Parrot Consultant with Passion

08/12/2024

🦜🤝Christmas Holidays = Happy Bird & Happy Humans😆🦜

The holiday season is just around the corner, and we know how busy things can get—travel ✈️ plans, family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 gatherings, and all the 🎊 festive hustle and bustle!

Give your birds their favourite easy-to-solve toys, give them their favourite foods and do what you can to be calm, predictable and methodical around them. You won't fool your flock but you just might prevent yourself losing a finger.

Here are some ways to keep your parrot stress free during the holiday season:

Maintain routines: Keep feeding and hygiene routines the same.

Avoid making big changes to their diet.

Provide toys and activities: Give your parrot toys and interactive activities to keep them occupied.

Use a cage cover: A cage cover can help regulate light exposure, protect your parrot from guests and other pets, or give your parrot a "time-out" if they seem stressed.

Limit exposure to strangers: You can relocate your parrot's cage to limit their exposure to strangers.

Spend quality time together: Talk to your parrot and spend quality time with them.

Provide mental stimulation: Engage your parrot's natural instincts with toys, puzzles, and foraging activities.

Play soothing music: You can play soothing music or turn on the television to make your parrot feel safe.

Have a first aid kit: Make sure you have a first aid kit ready and veterinarian contact information where it is easy to find.

Stay calm: Your bird can sense your emotions, so try to remain calm.

Some signs of stress in birds include:

Feather picking
Aggression
Loss of appetite
Change in vocalization
Repetitive behavior

Wishing parronts and their birds a lovely Holiday Season and very best wishes for the New Year!!

Fear
Boredom

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25/11/2024

🦜🍇 Could Fruit Be Fueling Your Parrot’s Feather Plucking? 🦜

Q: Why do you guys say I shouldn’t give my bird fruit every day? I keep reading that we should feed fruit and vegetables.

I understand your confusion. It is always fruit and vegetables this... fruit and vegetables that. Whenever discussion is about diet and nutrition, it is difficult to find the word “vegetable” when it isn’t paired with the word “fruit”. Even though these words seem inseparably linked together, nutritionally speaking, comparing fruits and veggies is like comparing apples and…okra.

It is really all about the carbohydrates. Carbs are fuel. All foods contain carbs. We need them to power our energy sucking brains and give us the vigor to get through the day. Carbs are essential to our bodies, but they can cause problems in the diet, especially when given in excess.

“Simple” carbs, the kind found in fruit and other high sugar foods, are molecularity structured to travel easily and quickly into the blood stream. This explains the sugar rush we experience – it gives us a sudden jolt of “fuel”. It also causes a chemical process that takes place in the body that causes simple sugars to be stored as fat.

By comparison, vegetables are a “complex” carbs. Their structure provides a slower and more regulated entry into the blood stream that does not set off the chemical process that causes the body to want to store it as fat.

However, over-indulgence in any carbs can result in fat build up. This is why we advise limited servings of all grains and legumes (pulses) both of which are high in carbs. This is also why birdie bread should be used as a means to coax birds to a vegetable high diet and not as the main meal every day.

Vegetables are, without question, the best choice of produce to fuel your bird’s body. There is no denying that fruit has nutritional value, but fruit cultivated and engineered by man has become less nutritious and is higher in sugar than the wild fruit that grows without human intervention. The fruits that wild birds dine on are more valuable to their diet than the fruits we get in the supermarket.

When you pair vegetables with fruit in your bird’s food bowl, the vegetables will often take a back seat in preference to the better tasting fruit. This will eventually impact your bird’s health and body weight.

IMPORTANT NOTE – This DOES NOT apply to the nectar eating lories and lorikeets. They have evolved to have a different diet than the other parrot species.

Author Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
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23/11/2024

27/10/2024

🦜How To EARN and KEEP Your Bird's Trust 🤝🦜

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Let's talk about trust. 🤝

Think about a human that you trust. Why do you trust them? Most likely they are someone that is reliable and honest. They mean what they say and they say what they mean. Are you that way with your bird?

Some people say that it's bribery or manipulation or even tricking your bird if you use treats to get them to do a "trick". Let's be clear - treats (or any other type of reinforcer) are used to motivate a bird to do a behavior we want to see more of. Just like you get paid to go to work. But do you view your paycheck as bribery, manipulation or trickery? No. It is an agreement between you and your employer - you get money 💵 in exchange for doing a job for them. As long as they follow through with their end of the agreement, you'll likely keep showing up to work. ​​​​​​​

The Trick is Not To Trick Your Bird.

Of course, it is possible to trick our birds. And we probably all have at one point or another. We are most likely to do this when we are pressed for time, frustrated, or we know our bird is unlikely to be cooperative.

For example: It's time to go to the vet. 🩺 You know your bird doesn't like going into the carrier. You ask for a step up, distract him with treats, then quickly shove him in the carrier and close it before he slips out.

While there are certainly times where that might be necessary (i.e. an emergency), most of the time we can prepare ahead of time to avoid having to trick our birds. ​​​​​​​

Honesty is the best policy. (...even with birds!)

Be honest with your bird and you will earn AND maintain their trust. How❓

✔️ Prepare ahead of time. Unless the vet appointment is for a true emergency, you have control over when to schedule it. Work on carrier training before the appointment so that your bird will voluntarily go into it. Not only will you be building trust, you will also be preventing unnecessary stress on the way to the vet, and in an emergency your bird will be much more likely to quickly get into the carrier. Win-win-win. 😉

✔️ Go at your bird's pace. There are some extreme cases, but most of the time getting your bird comfortable around a scary object or situation can happen faster than you think. Still, even if it takes longer than you planned, go at your bird's pace. You will actually save time by going at your bird's pace rather than blowing past their comfort zone and having to back track later.

✔️ Give your bird choice. If your bird is choosing not to participate in a training session, or not step up when you ask - don't insist. Take a step back, accept the "No" and think about what you can do to change their mind. Maybe there is a better time of day, a better treat, or bigger treat. Or maybe there is something in the environment that is too scary or distracting for your bird to focus on you.

✔️ Be consistent if you want consistency. Chasing a bird that flies away from their crate or bites when being put in there is unpleasant and dangerous for the human and the bird. If you want your bird to consistently go into their carrier voluntarily, PLEASE consistently give them a treat for doing so. The same goes for any other behaviour that you want your bird to repeat (especially behaviours that are not inherently fun or reinforcing on their own). Remember, you have to keep up your end of the deal if you want them to show up in the way that you want them to.

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17/10/2024

🦜Get Your Bird to ❤ Its Cage🦜

Let me ask you a question... Does your bird happily go back into its cage every time or is it a hassle?

If your bird HATES going back in its cage 😣 you may think that's normal. Why would your bird want to get LOCKED UP in its birdie prison, right? Uh, no. Your bird's cage should be its sanctuary - a calm environment with toys to chew on, foraging activities, food, and water.

We've got some tips to help your bird ❤️ its cage so that they are happier and you can finally let go of that cage guilt. 😮‍💨

Clean up your HANDLING: The way you hold your bird and place them into their cage can make the process easier or more difficult. The best way to do this will vary depending on the size of your bird and the cage configuration, so you will need to adjust according to your specific situation. Check out this video for a demonstration.

Plan AHEAD: We always recommend timing out-of-cage time right before mealtimes 🥗 so that when you are ready to put your bird back in, you can feed them their meal in their cage.

This not only acts as an *incentive* to go back into their cage, it is also associating their cage with something super positive - FOOD!

Make the cage a POSITIVE PLACE: There are several things you can do to make your bird's cage a place he/she actually enjoys spending time in:

🛑 NEVER use your bird's cage as PUNISHMENT.

😋 Always reward your bird with a favorite treat for going back into their cage.

🎉 Provide foraging activities and toys for your bird to chew on and play with while they're in their cage.

🦜 Make sure your bird's cage is big enough for your bird.
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​​​​​​​Once your bird understands the concept of touching the end of a stick (targeting) and getting a treat for it, then you can simply hold the target stick in the cage and your bird, who may otherwise be unwilling to go into their cage, will go right in to touch the stick. (Don't forget to give a treat!)

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13/10/2024

🦜🚫Are Seeds BAD for Parrots? 🤔🦜

We've come a long way since the all-seed diet that was once considered ideal for parrots. Then the pelleted diet brought about promises of a "balanced" diet that would include all the vitamins and minerals parrots need. We've since realized that a true healthy diet comes from a variety of unprocessed, whole foods like vegetables, grains and legumes.

Somewhere along the way, seeds became the villain. 🦹 But let us use our logic here... What are seeds? They are a whole food - rich in vitamins and minerals. As such, they can be a healthy part of a parrot's diet. How? In moderation.

A diet that is high in seeds is too high in calories and fat for companion parrots that just do not get the same amount of exercise that their wild cousins do. However, there is certainly room for some seed in their diet.

n fact, we recommend that tiny birds (such as budgies, lovebirds, parrotlets and even cockatiels) get about 10% of seed and grains in their daily diet.

Now, we don't mean low quality bird seed mixes from the pet store. We feed our tiny birds organic, human-grade seeds & grains.

Blueberry's Tiny Bird Seed Mix
Before we get into the subject matter of this post, let’s take a minute to talk about seed in the parrot diet…

In the wild, every parrot species consumes seed daily. It has many health benefits, which will be discussed further down, and yet in the world of companion parrots, it is utterly vilified.

The concerns are not without merit, however. Seed is high in fat and calories and when you combine that with it being a favorite food of parrots and often chosen over healthy foods we serve, it can become a problem in the diet.

It is not toxic. It is not dangerous. But it does have to be served responsibly.

The largest portion of the diet should still be reserved for produce and pellets. The seed portion should comprise no more than 20% (on the high end) - ideally 10%. If you choose to allow your bird access to seed throughout the day (free-feed), you should remove the bowl overnight to ensure they are hungry in the morning when you serve vegetables.

Another feeding method is to limit your bird’s access to seed by serving only what your bird can eat in late morning or early afternoon. You can determine this amount by weighing the dish before and after or by measuring the amount served versus what remains in the bowl once your bird walks away from the feeding. Seed must never get in the way of the other important meals.

We recommend that only the smallest species of parrot be allowed seed in their diets for one specific reason: their size. Small parrots cages tend to be roomier, proportionately speaking, and the human environment in which they live is much more spacious and allows more room for flight and other activity. A large parrot might cross a room with a few beats of their wings, a small parrot needs to work harder and they have the means to burn off those excess calories.

That said…

This is intentionally a very basic recipe.
Blueberry’s Seed Mix:

1/2 lb millet
1/2 lb quinoa
1 cup oat groats
1 cup h**p seed
1/2 cup whole brown flax seed
1 cup chia seed
1/2 cup r**e seed
1 cup rolled oats

A good seed mix should contain only seed and grains. Too often commercial mixes add ingredients that have no place in a seed mix, have no real nutritional value or are just filler (in some cases, literally twigs!) - something cheap that takes up room in the bag to drive up weight and volume and therefore price. The ingredients are typically old and devoid of nutrition. You get to control all of this by making the ingredient brand selections yourself.

The seeds and grains chosen for Blueberry’s Seed Mix are just right for budgies, lovebirds and parrotlets - nothing too big or too hard for consumption by the little guys.

NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

The nutritional signature of most seeds are fairly similar - all have great fiber and varying amounts of calcium, vitamin E and omega 3s. Some have higher potassium, magnesium and protein than others but since your bird may prefer certain seeds it is best to combine a good variety for them to choose from. Their beneficial components of are nothing to play down.

FIBER: Maintains digestive health, helps keep cholesterol and blood sugar levels on target and helps maintain healthy body weight.

MAGNESIUM: It is impossible to overstate the value of magnesium. Aside from lowering blood pressure, regulating genes, muscle movement and the nervous system, it converts food into energy, it’s a major anti-inflammatory and plays a huge role in brain function and mental health. Seeds are a great source of magnesium.

POTASSIUM: Regulates the balance of fluids in the body, regulates muscle (including heart) contractions, protects against strokes.

VITAMIN E: Aside from being a powerful anti-oxidant, it boosts the immune system and is hugely important to brain function. For parrots, its most important function is its skin and feather health benefits.

OMEGA 3s: Hugely beneficial in preventing heart disease and protecting joints. It also promotes skin and feather health.

CALCIUM: Responsible for bone strength and muscle/heart health. Also, calcium is notably important for parrots as an egg laying species. Egg shells are made up mostly of calcium and when calcium in the blood stream is low it is drawn from the bones to form the shells.

PROTEIN: Increases bone and muscle mass, boosts metabolism, lowers blood pressure and helps the body repair from injury.

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31/08/2024

🦜Most Bird Owners MISS THIS SIGN😷🤒🦜

The first sign of illness in birds (in most cases) is weight loss but it is almost always MISSED! 😔

Birds are incredibly skilled at hiding signs of illness because, in the wild, appearing healthy is LIFE-SAVING. By the time we see the common signs of illness (lethargy, fluffed up feathers, changes in behavior, etc.) it is often because our birds are too overcome by their illness to keep up appearances anymore. 😷🤒

While birds can be resilient they can also be so fragile and getting them to the vet even a day sooner can mean the difference between a bird making it back home or not.

What can we do?

The good news is that we can easily check the one symptom they can't hide - their weight. ⚖️ By weighing our birds daily (ideally before breakfast), we can track our bird's normal weight and even their normal fluctuation throughout the year. This means we can quickly tell something is off when we see a sudden change in weight that we can't otherwise explain. ​​​​​​​

🧠 Memory is unreliable - write it down!
Tracking your bird's weight is as important as weighing them daily.

Did you know❓ Changes in your bird's weight can also indicate that hormones are at play. The only way to know is to track your bird's weight consistently so that you can spot natural weight shift patterns unique to your bird.

31/07/2024

🦜Is Your Parrot Molting?🪶🦜

t's molting season! 🪶 Well, sort of.

It does seem like most pet parrots are molting at the moment (including my entire flock) but different species can molt at different times of the year. Since mid-summer is the most common for most parrots, we thought this was a perfect time to talk about MOLTING.

What is molting?

​​​​​​​This is the term we use to describe the "shedding" of old feathers to make way for new ones. 🐍 Reptiles shed, birds molt. 🐦 Molting is a natural process for parrots.​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​How often do parrots molt?

Most parrots molt once or twice a year. However, there are lots of factors that affect how often your bird molts, including their age, species, stress, and even being on certain medications.

What does molting look like? 👀

Some molts are very subtle (just a few feathers here and there) while others can be more intense and very obvious (lots of feathers!). To maintain balance, birds tend to molt feathers evenly - one feather will be followed by it's equal on the opposite side of the body within a day or so. This is most obvious with flight and tail feathers.

ypically, you will see "pin feathers" which are brand new feathers growing in. They look like small spikes or quills (see Photo B for reference).

🚫 What molting DOES NOT look like:

When your bird is going through an intense molt they can lose a lot of feathers seemingly overnight. It can be alarming to walk into a room full of feathers on the ground. Losing lots of feathers can still be normal. While your birds plumage can look a little rough during a heavy molt, you should never see bald spots (see photo C) or hear your bird scream in pain while preening. If you're ever in doubt, please reach out to your local avian vet.

How can you help your bird get through a molting cycle?

🚿 Provide more opportunities to bathe (see photo A). It sooths their skin (especially aloe baths!) and helps to break down the sheath of those pin feathers.

🥗 Make sure to feed them a healthy diet to keep their feathers looking great. (Learn more about diet here.)

⚠️ During a molt your bird may be quieter than usual, itchier than usual and may spend more time preening their feathers. None of this should be excessive though, so if you are concerned, please contact an avian vet.

05/06/2024

🦜The #1 Reason Most Training Fails🦜

The reason most training fails is IMPROPER NUTRITION.

Diet is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of bird care and yet it affects almost every aspect of your bird's life. If your bird doesn't feel good due to an unhealthy diet, he is less likely to want to interact with you in a positive way.

For example:

🍬 If your bird is consuming excess sugar due to fruits or pellets with sugar in their diet, they may be more moody or loud.

🍚 If your bird is getting more food than necessary, they will be less likely to interact with toys and less interested in training with you.

🥜 If your bird is getting their "treats" in their daily meals, they are less likely to be motivated by treats during a training session.

What is the RIGHT diet?

🥕🫑🍠🫛

The internet is full of conflicting information about parrot nutrition. Feeding your bird a healthy diet doesn't have to be difficult.

We recommend feeding two meals a day:

☀️ A breakfast meal of our Seasonal Feeding System which consists of specific recipes that rotate with the seasons to ensure a varied and balanced diet year round. All of our recipes are avian vet approved! ✅

🌇 An evening meal of our Organic Parrot Pellets which are cold-pressed, organic, and contain no artificial 🧪 flavors or dyes, added sugars 🍭, corn, soy, or peanuts 🥜. This is absolutely the healthiest pellet for parrots. We wouldn't feed our birds anything else!​​​​​​​

✨ Getting your bird on a healthy diet can solve 30% of all behavior problems!

The Tiny Birds

For the tiny birds, (i.e. budgies, lovebirds, cockatiels) we do recommend they get about 10% off their diet from a high quality seed & grain mix. 🌱