Almost Angels Aviary

A Classic is Back! Parrots Treasure Bird Toys

2012-01-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

For those of you that have been into parrots for a few years (smile), you may remember Parrots Treasure. One of the original bird toy manufacturers and certainly one of the first (if not THE first) to introduce the concept of foraging; they use natural wood, vegetable tanned leather and pine nuts in their unique toys. These toys are a hit with all parrots. Birds just can't resist working to get at that little pine nut! These toys are also loved by greys or shy birds that may be intimidated by brightly colored toys and/or with rescue birds that are learning about toys.

They have a wide assortment of adorable designs - hanging and foot toys. All with a generous allotment of pine nuts embedded in the wood. Each toy is handmade to the highest quality standards. What I also like about them is that they are just the right texture. The wood is soft enough to make your bird feel like he is making some progress - but not so soft that the toy will be on the floor of the cage in an hour. These toys are very safe and can be used inside the cage as well as on any play areas. There are no dangerous components that your bird will get hung up on and no zinc parts to worry about.

I have a friend with a yellow collared macaw that just loves the fun pops. Fun pops are a foot toy with a "rattle" on the handle. Whenever she starts to get loud, my friend gives her one of these and that keeps her busy for a while! I also like the "all leather toy". Birds love to sink their beaks into all those leather knots and/or work to get them untied.

They are very knowledgeable. If you are not sure what to order, just let them know what type of bird you have, and they will be happy to recommend appropriate toys.

Check out their website at www.parrotstreasure.com and tell them Christine from Almost Angels Aviary sent you!

Parrot Festival is coming up!

2011-12-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

To those who don't know, Parrot Festival is a conference held every January in Houston. It is put on by the National Parrot Rescue and Preservation Foundation (NPRPF) which is a bird rescue and education organization. The conference features a wide array of speakers discussing different topics regarding parrots. There are always a lot of great vendors there showcasing new and interesting bird toys, artwork, clothing, bird food, perches and much more! If there is a product for birds or their people, you will see it at Parrot Festival (laugh).

Their speaker list is always impressive. Avian vets, breeders, behaviorists, professional trainers, conservationists and nutritionists are featured. I suggest you attend all the talks, even if you think the subject does not apply to you. I guarantee you will learn something from every single speaker.

For the social butterflies, on Friday night they have a casual meet and greet where you can mingle with the speakers and other attendees. On Saturday night they have a dinner/galah and silent and live auction which features unique items donated by vendors and attendees. It is a lot of fun. All the proceeds go to the NPRPF.

In the midst of all this is a Texas sized raffle featuring tons of great stuff!

The conference this year is January 20-22 at the Doubletree Hotel near the Houston Intercontinental Airport. Rooms are still available, but it is good to get your reservation early as they fill up fast. For more information go to http://www.parrotfestival.org/festivalinfo.html and click on the "Parrot Festival" tab. A pop up menu will appear with information options.

Hope to see you there!

Holiday Travel What to do with Birdie?

2011-12-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

Around this time of year I get a lot of inquiries about what to do with pet birds when their owners are traveling over the holidays. In general, I feel it is best for the bird to remain in the home. Arrange to have a trusted neighbor or friend come over once or twice a day to check on and take care of your feathered friend. Leaving the bird in it's home environment is the least stressful option.

Don't have a friend or neighbor that is available? Having a pet sitter come in is the next best option. Don't know anyone? Ask your pet owning friends/neighbors for a referral. There is usually a responsible teenager in the area offering pet sitting services this time of year as they are trying to earn a few extra dollars during their holiday break. Or look up pet sitters in the yellow pages. Professional pet sitters are usually booked this time of year, so you will need to reserve them early.

Another place to find a pet sitter is your vet's office. Call them and see if they have someone they recommend. Some of the vet tech's pet sit on the side for extra cash.

A trusted friend who is familiar with birds may be able to keep your bird at their home for a few days while you are away. I find this option works better with the smaller birds, as they are more portable.

The last option is to board your bird at a facility. Most avian vets offer boarding services as well as some bird stores. This is my least favorite option as you are exposing your bird to other strange birds which is a big health risk. On the plus side, you know your bird is being looked after by competant caretakers while you are away. If you are going to board, check out the facility carefully.

If you are going to leave your bird at home, have the petsitter play a radio during the day to keep your bird company. Plug in a nightlight so your bird can see if something frightens him during the night. Provide him with his favorite toys and food while you are away. Foraging toys and the Planet Pleasures "Pinata" toys will keep your bird busy during the day. Inspect your bird's toys/perches carefully and remove any (such as cotton rope toys or ring type toys) that could entangle your bird while he is not being supervised. Also inspect all the quick links in the cage and be sure they are closed and fastened securely. Door latches should be checked to be sure they close securely.

With some pre-planning, you and your bird can both have a worry free holiday travel season!

Zupreem Lory Nectar Discontinued

2011-11-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have lories and feed Zupreem Lory Nectar, I wanted to let you know this product is being discontinued by the manufacturer. I suggest you buy an extra bag while it is still in stock. Then you can mix the Zupreem and the new brand of nectar you will be using together to slowly transition your lory to the new brand. Lories can be very particular about their nectar (whether you feed it dry or wet). A slow transition is much better than just switching brands and hoping your lory will eat it.

A good alternative for Zupreem that is well accepted by lories is Avico Lory Life (this company has been making lory diets for years. They are one of the first companies to produce a commercially available lory diet). You can buy this product at Avico Cuttlebone Plus. Here is their website: http://www.avicoproducts.com/ I think their fruit gel product looks pretty interesting too. I plan on ordering some in the future to see how my lories like it! Avico products are very popular with professional lory breeders and zoos around the country.

Two other brands of lory powders that are available are Roudybush and Goldenfeast. I personally have not tried the Roudybush brand. Would love to hear opinions from readers who use it. Munchkin (my pet red flanked lory) did not care much for the Goldenfeast brand. But he can be fussy (laugh).

Hope this helps all you lory owners out there!

Good places to shop online!

2011-09-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Many of us shop the internet for our parrot supplies. Most local stores just don't have what we need and the prices tend to be more competitive online. Unfortunately as with everything else these days, shipping has increased substantially. Many times, the cost of shipping is equal to or exceeds the cost of the order itself!

There are a few good sites that have a good selection of bird supplies as well as free shipping if you meet their minimum order amount. I recommend that you stock up when placing your order to avoid paying shipping on smaller, more frequent orders.

Here are three sites to check out:

Dr. Fosters & Smith: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ This is the site I refer my customers to when they are purchasing supplies for their new bird. They have a great selection of bird supplies (and other animal supplies as well) and offer free shipping if your order is over $49! Their prices are excellent and they always seem to have something new. I highly recommend you sign up for their mail catalogs!

Pet Solutions: http://www.petsolutions.com/storefront/bird/cbird-p1.html This site has some really good prices on their larger bags of food which when you factor in free shipping is a good deal. They also have a nice selection of products. I've always received my orders very quickly from them.

That Pet Place: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/expand/243/category.web They usually run free shipping specials so you have to be on the lookout. Sign up on their email list and they will send you a notification when they have a sale. Right now, they are offering free shipping on orders over $49. Again a nice selection of products for all your pets, not just birds.

If you know of some other parrot supply sites that have good prices and competitive shipping rates let me know.

Product Review

2011-09-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, in my previous blog I mentioned that I ordered Mango Control Spray to see if it worked as a replacement for Camicide. It is a "natural" formulation with the following ingredients: ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Sodium lauryl sulfate 1.50%, cinnamon oil .50%, cedar oil .20%, clove oil .20%, other ingredients (water, citric acid, bentonite) 97.60%.

I tried this product on a few different types of bugs - ants, two roaches and some sort of beetle. Unfortunately this product did not work on any of them. I soaked the bugs with this stuff and they basically walked right out of it. :-(

A spray or two with Camicide knocked them out right away.

This product smells nice when you spray it, but in my experience was not effective at all. I was so disappointed in this product that I just threw it away.

Luckily, I was able to obtain a few more bottles of Camicide. I do not need to use very much, so my supply should last me a while. Hopefully, by the time I run out it will be back on the market.

Meanwhile, if I see another product that shows some promise, I'll be sure and let everyone know!

What's the deal with Camicide?

2011-07-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Camicide has been a bird owner's best friend for years. An insecticide that is safe to use around birds AND effective, it is the number one selling insecticide in the bird industry. I personally LOVE this stuff because it works! Being in Texas, controlling insects is a constant battle. Spraying insecticides around the outside of our home is not a problem, but inside we have to be very careful. Anyone who lives here knows Texas bugs are immune to just about everything. You can practically bathe them in natural "herbal" insecticide products and they walk away unscathed! A spray or two with Camicide knocks them out cold.

Now the problem. Camicide is nowhere to be found at the moment. I think I bought the last gallon in existence a few weeks ago from a poultry supplier. I paid a pretty penny for it too. What's the deal?

There is a worldwide shortage of pyrethrin, the active ingredient in Camicide. Pyrethrin is a natural insecticide made from the Chrysanthemum flower. Kenya is the primary supplier of pyrethrin and problems in that country have affected the global supply. Actually there have been problems with the supply on and off for about four years now. This is why in the past, Camicide would be temporarily unavailable only to come back on the market a few months later. This year, the shortage is really bad. Many companies that produce horse fly sprays, etc. have gone to using alternative substitutions to pyrethrin to meet customer demand for pest control. Unfortunately for bird people, our options are limited.

Some people confuse Pyrethrin and Permethrin which is a fatal mistake. Permethrin is a synthetic insecticide which is not safe to use around birds (nor cats).

I have recently ordered Mango Control spray to see if that would work as a viable alternative to Camicide. I read online that it contained pyrethrum (pyrethrin). I ordered it, thinking it might work similar to Camicide. I admit, I was wondering how they had this stuff in light of the shortgage, but went ahead and ordered it.

But when I received it, the ingredients read as follows: ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Sodium lauryl sulfate 1.50%, cinnamon oil .50%, cedar oil .20%, clove oil .20%, other ingredients (water, citric acid, bentonite) 97.60%. So it looks like they changed their formulation to a "natural" product in light of the pyrethrin shortgage. Retail sellers and distributors of this product really need to change their information to reflect this. I was very disappointed when I read the label.

The product smells nice, kind of minty. I haven't had the chance to use it yet, but as soon as I do, I will write a review on this product and let you know whether or not it worked for me.

Meanwhile, if you know where there is some Camicide let me know!

Saying Goodbye to Walker

2011-07-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our beloved dog of a little over 15 years had to be put to rest last week. Walker had developed some serious health issues due to old age and then, cancer. Although it broke our hearts it was time to say goodbye. Walker was absolutely the best dog one could have. I remember when we got him like it was yesterday. Pete had lost his previous dog (due to old age) and mentioned to a friend of his he would like to have a german shorthair pointer. Next thing we knew, Walker (about eight weeks old) was waiting for us at the airport. Pete's friend flew him to us all the way from Nebraska.

He was gorgeous, a white body with a brown head. Very unusual markings for this breed. And of course full of energy as these dogs are known for. He was also a natural pointer. He would freeze in place and point and look just like the dogs in those hunting pictures. One funny story we remember was when Walker was a puppy. He was in the living room and froze "on point" intently pointing at something on the carpet. When we looked closer, it was a fly! That just cracked us up.

We spent a lot of time with Walker, teaching him all the skills a hunting dog needs. It took about two years to completely train him. He also learned all the basic good dog manners and obedience commands. Just to tease Pete, I taught his "hunting dog" some cute tricks like roll over, sit pretty (sit up on his haunches), shake hands, etc.

We had a park near our house and we would take Walker there twice a day to let him loose so he could run. He was trained by then, so we had no qualms about letting him off leash. It was a sight to see watching those long legs stretch out and run! Walker LOVED it! People driving by would stop to watch him. He was beautiful.

Walker was very friendly to people and dogs alike. He also loved kids. Everyone in the neighborhood knew and loved Walker. He had many human and dog friends.

He gradually slowed down over the years as we all do. About two years ago, his hips got bad. With the help from good joint supplements and my vet, we did a good job keeping him comfortable. Then a few months ago, I started noticing blood drops here and there on the floor. I could not figure out where they were coming from. I would check all the dogs, and nothing. Then, one day Walker had a full out nosebleed. Mystery solved.

Unfortunately, it was cancer. Over the next few months Walker was put on medication to keep him comfortable and control the nose bleeds. We were very careful with the meds, only giving what was absolutely needed. The cancer moved very quickly. When his health began to deteriorate, our vet let us know we were on borrowed time.

I took Walker in to have the vet check him again as overall, he was not doing well. He was also very weak in the hind end and started falling more. When he would fall, I would prop him back up on his feet, give him a hug and tell him he was the best dog in the world. I loved him so much.

The vet took one look at him and then looked at me. Anyone who has been through this knows "the look". It was time. Walker was put to rest while I stroked his head and let him know we loved him. It was so peaceful and dignified.

Our vet, Dr. Moore at Foster Creek Veterinary Hospital http://fostercreekveterinaryhospital.com/ and his staff, were so compassionate throughout Walker's final months. Thank you Dr. Moore!

I also want to thank Paws Memorial Service http://www.pawsmemorialservice.com/services.html for doing such an incredible job with Walker's cremation. Cay, you went way beyond my expectations. The urn, ink prints, clay paw print, etc. were just beautiful.

I wrote this blog because I know many of you have been through this before and understand. Walker was not "just a dog", he was a part of our family. Our animals have such a profound impact on our lives. They give us so much love, that when they pass on, they leave a hole the size of the grand canyon in our hearts. It's the inevitable price we pay when we share our lives with these amazing creatures. Is it worth the pain? You betcha.

Li'l Girl Laid An Egg!

2011-06-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

It is the height of breeding season and apparently my pet quaker, Li'l Girl wanted to get in on the act! She had been acting "breedy" lately which is normal for her this time of year. During this time for about two-three weeks or so, her hormones get the best of her and she gets very moody and territorial around her cage. Li'l Girl and I have a system to communicate during her hormonal time. I ask her if she wants to come out. If she nods her head yes, and lifts her foot that means yes. If she puffs up and lowers her head, that means no. If she says no, I just leave her be.

Well imagine my surprise when one morning I found an egg at the bottom of her cage!

Li'l Girl's Egg

I laughed when I saw this and started calling her my little green chicken. She had no interest whatsoever in her egg and came right out of the cage. Here she is, being her little "rug-rat" self.

I left the egg in there for a couple of days. She just pushed it aside and that was that. She did not lay any more eggs. I wanted to post this because I get a lot of calls from people telling me their bird has laid an egg and they automatically think they should get a mate for it.

If your beloved pet lays an egg, understand this is just a biological function. Your bird is not pining for a mate, nor is it dreaming of starting a family. Environmental conditions were such that stimulated her to lay an egg. Let her go through her cycle, then remove the eggs and you will have your pet back again.

Sprouting For Birds - Let's Do It!

2011-05-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

In my last blog, I showed you how to make your own sprouting jars. This blog, we are actually going to sprout! We are going to start off using three simple, easy to sprout ingredients: Mung beans, whole lentils and hulled (no shell) sunflower seeds. Two notes here: 1. Be sure the lentils are WHOLE and not split. Split lentils will not sprout. Just plain whole green lentils will do fine. 2. And be sure the hulled sunflower seeds are RAW. That means natural. NOT dry roasted and NO salt.

Here is a picture of the dry mix before sprouting.

1. Put your sprout mix in your sprouting jar. Only fill the jar 1/2 with the mix (As the mix soaks up water, it doubles in volume). Then fill the jar with water and let the mix soak for approximately 8-12 hours.

2. After soaking, drain the water. Rinse the mix three or four times by filling the jar with water, swishing the mix around gently, and then draining. Rinse until the water draining out of the jar runs clear.

3. Put the jar on a counter away from direct sunlight for about 10-12 hours. Rinse the sprouts twice during this time. This particular mix is fast sprouting and you will see begin to see growth after the soaking phase. NOTE: If you are worried about spoilage you can place the jar in the refrigerator instead of leaving it on the counter. This mix will sprout in the fridge too, just a little more slowly.

5. The mix is now ready to feed! ALWAYS rinse your sprouts and drain them thoroughly before feeding. Store remaining sprouts in the refrigerator and use them up within two days. This particular mix is great for people too! They make a great tasting, healthy addition to salads or your favorite stir fry dish.

Below are two examples of how we incorporated these sprouts into our bird's veggie mix. Doesn't this look yummy?

Sprouting is so good for your birds (and you too). And frankly, a lot easier than chopping a bunch of veggies every day. Once you begin, you will wonder why you did not try it sooner! When I began sprouting for my birds years ago, I noticed many benefits: healthy weights, better feather condition, bright eyes, smoother skin on their feet, well formed droppings, etc. Sprouting is also a great way to introduce "seed addicts" to a healthier diet.

I would love to hear about your sprouting experiences! And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me through my website: http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

Make Your Own Sprout Jars

2011-04-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Well as I promised, this blog will show you a super easy way to make your own sprouting jars for cheap! All you need is a wide mouth mason jar and some needlepoint screen. Both of these items can be found at your local Walmart. The jars will be found in the canning supplies section and the needlepoint screen can be found in the craft section:

First here are some samples of wide mouth jars that would work depending on the number of birds you are sprouting for:

Next, take the inside of the lid and trace an outline on the needlepoint screen:

Cut the screen along the trace outline:

Fit the screen inside the jar lid:

Screw the lid on top of the jar and you now have a sprouting jar!

I have found my "homemade" sprouting jars work better than the store bought lids. The holes are a nice size. They accomodate most beans and seeds well and drain easily. I also wash these in the dishwasher (top rack only) to disinfect them between sproutings.

In an upcoming blog, I will show you how to start sprouting for your birds using a few simple ingredients.

Angus the Eclectus needs help!

2011-04-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

This upsetting story came across my email this morning. A man in Australia found an eclectus parrot who apparently was somebody's escaped pet. He thought it would be fun to have the bird ride on the windshield wiper of his car while driving at high speeds down the highway - filming this cruelty (he thought it was funny) and posting it on Youtube. Public outcry exploded over this video. Apparently the RSPCA did not move quick enough and the man has absconded with the bird.

I could only watch a few seconds of this video. The cruelty is just too upsetting.

Click on this link for the full story and petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/bring-angus-home/.
This petition to the RSPCA is sponsored by The Parrot Rescue Center in Australia. The link to their website is located at the top of the page.

They want the RSPCA to act swiftly to save this bird and bring this man to justice. Please sign the petition and/or take a moment to contact the RSPCA personally to encourage them to act on this matter. In my opinion, personal contact is always better than just a petition. You can contact the RSPCA here: The main office: http://www.rspca.org.uk/home as well as RSPCA Victoria: http://rspcavic.org/

More information can be found by googling "Help Angus the Eclectus Parrot" in your search engine.

Tidbits of Information

2011-03-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

I was shopping at Walmart the other day and found a package of pre-diced butternut squash in a package all ready to go! I mix some with my baby bird's veggie mix and they love it! This is a really convenient way to add some orange veggies to your bird's meals without a lot of trouble. The package looks like this (see picture below) and can be found in the pre-packaged salad section:

People are getting busier and busier these days and with the economy the way it is, we are all looking for easy, economical ways to feed our birds a healthy diet. I tell my customers one way to do this is to set aside some veggies or other healthy food items when you are preparing a meal for your family. Then you can add those items to your bird's next meal.

I enjoy sprouting for my birds as they are natural and nutritious, but many of the pre-mixed sprout mixes online are very expensive (I've seen them as high as $20 per pound). Add in shipping costs, which have risen significally and you can spend a chunk of change on sprouts! I make my own sprout mix from a few simple items that I can find locally. This mix is a fraction of the cost of the online mixes and the birds love them!

I start with a basic wild bird mix. Warning: Not all wild bird mixes are the same. I use Wild Bird Chow Premium Picnic (see the picture below). It is a mix for cardinals. It is a clean mix consisting only of black oil sunflower, safflower, millet and a few peanuts. I usually pick out the peanuts. There are no vitamins added. Some people use a clean dove mix, others have had success with a good quality pigeon seed mix.

To this mix, I add hard winter wheat berries (available at most health food stores in the bulk bins for about $1.99 lb), mung beans, and sometimes I add hulled sunflower (natural - no salt), and hulled natural pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas).

Below is a picture of what this mix looks like in 24 hours. This is just the basic mix of the cardinal seed, hard winter wheat berries and mung beans. You can see everything is sprouting nicely. This is the time to feed it to your birds. Don't let the tails get too long. I usually feed my sprouts within 2 days and store them in the refrigerator to keep them from spoiling. It is important to rinse them thoroughly before each feeding to be sure they are nice and clean.

So there you go! Two tips that not only will save you some time, but are economical as well! In my upcoming blog, I will show you how to make your own sprouting jars from materials you can get at any Walmart.

Early Spring

2011-02-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

It's the end of February and it feels like springtime! I'm not complaining, I've had enough of freezing with all the cold weather we have had. Obviously the birds have spring fever, we have lots of babies! We have senegals, pineapple green cheek conures and parrotlets in the nursery now. We also have another clutch of pineapple green cheek conures in the nest with their parents which will be in the nursery soon.

The blue quakers have been louder than usual and spending time in their nestboxes. I expect eggs soon.

If you are interested in any of the babies above, feel free to email me at parrots4us@sbcglobal.net We also keep our website current as to what we have available: http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

My Bird Laid Eggs, Now What?

2011-02-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

I have gotten several phone calls lately from people whose pet birds have laid eggs. Many people think that because their pet is laying eggs, it should have a mate. This is not necessarily true. The reason why the female is laying eggs is because environmental conditions (light, temperature, cage set-up, etc.) are telling her hormones that it is a good time to reproduce. Your bird is not pining away for a mate. Laying eggs is just a natural function of hormones doing what they do.

One should never purchase a mate for their bird without thinking it through first. Here are some points to consider:

1. Your pet may not want a mate at all. Single pet birds develop a close, mate type bond with their owners. That special connection is one of the reasons why we are drawn to them. It takes a lot of patience to convert a pet that is bonded to humans into a breeder. You cannot just throw two birds together in a cage and hope they get along. They must be kept in seperate cages side by side for weeks, sometimes months until they accept each other. And just like humans, some birds just don't get along. So you can go out and buy another bird for your girl, only to have two birds that do not like each other!

2. If per chance, your bird does get along with the new bird, now you have another set of issues. Many people do not realize that once a bird is set up with a mate (as a breeding pair) that bird will not be your pet anymore. You cannot have both a pet and breeder. It is one or the other. Your bird will become bonded to it's mate. Breeding pairs become extremely territorial of their cage (they are defending each other and their nest). Your former pet will protect it's territory by inflicting painful bites. And the fact that the bird is a former pet and is not afraid of you..... well, get ready.

3. What are you going to do if there are babies? You cannot have a full time job and take care of baby birds. And for birds to be tame, you must pull them from the care of their parents at a few weeks old and handfeed them yourself several times per day. You also need special equipment for handfeeding and to keep them warm. I won't go into all the details here, but trust me it is quite an undertaking! As a breeder, you are responsible for the lives you bring into this world. That means taking care of them while they are yours and making sure they go to good homes where they will be loved. What are you going to do if you cannot find homes for your babies? You cannot keep them all.

So you've thought this out and decided not to get a mate for your bird. Well, here's what you can do to discourage the egg laying behavior and get your pet back!

1. If your pet bird is on eggs, leave them in there for about 3-4 weeks. If you take out each egg as it is laid, she will lay another to replace the one you took. Let her lay her entire clutch of eggs and sit them for a while. She may become very defensive during this time. Just leave her alone. Service the cage and let her be. Be sure to check the food bowls to make sure she is eating and drinking. Many pet birds after being allowed to go through the process, become bored and quit sitting the eggs after realizing they will not hatch. Either way, after a few weeks, take the eggs out and throw them away. Then...

2. Take away anything in the cage that your bird perceives as a nest. And if you are providing a nestbox for your bird to sleep in, take that out or off the cage.

3. Rearrange the cage. Move perches, toys and food bowls around. Change things up. Maybe put in some new toys and perches.

4. Try moving the cage to a different location. Simply moving the cage to a different area in the same room can have a big impact.

5. Put your bird on a more meager diet. I'm not saying starve your bird. But if you are providing an abundance of fresh food, fatty seed mix, nuts, etc. that will encourage breedy behavior. Hopefully your bird is on a pelleted base diet. Adjust the ratio of your bird's diet to more pellets and less fresh food. Limit nuts and seeds to occasional treats. Especially during the breeding season.

Since we do not spay or neuter our pet birds, hormonal behavior is something bird owners have to deal with. Following the tips above will help minimize these behaviors so you can go back to enjoying your beloved pet. Of course, each pet bird is different. If you need additional help with your bird, feel free to contact me through my website at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

Of Horses and Parrots

2011-01-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that I am a horse woman as well as an aviculturist. I have found that many bird people are horse people too. It is so much fun to talk horses and parrots with customers! I believe many of the approaches and philosophies in training horses also apply to parrots. After all horses and parrots are both prey species that exist in a flock/herd. Parrots and horses both have “sentinals” in their groups that keep an eye out for danger. If one of those sentinals begins looking alert, you can bet the rest of the group comes at attention very quickly!

Both parrots and horses look to their caregivers for guidance – especially in situations where they are uneasy. Whenever I bring something by my birds that makes them nervous (such as a large box), I tell them “it’s okay” and put myself between me and the scary object and keep moving. I don’t make a big deal out of it. Same goes with horses. Anyone who has ever worked with horses can tell you the worst thing you can do with a horse that is scared of something is to make a big deal out of it. Punishing the horse for “spooking” or making the horse go up to every object he is scared of tends to make the horse more wary and nervous. This goes back to their natural instincts. Remember the sentinel? If we say it’s okay, and just keep going, our birds/horses pick up on that and think “well she’s not acting afraid, it must be okay”. In contrast, over- reacting and/or comforting an animal while it is under stress tends to make the situation worse. In fact it can even contribute to phobic behavior.

Now of course, if a situation comes up where you know your bird will be very frightened (such as a Halloween party where people are wearing costumes, etc.) I recommend removing the bird from the situation before the event. A little stress is okay for our birds and they need to get used to different situations. But exposure to new things must be made gradually and in a positive way. You should never overwhelm your bird by immersing him in a stressful situation and expecting him to just deal with it. I tell my customers when they pick up their young birds from me that the best thing they can do is expose their bird to as many people and situations (safe of course) as possible. I tell them to buy a small travel cage so they can take their birds safely with them on small outings like picking up the dry cleaning, visits with friends/family, picking up the kids from school, etc. I find when birds are exposed to different situations on a regular basis, it really improves their personality overall. They are more social and outgoing. In comparison, we do this with our horses too. We call it “seasoning” in horse terms. A “seasoned” horse is one that has been taken to different arenas, trails, etc. and exposed to different things. After a while, horses learn to ignore all the distractions and focus on their rider.

I have a customer who has a parrotlet she purchased from me. She takes this little bird everywhere with her. Because of this, her bird’s personality just blossomed. She lets anyone hold her, and is even gentle enough to be held by small children. And she is as bold and fearless as they come! She is a true ambassador for parrotlets!

In an upcoming article, I will compare different species of birds to breeds of horses. It will be fun!

Books for Parrot People

2010-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well the holidays are finally over! It's nice to have things back to normal. I can go to the grocery store and not have to deal with long lines and crazy drivers in the parking lot! My animals and birds are happy to be back on their routines as well.

Books: Although the internet is a good source of information, it can be confusing at times. There are several books we recommend to parrot owners that we feel are "must haves". Most of these books can be purchased online at Amazon.com for very reasonable prices. They provide straight forward, unbaised, good information that is easy to reference (no searching for hours on the net). Here are some good ones:

Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot by Mattie Sue Athan. This book is considered almost a "classic" for parrot owners. Great book for first time and experienced bird owners alike!

Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior by Mattie Sue Athan. This book provides information on parrot behavior, grooming, choosing the right bird for you, etc. I really enjoyed the species profiles and wing trimming tips she recommends for the various birds.

The Complete Bird Owner's Handbook by Gary A. Gallerstein, DVM. Written by a vet, this book is an invaluable resource for the bird owner. The author goes over diet, medical issues, species profiles, care, and much much more. This book is available in hardcover so it is a little more expensive, but it is well worth it.

The Second Hand Parrot by Mattie Sue Athan. A great book if you own a "pre-loved" bird. But even if you purchased your bird directly from a breeder or a store, this book has a lot of great information in it.

Parrot-Toys & Play Areas by Carol S. D'Arezzo and Lauren Shannon-Nunn. What a fun book this is! Lots of tips on how to make homemade toys and enrichment items for your bird! There is even a section on how to make playstands!

My Parrot, My Friend by Bonnie Munro Doane and Thomas Qualkinbush. A very comprehensive book on parrot care and psychology. His description of the different species are very good. I also thought his case studies on the different birds he has worked with were extremely interesting. This book is more for the adult reader as it is very indepth.

The Pleasure of Their Company by Bonnie Munro Doane. This book is very similar to My Parrot, My Friend mentioned above (she was one of the authors on that book). A very good book to own. I feel the information this book and My Parrot My Friend are interchangeable, so one or the other would be fine.

Holistic Care for Birds by David McCluggage, DVM. Another book written by a vet, this book goes over "natural" care for your bird including dosages of some common natural remedies. He also discusses diet, grooming, psychology, etc. This book is meant to be used as a compliment to conventional vet care (if your bird is ill or injured, please take it to the vet immediately). Always get an accurate diagnosis from a vet before any type of treatment - very important! I really enjoyed the natural recipes and his description of the bach flower remedies.

There are many other books out there. Some are species specific, some provide details on different training methods (such as clicker training), etc. I only mentioned a few books here which I feel provide an excellent overview of all the aspects of parrot care. Do you have a favorite book that you can recommend to parrot lovers? I'd love to hear from you!

Breeder Name Confusion

2010-12-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that some people are confusing me (Christine MANN of Almost Angels Aviary) with another bird seller who has the same first name. I want to make it clear that we are indeed two seperate people and in no way associated with each other.

Almost Angels Aviary - CHRISTINE MANN has an excellent reputation for healthy birds, honesty, and outstanding customer service. Our babies are raised in a closed nursery, which means we only raise birds that we have bred from our own pairs (no outside birds from other breeders). We stand behind our birds 100%. We have many, many happy customers - references available.

I ask that anyone who is checking references, posting information about us online, etc. to please be specific when referring to either one of us by using our LAST names and/or our aviary name. My personal and professional reputation is very important to me. I have worked very hard over the years to maintain it by ALWAYS treating my customers fairly, honestly and with respect.
If anyone has any questions about me or my birds, feel free to contact me. My contact information is listed on my website www.almostangelsaviary.com

Babies!

2010-12-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

We are starting back up after a nice break! I have four baby senegals in the nest and three parrotlet babies (two are reserved). I will be pulling these babies to start handfeeding probably the end of this week or so. I am currently accepting deposits to hold these babies until weaned. Once a deposit is put down, I start sending weekly updates and pictures so you can watch your baby grow! The pictures are a lot of fun! Particularly when the babies start to get a little older and more active.

For information on the status of babies we have available, see my website http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

Ahhh, the holidays

2010-11-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again. Thanksgiving is almost here and the stores have already begun decorating for Christmas. Where has this year gone? I enjoy this time of year. The festive decorations, great food and time with family. I think people tend to be a little nicer around this time of year too. The holidays are not stress free however. Last minute shopping, holiday preparations and travel can take it's toll.

During this time of year, you may need to give your bird some extra activities to keep him busy while you are busy. Foraging toys are great as well as easy to tear up items. My yellow nape amazon LOVES pinecones. This time of year I do some of my own foraging to gather pine cones for her. I make sure they are clean when I get them and then bake them in the oven at 225 for about 30 minutes. Then I turn off the oven, leaving the pine cones in until the oven cools. Attach a screw eye, hang with a quick link and you're done! There are also some sites online that sell pinecones if you don't have any in your area.

Toys do not have to cost a lot. Just google "homemade bird toys" and you will get pages and pages of ideas. I myself use both homemade and store bought toys. When I am short on time, the store bought toys come in handy. Plus there are some really neat designs out there now!

Another toy that is a favorite with my flock are the "pinata" toys by Planet Pleasures. They are inexpensive and I have yet to find a bird that doesn't love them. For added entertainment, you can stuff small treats in them.

If you are having a large party, I usually recommend moving the birds to another room. If your bird is social, you can bring him out for a while to meet everybody. Then put him back in the other room with his favorite treats and maybe a radio or television on. Parties can be exhausting and stressful for birds. Even social birds can get overstimulated with all the activity. Moving your bird to another room will also keep him safely away from poking fingers and unhealthy food and drinks that guests might give him while your back is turned.

Birds On The Way:

We have two pairs of parrotlets on eggs which should begin hatching this week. We also have a pair of senegals on eggs which are due to hatch around the end of this month. My pineapple green cheeks and blue quakers have been spending time in their nestboxes, so I expect to see some eggs soon from them.

I post all updates on eggs/babies on my website http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

Starting Back Up

2010-11-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying my "break" lately. I have one black headed caique that is almost weaned and will be going home in a couple of weeks (she is sold). I also have a sweet white bellie caique that is weaned and ready to go to a loving home. No middle of the night feedings, no brooders to clean, etc. - I can't believe all the free time I have right now LOL!

But the birds have started back up and I will be busy again soon with the fall breeding season. My new hahn's macaw pair are on eggs (very exciting!) as well as my meyers pair. My parrotlets have been breeding and hanging out in their nestboxes and I saw an egg in the senegal's nestbox yesterday. For more information on the status of babies/eggs, etc. visit my website at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ I update my pages frequently to keep my information current.

The Dollar Store

2010-10-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

I just love the dollar store! Where else can you go on a shopping spree for about $25.00! LOL! For parrot owners, we can find some good bargains that help us take care of our birds for less. Here's the bird supplies I purchased on my recent trip: Eight natural wicker 9" wreaths, six rope dog toys, a few packs of plastic clothespins and some hand towels.

The natural wreaths will make nice swings for my smaller birds in the outdoor cages as well as great tear up fun for my yellow nape amazon.

The rope dog toys will make great rope swings for my smaller birds after a few minor adjustments.

The plastic clothespins are great for securing sheets onto cages and make great chip clips too!

I go through a ton a hand towels here. I put them on the back of the kitchen chairs to protect them from the birds, use them in the weaning cages as "bed" for young birds, basic cleaning, etc.

On other shopping trips, I can find inexpensive stuffed animals to put in my brooders for my babies to snuggle with (especially after Easter), inexpensive baby toys, plastic storage containers, natural wicker baskets (another great chew toy), etc.

So next time you go to the dollar store, open your eyes a little bit and see what treasures you can find that your feathered friend might enjoy! Always keep safety in mind though. A good general rule is if you wouldn't give it to a two year old human, chances are it would not be suitable for your bird.

Happy shopping!

Birds Available

2010-10-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what is going on, but things have been pretty slow lately. We have some wonderful birds available (and on sale) ready to go home now:

Senegal parrot. A real sweetie! Loves to come out to cuddle and will also entertain himself with his toys. Senegals are wonderful pet birds. They are not loud, learn to talk and mimic sound effects very well and are easy to care for. $395

Blue Quakers. A talking bird at a great price! I love the blue quakers with their soft wedgewood blue feathers. Gorgeous! I have three weaned youngsters that are ready to go home now. Very sweet. I have them on sale for $295, they normally sell for $350.

White bellied caique. I absolutely LOVE this boy! He is dna'd and super sweet! He's a little shy around new people at first, but warms up quickly and turns into a snuggle bug. Loves to be held on his back and cuddled. Somebody please come get this boy before I keep him for myself LOL!! I also have him on sale for $695, regular price for white bellied caiques are $800. A real deal on this angel.

Outdoor Cages:

I've written before about outdoor cages. I use mine all the time, especially lately because the weather has been so lovely. Equipped with toys, my birds will play for hours in them. My young birds especially enjoy their time outside. There they can see the hummingbirds, wild birds flying by, hear the dogs barking, etc. All this stimulation drains some of that juvenile energy and they come in relaxed and ready for a nap! On really nice days, I will give my birds a shower and put them outside to play and dry off. Caiques especially love this!

Losing A Pet

2010-09-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

My father had to put his beloved blue heeler dog to sleep yesterday morning. She had been fighting various health issues for a while, but ultimately it was a blood clot (stroke) that ended her life. Chloe was a wonderful dog. Sweet, smart, kind, loyal. My husband and I used to take care of her when my father and stepmom would go on trips. We always enjoyed keeping her and made a point to spoil her as much as we could while she was here! We had many good times with her. We will all miss her very much.

To many of us, losing one of our pets is almost like losing a child. We form very close spiritual connections with our animals. Whether it's a parrotlet, a cat or a great dane, the heartbreak we feel when they pass on is indescribable. They fill our hearts with so much joy and love while they are in our lives. When they leave us, it literally feels like a piece of your own spirit left with them. Everybody is different. It can take weeks to months before we begin to feel "whole" again.

People who are not animal lovers do not understand. They say, "why don't you just go get another ____ (bird, dog, cat, etc.)." I find it best not to waste my time talking to these people about the loss. They simply do not understand. Family and friends are wonderful for support. There are also some wonderful online chat groups that are very supportive while you are mourning the loss of your pet.

My two favorite poems I read during these times are "rainbow bridge" and "lend me a bird". You can google them to read them for yourself. I also send these two poems to family and friends who have lost a pet.

I think one of the reasons we grieve when a pet dies is that we feel our time with them was cut short. We are grieving not only the loss of the pet, but the loss of "what might have been" - the additional time we expected to have with them. Remember the good times you had with your pet. Celebrate the relationship that you had with them. You can express this in many ways. Maybe write a poem or write a biography of your pet's life. If you are artistic you can paint or write a song. Maybe frame your favorite picture of him/her and hang it in a special place. There are even online sites where you can "light" a virtual candle in your pet's honor.

Life is unpredictable. Every moment is precious. Spend some quality time with your pets every day. Reflect on the joy they bring into your life. No matter how busy you are, you can always take a minute to give them a cuddle and look them in the eye and tell them you love them.

I believe this is excellent advice to follow for the humans in our lives as well!

Conure Update & Hummingbirds!

2010-09-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

Our green cheek conure has been adopted! He will be going to a wonderful family in a few days when his brand new cage comes in! Thank you Mary and Richard!

Hummingbirds:

It is hummingbird season! We always have a lot here as we have hummingbird friendly flowers in our backyard and fresh nectar in our feeders. I just love watching them buzz around! They remind me of garden fairies.

People see all the hummingbirds in our yard and want to know what I feed them. I use an easy homemade mixture. One part white sugar to four parts water. Bring the water to a boil, then stir in the sugar allowing it to dissolve completely. Remove from heat, let it cool and serve! Extra amounts can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

The advantage of homemade nectar over the storebought "instant nectars" is that by boiling the water, you kill all the bacteria that causes the nectar to sour. Especially in our Texas heat, the instant nectars tend to ferment very quickly (within two days or so). My homemade nectar lasts until I need to refill the feeders. Which right now is about every three days LOL! During the peak hummingbird season in the past, I have gone through 60 ounces of nectar per day!

The homemade nectars are also much more economical. You can't get much cheaper than white sugar and water! And only use white sugar. Do not use brown sugar, artificial sweetners, etc.

And be sure to keep your feeders clean. Mold can grow on and in the feeders which can cause beak infections in those little hummers. I use a bleach and water solution to clean. Then I rinse with a vinegar/water solution to remove any traces of bleach, followed by a clean water rinse. This leaves my feeders sparkling clean!

Once the hummingbirds know you have good food in your feeders, they will return year after year.

Beak Appetit is back in business!

2010-09-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

I just heard from the grapevine that Beak Appetit is back in business! Beak Appetit is a line of nutritious cook and serve food that you prepare for your birds. It comes in a variety of flavors that birds love! As soon as my distributor begins stocking this product again, I will put it back on the site. Meanwhile, you can order it directly at http://www.beakappetit.com/

Green Cheek Conure & Molting

2010-09-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

I'm ready to go to my new home!

Will you be my friend?

Well our baby that had the beak injury has healed up nicely and is doing great! We are looking for a home for this little guy. He is super sweet and will make a great companion! His beak just needs to grow out and he'll be as good as new. He is eating a normal diet (pellets, fresh foods, etc.) and loves to come out to play! He has a gentle, playful personality. If you are interested in giving our little guy a home, please let me know. You can contact me at parrots4us@sbcglobal.net

Molting Time:

I've gotten a few emails from customers who are finding lots of feathers at the bottom of their birds cages. They are concerned that their birds are picking. Right now, many birds are going through their pre-season molt. This is usually a heavy molt and you may see more feathers at the bottom of the cage than during a normal molt. Your birds may be crankier than usual and have a head full of sensitive pin feathers. So be careful!

This is normal for this time of year and is nothing to worry about. If you have your birds on a good diet (mostly pellets with some fresh foods), than your bird will have the nutrition he needs to grow in healthy, beautiful feathers!

Birds Currently Available:

We have four lovely blue quaker babies. They are on two handfeedings per day now. We expect them to be weaned around the first week of October. They are very sweet and cuddly.

We have the neatest white bellied caique available! He is so smart and personable. Loves to play on his back! DNA'd male. He will make an awesome companion. I almost kept him for myself LOL!

And we have still have one senegal available. Weaning now, I expect this baby to be ready to go home in about a week.

If you are interested in any of the birds above, please go to my website at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ or contact me at parrots4us@sbcglobal.net Pictures of the above babies are available upon request.

Green Cheek Beak Injury

2010-08-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has a green cheek knows how curious and bold they can be. Even while closely supervised, they can get into trouble. That was just the case when one of my young green cheeks decided to land on a cage containing young senegals. The senegals were not too happy about the newcomer and before I could get the little conure off the cage, one of the senegals bit the green cheek on the beak and caused a puncture wound.

I took my little conure to ABC Animal & Bird Clinic on Highway 6. This injury definitely needed medical attention! I thought it would be interesting for my readers to see this conure's progress as his beak was cleaned and patched. A big thank you to Dr. Roset for taking the time to take the pictures during the procedure while the bird was anethesized.

Dr. Roset did a wonderful job. As predicted, the patch did not last long but it did it's job allowing some healing to take place while the would was still fresh. The conure is doing fine and you must look very closely to see the injured part of the beak now. The procedure did not phase him a bit and he is just as friendly and curious as ever! He is currently for sale.

Happenings Around Here

2010-08-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

What a nice day I had today! Two of my previous customers came by and paid me a visit. One of them needed her linnie's wings trimmed. "Ande" has grown into a beautiful adult lineolated parakeet! Thank you Cathy for bringing him by. It was great to see you and your kids! My other customer, Sandy came by to pick up a female parrotlet from me. We ended up chatting about all sorts of things and having a great time. This is one of the reasons I enjoy breeding birds. I meet so many wonderful people!

I am selling some of my very nice breeding pairs to scale back a bit. I need to ease my workload so I can have time to do other things that I enjoy (spending time with family, working with the horses, etc.). Like I mentioned, these are very nice pairs! See my website for more information.

I have four beautiful blue quakers that I am handfeeding now. They have just moved into a cage and are starting to perch! If anybody is interested in these little cuties, let me know.

We still have green cheeks available. They are weaned and ready to go! I am running a sale on them right now. Normals are $100 and turquoise are $200. There are just a few available at these great prices!

Product Review Safety Pumice Perch

2010-08-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've seen these in cages before but wasn't quite sure about them. The Safety Pumice Perch, manufactured by Sweet Feet & Beak is a hard plastic nail grooming perch. It it smooth on the top and bottom as to not rub your bird's feet, with a sandy texture on both sides to help blunt the nails.

I've been curious about them and thought they might be good in my weaning cages so I bought a few of them. Two small and one medium. I wanted to see the size difference between the two and figure out which birds they would be best for.

I put the small size in my young caiques cage. They took to it right away and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it groomed the nails quite nicely. The perch was easy for the young birds to grip. They were immediately comfortable on it. These perches are very lightweight - especially compared to the cement grooming perches we are used to using! So they would work well in the smaller cages as well.

I also placed this perch in my green cheek conures cage. They reacted the same way. Got right on it and were comfortable on it. The rough surface on the sides gave them a good grip and once again it helped blunt those needle sharp nail tips that babies have!

The medium perch, I put in my amazon's cage. She was a little leery of it at first (she is used to natural branches in her cage) but once she got on it, she seemed to like it. She is a good sized yellow nape amazon, so although the medium fit her feet okay, I think the large size would work a little better.

These perches only attach to vertical bars, so that is something to keep in mind.

All in all, I would give this product a thumbs up. These perches do a good job grooming the nails, are very lightweight and easy to attach to the cage. I definitely plan on purchasing more!

New Arrivals

2010-08-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Our first caique of this clutch hatched Friday night. The second egg should hatch tonight sometime. No matter how many times I do this, it is always exciting! I posted some neat pictures of this baby hatching on my facebook page. I will be posting pictures periodically so you can all watch this little one grow. See the pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Houston-TX/Almost-Angels-Aviary/161328391371?ref=ts

Craft Idea: Newspaper Swing

2010-07-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

A customer of mine sent me this link. What an economical and interesting way to entertain your bird! I think with a little creativity, a larger version could be made for medium size birds too. Such a great idea, I had to share. Here's the link: http://www.lineolatedparakeet.net/uncategorized/parrotlet-newspaper-swing_410?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LineolatedParakeetBlog+%28Lineolated+Parakeet+Blog%29

We have a variety of green cheek conures available as well as senegals and parrotlets. If you would like more information on what we have available, contact me or check out my website at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

Our first caique egg of this clutch is due to hatch on Saturday! I'll keep everyone posted.

Parrot Skewers

2010-07-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

I know I have mentioned these before, but they are worth mentioning again! I feel every parrot owner should have a few of these! These handy little skewers are great for hanging chunks of fruits and vegetables and for stringing up leftover toy parts to make a new toy!

My red flanked lory, Munchkin got into the habit of taking a bath on his fruit. He would rub his body all over the fruit (similar to the "leaf bathing" that caiques do) and would turn himself into a sticky mess. Finally, I got tired of it and started stringing his fruit up on a skewer. He loves it! No more mess for me and a great new toy for Munchkin! Here is a picture of his skewer from the other day. His breakfast consisted of a piece of hardboiled egg, a chunk of apple and a chunk of orange.

How to make a play basket

2010-07-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've been getting questions lately about how to make my famous play baskets LOL! They are not hard to make. All you need is a few supplies and some time. These baskets work great for small to medium birds. I find that birds prefer these over the store bought dowel type playstands. You can put two or three baskets together of varying sizes to make an interesting play area. That is what I do here. My birds hang out on their play baskets for hours! When my young birds are ready to rest, they will just go down into the basket and take a nap.

Supplies:

NATURAL wicker basket. No paint, varnish, stain, etc. I buy my baskets at Michaels when they go on sale at 40% off.

Hot Glue Gun. I think everybody has one of these! If not, you can pick one up at the craft store when you buy your basket.

Sissel Rope. You can get this at any hardware store. It is grass rope. The one I buy comes in a package. Be sure the kind you get is natural, and not treated with anything.

Zip Ties. You can find these in the electrical section at the hardware store.

Baby Links. You can get these at Walmart in the baby section.

Basically, you want to wrap the handle of the basket with the sissel rope. This makes a grippable, climbable perch for your bird. Put a little hot glue on the basket, and wrap a few strands of rope. Then proceed this way until the entire handle is wrapped. You may have to hold the rope for a minute or so to make sure the glue sets it in place.

After the handle is wrapped, take a couple of zip ties and attach one on the middle of the handle, and maybe one or two off to the side. Leave just enough room where you can get a quick link through, but your bird cannot get his head or leg caught. This is where you are going to hang your toys. You can also use baby links for this. I find the zip ties are easier though.

Place some paper toweling or a towel in the bottom of the basket and put some bowls down there for food and water. I like to scatter food in the bottom so my birds can "forage".

Hang some interesting toys, and your done! The entire basket is a bird stand/chew toy! When your basket gets worn out, just toss it and make a new one (you will have plenty of supplies for a few baskets). Get creative with toys, etc. I recently helped a customer who lives nearby with a play basket for her parrotlet. We poked several chinese finger traps in the bottom and hung a few toys. She loves her basket and spends lots of time out on it! Here are a couple of pictures of Zoe enjoying her basket.

My cup runneth over!!

2010-07-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Look at these little blue cuties!! I still have one baby available. If you are interested, please contact me.

I guess I should title this blog, my nursery runneth over LOL!! We are having quite the season! It's great that my birds are happy and healthy and producing lots of babies. But wow, I am one busy woman at the moment! My friends and family call once in a while to make sure I didn't fall off the face of the earth! I told my husband that I just can't get everything done and keep one hand on the phone too. Maybe I will get one of those blue tooth type headsets. I see people wearing them in the stores all the time. Does anybody have one of those? How do you like it? Let me know.

I just pulled three senegals for handfeeding. I am very excited about this because normally the parents will only hatch two eggs. They are getting better! We also have a variety of green cheek conures available (normal, turquoise and pineapple), and parrotlets. One of our blue quaker pairs are on eggs as well as our black headed caiques. If you want to know about what babies we have available, be sure to bookmark our site and check back often. I keep it current. http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

Being in Texas, it is really hot here right now. A friend of mine has birds on her screened porch and had a great idea for keeping them cool. She puts an ice pack (a baggie filled with water and allowed to freeze -NOT one of those chemical packs). She then has a fan to keep a nice breeze blowing. The coolness from the ice pack and the fan keeps the birds very comfortable. While I was there the other day, the birds were at the top of the cage licking the water that was dripping off the pack. They were enjoying those cool droplets!

Bird Toy Review: Stanley's Bird Creations Birdie Dreds Small

My red flanked lory, Munchkin and parrotlet, Avocado love this toy! It consists of many strands of natural rope which are filled with straw pieces and tiny beads. Munchkin and Avocado both have one in their cage and I also have one on the communal play area. Birds such as linnies and parrotlets like to chew on the straws and hide in the strands. Avocado, likes to cuddle with his toy with a few strands thrown over his back. I've noticed my young quakers, senegals and caiques also love this toy but I would not recommend it for those birds unless they are closely supervised (such as on a play area).

This toy is moderately priced at around $6.95 and seems to last a while (with my birds anyway). It is economical as well as fun.

When the straws are chewed off one of the strands, I recommend cutting that strand to keep it from becoming entangled around your bird's neck or foot. For this reason, I would recommend this toy be used on a play area or only in a cage if the cage location is in a well supervised location (such as a family room). This toy as long as it is trimmed as I mentioned above, is a neat toy for small birds.

Paulie the movie

2010-07-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

The movie Paulie has been running on the movie channels this month. If you are a parrot lover, this movie is a must see! Really cute, it stars a blue crown conure who gets seperated from his owner and is trying to find his way back to her. Paulie runs into quite a few adventures along the way! There are other conures in this movie as well, a cherry head, nanday and jenday. I saw a "behind the scenes" show about this movie a while back and it was amazing watching the trainers working with these birds. Without giving too much away, there is a scene where all the conures are performing a dance scene. The little jenday was even wearing a tiny fruit hat! LOL! No computer hocus pocus there, the parrots were actually doing the steps. All you bird lovers will truly appreciate the training that went into that scene. A great movie for the entire family, it stars Cheech Marin, Jay Mohr (the voice of Paulie and one of the minor characters), Tony Shalhoub, Gena Rowlands and a few other stars you will recognize. Here is a link for more information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125454/

Busy!!

2010-06-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wow we have been busy here! All our birds are healthy and happy and celebrating by giving us lots of babies! We are handfeeding normal green cheek conures in the nursery as well as blue quakers and caiques. We only have one blue quaker left available so if you are interested in this little cutie, contact me! We have more parrotlets on the way as well as turquoise green cheek conures, pineapple green cheek conures and senegals. We are also expecting our black headed caiques to go back to nest soon. We keep our website updated so if you want to know what we have available, go to http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/

I get asked quite often if we ship. Yes we do! We prefer to ship through Continental airlines as their conditions are climate controlled and they hand carry the birds on and off the plane. Our birds are shipped in a very nice, customized carrier which is yours to keep. The carrier can be used in the future for trips to the groomer, day outings, etc. Cost to ship including the carrier is around $115.

Higgins True Fruit

We love this product! We buy it by the 20 lb bags! This product consists of human grade dried mixed fruits which the birds just love! You can put some in your pellet or seed mix for some added zing, feed it straight as a treat or we like to include it in our soak and cook mixes. Fruit loving birds such as caiques and lories especially like it after it has been soaked/rehydrated. This product is available at quality bird stores or you can order it off the net.

Get your bird out of the house

Taking your bird on short trips with you can be a lot of fun for the both of you! It is good for your bird to be exposed to new, safe experiences. I always recommend to my customers that they purchase a small travel cage in addition to their bird's regular cage. Some people only take their bird out of the house for grooming or vet appointments. This makes the bird nervous about going out because the only time he leaves it is stressful. Weather permitting, take your bird with you to run errands. bring him outside with you when you are doing yardwork, or take your bird with you when you go to visit a friend. The more people and experiences your bird is exposed to, the better adjusted he will be. Of course, if your bird hasn't been out of the house in years you will need to take things slowly so you don't stress him too much. But all in all, I find that well socialized birds enjoying getting out of the house as much as we do.

Vacation

People ask me all the time whether they should board their bird or have a pet sitter come take care of him when they go on vacation. In general, I recommend having a trusted pet sitter come in. Birds are more comfortable in their home environment and you don't have to worry about exposing your bird to strange birds which may be harboring an illness. Ask your neighbors who they use for petsitting. I find that there is usually one or two reliable high school or college kids in the area that provide this service. My friend's daughter comes in to take care of my animals when I am gone and she does a great job!

Goings on

2010-05-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

Isn't this baby gorgeous! This is one of our turquoise/pineapple green cheek conure babies. They are almost weaned and will be ready to go home soon! We also have sweet pineapple green cheek conures available. Green cheek conures make wonderful pets. They are cuddly, playful and not loud. They are also great family birds as they are very social and will interact with multiple people. One of our favorites!

We also have five parrotlet babies in the nest. We got a variety of colors from this pair in their last clutch so we are excited to see what hatches out this time!

Sprouting for birds: Well, I am back on my sprouting kick LOL! Birds love fresh sprouts and they are so easy to prepare. They are a powerhouse of nutrition and closely resemble the natural diet our birds would eat in the wild. There are many pre-mixed sprout mixes you can buy, but you can make your own mix very inexpensively. The mix I am using now is black oil sunflower, safflower, wheat berries (hard winter wheat berries are better to sprout than soft wheat berries), mung beans, whole (unhulled) millet and whole oats.

I use the sprouting jar method. It is easy to make your own sprout jars. I use a mason jar and a piece of needlepoint canvas cut it to fit the mouth of the jar. The holes are the perfect size to allow proper draining while keeping the contents of the jar contained.

I rinse my seeds well and then soak them overnight. The next morning, I drain and rinse them well. Then during the day I rinse them maybe twice. I allow them to sprout on the counter for one day and then put them in the fridge. I found this prevents spoiling in our humid Texas weather. Rinse the sprouts and allow them to drain thoroughly before feeding. I use up sprouts within two to three days.

I make one "universal" sprout mix for my birds. Everybody from the parrotlets to my amazon eats the same mix. I find it is easier that way. Weaning babies also receive the same mix and relish their sprouts! There are a lot of good articles on the net regarding sprouting. Carolyn Swicegood (a well respected eclectus breeder) in particular has lots of information on the subject of sprouting for birds.

Busy, busy, busy!!

2010-05-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

We are earning our birdseed here at the aviary LOL! I just pulled five pineapple green cheek conures from the nest for handfeeding along with three lineolated parakeets. All the linnies are reserved at this time. We have another clutch of pineapple green cheeks which I will be pulling any day now as well as two senegal babies! My blue quakers are in the nestbox so I expect they will be laying eggs soon.

Check my website at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ for current updates on our babies here at the aviary.

Upon closer inspection the other day, I noticed the tail feathers and wing feathers on two of my pineapple babies were a different color than the others. Turns out they are pineapple/turquoise mutations! Both the parents are visual pineapples, but obviously there is some turquoise in their background. Absolutely gorgeous!

Wild Baby Birds:

This time of year I get phone calls from people who have found a baby bird and do not know what to do with it. Wild baby birds need frequent feedings all day long (every two hours from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM). They also need to be introduced slowly to the wild (called a "soft release") the correct way to ensure it's survival. There is more to it than just feeding the bird and then turning it loose! Please do not attempt to care for wild baby birds yourself. Most people do not have the time or knowledge to do it correctly. Remember, it is the bird that will suffer from incorrect care. Here are two places you can contact if you need to relinquish a wild baby bird (and/or any other wild animals such as baby squirrels, raccoons, etc.)

Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition: (TWRC): http://www.twrc-houston.org/

Texas Parks & Wildlife: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/list/

*Your local vet may also be able to refer you to a wildlife rehabber in your area.

Aviary Update & Stick Training

2010-04-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

We are very excited here at Almost Angels Aviary! One of our pineapple green cheek pairs is in the process of hatching their first clutch! So far they are great parents, feeding their babies and being very protective. Especially the male who comes after my hand like a bolt of lightning when I reach in the cage to change food bowls! So far, looks like there are four babies in the nest! Our other pair of pineapple green cheek conures are on eggs also which are due to start hatching very soon. This will be their first clutch. We'll keep our fingers crossed! If you have never seen the "pineapple" mutation of green cheek conures you are missing out! They are gorgeous with yellow, red, green and maroon colors. If you love the bright colors of the sun conures, but can't handle their loud calls, a pineapple green cheek conure may be the bird for you.

We also have a pair of senegals of eggs and a pair of linnies on eggs. I expect the linnies to begin hatching very soon! Our box is back up on our black headed caique pair and my girl just couldn't wait to jump right in LOL! So we will probably have some black headed caique eggs in a few weeks.

For current updates on eggs/babies visit our website at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ .

Stick Training:

I always recommend to people that they "stick train" their birds. By stick training, I mean that your bird is trained to step up on a stick or dowel. And I don't just recommend this for big birds. Smaller birds such as lovebirds, parrotlets, lineolated parakeets and cockatiels should be stick trained also.

It is easy to do. Start by obtaining a suitable perch or dowel rod suitable for your bird's size. Your bird should be able to grip the perch comfortably. Vetwrap in a neutral color can be used to wrap the perch to make a more grippable surface if needed.

Introduce your bird to the perch slowly letting him/her get used to it. Another idea is to use a perch that is currently in your bird's cage or the same type. That will make things go quicker. Once he is used to the perch, ask him to step up on the stick for a second and then put him back down. Or you can alternate stepping up on your hand and the stick. However he is most comfortable. Then practice having your bird step up on the stick from various locations: the top of his cage, off his playstand, from inside the cage, etc.

Once he is reliably stepping up on the stick, use it regularly to keep your bird in the habit of stepping onto it.

Stick training has many benefits. If your bird is mature, you will notice it's behavior may change for a few weeks around Spring and Fall. This is the breeding season for many parrot species. Since we do not nueter/spay our birds, their reproductive systems are fully functional. Environmental triggers signal the hormones to kick in for breeding! Some birds are louder and more aggressive during this time. If you are not paying attention to your bird's body language, you may receive a painful nip or bite.

Some birds such as macaws, cockatoos, caiques and amazons can become very dominant and assert themselves by biting. It's not only the large birds though. I've seen some very aggressive lovebirds and parrotlets!

If your bird is stick trained, when he gets naughty, you can simply have him step up onto the stick instead of offering your hand. This keeps you from getting bitten which in turn keeps you in control of your bird. It's also a great way for other people to handle your bird if necessary. What if you are out of town and your bird gets out of the cage? Not everyone is comfortable handling birds and your bird may not want somebody else picking it up. Your pet sitter could easily ask your bird to step up on his familiar stick to put him back in his cage. No drama for either the parrot nor the pet sitter.

The above is just one scenario. There are many other instances where stick training can be beneficial. Birds that are afraid of hands, cagebound, or aggressive around their cage for example, often will happily step up on a stick to come out.

I consider stick training to be the equivalent of basic obedience training for dogs. You may not always use it, but if you need it, you're glad it's there.

Spring is here!

2010-04-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Finally! After a cold, rainy winter we are enjoying the sunshine and warm days! I've been out riding the horses and my pet birds are having a ball playing in their outdoor cages. Life is good!

The aviary has been a buzz with activity. I took down most of my nestboxes for a while to give me and the birds a break. Well they are back up and my pairs have been busy! Right now I have lineolated parakeets on eggs, three pairs of green cheeks on eggs, a pair of senegals on eggs and my blue quakers have been spending a lot of time in the nestbox! I have some more nestboxes to put back up, but I think I'll wait LOL!!

Be sure to check my website for updates on babies that are available http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ . I keep my information current so check back often!

People often ask me if I ship. Yes I do! I prefer to use Continental Airlines as the birds are hand carried on and off the plane and transported in a climate controlled area. The birds handle being shipped very well and acclimate quickly to their new homes and owners.

Reminder: Now is the time to get those flight feathers trimmed on your bird. With the nice weather, we often leave our windows open and turn our ceiling fans on. And remember, small birds such as budgies, cockatiels, small conures, etc. can usually still fly very well even with trimmed wings. If you take your bird outside, please have it in a safe travel cage or teach it to wear a harness.

If you haven't seen your avian vet in a while, schedule a grooming appointment with him or her. I often recommend people do this even if they know how to groom their bird themselves. It's a good way to get some face time with your vet and update your bird's records. Having a good relationship with your avian vet is very important. Don't wait until you have an emergency. Plus, I found that even though you are just bringing your bird in for a grooming, the vet will take the opportunity to give your bird a physical examination and talk with you about it's care while you are there. It is money well spent.

What happened to the bird?

2010-03-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine called me the other day crying. Her beloved parrotlet had died very suddenly. He literally was okay one minute and dead the next. I too was heartbroken when I heard the news. I had handfed this little parrotlet from a tiny baby. He was so sweet and personable, the pick of the clutch so to speak. He loved little cheek rubs and liked to cuddle under long hair. He was the perfect bird for my friend and her family.

She named him "Guacamole" after my parrotlet "Avocado". We are good friends, so I go over there frequently. Always checking in on Guacamole and bringing him a little treat or a toy. My friend loved her little bird and doted on him beak and foot. She gave him fresh veggies every day and baked special treats for him. His gorgeous color and generous size was a testament to his excellent care.

When she had called me, we went over everything I could think of that could be the cause of his death. He wasn't acting sick, his weight was good, etc. No scented candles, cleaning products, pesticides, teflon, etc. The days have been nice here so neither the air conditioner nor heater were on. She told me that before he died, her neighbor across the street had lit a rather large pile of brush in his front yard. Then the wind changed and quite a bit of smoke blew into their house before she had the chance to close the windows. Could this be the problem?

I was discussing this with another friend of mine, retired lineolated parakeet breeder Cynthia Williams. Cynthia is very knowledgeable about plants and such. When I mentioned the above, she told me that toxic plants when burned can emit toxins in the smoke. She told me a story about a man that was allergic to poison sumac. He cleaned out his yard and had a big pile of the stuff. He lit the pile and after accidently inhaling some of the smoke, died. Cynthia said "...and this was a human, as you know, birds are much more sensitive to toxins than we are. Remember the canaries in the coal mines?". She told me to ask my friend if she knew what her neighbor had on the burn pile.

It turns out, among other things, her neighbor had cut back his oleander bushes. She told me the bushes ran all down the side of his property. He had a bunch. They were completely cut down and he was burning them. Oleander is very toxic.

We don't know for sure if this was the cause of death, but given the circumstances there is a good chance that it was. Her neighbor wasn't malicious. We live in the country and clearing the property of dead plants, tree trimmings, etc. and then burning them is a normal occurence. This was just a freak accident. But you can bet, my friend is going to have a chat with her neighbor to educate him about burning toxic plants in such close proximity to his neighbors.

Most of us know the standard toxins that can hurt our birds: scented candles, febreze, cleaning products, overheated non-stick cookware, etc. But this was a new one to me. By sharing Guacamole's story, maybe this will prevent a similar tragedy from happening to someone else's beloved pet.

Easy, Healthy Food Tips

2010-03-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

Go to the internet and google in "feeding parrots" and all sorts of information will come up. It can be overwhelming to new parrot owners who want to feed their bird a healthy diet but are short on time. For many of you who have just one or two birds, these tips will be especially helpful:

1. I like to prepare a grain and veggie mix for my birds. But I certainly don't have time to cook it up every day. So I make a large amount and freeze it in tupperware containers. The day before I am going to feed the mix, I let it thaw on the counter for a few hours. When it is almost thawed out, I place it in the refrigerator. When I am ready to feed it, I just slightly warm it in the microwave, stir and serve. At this time, I may add some fresh veggies to the mix or not, depending on what I have available. Some people freeze portions in ice cube trays, others use sandwich baggies (squeeze the air out before freezing). It all depends on the size of the servings you need. Food in the fridge should be fed within 2 days.

2. If you only have one bird, it may be more economical to buy pre-mixed cook n' serve grain mixes. My favorites are Crazy Corn (Polly Pasta and Kung Fu Yum flavors are favorites here) and Volkman's 15 Minute Soak N Serve. And just as above, you can cook larger portions and freeze the extras.

3. Sprouts are super easy to prepare and are one of the most nutritious foods you can feed your birds. I like to go to Whole Foods and buy grains and beans from the bulk bins to sprout. There are also online stores where you can order sprouts pre-mixed. China Prairie http://www.chinaprairie.com/ has some great sprout mixes. If you google in "sprouting for parrots" lots of information will come up on the subject as well as instructions as to how to sprout safely.

4. If you are preparing healthy vegetables for your family, put some aside for your bird before cooking it. Birds don't need the salt, butter, sauces, etc. I do this a lot. My pet birds are shameless beggers!

5. Birdie bread is another excellent way to get good food into your bird. There are tons of recipes on the net. I really like Mommas Birdie Bread. It's a dry mix you prepare like a cornbread mix. It is made from healthy ingredients and comes in a variety of flavors. Chopped veggies (I like chopped carrots or yellow squash), or a small jar of baby food can be added to the mix for extra nutrition. Birdie breads can also be frozen in portions for future meals.

6. A good pelleted base diet will go a long way to keeping your bird healthy. Pellets have protein, minerals and vitamins in every bite. Our babies here are weaned to a pelleted base diet so they develop healthy eating habits right from the start. If your bird is on a seed based diet, it's nutritional needs are probably not being met. Ask your vet or other qualified bird professional about how you can improve your bird's diet.

Losing Friends

2010-03-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not posting! I will make more effort to keep my blog up to date!

One of my dear friends, Anna Tipps lost her battle with cancer about a month ago. She was one of those special people that when you meet them, they change your life. She was naturally an open, giving person. One of those rare people that will help you because it warms their heart to do so. Not because they have an agenda or they feel you will "owe" them if they do.

I first met Anna at a party a few years back. Being animal lovers, we hit it off immediately. Anna was a busy mother of four small children, so we would get together when we could (our husbands are friends too). She was into "raw food" which is just as it sounds. Preparing natural vegetarian foods without cooking to preserve the enzymes, vitamins and minerals that are often destroyed in the cooking process. Of course, any meat she prepared was cooked accordingly. If you are thinking just salads and veggie platters think again! She was a true gourmet and could prepare raw foods in ways you could not imagine. One night, we had lasagna which was amazing. My favorites were always the desserts. Since my husband and I will eat almost anything (LOL) and were open to the raw food thing, she would try new recipes with us. It was a lot of fun.

When I told her I was going into business for myself, we discussed a website. I had some ideas, but hiring a website designer was cost prohibitive. She volunteered to help put a site together for me - a daunting task! I would go over to her house a few times a week and we would work countless hours putting together the site, shopping cart, etc. If you have never put together a website before, you have no idea how much work goes into one! I was so thankful she was willing to help me. Here she was, a mother of four children taking time away from her family to help me, and asked for nothing in return. I would do a few small favors here and there for her, but nothing compares to what she did for me.

We became close friends during the time we worked so many hours together. The more time I spent with her, the more I saw what an amazing person she really was. People naturally gravitated to her. The phone seemed to ring all the time! And what a great Mom! Patient, loving and kind. She was the kind of mom everyone wished for.

When my business model changed to more breeding and less focus on supplies, etc. I needed an image change. I decided to scrap the first website completely and start over with a different concept. Anna didn't blink an eye and designed a new website for me. That is the website I have up today - Almost Angels Aviary.

She not only designed my site, but taught me how to work on it myself! A lifesaver since I am constantly updating information. With all the changes I make, I can only imagine what it would cost me if I had to hire somebody every time I needed to make a change. Whenever I think of the saying "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime" I think of Anna.

I remember our last conversation. Anna had just gotten back from Mexico. She went to a conventional/holistic cancer treatment center there. She felt good and was excited about the things she learned and the people she met there. As it goes with people who have cancer, her focus was more on recovering from treatments, healing herself and spending time with her family. So we didn't get to visit as much as we used to. It was wonderful to talk to her. We chatted for a long time.

I still have her email address in my contacts. Kind of silly, I know. I just can't seem to bring myself to delete it. Whenever I work on my website or receive a compliment on it, I think of Anna.

Anna, thank you so much for being my friend and being you.... and for teaching me how to fish.

Parrots and other pets

2009-12-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

Customers ask me all the time, is it okay to have birds and other pets too? In most circumstances, sure! I have three dogs in addition to my pet parrots. The dog most trustworthy with my parrots is my german shorthair pointer - a bird dog! Almost all of my other parrot friends have dogs, cats, etc. in addition to their birds. I have found that parrot lovers are animal lovers too so there is usually a few four legged critters running around their homes.

You know your dog/cat better than anyone. So you will be the ultimate judge of whether a bird would be safe with your other pets or not. Here are a few things you should consider if you have dogs/cats and are considering bringing a parrot into the house.

1. What is the age of your dog/cat? Puppies and kittens are more rambunctious than adults and more inquisitive. If you have a 80 lb. labrador puppy bounding about the house or a kitten climbing the curtains, perhaps you should wait until the animal is more mature and settled before bringing in a feathered friend.

2. Predatory instincts. Some pets just cannot be trusted, period. Others are more laid back. Terrier breeds for example tend to be more predatory and more diligence will be required to keep your bird safe if you own such a dog. As I stated above, I own three dogs. My german shorthair pointer, a "bird dog" is the one I trust the most around my birds. He has a gentle personality, is well trained, and understands the birds in the house are off limits. My two small dogs (chihuhua and chihuaha/rat terrier mix) are not nearly as trustworthy.

3. How obedient are your animals? If you say "no" or "leave it" to your dog, does he listen? Cats that aren't too predatory can be discouraged with a few well timed squirts with a squirt bottle. Some people will put their animals in another room when the bird is out to be safe. Again, you have to know your animals and decide what is the best course of action to keep your bird safe when he is out.

4. Size of the bird. Smaller birds are more flighty/active and their motion tends to attract dogs/cats more. Larger birds such as amazons, african greys, macaws, etc. are a bit more intimidating in their size and stature. A cat is much more likely to go after a parakeet than a blue & gold macaw!

5. Funny story. My black headed caique was out on the hamper in the bathroom while I was getting dressed. My cat had wandered in to see what I was doing. She walked by the hamper where the bird was with her tail sticking up. The caique couldn't resist that tail swinging in her face and promptly chomped down! No problems with the cat and bird after that LOL!! I certainly would not recommend this approach though.

6. Be mindful that dog and cat saliva is toxic to birds. If your dog/cat gets a hold of your bird, take it to an avian vet ASAP for a check up and antibiotics. Even though the bird may look okay, just a small amount of saliva can cause serious problems. I had one customer who's dog got a hold of their bird and everything seemed okay. Two days later the bird became very sick and died. :-(

7. Reptiles are another issue. Remember, in the wild snakes eat birds and their eggs. It can be very disconcerting to your bird to be housed where it has to look at a giant snake all day! Also, wash your hands thoroughly before handling your bird after handling reptiles. Another consideration is safety. If your reptile escapes, can it get into your bird's cage? You'd be surprised the tiny spaces that a large snake can squeeze through. It is best to house reptiles and birds in seperate secure areas.

8. Caging. The large wrought iron cages built for larger birds are very sturdy. It would be difficult for a dog/cat to knock them over. But the smaller parakeet/canary type cages are not as strong and will need to be in a safe place when humans are not around to supervise.

These are just a few helpful tips to make you think when you bring a new feathered companion into your home with other animals. I have found that usually everyone settles in quickly and it takes just a little diligence on the part of the humans to keep things safe for the bird.

Let It Snow!

2009-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Our little caique was intrigued at the snow falling outside yesterday! Yes, that's right. Snow in Texas! We had quite a bit too, enough to cover everything in a beautiful blanket of white. It's rare we actually get snow that sticks around here so when it happens it is quite the event LOL! The cool weather stuck around until this morning (it was 25 degrees this AM), but temperatures have crept back up today and things are getting back to normal for this time of year. Enjoy the pictures!

And it begins....

2009-11-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas music on the radio stations, all the stores are decked out in their holiday glory and people are out and about looking for those after Thanksgiving deals. I love the holidays! Everything is so festive and bright and the crisp cool weather is a welcome change from our hot summers. But the holidays are also a stressful time for many people. All the rushing about and worrying about presents, holiday meals, budgets, party planning, etc. can really take it's toll. This is the time of year when I get phone calls from people about their parrots acting up.

Parrots are flock creatures and are very sensitive to our moods and energy. This is hardwired into them for survival in the flock. In the wild, if a member of the flock gets tense there may be a predator in the vicinity and you can bet the rest of the flock picks up on that real quick. Herd animals are the same way. Ever see a herd of horses out grazing peacefully and then one horse picks up his head and looks intently at something? All of a sudden, the rest of the herd have their heads up and they are looking too. And all are ready to bolt at the slightest sound or movement.

To our parrots, we are their flock. They are very attuned to us and many times can sense that we are stressed before we know it ourselves! If your parrot is acting out by being louder than usual or maybe nipping, take a moment to assess yourself. Birds mirror our energy. My pet quakers are excellent barometers of my energy. If I feel rushed or stressed and try to pick one of them up, I will receive a hard nip every time. Once I slow down, take a deep breath and relax then I can ask them to step up with no problem.

Since we are usually short on time this time of year, we should provide distractions for our parrots to keep them occupied. Just like you would do for a two year old human. This is a good time to rotate those old toys out and replace them with new ones. A sprig of millet spray clipped to the side of the cage works well for smaller birds. For bigger birds, buy a few foraging toys, put some treats in them and let your parrot work for his food. As I have mentioned before, I really like the "foraging sphere" toy for this. Shreddable, tear-up toys keep my yellow nape amazon busy for hours. Frequent showers are another option.Wet birds are more subdued and will spend a lot of time preening after a bath. Trim those flight feathers if needed and allow your bird more out of cage time on his play area. I highly recommend having a safe, outdoor cage for your parrot. I use my outdoor cages almost every day. After spending several hours playing outside, my birds come in relaxed and happy. I personally think it is good for our birds to get away from humans once in a while!

These are just a few suggestions to help you and your parrot maintain sanity during the holidays. If you have some other creative ideas, write a comment and share them with the rest of us!

Fall is here!!

2009-11-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

We have seen some beautiful days here in Texas lately. I just love this time of year! This is also the time when some of our pairs really kick in with their fall breeding season! We are currently hand feeding a clutch of seven parrotlets which should be ready to go home around the end of this month. They are adorable! Both of the young caiques are growing fast and their new owners are waiting anxiously for them to wean so they can bring them home.

We have senegal eggs in the nestbox as well as black headed caique eggs. So there are more babies on the way. Very exciting!

Seed to pellet conversion tip: I have converted quite a few seed "junkies" to pellets successfully. What has worked for me is to offer a very small pellet. I have had the highest success rate with Roudybush (nibbles or crumbles size) or Zupreem Fruit Blend Canary/Finch. For larger birds such as amazons, etc. you can use Roudybush crumbles or Zupreem Fruit Blend Parakeet size. These pellets are very similar in size and texture to a millet seed. Also the bird will eat them while leaning over the bowl just like he is accustomed to doing with seed. I also find the small pellets aren't as intimidating to birds as the larger ones. I wean all my babies to the smaller pellets. There is less waste and the small size is much easier for them to eat. So if you are trying to get your bird to convert to pellets, this tip should make it much easier.

Wing clipping time! This is the time of year where many birds go through their major molt. So please be diligent about checking for those grown-in flight feathers and trim them as necessary. We don't want any escapees during the holidays!

When it rains, it pours

2009-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

I thought this title was appropriate both because of our weather lately (it's rained almost every day for about three weeks now) and my breeding production! I just pulled EIGHT parrotlet babies from the nestbox. Yes, eight from one clutch! They are all such little cuties. The older ones should be ready to go home in about three weeks. The younger ones will need a bit more time. This was the first clutch for the parents and they did a wonderful job! I also have another pair on eggs.

We also have our first african senegal egg! Very exciting! Senegals are a small parrot from the poicephalus family. They are good talkers, playful and mischevious. I'm sure the babies will be a lot of fun! I will be adding a senegal page to my website shortly.

We still have one baby caique available which should be ready to go around the end of November. We also have more eggs in the nest. We are also expecting our normal green cheek conures to start laying eggs soon.

So I guess my breeding pairs did not think I was busy enough and decided to remedy the situation LOL!

Check out my website http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ for more information about the birds we have for sale.

Taking It Slow

2009-10-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hope everything is going well with everyone! Things are gearing up in the aviary. We have one pair of parrotlets with babies in the nest and another pair with eggs on the way. We are handfeeding two beautiful black headed caique babies (available for sale) and I expect more in the upcoming weeks. The normal green cheeks are rested and nest boxes are back up. One of my senegal pairs is showing nestbox activity. Check my website frequently for updates on what birds we have available for sale.

I wanted to take a minute to write about lineolated parakeets. They should really be called lineolated parrots as people confuse the term "parakeet" with "budgie". In the bird world, the term "parakeet" means long tailed parrot. Some examples of other parrots that are referred to as parakeets are quaker or "monk" parakeets, plumhead parakeet, derbyan parakeet and alexandrine parakeets. These birds are all parrots and the alexandrine is a big bird. Including the tail they are about 23 inches long. Okay, so hopefully we got that cleared up.

Linnies are small parrots like I mentioned. They learn to talk quite clearly, hold food in their feet like their larger cousins and are very affectionate. They come in a variety of colors. Their natural calls are wonderful, these birds are not loud. They have calm easy going personalities.

Linnies like to take things slow. I find when handling them, it's best to give them time to think about what you are asking them to do. I also find with young birds, they do best stepping up on a hand that is turned palm up. The increased surface area gives them more security. If they hesitate before stepping up, be calm and just give them a second. You can bring your other hand gently around the back and gently urge them onto your hand to encourage them to move forward. Before long, they will be jumping on your hand to come out!

When you bring your new linnie home, it is best not to handle them too much in the first few days. I tell my customers to take them out once maybe twice per day (maximum) for a period of 30 minutes or so. If your linnie starts to get anxious after 20 minutes, just put him back in his cage. Keep your interactions with him short, slow, calm and quiet. Do not give him too much direct attention. It's best to take him out, put him on your shoulder and "hang out". Go do something quiet while he is on you such as work on the computer, do the dishes or fold laundry. Almost act like the bird is not on you. Be cool and let him observe everything.

I found that when people push their linnies to come out for long play sessions, or force them out of the cage several times per day to handle them during this adjustment period, linnies will become unsure of their new humans and may nip. If a linnie nips, he is telling you he is not comfortable with the way you are handling him. Best to slow down.

After about three days, your linnie will settle in and will want to spend more time with you. This is when they really start to warm up to their new people. It's like everything begins to "click". You will have years to spend with your new linnie. Giving him a chance to settle in for the first few days will go a long way towards establishing a long lasting friendship.

Information Tidbits

2009-10-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

We have two black headed caiques for sale. They are about 10 days old at this point. We are accepting deposits to reserve them until weaned. Caiques are cool birds! Their bright colors and outgoing personalities make them very popular as companions. Check out my caique page on the website http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/caique.htm or feel free to email me for more information.

The Companion Parrot Quarterly is now online. This is an excellent information resource for parrot owners. This site also has message boards and articles. Check it out at http://www.companionparrot.com/

Sometimes I have customers who want to buy a bird, but only want a male. They are afraid that female birds will lay eggs and have problems. In cockatiels and lovebirds, sometimes chronic egg laying can be a problem. But in the majority of parrot species, this is not an issue. Most parrot hens need to have the right stimulation to lay eggs such as a mate, breeding diet, nestbox, etc. My pet yellow nape amazon hen is 16 years old and has yet to lay an egg! So unless you are pairing up birds to breed, gender is not an issue. More important is where you purchase your bird from. A bird that comes from a caring breeder that socializes their birds properly will have the best potential to be a great companion, regardless of gender.

Aviary Happenings

2009-09-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

One of my customers sent me this picture. Is it adorable or what? This parrotlet's name is Tinkerbell and she is ready to take on the world with her little skateboard LOL! I really enjoy it when I receive pictures and updates on my babies. It warms my heart knowing they are well loved.

It's pretty quiet here at the aviary at the moment. The calm before the storm so to speak! I just pulled three lineolated parakeet babies from the nest. They are beautiful, fat and healthy! Looks like the oldest chick is a cobalt, not sure about the other two yet. I will post what colors they are on the website as soon as I know. My black headed caiques are on two eggs. So we should have some caique chicks in a few weeks!

Recently, one of my customers purchased an E-Z Care cage that the manufacturer states is suitable for conures, cockatiels, lories, etc. This cage was for a green cheek conure. When she got the cage set up and the put the bird in it, there was a large space in the bars where the side of the cage and the dometop panel meet. This space was large enough for the conure to escape from! The bar spacing on this cage was 3/4 of an inch. Too large for a small conure and certainly too large for a cockatiel. The gaps I mentioned were quite a bit larger. Luckily, they were home and her husband was able to place wire over the cage to secure the bird inside.

My customer said she will be calling this company and hopefully they will revise their product description and resolve this matter to my customer's satisfaction.

Here are some bar spacing recommendations to guide you when purchasing a cage for your bird:

Finches, budgies, lovebirds, canaries, parrotlets: 1/4" - 1/2"

Cockatiels, ringnecks, small conures (green cheeks, black caps, dusky, etc.): 1/2" - 5/8"

Senegals, caiques, mini macaws, large conures (cherry heads, patagonians, etc.): 5/8" - 3/4"

Goffins cockatoos, african greys, amazons: 3/4" - 1"

Large macaws and cockatoos: 1" - 1.5"

The above is a general guideline. If you have any questions about the correct bar spacing for your particular bird, ask a knowledgeable bird professional to help you. Some cages are built better than others. Be sure the cage does not have dangerous gaps that your bird could escape through or get stuck in. Feel the cage and make sure there are no sharp edges. If you have a choice, the smaller sized recommended bar spacing is usually a safer option.

Foraging Toy Ideas

2009-09-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Seems that the word "foraging" is the new buzz word in the parrot world these days. There are so many new products out to stimulate our birds and get them to tear, shred, solve puzzles, etc. looking for those special treats. Some of these toys are pretty pricey though. Here are some ideas for cheap easy ways to keep your bird busy!

1. Not a household item, but I had to mention this. There is a toy you can buy called the Foraging Sphere. I sell it on my site. It is the coolest toy! It is a clear plastic ball with holes in it on a skewer. You open it up, fill it with chunks of fruit, pellets, etc. put it back together and hang it up. Then your bird works to get the treats through the holes. My couch potato amazon, Tutti went crazy for this toy when I gave it to her the other day! I've never seen that bird so active! LOL! Very economical as you can refill it time and time again. It's also easy to fill so that is a big plus. Good for small conures up to amazons.

2. The tube sock foraging toy. Get a pack of men's tube socks from Walmart. Put some of your bird's favorite treats in it. I like to make sections, by putting in some treats, tying a knot, putting in another set of treats, tie another knot, etc. It helps to stretch out the sock before you do this to add some length. Then poke a hole in the top, use a baby link to hang it and you've got a great foraging toy! Birds that love to chew holes in your shirt will especially like this one!

3. Empty boxes. I take those small empty boxes (such as those from instant jello, 1 serving size cereal boxes, etc.). Put some treats in it, tape it shut and hang it on a parrot skewer. If you don't have a skewer, you can string it up with a piece of leather lace. For bigger birds, try bigger boxes and those Quaker Oat cylinder shape cardboard containers.

4. The parrot skewer (mentioned above). Every bird owner should have at least three of these! I use mine every day! I put old toy parts on them to make a new toy. Skewer chunks of fruit and veggies on them for your bird to gnaw on. Being on a skewer, they won't just pick up a piece of food and drop it. Skewer cheap shreddable items on it for a great shredding toy. Feel free to email me if you need help finding one.

5. Pine cones. One of my amazon's favorites. Get some good size, clean pinecones and sterilize them by placing them on a cookie sheet and heating them in an oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then turn the oven off leaving the pine cones in there until the oven cools (about an hour). Take a screw eye, screw it into the top of the pine cone. Hang with a quick link and you've got a great shredding toy!

6. Small wicker baskets. After the holidays, hobby stores usually put their small wicker baskets on sale. Get only the natural kind. No stain, paint, etc. The dollar store also has these in stock sometimes too. Hang one up with a baby quick link or on a skewer and watch your bird have some fun! Or put two of them together and hide some treats inside to give your bird something to work for.

7. Cupcake wrappers. Put a bunch of these on a skewer or leather lace. Birds like the crinkly texture. Add some plastic beads and/or natural wooden beads to make a neat toy! If you are feeling really creative, take a few of bird's favorite treats and wrap them up. Use a small piece of tape to keep it shut and give to your bird to unravel.

8. Paper bathroom cups. Another great toy! Stack them in different ways and hang by a skewer or leather lace to make a fun shredding toy. Get creative, these can also make great foraging toys!

9. Tamale wrappers. Nice and crinkly! String up with some cupcake wrappers.

10. Lunch paper bags. Put treats in them and make a few "sections" by tying the bag together with some hemp rope (available in the craft section at Walmart). You can double up the bags to make it more challenging.

These are just a few ideas to keep your bird entertained without breaking the bank. I like to incorporate a few homemade toys with my store bought toys. Like most people, I do not have time to make all my bird toys. But making a few toys is fun to do and will help stretch your toy budget. It's also a great activity to share with the kids.

Just a few things....

2009-08-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

We have decided to discontinue manufacturing our Feathered Chef Birdie Bread product. We are concentrating our efforts towards the aviary (breeding) side of the business as that is where our true passion lies. We have found some great alternative products which you can check out at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/breadaa.htm. We especially like the Momma's Birdie Bread products. So many different flavors and made with wholesome ingredients. Give them a try!

We have two turquoise green cheek conures available for sale. They are about 4 weeks old now. Will be ready to go home in about another four weeks. Green cheek conures are such nice birds. They are little clowns that love to play! They make great family pets as they will interact with everyone. The turquoise (blue) mutation is really gorgeous and different. I hope to get some great pictures when they feather out so everyone can see how pretty they are!

Things have slowed down a little which is a nice breather for me, but I have more babies on the way. I have one lineolated parakeet pair on eggs, one parrotlet pair on eggs and my caiques have been mating. So I expect them to be on eggs soon. I post all baby updates on my site, so check the site frequently and feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Unsung Hero

2009-08-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

I want to take time to thank one of the unsung heroes in my life - my husband Pete. He is not really into the birds (a mild understatement LOL), but graciously builds nestboxes, makes repairs, helps socialize babies and is a darn good handfeeder in a pinch! He also does about a million other things around here, but that is for another blog.

Sometimes, our household reminds me of a soap opera. Pete's favorite bird is Tutti, our female yellow naped amazon. Tutti is totally in love with him and will sit with him for hours just preening his hair, doing her little amazon cluck and staring at him like a lovestruck schoolgirl. Tutti definitely thinks of Pete as "her" mate. I am fortunate in that Tutti still remains sweet to me, and the "other" girl in my husband's life is a parrot! LOL!

My husband's household nemesis is my hahns macaw, Green Hornet (Hornet for short). Hornet has a strong bond with me and is very jealous of Pete. They both look at each other with mild disdain but manage to remain civil for my sake. Hornet still tries to get in a good nip when he can though! Pete says when I am not around, Hornet is actually pretty nice to him, but when I return it is back to the status quo!

As bird lovers, we understand that the mess, noise and occasional hormonal behavior is all a part of living with birds. The amazing bond we share with them is worth the extra care they require. But let's not forget our spouses who may not be that into birds, but graciously tolerate our bird crazy lifestyle because they love us and want us to be happy. So go give your spouse a big kiss and a hug. Let him know you appreciate him and remind him that the delicious smelling cornbread cooling on the counter top is for the birds!

New article on website

2009-07-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Well as promised, I have completed my article about the two mourning doves I raised. You can check it out at: http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/Article3.htm

They are doing wonderfully. So big and healthy! I have not raised doves before and this was a really cool experience. Read all about them in the article and see their pictures!

We have been very busy here! Feeding babies and more on the way! We have had two turquoise green cheeks just hatched and expect more on the way. Most of the babies we are currently handfeeding are reserved, but we still have one blue quaker baby available and a gorgeous cobalt male linnie. Let me know if you are interested in these birds. You may email me at parrots4us@sbcglobal.net .

Time Flies!!

2009-07-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been two and half weeks since my last post! Well we have been really busy around here. The mourning doves I mentioned in my last two posts are doing wonderful. They are flying now and are just beautiful! They are out for about four hours a day now. They fly around the yard and barn area and have started to interact with the wild dove flock. Around 3:00, they come to the back door for their afternoon hand feeding and then it's back in the cage so they can practice eating "regular" food and be safely caged for the night. I will be posting an article about the doves on my site very shortly, complete with pictures. I will let you know when it is up.

Babies!! Like I said, we have been busy. Here is what we have now: three normal green cheek conures (two are reserved, one still available). Turquoise green cheek conures on eggs, three blue quaker babies in the box which I will pull in a few more days, three lineolated parakeets (one cobalt male, two green females) and last but not least, two parrotlet babies in the nestbox!! I am keeping my fingers crossed as this is the first time this pair has actually hatched and fed babies. So far so good! Check my website for more information on the birds above at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ or you can email me at parrots4us@sbcglobal.net

Care Tip: I use wicker baskets for portable playstands! The birds love them! I buy them on sale at Michael's at 40-50% off. I wrap the handle in sissel rope hang a toy and it is ready to go! Babies love to hide down in them, older birds love to climb all over them and chew them up. When the basket gets worn out, just throw it away and make a new one! Only purchase natural wicker baskets (no paint, varnish, etc.). Put two or three baskets of various sizes together for a great play area! Having a portable perch enables you to bring your bird to spend time with you while you are doing other things such as working on the computer, getting ready for work, etc. My pet quaker, Baby Blue has graciously volunteered to model for this picture!

Recipe: I got a great idea from a canary/finch breeder for an egg food type recipe that will keep in the cage! Take some very small pellets (I used roudybush breeder nibbles size), and add very finely chopped raw carrots and any other veggie you would like. (I used carrots and broccoli slaw, the kind you buy in a package). Mix thoroughly, put in a tupperware container and stick in the fridge overnight. The next morning, you will have a crumbly mixture that is soft but not mushy. My birds went crazy for this, especially my quakers who are feeding babies right now. This recipe works best with RAW veggies. Always put some carrots in there as they are very nutritious. Some other veggies which would be good are yellow squash, broccoli, zuccini, chopped greens, etc. Remember, all the veggies need to be chopped VERY fine. I used a mini chopper food processor. After several hours on the counter top, I noticed the mix got dry, but did not smell rancid. However, when I put in cooked foods such as hard boiled egg, rice & bean mixes, etc. the mix went rancid fairly quickly. So stay away from adding cooked foods and just use the raw veggies unless you will be taking the food out of the cage within 2 hours.

Pigeons, uhhh I mean doves

2009-06-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

The oldest chick has feathers coming in and after some additional research, it looks like I have a pair of doves, not pigeons. Well, that's a little better! We enjoy the wild doves here and put food in the feeder for them. Not sure what kind these are yet, (I think they are mourning doves) they will have to get some more feathers before I can be sure. I will surely let everyone know! They are doing great, growing fast and eating a ton! I will post some pictures soon.

We have sold all of our normal and turquoise green cheek babies! We have more normal green cheek eggs in the nest though. I've had a lot of interest in this new clutch, so let me know if you want me to hold a baby for you when it hatches. You can email me at parrots4us@sbcglobal.net

We also have a pair of blue quakers sitting on eggs!

Our lineolated parakeet babies are growing fast and I will be pulling them Monday or Tuesday. They are all dark eyes which means no lutinos or creaminos in this clutch. To find out more about these birds, see my lineoleated parakeet page on my website at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/lineolated.htm

Funny Story

2009-06-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

A lady called me from the feed store the other day. She said some landscapers cut down a tree and there was a nest with baby birds in it. She didn't know what they were and wanted to know if I would take them. I get a lot of these types of calls this time of year. Usually, I refer the person to the local wildlife rehab center and or tell them to call Texas Parks and Wildlife. This time, something peaked my interest. I asked what the birds looked like. She said she had no idea what they were, but they had yellow down feathers. Yellow down feathers? I couldn't think of any wild bird in this area fitting that description. I thought maybe they were something cool like wild quaker parrot babies or some unusual songbird. Curiosity got the better of me and I drove down to take a look:

Well, here is what she brought out! Do you know what these are?

I admit, it took me a few minutes too.....

PIGEONS!!!

Well, handfeeding a couple of pigeons was not exactly what I had in mind, but hey, it'll be a neat life experience anyway. My husband says I can add this skill to my resume LOL! Of course, they are not anywhere near my other birds (they are in the barn actually, in a seperate airspace). And quarantine protocol is being followed. They are pretty neat. They eat differently than the parrots do and are actually easier to feed. I'll keep everyone updated on their progress.

Small Talk from the Aviary

2009-05-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

I received an email from the couple who got the cherry headed conure I wrote about in my last blog. He said "TJ" is doing great and spends about two hours per day riding on his shoulder and "helping" around the house. I love happy endings. Way to go!

Our normal green cheek conures are about ready to go. The two older ones are ready now, the two younger ones will need another 10 days or so to finish weaning. They are so much fun! They are all flying now and their favorite pass time is flying to me and riding around on my shoulder snuggled under my hair. They are total velcro birds! We are having so much fun raising the green cheek conures. They are so cute!

We have more normal green cheek conures in the nest. These will be available for wholesale purchase in about two weeks. See my website or email me for details.

Our turquoise green cheek conure babies are doing great! They are just as fat and healthy as can be! I can't wait until they feather out so I can take some pictures and post them on the site! If you are interested in purchasing one of our turquoise babies, please let me know.

I have a pair of linnies sitting on five eggs now. Not sure how many will hatch, but I am keeping my fingers crossed! The parents are both split to different colors so the babies could be almost any color! It's always fun when the babies start to feather out to see what they are.

A Second Chance

2009-05-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Recently, a friend of mine acquired several pairs of african greys from a breeder that was retiring from the business. The couple was older and health issues were making it difficult for them to continue working with birds. Long story short, along with the african greys, there was a cherry headed conure housed in the same aviary. The deal was whoever purchased the greys was to take the conure too and find him a good home. He was approximately 20 years old and a former pet, many years ago. This was not an abused bird in any way. He had a good life in the aviary with the greys. A large cage, fresh air, clean environment and good food. He just had not been handled in many years.

My friend sent me a picture of him and he was gorgeous. Perfect feather. She wanted to find a good home for him. She mentioned although he had not been handled for a long time, he was not afraid of people and was enjoying the scenery at the new location. We discussed this little guy for a while and decided to work together to find a home for him. We both wanted a loving home for this bird and would screen potential owners very carefully.

After being posted on my site for a few days, a couple that I knew contacted me about him. We kept in touch after they purchased a bird from me a while back. They are really neat people and have a natural knack with birds. I was happy they were interested in this bird as they would make a great home for him.

Well they ended up getting the bird and bringing him home. When I contacted them a couple of days later, the bird had already bonded with the husband and was out riding on his shoulder!

I was amazed. Like I said, this couple has a way with birds, but wow! If you think about it, this bird went through some major changes. He was rehomed twice after being in the same location for many years. Strange people, new cage, different food, etc. And remember, this bird had not been handled by a human for a very long time. This conure shows just how resilient birds can be when they are handled with sensitivity, patience and understanding.

This situation got me thinking. Each new day is a blank canvas, a chance to make a fresh start. Many times, simply changing old patterns can make a big difference in your bird's behavior. Every day is a new day. A perfect day for that second chance.

New babies & our views on selling unweaned babies

2009-05-05T14:47:00.001-07:00

We are so excited! We are hatching our first clutch of turquoise green cheek conures! All the wonderful qualities of the green cheek conure in a gorgeous jewel tone color! We have just started breeding these adorable conures and can honestly say we love these little birds! They are a great size (about the size of a cockatiel, but slightly bulkier), are not "squawky" and are little cuddle bugs! We also breed normals and hope to have some pineapple babies soon. Visit our website for more information.

Sometimes we get asked if we sell unweaned babies to individuals with little or no handfeeding experience. The answer is no, we do not. Regardless of what you may have heard or been told, handfeeding baby birds is a laborious process that requires skill and the proper equipment to do properly. There is more to it than squirting some food into the baby bird's beak! Proper care must be taken not to aspirate the bird. The formula must be fed at the correct temperature. The baby must be maintained at a carefully controlled temperature. No, a heating pad is not sufficient and many baby birds have died from being overheated by them!

Most buyers do not know the early signs of a problem and by the time they recognize there is one, it is usually too late. Would you know if your baby had a yeast infection in it's crop? What would you do if the crop failed to empty? What is the correct temperature to maintain a chick just out of the nest? How should the chick be contained? What are the signs of a bacterial infection? How much formula should be given to the chick and how many times per day? What is the best way to wean a baby bird and what foods should be given at this critical time? When is the chick ready for a cage? When do you trim the flight feathers and at what age? And this is just the start.

Quality, professional breeders have spent years honing their skills and apprenticing under other breeders to learn the proper techniques to raise baby birds correctly. We spend a lot of money on continuing education in the form of seminars, conferences, books, etc. (there is always more to learn) and the proper equipment (brooders, incubators, thermometers, etc.).

As for us personally, we are not "production" breeders. We raise a limited number of babies so we can give each one the individual attention they deserve. Watching our babies grow into beautiful adults makes all the sleepless nights and hard work worthwhile. We care about each baby we sell and want the best for it and the new owner.

And just from a strictly financial point of view, unweaned babies in general do not come with a health guarantee. There are too many things that can go wrong with unweaned babies and breeders/handfeeders know this. That means the buyer has no financial recourse if the bird is sick or dies after you bring it home! Is it really worth it?

Parrot Care Tip - Power Outage

2009-04-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

We had a really bad storm hit us last night and every breeder's nightmare came true. Our power went out. Not just for a few minutes, but for eight hours! Luckily, I did not have any eggs in the incubator or really young chicks. Otherwise, we would have had to drag out the generator and hook it up. So I heated water for formula the old fashioned way (on the stove) and fed by the light of candles and a flashlight.

I did have two babies in a brooder that needed to be kept warm. So I decided to try something. The chicks were in a bowl inside the brooder. I placed two hot hands packets a few inches away from the bowl, on the floor of the brooder. Let me say again, the packets were NOT in the bowl with the chicks nor did they have any contact with the bowl that the chicks were in. (I want to be very clear on that point).

The two packets kept the brooder at 87 degrees and the chicks were very comfortable. After four hours, the hot hands packs were still going strong. I exchanged the old ones out with two new ones anyway so I could get some rest and not worry about it. These worked well to provide the little bit of heat that I needed.

A note about the hot hands packs. They get very hot (up to 158 degrees) and should be used with extreme caution. They are decent to use in a pinch to heat the AREA around the chicks. Never put them underneath chicks or where the chicks will have direct contact with them. Even when wrapped in a thick towel or underneath inches of bedding, these small packs can generate enough heat to overheat or even kill your little ones. So be careful!

Speaking of babies. We have two normal green cheek conures still available! We are handfeeding them now and will accept a deposit to hold them until they are weaned. Contact me through my website for more information.

Welcome!

2009-04-23T15:39:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our new blog! Here I will be posting updates on what's happening at the aviary, online specials, parrot care tips, recipes, etc. Feel free to send comments and I hope you find this blog interesting and informative!