No quick fixes

I have received quite a few calls lately from people who have purchased parrots from less than reputable sources that want quick fix behaviorial advice. When I ask them why they are not contacting the person they purchased the bird from, I am told the person who sold them the bird either will not return their calls, or basically told them it's your problem now. First and foremost I want to say that is so important to purchase a bird from a reputable, knowledgeable person. Either a quality bird store, or a highly recommended breeder is the best way to go. Both of these sources will offer expert advice, a health guarantee and will be available to help you after the sale. Both of these sources also care about their reputation and want to be sure that their customers are satisfied with their purchase.
Customers who purchase my birds, are offered free support for the lifetime of their bird. They are welcome to contact me anytime with questions. I feel it is important that my customers know they can call me for knowledgeable advice if they need it, and not have to resort to going online to a free  "chat board" where the advice is usually questionable at best. As the breeder, I have a lot of insight regarding my babies as I know their genetics, early history and worked with the customer very closely during the sale process. This background information is helpful when a question arises. 

Unfortunately, I do not have this sort of information on birds that I did not raise. To help someone with a bird I am not familiar with, I have to ask many questions, look at pictures (or go to the home if necessary), find out if the bird has seen a vet, etc., etc. It is not enough to tell me "I bought a green bird from some guy two weeks ago and now he is biting me".  It would be extremely irresponsible for me to give advice without obtaining as much background information as possible. Yet, people think I can just rattle off a quick fix and all will be better. Well, when trying to change a behavior, it just doesn't work like that.

Some people are not interested if I cannot offer a quick fix solution immediately. They are also not interested in doing any type of work on the relationship, and/or don't want to pay for a consultation. This saddens me as with just a little bit of work and some time, the relationship could probably be improved substantially. But in retrospect, if these people had purchased a bird from a quality source in the first place, from a seller who takes the time to educate their customers (which may have meant spending a few dollars more), they would not be having these issues in the first place.

If price is your only consideration when shopping for a feathered companion who has the potential to live with you for 20-40 years, then you will get what you pay for. Cheap equals low quality and low service, no matter what you buy. Quality always costs a little more, because more time, quality materials, workmanship and effort has gone into the final product. Quality also lasts. A well bred, healthy bird raised by a knowledgeable, caring professional will have the head start it needs to be a successful companion for many years.

If you do need help, it's better to address the problem sooner rather than later. Habits become more and more entrenched over time. People are often amazed what a few conversations over the phone or a couple of training sessions can accomplish if an issue is addressed quickly.

I had a woman call me several years ago who was given an eclectus parrot. She was not familiar with this species and wanted to learn how to take care of this bird correctly. The bird came to her in terrible shape from a poor diet and inappropriate caging. After one consultation, she called me about a week later and told me how much better her eclectus was doing. She wrapped his perches (which were too big for his feet) with vetwrap so he could grip better and changed his diet to what I recommended. She said he was moving around better, playing more and loving his new diet which included lots of healthy, fresh foods. She was able to handle him easily and they were becoming fast friends. She even sent me pictures so I could see the improvements for myself. Here is an example of how just a little bit of education and effort can make a big difference!

Birds in the Media: Blue & Gold Macaw on "The Millers"

I'm not normally a fan of network tv sitcoms, but the other night, the show "The Millers" aired a re-run episode with a blue and gold macaw in it. The episode name was "Giving the Bird". Obviously this is main stream media, so the bird care information was not exactly 100% correct to say the least, but it was better than what I normally see on tv. The bird's cage was a decent size (although there were no toys in it which I would have liked to have seen, and just one perch). The bird also had a minor plucking issue which I thought was interesting. I wonder if this bird maybe was a pet that belonged to one of the staff members of the show?

 

The premise of the episode was that the mother gave the bird to a neighbor many years ago, as she felt the children were not responsible enough to handle it's care. She told the kids that it flew out the window. The kids, now adults, were reunited with the bird while trick-or-treating at the neighbor's home (this was a Halloween episode). They blamed the mother for lying to them about the bird, claimed they loved it and told the mother she was wrong to do what she did. Not to be proven wrong,  the mother proceeded to bring the bird back. She told the kids "here is your bird, here is a list of foods and recipes that the bird likes, and have fun as these birds can live up to 60 years".

 

And here is when the fun started....

 

The part that made me laugh was when they were complaining about how much work it was to take care of the bird. One character was standing over a pot in the kitchen saying she had to cook "special noodles" for the bird every day (Crazy Corn perhaps?) and if they weren't cooked exactly right, the bird would throw the food out of the cage and get diarrhea. They mentioned how expensive it was to take this bird to the exotic vet and they had to give him eyedrops which cost $200/bottle. They complained that they had to constantly clean around the bird's cage. Then the bird remembered being back in his old home and started repeating the insults the ex-wife used to tell the husband (laugh). There's more, but those were some of the highlights.

 

In all, yes this show was pretty silly. But the one thing I liked about the episode, was how it showed the viewers that it takes EFFORT and COMMITMENT to take on the care of a bird. A few comments made during the show such as the mother saying "honestly who would give a child a parrot as a pet!", and her mentioning the long potential lifespan were woven into the storyline. Another part showed an empty cage of which it was explained that one of the characters brought the bird upstairs with her to spend time with it.

 

Although not perfect, this was a pleasant change from what we normally see in mainstream media; a bird in a small cramped cage eating birdseed. I thought it was funny, because as bird owners we don't see the care of our birds as work. But non-bird people look at us and all we do for our birds and think we are crazy! Obviously one of the writers knew someone who owned a bird and incorporated his view of the bird's care routine, and an educational message about responsibility into the episode. I got a nice chuckle from it.

 

The bird did end up back with the neighbor woman at the end of the episode, so it ended well :-)

 

 

Higgins Inca Bean Salad Review: Update

This morning, I mixed the cooked Higgins Inca Bean Salad in with my veggie mix.

For the babies in the nursery this morning, I mixed it approximately 50/50 with my veggie mix:

The babies seemed to eat it okay:

For my pet and aviary birds, who are used to a chopped veggie mix and not so much cooked foods, I went heavier on the veggies. I like the way this mix turned out:

The pet and aviary birds ate this mix very well. Since my birds are used to a chopped mix, adding the Higgins did not change the appearance of it very much. All in all, just as I mentioned in my last post, this mix makes a nice healthy addition to my regular chopped veggie mix. I feel it makes a nutritious, base for a "mash" recipe or could be served alone if you have a bird that enjoys cooked foods.  The nice thing about it is it all the ingredients are pre-mixed and it is quick to prepare. This mix can also be frozen in portions to thaw out for future meals.  

Higgins Wordly Cuisine Review: Inca Bean Salad

My poor neglected blog LOL! Time passes quickly here at the aviary! Our facebook page is active, with new people joining every day! We welcome you to be part of it as well. Just to go our site at www.almostangelsaviary.com and click on the Facebook link. See you there!

Higgins Worldly Cuisine Inca Bean Salad Review:

I'm always looking for nutritious foods that our birds will enjoy and that are easy for our customers to prepare once they bring their new babies home. I saw the new Higgins Worldy Cuisine cook and serve mixes and thought I'd give them a try. I purchased three flavors: Inca Bean Salad, Passage to India and Mundo Brazil. This review is for the Inca Bean Salad.

Here is the ingredient list: Quinoa, Pearled Barley, Carrot Granules, Pre-Cooked Black Beans, Pre-Cooked Sweet Corn, Pre-Cooked Lentils, Dried Celery, Pre-Cooked Garbanzo Beans, Pre-Cooked Navy Beans, Dried Parsley, Pre-Cooked Pinto Beans, Potato Dices, Pre-Cooked Red Kidney Beans, Dehydrated Sweet Pepper, Rosemary, Tomato Flakes, Dried Kelp, and Vegetable Broth.

Here's a picture of the dry mix:

Higgins Inca Bean Salad Dry

It was easy to prepare. I just followed the package directions. The veggies and beans are freeze dried so it cooked quickly. No need to soak beans overnight! It was ready in about 10 minutes.

Here's what it looked like after it was cooked:

Higgins Inca Bean Salad Cooked

My taste testers were Cricket (meyers parrot) and some babies in the nursery: 2 jardines and a black headed caique.

I fed this mix in the afternoon, which is not their normal time for soft foods (I feed my veggie mix in the morning), but what the heck, I wanted to see if they liked it.

Cricket ate a little bit, but overall did not act too impressed. The caique nibbled on some as well. The jardines (the youngest birds in this group) ate the most and seemed to enjoy it.

For my birds, I think rather than serving it as is, it would make a nice bean/grain base to which other items could be added (for example defrosted frozen and freshly chopped vegetables, etc.) It is a "wet" mix so it should not be left in the cage for more than a few hours.

I'm going  to add this to my veggie mix tomorrow morning. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Overall, I would give this product a thumbs up.

Cool Playstand!

One of my customers, who recently purchased a blue quaker parrot from me sent me photos of a great playstand he made for his new feathered family member. Anyone who has purchased a bird from me knows I emphasize using rope perches and wrapping slippery perches/play areas with vetwrap and/or sissel to give young birds good grip. Young birds on slippery perches will slip and fall, destroying their confidence. This lack of confidence causes a young bird to not move around the cage like it should and can even cause stress related behaviors such as screaming and feather plucking.
I was so impressed with this stand, I wanted to share it with others. :-)

Jerry told me the following about the stand he made: "It was made from 1/2" PVC pipe. It is 41" tall by 20" wide. Wrapped in natural sisal rope and vet wrap. This includes swing, perch, sisal rope ladder, and a treat dish. The whole project excluding the toys cost approx. $35. Savings based on internet price is about $100!!!!!"

If anyone is interested, it was constructed with about 15ft of the 1/2" PVC pipe. 4 - 45 degree elbows, 8 - 1/2" PVC caps, 6 - T PVC fittings, 5 - 90 degree elbows, 1 cross fitting, 1 1/4" PVC cap, pack of sisal rope, 2 rolls of vet wrap."

This was a family project. Jerry and his 9 year old son built the stand, and his wife helped wrap it in sisal and vetwrap. That's a lot of wrapping LOL!

Quaker parrot "Fisher" enjoying his new playstand. His owner, Jerry did a tremendous job! Note how Jerry wrapped all the surfaces with both vetwrap and sissel rope so his baby could climb and play without slipping.

A food cup allows Fisher to grab a snack when he gets hungry.



With the surfaces wrapped, Fisher can climb and play anywhere on his stand. Look at how he is playing with this toy while perching at an angle. This baby has plenty of confidence due to the grippable surfaces.

A sissel rope ladder adds a fun dimension to this already great play area!

TWRC Help for Wildlife (www.twrc-houston.org)

It's that time of year again! The sun is out, the weather has warmed up and the wild animals and birds are very active getting ready for breeding season.

Today, I was driving and saw a green slider turtle in the road. I have a soft spot for turtles. I think they are so cute! I just hate when I see them trying to cross busy streets. Most get injured or killed. I think it must be terrifying for these peaceful slow creatures to have to cross hot pavement with cars whizzing by and over them. If at all possible, I will stop and help them across the street or will pick them up and relocate them to a safe area where there are other turtles.

The turtle I was helping today unfortunately had been injured. There was blood. I saw a laceration on his front foot, and he had a serious eye injury. Otherwise, the shell and the rest of his body looked okay. I thought with some medical attention he could probably be fixed up and released. This was a job for a wildlife rehabber. Time to make a drive to the TWRC.

TWRC stands for Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coahilition. These hardworking state certified volunteers (you must be certified to take in wildlife - owning a native animal/bird is illegal) nurse injured wildlife back to health with the optimum goal of re-releasing them. Most people although well intentioned, do not have the expertise to this properly. Please, for the animal's sake, if you find injured wildlife bring it to the experts!

I had not been to their new location. It is really nice! Much bigger than the old location. They have a really neat reception area where a few of their permanent wildlife residents are kept. I got to see a wild squirrel up close as well as several reptiles and even owls! The staff is friendly and helpful.

Since it is run by volunteers they have limited operating hours. I suggest if you find an injured animal or bird, give them a call before driving over. Their phone message gives you instructions in what to do with the animal until you can get it some help.

Their new location is at 10801 Hammerly. It is right off I-10/Beltway 8 North. I am in Richmond (West of Houston past Katy) and I was there and back in an hour. I think most people in the Houston area could get there in about 30 minutes or less.

The TWRC is funded solely by donations, which are tax deductible. If you bring an animal/bird there for help, please give them a donation to help with the cost of it's care if you are able. Any amount you can spare will be graciously accepted. You can also donate online through their website! Again, any amount will help to keep this fine organization running. You never know when you might need them!

They also have youth and educational outreach programs available. See their website for more information:  http://www.twrc-houston.org/

An easy way to prepare sweet potato for your bird

Everyone knows that cooked sweet potato is very nutritious for parrots. I found it to be kind of pain to prepare though. I would steam them in the microwave and one part would get too mushy while another section would hardly be cooked. And peeling the skin from the cooked flesh was messy.

I found a way to cook sweet potatoes in the microwave and they come out great! Super easy too.

1. Wash the sweet potatoes well (I scrub them with soap and water and rinse well). Then peel.

2. Dice the potatoes to the size your birds prefer. I dice mine to about 1/4 of an inch or so. Similar in size to the diced carrots in the frozen veggie mixes, maybe just slightly larger.

3. Place the diced potatoes in a microwave safe dish and spread them evenly. Do not add any water. Cover loosely with a lid to allow the build-up of steam while cooking. Do not "snap on" the lid. You don't want the dish to explode! Again no need to add water. The water content naturally contained in the sweet potato will provide just enough steam for cooking.

4. Cook in the microwave on high heat for about 2-3 minutes per potato. I suggest you check it after two minutes and then cook more as needed. You want the dices cooked "al dente"  not overdone.

5. Once cooked allow them to cool and serve. Place leftovers in the fridge. I add these dices to my veggie recipes for added nutrition. Weaning babies especially love the soft texture and mild sweetness.

I think this would probably work with pumpkins too. I'll have to try this when the fall pumpkins arrive!