“Help! My new parrot ONLY EATS SEEDS!” This is one of the most common social media posts I see from new parrot owners. We all know that our parrots need a well-balanced diet to thrive and we really want to provide that but they turn up their beaks at the pellets and veggies preferring to...
We have all heard horror stories of people paying large sums of money to strangers in return for birds that never arrive, but many of us do not live within traveling distance of a breeder who works with the species we are looking for. How do we avoid being scammed as we attempt to add...
Finding the right bird to share your life with is a complex process. One crucial step that is often overlooked is finding the right seller. Finding the right person to buy from will help insure that the bird you bring home is healthy and that you have a support system in place to facilitate a...
Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn and tragically brings about the need to rehome a pet. The best thing in this case is to take as long as necessary to find the best possible home. Unfortunately time is not always available to do so, and pets are put in the dangerous position of being rehomed...
We all know that we shouldn’t meet strangers off Craigslist alone, and that is why I accompanied my friend on her errand that day. She was responding to an ad for baby budgies, and honestly I was interested in seeing what mutations the man had available. When we arrived I noticed some concerning things even...
Sometimes when working with parrots we experience things that make us sick, and sometimes we are blessed to be able to step in and do something to help. Last year I went with some club members to a property where several macaws were being kept. The owner had died, and the caretaker was looking to...
Recessive Genes Recessive genes require one copy of the gene to be passed down from each parent to the offspring so the offspring has two copies. A bird with only one copy is “split” to that mutation, and will pass down that gene to 50% of his or her offspring but will not appear to...
One of the most common things we hear from prospective parrot owners is that they have narrowed down their choice of companion down to “A ringneck or a conure.” I always respond by saying “Then you really haven’t narrowed it down at all; those are extremely different birds.” Then I struggle to quantify exactly HOW...
Lots of people contact me wanting one of my babies. My aviary is quite small and I produce a limited number of babies so about 70% of the time I end up referring them elsewhere, specifically to local parrot clubs and other groups through which they might find a companion. I usually hear some version...
We see it all the time; rehoming posts listing “I don’t have time to give him the attention he deserves” and variations of this as the reason the poor pet is being let go. My first reaction is to scream “WHY DID YOU GET HIM THEN??? DIDNT YOU GOOGLE EVEN FOR A LITTLE WHILE???” And...
