Hidden Hollow Aviary

21/06/2024

A great callout and reminder to check your toys! Safety is paramount, and that is why we only make our perches, swings, and toys with the highest quality components we can❤️

22/05/2024

Hi everybody! Hope you've all been keeping well❤️We've had a quiet but productive year since our last post, and I'm glad to be back now with some exciting updates😊

- I'll have some upcoming bird intros, as we've added new pairs and species to our program!

- Spring has officially sprung for our mooncheeks, who are currently tending to a clutch of eggs! Fingers crossed we end up with a few peeps before too long!

- I've recently decided to make some of my handmade bird swings available for purchase - you can view them, and all of their details, on our site: https://www.hiddenhollowaviary.com/store

Questions? Comments? New bird friends to show off? Leave a comment or send us a message, we'd love to hear from you!

And finally - anyone remember this girl? She was one of our IRN babies from last spring, and she was such a lovely little ham right from the start that I just had to hang onto her - her name is Navi, and she's made the perfect addition to our personal crew🥰

27/06/2023

We've got some babies weaning soon! IRNs are beautiful birds and very charismatic, and both males and females can make wonderful companions! 🩵 However they are also quite sensitive and, like any other baby, will require patience and consistency as they grow so they can continue to build their confidence. We're here to help with positive reinforcement training tips and resources for all our babies!

Send us a DM if you've got an open perch for one of these kids to land on 🥰

16/06/2023

The babies are ~thriving~ 🥰 Fledging has officially begun, and so far they're all actually very talented navigators! They've all taken beautifully to learning how to play and interact with a variety of natural toy types, and their excitement for their daily fresh food plate is REAL. ❤️ DNA results for the Darling Blues should also be hitting my inbox any day now, can't wait to finally see! 👀

31/05/2023

We've got some seeeeriously adorable Ringneck babies here in the Hollow! As of now we've got one albino female and one or two blue babies (DNA pending) who will be seeking new perches once they wean - feel free to drop us a line with any questions!

18/05/2023

1000% this.

At least once a week, someone asks me for a discount or just outright tells me I’m too expensive.

I just wanna point out, for LESS than this, you can get almost any baby I have right now.

You can get a bird from a disease tested aviary that has been played with and socialized from day one by an experienced behaviorist. One that was raised in a home environment on premium formula and weaned onto quality pellets and a variety of fresh foods. One that has been taught to step up and recall, exposed to a variety of toys, and permitted to learn to fly. Many already know how to bathe in your hands, too!

You also get support from me for behavior and any other questions you may have as long as I’m alive.

Something to think about. Support your independent breeders. Many of us will give you a lot of bang for your buck.

11/05/2023

The duskies decided to provide a fun demonstration today on why it's important to always have multiple food & water sources available - Lemon was so excited for lunch that he somersaulted forward and right into the dish! 🫠 These two don't normally share a dish for long, since Lumia's tolerance for Lemon's...*boisterous enthusiasm* can be quite low 😂😂 But a roomy cage with dishes positioned throughout means they can both enjoy their meals how they prefer: Lemon with unbridled vigor, and Lumia with her peace and personal space intact 😆💛

12/03/2023

You know what they say, a bird in the hand... is very soft 🥹
..I may have gotten that a little wrong, but shhh🤫 my version's better anyway 😌

07/03/2023

Honeydew decided to offer a few poses during this evening's water changes 🥰 I'm calling these the Puffball Pose and the SoftBirb 😌

23/01/2023

And while I'm at it, please enjoy this Dusky Appreciation post 😍 these two have been an absolute joy and their personalities are just perfect. Lumia (who we affectionately call LuLu or Lumi) especially looooves a good "spa day", where she gets to splash around in the froggy tub and do some basking in warm mist (thanks to the handy mist setting on our new shower head 😆)

& Let's be honest, wet bird pictures are a goldmine all their own

23/01/2023

Making breakfast for the flock is one of my favorite things, hands down! Offering a variety of fresh, whole foods is an amazing way to keep our feathered friends bright, healthy, and happy. Today we have:

- Veggies: arugula, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, radish, sweet peppers, carrot, steamed sweet potato

- Cooked multigrain blend: the "AppleBerry Harvest" variety from Bird Street Bistro

- Soaked & sprouted bean/seed mix: "Dr. Bird" blend from Sproutpeople

- Fruit: fresh raspberry & blueberry, dried goji berry

- Nuts: raw walnut and almond chunks

It's been a hit!

14/12/2022

Now introducing: Two fluffy blobs of sunshine ☀️

I figured since the mooncheeks have the pastels covered, it was time to bring in a splash of neon 😉 Lemon (m) & Lumia (f) are a pair of lutino Dusky Conures - a species & mutation I've had my eyes on for quite awhile - and I couldn't be happier with these two! (Thank you again to Sarah at West Branch Aviary💛)

12/12/2022

Yellow yellow everywhere... new bird introductions landing soon 😉

21/11/2022

The mooncheeks are juuust about through a molt, and they're looking amazing 😍

20/09/2022

Let's talk chop! After all, what goes in... must come out! I'll spare y'all the "after" pics for now 😆 but suffice to say, if you forget that you've fed your bird red/purple foods recently, you can be in for a shock when it comes back out the same color in about 20-30 minutes 😂 In the first picture you can see a chopped mix of beetroot and orange bell pepper - I always squeeze as much liquid out of these watery items as I can before adding into the other veg, as a drier mix tends to keep better in the fridge. But if I fed this alone to the fids, I'd be greeted with bright red droppings afterward that can look alarming if you're not expecting it! However, when mixed in with all the other veg, we should get droppings that are much more "normal".🙂

this chop batch includes: collard greens, arugula, radish, carrot, beetroot, bell pepper, butternut squash, broccoli, sugar snap peas, steel cut oats (uncooked, to help absorb residual moisture), and about a teaspoon of black chia seed and a teaspoon of flax seed. Some like to make big batches and freeze the extra, but I prefer to make somewhat smaller batches and refrigerate, and make a new batch every four days or so. This way I can guarantee a regular rotation of ingredients that will keep them excited and happy to dig in! For their grains, I make a separate batch of Bird Street Bistro's cooked foods (so far the Apple Berry Harvest is the most beloved by the flock!) and mix a smaller portion into the chop each day, right before serving. If you have birds, what's your chop routine?

Bonus pic: the collard green leaves were HUGE this week! So Cosmo got to try out looking like a 🦚

18/09/2022

Happy National Pet Bird Day from my conure crew 🥰✨

07/09/2022

Dandelion and Honeydew have been settling in so well 😍 at least one of them will have chop on their face at any given time 😆 today was Dandelion's turn

07/09/2022

Fern: +1 for cute, -1 for my typing efficiency

03/09/2022

Behold: Pure ~Athleticism~

03/09/2022

Time to round out the intro posts with our newest flock members! Meet Dandelion (male, in the background of the food dish photos) and Honeydew (female, in foreground). They are a bonded pair (unrelated) of Mooncheeks who recently came to me from West Branch Aviary! (Fun fact: Cosmo and Fern are also from West Branch❤️)
I am absolutely smitten with these two, of course 😍 While they are personal birds, they are also one of our foundation pairs here at Hidden Hollow, and I can't wait to see what the future holds with them!
I hope you will follow along with us for all sorts of information about parrots as companions and all that goes into their care. And of course, just the funny things my five get into that bring me so much joy.❤️

02/09/2022

I laughed at myself while making this and two of my birds laughed with me, so it must be a winner.
*featuring my sister's eclectus, who thankfully loves me and was very patient with my rusty burrito folding skills😅