Paula's Bird Grooming

05/29/2024

🌞🌻🫐SUMMER IS HERE!!🍓🥦🦜
The temptation to take our feathered frends outside for some sunshine and fresh air is HUGE! I am not an advocate of taking our pet exotic birds outdoors but if you can't be convinced, please, please remember these things......
1) Don't venture outside unless wings have been recently and PROPERLY clipped and preferably, your bird is wearing a birdie harness and leash. Make sure your groomer knows of your intention to take your bird outside. A slight breeze can give an otherwise flightless bird, just enough lift for them to take flight. I promise you that I hear heart breaking stories every day in my business. I never say "I told you so" but I'm heartbroken to think it.
2) Birds can overheat easily in direct sun. Keep them in the shade. Remember, our birds may be "tropical" but they live inside. Even in the wild, exotic birds seek the comfort and shade of the jungle canopy in the lush rain forests. They don't sun bathe!
3) Avoid out door excursions during times when mosquitoes are active (early morning and later, from dusk on.) West Nile virus ,among other mosquitoe-borne illnesses, claim the lives of many birds each year both wild and exotic alike.

Summer time is perfect for taking your cages and perches outside for a good and thorough cleaning with a hose or powerwasher. A dilute bleach solution is perfect for disinfecting your cage. Don't attempt this while the bird is in the cage!!! You would be surprised how many do! Allow the cage and perches to dry completely in the sunshine before bringing them indoors and returning your feathered friends to their sparkling home! Time for new toys too???? :-)

It is also the season for fruit and veggies in abundance!!! Remember to wash them well before serving them up. Fresh kale and spinach are especially vitamin packed and blue berries are rich in antioxidants!

Happy summer to my feathered friends and their keepers!!!
Don't let these famous last words be yours!
1. He doesn't know how to fly.
2. It's so cruel to clip their wings.
3. She never leaves my shoulder.
4. He's never attempted to fly in all the years I've owned him.

If you think it can't happen to you, it will.

05/21/2024

Unfortunately, I've seen cases nearly this bad. So sad.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/35er1G9BFdrCBnxX/?mibextid=oFDknk

04/26/2024

****USE UTMOST CARE WHEN CATCHING YOUR BIRD***

This is a very difficult post for me. I have a wonderful and loving bird client family who experienced a terrible tragedy recently and I thought I'd share a bit about their accident for purposes of educating my followers.
Often times, even the most tame and confiding pet birds, can become skittish and difficult to catch once the pet carrier appears. They're so smart and often associate the carrier with a trip to the vet or to the groomer. In some cases, the sight of the carrier or even a towel, signals that the chase is on!
The easiest way to catch them might be to toss a towel over them to keep them from flying about and escaping beneath furniture and such. Once they are covered with a towel, you must use EXTREME CAUTION to ascertain the position of their wings beneath the towel. Assuming they are still positioned belly down, make sure the wings are folded against their sides and then gently work the towel around their bodies and under their belly. Do not exert excessive pressure on their wings as wing bones are quite fragile and can easily fracture.
Sadly, this is what happened to this little guy. Once the bone fractured, it pierced through the skin causing a laceration and may have pierced his airsac as well. Initially, it appeared that an amputation of the wing was indicated and he would recover. Upon further assessment, it was determined that his airsac was indeed compromised and hopes for a meaningful recovery appeared grim at best. A smaller fracture of the other wing was also detected. After a very painful discussion with their Avian vet, it was decided that the best option was to put their little buddy to sleep.
These kinds of accidents happen. They are tragic but they are moments that teach us valuable lessons.
When catching your bird who may be aggressive or overly excited and if you're using a towel, use a lighter weight towel so that you can still "feel" your bird beneath the fabric. You must be able to feel the orientation of their body, and most importantly, their wings. These MUST be folded against their bodies. Once they are properly "papoosed" in the towel, be careful not to squeeze their wings. Transfer them to the carrier and loosen the towel allowing them to crawl out. NEVER USE GLOVES! I've seen a wing fracture on a macaw when heavy gloves were used to catch it. You have zero dexterity and excessive force is likely to have a catastrophic result.
Have your vet, your bird groomer or an experienced bird owner show you how to safely catch your bird if you are inexperienced. Accidents happen but the heartbreak that accompanies them is unbearable. ❤️

04/07/2024

Be careful and pay attention to their nails! Overgrown nails can easily become tangled in toys, ropes and fabrics.

03/22/2024

Eggs and Meat???
Here are two very interesting posts that I came across recently by Eclectus Parrot expert, Laurella Desborough and a counter point by world renowned Aviculturist, Tony Silva. I've always fed the occasional hard boiled egg and bits of cooked meat to my birds. Not frequently but maybe once or twice a month. I'll certainly monitor more carefully, the frequently with which I feed these now. This issue seems more prevalent in the Eclectus Parrot than in the Amazon, African and other South American species.

Laurella Desborough authors the Eclectus Ark
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Tb5Qmf7LPSetfJDX/?mibextid=oFDknk

This is Tony Silva's post...

There has recently been a series of posts on meat and egg being evil components of the parrot diet. Overgeneralization, lack of field experience and a poor understanding of aviculture are often behind these charged comments. Many parrots consume meat in the wild. Kea and the Antipodes Parakeets will eat mammalian and bird flesh. These observations are well documented. In Brazil I have seen Amazons come and take fish from drying water bodies. The first time I observed this was in the Anavilhanas Archipelago in the Amazon. Hundreds of Festive Amazons Amazona f. festiva were taking the dying tetras for food. Across South America many species will descend on drying cow hides to feed on bits of flesh and fat. In fact the first time I saw Nanday Conures in Formosa, Argentina, the birds were hanging from a suspended cow hide picking on whatever protein remained. The cow had been recently slaughtered. Eggfood has been the backbone of European aviculture for over 100 years. It has been fed to countless generations of Australian parrots and parakeets as a key component to the rearing diet. This food allowed many species to survive when their only other dietary component was seeds. Today the Australian parrots so widely exported from Europe were often reared on some level of egg food. I was able to breed Gang Gang Cockatoos only after giving them animal protein. I started this after I watched them hunt and devour a mouse. In short I do not condone feeding meat or egg to all species but a blanket statement is wrong. Eggfood can be part of the diet of many birds as it has for a century and some species do require animal protein to thrive.

03/20/2024

When the pandemic hit and I was forced to do all bird grooming in my car, I purchased this small carrier from Chewy. It is perfect for the job! Clients retrieve it from me, put their bird in it and return to my car for grooming! It's lightweight, it has easy-access top load, and it's easy to wipe down with disinfecting wipes. The small size is perfect for Conures, Greys, Amazon's and smaller Cockatoos. Its affordable and perfect for trips to the vet or trips out to your groomers car!😜

09/21/2023

Hysterical!!!

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1256234158425203?mibextid=JaMxv1

09/09/2023

Keeping your birds separated has many safety benefits especially with species that are of significantly different sizes.
This is a picture of a fairly new client. This little Quaker Parrot suffered a traumatic injury during an encounter with a much larger and more aggressive parrot that left his beak permanently disfigured. The fracture injury extends beyond the growth plate and the fracture of the bottom mandible will never heal. There will always be a dislocated split in the right lower beak but frequent trimming and maintenance will allow him to live a relatively normal life and eat with minimal difficulty. This was his second grooming and I only wish I had gotten a picture of my first visit. We have made enormous progress in reshaping what was a grossly disfigured mandible. This boy was lucky to have been rescued by a caring owner who is committed to keeping up with his beak maintenance. I love my job!

09/06/2023

So fitting...

08/10/2023

ATTENTION BIRD OWNERS!
The first recorded case of West Nile Virus for 2023 has been recorded in Wilmington, Delaware.
Avoid taking your pet birds outdoors during hours of peak mosquito activity. This includes early morning hours, at dusk and on into evening, and cloudy or overcast days.
I've experienced several occasions over the past years when clients have lost their beloved pets to West Nile. Be wise and be safe. ❤️

05/13/2023

As a bird groomer, I sometimes see the most extreme cases of neglect. I can only hope that my interventions are done in time to help these poor birds.😔

03/27/2023

I'm seeing all sorts of cute videos of puppies and birds playing. I love puppies and I love birds but I cringe every time I see these videos and the thousands of responses that like them. They are far too fragile for this type of play. One misplaced paw or puppy nip can end the life of the bird. They're NOT toys and it's such a dangerous game to be playing with them. Please join me in educating the public about how dangerous these "cute" but potentially deadly play sessions really are. Losing a pet bird because of carelessness is a bitter lesson to learn.

10/31/2022

REMINDER!!!
Many years ago, one of my clients lost all 3 of her birds when her husband put a couple hotdogs in a teflon-coated sauce pan and forgot them on the stove. The water boiled out and the saucepan over heated emitting deadly fumes. My client got home from work and walked in her house noticing the unattended pan on the stove. She quickly removed the pan to the sink and then she heard her Military Macaw fall from his perch to the bottom of his cage. He died before she could reach him. Her African Grey and Cockatiel were already gone. To say she was devastated is an understatement and her husband struggles with the guilt to this day. What's interesting is that the pan hadn't even started smoking yet. There really weren't fumes that she could readily detect. The point being that these deadly fumes occur before we can even smell them!
Stovetop and oven liners are teflon coated. Just like teflon-coated cookware, they emit fumes that are lethal to our birds when they are overheated. Avoid them at all cost! Also avoid the nonstick foil for the same reason. Glade plug-ins, scented candles or other air fresheners that heat essential oils are believed to be dangerous to our birds as well. The fumes emitted from our ovens during self-cleaning cycles can be deadly. Spraying perfumes, colognes or deodorants in the vicinity of your birds can be deadly. Self-cleaning ovens can be deadly. Clean your ovens during warmer months when you can open your windows and place an exhaust fan in a window to help remove fumes. The respiratory systems of our avian friends are far more sensitive than our own. Lest we forget that Canaries were used in coal mines to detect deadly gasses. If they dropped dead, the miners exited the mines!

08/07/2022

:D

06/06/2022

https://fb.watch/dtIV25YHkb/

03/08/2022

Keep an eye on your birds nails. When they over grow and curl around, they can get hung up on cage bars causing all kinds of problems!

02/08/2022

Bird brain???? Maybe this man could use one!

01/31/2022

Oh, dear!

10/07/2021

09/16/2021

09/16/2021

Yum!

08/28/2021

Hahaha!!!🎵🎶🎵🎶

06/27/2021