrots while being easy to house because of their size. Lovebirds are little clowns, playing for hours at a time. They love to hang from toys, spin them around, and dance on your shoulder. Watch out for your buttons! They love to pull them off your shirts! They love to snuggle and preen. Many people believe lovebirds must be kept in pairs. This is simply not true. A single lovebird makes a better pet because it bonds to you rather than to another lovebird.
Watch these young lovebirds play “The Mirror Game” – They fly up to their reflections in the mirror to watch themselves fly, then land, then the other one goes. They never hit the mirror and can play this game forever without getting tired.
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While it is easy to keep a pair of lovebirds tame, if you plan on spending lots of time with your bird you can keep it alone. However, if you work long hours and don’t think you’ll have a lot of time for your love bird, we recommend you get him a companion. This will keep your lovebirds happy and prevent boredom.
It is important to realize that while lovebirds are a small parrot, they have the intelligence and abilities of some of the largest parrots. They can amaze you with their ability to escape their own cages (I have to put clips on the cage doors to keep them in, and sometimes they figure out how to open those!), they will sometimes try to become the little bosses of the household (hence, the same type of gentle dominance training used for larger parrots should be used with lovebirds), and they can learn to mimic sounds and speech on occasion

Raisin on wheatgrass

(N.B. We don’t recommend you buy any species of bird only because of the expectation that it will speak; even the famous African Greys sometimes don’t learn to speak, and if that is a person’s only reason for buying a bird, the bird could end up abandoned because of the owner’s disappointment. In our opinion, parrots make great pets even if they never utter a word).
About the Nine Species of Lovebirds
Lovebirds, Agapornis, and African lovebirds are terms that can refer to nine different species of lovebird parrots. Peachfaced lovebirds are sometimes named by their color mutations: pied lovebirds, violet lovebirds, Dutch blue lovebirds, normal peachface lovebirds, orangeface lovebirds, and mauve lovebirds, to name a few. These lovebirds all belong to the species Agapornis roseicollis.
Fischer’s lovebirds and Masked lovebirds are DIFFERENT species of  lovebirds (Agapornis personata fischeri and Agapornis personata personata, respectively) and should not be bred with peachfaced (A. roseicollis) lovebirds. Inter-species breeding sometimes results in mules (that is, lovebirds that cannot reproduce), but when it doesn’t, the consequence is pollution of the pure gene pool for these various

Albino and Lutino Fischer's Lovebirds Tundra and Tequila

species of lovebirds. Responsible breeders do not inter-breed different species, especially since we can no longer import new, fresh stock from the wild! And frankly I’ve seen some of these crossed-species lovebirds and they often are very strange creatures.  They tend to have very skittish personalities (the most terrified lovebirds I’ve ever encountered were a cross between a peachface and a Fischer’s–ALL the lovebird babies were excessively nervous). If, out of ignorance, you paired up different species of lovebirds, it is very possible to re-pair them properly. Just get them out of ear-shot of each other and find them new mates. I’ve even re-paired lovebirds who could hear each other (for color mutation purposes) and it worked out great for all four lovebirds. Please note that color mutations occur WITHIN the same species of lovebirds and it is not necessary to interbreed species to get these new colors.

Madagascar lovebird

There are several other species of lovebirds, commonly known as black-cheeked lovebirds, black-collared lovebirds (Agapornis Swindernia), Madagascar lovebirds (Agapornis cana–pictured right), Nyasa lovebirds (A. lilianae), Abyssian lovebirds (Agapornis taranta), and Red-Faced Lovebirds (Agapornis pullaria–pictured right). These species are relatively rare in American aviculture (although the black-cheek lovebird is more common than the others). The breeding of Madagascar lovebirds should only be attempted by very experienced lovebird breeders as they are very delicate and could easily disappear in aviculture.

Caiques

I decided to do a small series that have a page of facts about different types of birds, how they interact, what they eat and everything you need to know!

Funny, outgoing, fearless, acrobatic, rambunctious and lovable. These words all describe the personality of the parrots known as caiques (pronounced kye-eeks).
There are two major species, the black-headed caique (BHC), Pionites melanocephala, and the white-bellied caique (WBC), Pionites leucoaster. The BHC is slightly smaller than the WBC, with mature lengths of 23-25cm and weights of approximately 150g and 170g respectively. Both birds hail from South America.

These birds are quite beautiful in coloration. The BHC has a black cap which extends from the nares over the crown of the head and to just below the eyes.  It rather looks like it is wearing the mask of a bandit (think Zorro). The beak is black. Just below each eye is a small band of green. The rest of the head blends from yellow on the cheeks and chin to a peachy orange on the back of the head and neck. The back and wings are green, as is the tail. The breast and belly of the BHC is white, while the thighs and undertail coverts are orange. The WBC has a peachy orange head with yellow cheeks and a horn colored beak, green back and wings, white breast and belly, green thighs and yellow undertail coverts. A subspecies of the WBC, Pionites leucogaster xanthomeria, has yellow thighs rather than green.
There is little difference in personality between the two species, so which to choose is often decided by price and availability. Typically WBC are more expensive than the BHC, because the latter is more common. Prices can range from $600 to $1500, depending on source and area of the country so it is best to shop around. Pet stores usually are on the high end of the price scale.
My caique, Ricochet, is a BHC. He has the personality and activity level of most lories. He plays with his toys incessantly, only stopping to eat or sleep. He hangs upside down (these birds have very strong feet), swinging back and forth and flapping. He particularly likes leather, wood and rope, as these are the types of toys he can get his beak into. These birds definitely need a good sized cage. They aren't very big birds, but they will use every square inch of their cage, so that I would recommend no smaller than a 24 x 24 x 18 inch cage. They play rough, and will play with toys that most people would reserve for larger birds such as Amazons. They are not afraid of anything, and during their time out of the cage, they should be watched closely so they don't get themselves in trouble.
While playing with their favorite human, they may engage in an activity known as "hair surfing". To do this they grab a footful of hair and begin swinging back and forth and rubbing their breast on the hair and head of the chosen person. No one knows quite why they do this, but they love it, and the only possible problem with it is that they could become a bit tangled up, so be careful of this. You haven't lived until you've had four baby caiques all hair surfing on you at the same time.
They can be headstrong, so consistent discipline is a must from the start. Decide what is and is not acceptable behavior, and stick to it. Ricochet, like many caiques, likes to use his beak on fingers as well as toys. It is not meanness, but just excess energy and curiosity. To discourage beaking of your body parts, keep some toys handy and substitute the toy for your fingers. If the bird insists on chewing on you rather than a toy, some cage time may be appropriate.
Other behavior issues may include screaming for attention. This may happen in the morning when they are waiting for food (one of a caique's favorite things) or when their favorite person leaves the room. The good news is that a caique does not approach near the volume of larger parrots such as cockatoos and macaws. And they don't actually "scream" as much as whistle.
Ricochet produces a high pitched, single note call which he repeats at intervals. While he can occasionally get more raucous, this is rare. Caiques can learn to talk, so if you can teach your bird to "call" you with words rather than yells, so much the better. However, even if you do not achieve this, the yells are not that bad. If it gets really out of hand, try covering the cage for a few minutes and only remove the cover after the bird has quieted down. They are intelligent and will soon figure out what you approve and disapprove of if you are consistent in your reactions.
Clipping feathers to restrict flight is up to your personal preference. Be aware that if you decide to clip, you will not need to clip too many. They are not strong fliers, having relatively short wings in proportion to their body size. Start with perhaps three flight feathers on each wing and go from there if necessary.
Many people like caiques for their outgoing, fearless personality. Others like them for their vibrant colors. And others because they are a "large" parrot in a smaller, easier to care for package. I like them for all of the above reasons.
If you are looking for a small companion parrot with a big personality, consider a caique.


Copyright: Birds of A Feather Avicultural Society April 1998

Evidence of box love!

We first discovered that our birds love boxes when our Paulie (RIP) would talk to them whenever we would come home with them. One day we just stuck one in there and he loved it. He would go inside and talk to it, spread his tail feathers, rub his face on it, and do all sorts of weird birdy love things with it. He also loved to play in the carrier we use to take the birds to the vet. He would call to it, make love noises at it and just go sit inside of it and sleep. It was very sweet.

Here are some pictures of paulie and paulie loving his box!

Let your birds explore!

I have always thought that all birds can fly and all they do is sit in a cage all day and screech. well i thought this before I had birds anyways. Once we got our birds I soon realized that they need room to explore and be themselves.
While living in Alaska we would let our Nitty bird out on top of her cage... and if you did not watch her closely she would climb the curtains and get to the cereal cupboard... and of course bite it open to get some sweet cereal treats!

Little Miss Bimini on the other hand is just a baby still and she isnt sure about her surroundings. When it is warm outside we give them huge baths in the bathroom with our removable shower head that has a good adjustment to get the birds clean with. We take our birds to the bathroom and Bimini would always get scared. We decided to try and put her on the top of the shower doors and she loved it up there. She sang, danced and baby talked at us for probably a half hour while we gave Nitty a bath and bathed our dogs. She now likes to take a shower with people, only if there is someone else in the shower with her. Nitty loved the shower on the other hand. She sang, chirped and kissed the water. She danced like there was no tomorrow and bit at the water and growled at it playfully.

Bath Time: birds should be sprayed with a squirt bottle filled with WARM water at least once a day. Dont douche them with water everyday... That big bath should be about once a week. DO NOT use hairdryers to dry your bird UNLESS: you know it does not contain teflon.

Happiness of birds (other source)

Here is a source that I found that also provides ways to make your bird happy!

Click here for more information from this source!

National Bird Day recognizes that birds are non-domesticated animals that belong in the wild where they can fly free and express their natural behaviors. However, due to the large number of birds living in captivity which cannot be returned to the wild and the limited space available in avian sanctuaries, optimizing care of birds held in private hands can go far in reducing suffering and improving the welfare of captive birds. We provide the following suggestions for those with birds in their care.

1. Provide a healthy and varied diet — not just seeds, but grains, beans, vegetables (cooked and raw) formulated pellets, and some fruit. (Harmful foods include chocolate, avocado, highly processed or overly salted foods, human junk food, and caffeine.)
2. Give your bird the largest enclosure possible — no space is too big for a creature adapted to flying through jungles and across savannas.
3. Provide daily exercise and ample out-of-cage time, preferably to include free flying in a safe, supervised environment. (Bird-proofing a room for out-of-cage time includes keeping birds away from items containing lead and zinc, and from paint chips, ceiling fans, electrical cords, cats and dogs, and open windows.)

4. Offer a variety of toys and enrichment activities. (Buy toys from "Out of this World Bird Toys" and help support bird rescue.)
5. Provide plenty of socialization with other birds and/or human caretakers.
6. Give access to unfiltered sunlight and/or full-spectrum lighting. Birds need exposure to UVA and UVB rays from direct sunlight (windows block necessary UV rays) or full-spectrum lighting to synthesize vitamin D necessary for bone health.
7. Offer daily or weekly misting with a clean spray bottle of water to promote feather and skin health and for fun! Some birds prefer to bathe in a small container (like their water dish); others enjoy being misted with water. It is important to allow the birds to air-dry in a warm room or in the sunshine.
8. Develop games and teach your bird skills ("jobs") like foraging or treasure hunts (this can be done in the house or with creative toys in the cage), cleaning up toys by putting them in a basket.
9. Provide a secure enclosure, carrier, or harness so your bird can enjoy the outdoors with you.
10. Place multiple perches/stands throughout the house so that your bird can benefit from ambient "flock time" while being included in family activities like watching TV or movies, preparing meals, playing cards or games.