Bird Talk

13/05/2024

Do you struggle to get your bird to eat their veg?
Here are some tips!

🥕Start by mixing a small amount of veggies into your birds regular diet. Your bird may not recognise the vegetales as food if they have never eaten them before, but they may get a taste for it while foraging through the veggies to get to their regular food :)

🥦If your bird is big on seeds, try offering vegetables that mimic a seed such as sprouts, broccoli and corn

🌽Try not only offering a variety of vegetables, but also a variety of preparations! Play with different textures, sizes, consistencies and temperature. Some birds like large food pieces that they can hold and break pieces off of, while others prefer bite sized bits. Discover your birds preferences and go from there.

15/06/2023

Lets talk diets!

There is a common misconception that the only food your feathery friends need is "bird seed" :(

This is certainly not the case! All bird species have certain dietary needs, and commercial bird seed is not often sufficient.

Luckily for bird owners, there are quality commercial diets available for purchase that are specifically formulated to meet these needs - much the same as commercial cat and dog food.

For my Indian Ringnecks, a base diet of quality maintenance pellet meets their needs, with some fresh veg, fruit and treats on the side

Pictured here is miss Pluto, who is a clear fan of the vetafarm maintenance pellets! :D

Learn more about avian nutritional needs and create your birds perfect dietary plan when you book a husbandry consultation with Bird Talk

12/06/2023

Did you know I am also a wildlife rehabilitator? :)
Whats your favourite native bird?

Wildlife nurse Hannah Franklin shares the story of Paddington, the brown falcon, who was found tangled in netting and unable to use his legs.

05/06/2023

Too much love?!

That’s right, there is such thing as too much love 💔

While it might look cute to have a companion bird that is TOTALLY obsessed with you, it may be doing more harm than good for feathered friend.
Parrots in particular take relationships very seriously, and will pick up on signs of respect and affection that you may not even realise you are giving them!

When our companion birds form a relationship with us, they view us as a part of their flock, and even as a potential mate.

Just like us, many birds find unrequited love rather upsetting!
This can lead to behavioural problems such as aggression, self mutilation, nesting and may even lead to egg laying!

16/05/2023

Many species of birds are social by nature and enjoy time as part of a flock. Smaller birds such as canaries, finches, and budgerigars can often be kept together in a large cage providing social interactions with their kind. Larger birds are usually housed separately from each other but can still enjoy having other birds in the environment. Often, the humans in the home are the bird’s “flock” so we need to make sure they are truly part of the family. Rather than petting your bird excessively, as this can be interpreted as mating behavior, we recommend including your bird in daily activities, providing foraging opportunities, and working on trick training with your bird. Visit our blog for more enrichment tips: https://www.aav.org/blogpost/1778905/AAV-Enrichment-Tips

13/05/2023

A little heartwarming story for Mother’s Day 💕
If you don’t already know, birds are as emotionally and intelligently complex as human children

09/05/2023

For those who knew Dr James Harris, it is our time to say goodbye and thank you…

James, you are one of the few key people who have defined my career. Through both difficult and great times at your Mayfair veterinary clinic, I will not forget or understate your influence.

For those of you who didn’t know him, James did incredible things for the advancement of avian medicine.

Here’s just a glimpse ~

James Harris knew he wanted to be a vet when he was six years-old, and growing up in the US as a British evacuee during World War ll. He never deviated from this youthful decision, but neither did …

02/05/2023

If you love plants AND birds, then Nell has a message for you:

Not all house plants are safe! ⚠️

Birds may suffer from toxicity when they ingest or even just chew on the wrong plants 🌱

With limited resources available about EVERY single house plant, we like to keep things simple in our house - no plant chewing!! None at all!!

This also means no unsupervised lounge room/kitchen time… because that’s where the plants live, and because birds do not follow the rules 😈

24/04/2023

Take note!! Nurse Cody knows what’s up

22/04/2023

Hi, I’m Hannah!

I am your Bird Talk avian behaviour/husbandry consultant 🤍

I started Bird Talk as a way of sharing my passion and knowledge for avian wellbeing.

As a bird owner in Tasmania, I struggled to find the local support and guidance I needed to make the most of my life with my bird companions.

Now, as a senior & registered veterinary nurse, specialising in avian nursing, husbandry, nutrition, preventative health care and behaviour, I am here to help you with all of your birdy needs!

28/03/2023

BIRD TALK is here, and we want to get to know you! (and your birds) 🦜
Introduce us to your birds in the comments ⬇️

20/03/2023

Meet my flock! (prt 3)

Kuiper!

Species: Indian Ringneck

Personality: Happy-go-lucky, connoisseur of fine foods, showman & musician, over confident, fancy boi

Kuiper was adopted into our family after his previous owner became allergic to his feather dander. He is a happy boy who loves to try new sounds and new foods!

We were uncertain what his previous diet consisted of, but he quickly adjusted to a healthy pellet based menu supplemented with low energy fresh produce (yum!)
At first, he was very shy and hid his personality :( But after a lot of patience and love, he has become quite the cheeky, confident character 💜

18/03/2023

Meet my flock! (Prt 2)

Pekeeto! 🦖

Species: Hahns Macaw

Personality: Chatty, cuddly, bit of a mummas girl, always tangled in my hair and loves to have a laugh.

Pekeeto came into my life by chance, from a call out for a “wild bird” rescue. Pekeeto talks a lot, using many of her words in context! She is also a lover of heavy metal music.

Since adopting Pekeeto, we have overcome feather plucking, a fear of hands 👋🏻 and we continue to work on correcting her aggression to strangers.

16/03/2023

Meet my flock! (prt 1.)

Introducing Pluto 💕

Species: Indian Ringneck

Personality: Highly intelligent, bossy, demanding, pretty and she knows it, always finds a way to get what she wants

Pluto is an intelligent girl who knows what she wants. With the help of treat based motivation, Pluto can perform a number of tricks from “Play dead” to packing groceries into her bird sized shopping trolley.

Challenges we have overcome together include: negative breeding behaviours, aggression and “food tossing”

13/03/2023

Welcome to Bird Talk!

Are you a bird owner? Do you want to create a balanced and peaceful home for you and your bird/s? Then look no further!
Bird Talk offers in home consulting tailored to you.

Whether you are looking to improve your relationship with your bird, correct harmful behaviour, or are a new bird owner looking for guidance, we are here to help!

Direct message us or Email Hannah at [email protected] for bookings and enquiries 🦜

Your Bird Talk consultant,
Hannah Franklin