TheTameParrot.com - Say “BYE” To Your Parrot Problems

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This issue has come up many times with us. The problem is that nobody ever really thinks about it. They don’t plan for it. They don’t ever expect this problem to happen, but it does!

If you are injured or killed, what will happen to your bird? Who will take care of your pets?

What happens if something happens to you? What if you are injured? What if you are hospitalized? Or… What if you die?

Over the past several years, we have been called upon to rescue birds in this situation. Here are just two cases:

1) An elderly lady had a heart attack. For the past few years she lived pretty much by herself and her family didn’t visit that often (but did call frequently). Nobody even knew she had a cockatiel. It was only discovered after the daughter entered her home ten days later and discovered it. The bird was in terrible shape, very dehydrated and malnourished. Neighbors knew about us, and called upon us to rescue the bird. After a few weeks of care and attention, he regained his health. The next year he found a mate and became a daddy.

2) An elderly lady asked us to take her African Grey named Freddie. Due to her health she was unable to care for the bird, so we accepted it. Shortly afterward, the lady died. We never intended on keeping the bird, but were in the process of finding a suitable foster home for it. Unfortunately, we got stuck in the middle of a custody battle over this bird with several relatives who were more interested in the fact that this was a very expensive bird, and didn’t seem to care about giving it a loving home!

After this, we began educating our clients on planning for the unthinkable!

BABYSITTING

You need to find a person who can take over the care of your pets for both short and long term periods of time. This can be for times when you go on vacation, business trips, or extended visits in the hospital that you never really plan on. This can simply be a friend or neighbor who has access to your home, and knows how to do basic feeding/watering and clean the cage. This can even be accomplished with a set of written instructions. You should have this person already picked out, and they need to have access to your home.

LONG TERM CARE

What if you are involved in a severe accident? If you are hospitalized, does anyone know you have a bird? Do they have access to your home to get the birds? Do they know how to care for it? Now is the time to get these plans worked out. This person should have knowledge of how to care for your pets. They will most likely have to take your bird to their home, as it’s not practical to keep the bird in your home unattended for a long time. It’s also not good to leave the bird alone.

WHAT IF YOU DIE?

This problem involves two things. The bird must be taken care of immediately for the short term…But what about the future? Remember, many parrots live for 30-50 years or more! If you are already up in age, it’s very likely your bird is going to outlast you! Have you thought about who will take ownership?

Do you want your kids to have it, knowing that your bird never really got over their constant cage hitting when they were young? Or the time junior nearly sat on him when he was lounging on the sofa? You really think they forget those things?

Seriously, you don’t want the bird to go to someone he doesn’t get along with. But you sure don’t want family members fighting over it either. Be sure your bird has a place in your will directing it to the person you want to care for it.

INFORMATION NOTICE

Here is another tip…Many people keep cards in their wallets or purses alerting them of who to contact in case of an emergency. This is a good spot to include a notice that you have pets at home that need to be looked after.

Include information about what type of bird, how to feed it and give short term care. Include a name and phone number for whoever you designated to care for the bird in case of emergencies.

Did you know that finches can die if deprived of water for 24 Hours? Just another reason to keep this information readily available for emergencies.

It may surprise a lot of you, but many people love to travel with their pets. And I don’t mean dogs and cats… But birds too!

There are lots of reasons for this. Trying to find someone to care for your bird can be difficult. Boarding your bird is not a good idea. Many of these places are set up to handle dogs and cats, and know very little about birds. And it can be very expensive!

And let’s face it, some people love their animals so much they want to take them along!

With some proper planning and research, this can be accomplished very easily.

PAPERWORK

You need to take your bird to the vet. In many cases, you will need a health certificate to travel with your pets. You can travel around the United States without a hassle, but don’t even think about crossing the border! Every country has laws regarding importing any animal, and there are quarantine procedures (very expensive) involved. In these cases you are better off leaving them at home.

Your vet will also be examining your pet to ensure they can safely travel. In some cases, they may wish to vaccinate the bird for safety reasons, so go over your travel plans with your vet.

GOING BY PLANE?

There are lots of rules and regulations involved in transporting pets on an airplane. You must check with your air carrier prior to booking your flight to ensure that you will be able to take your bird.

In most cases, you can take the bird into the cabin with you, but expect to pay a charge for this. Most fees will be at least $50.

Your bird must be in an approved animal carrier. Many pet stores sell an airline approved pet carrier, and all you need to do is make a few minor alterations. The carrier must be no larger then 23”x13”x9”. If you are transporting a large parrot, you will have difficulty with this rule, and will have to carry it as “cargo”. There are a number of approved kennels that are more then big enough for most parrots.

Attach a perch inside the box to allow the bird to have something to stand on. It’s far better then sliding around on a slippery plastic floor slamming into walls! Also attach a food and water dish (if it’s not already on it).

Pay attention to the weather conditions. If the temperature is cold you must have something to cover the box to prevent cold drafts. In hot weather you need to find ways for your bird to cool off. Keeping a mist bottle in your bag is great, but due to recent airline rules you may not be able to carry it on. Check with your airline for what they permit. One good idea is to keep some ice cubes in the water dish. They will not splash out, and will give your bird a constant source of cold water.

Birds actually do become airsick! One suggestion is to keep some ginger root in the cage to nibble on.

Expect to have proper health certificates when you board the plane.

GOING BY TRAIN?

Forget it! Amtrack has strict rules about transporting pets.

GOING BY BOAT?

Forget it! Many do allow pets, but they must remain contained in their kennels. And since most boats require travel outside of the country, you are going to have a massive red-tape battle when you arrive. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, leave the pet at home.

AUTO TRAVEL

This is the way we prefer to transport our birds. They get to sit on your seat and just love to watch everything fly by! I remember one trip where we had three parrots all fighting for a window position….and the looks we get from people in the cars next to us!

Just be aware that having loose birds in the car is a distraction for the driver, and the police may not see the humor in it. Keep them in their kennels, but allow them time to get out and stretch.

HOTELS

There are a lot of hotels that now recognize that people do travel with their pets… Even birds. They will allow them, so call ahead and find out which ones do. But be considerate to the housekeeping staff! Bird poop and bedding do not mix! So if your bird is allowed out of its travel kennel, be sure it doesn’t make a mess or do any damage.

One other hint… If your hotel stay is going to be more then a few days, ask the housekeeper to let you do your own cleaning. They use some very strong cleaners that are dangerous to birds. Pack your own spray bottle of a safe cleaner and clean up after your birds.

EMERGENCE VETS

Be sure that you have researched where the avian vets are in the city you are traveling to. Trying to locate one at the last minute is going to cost you the life of your bird.

>>Check out my ebook at http://www.TheTameParrot.com/cb/ - I believe every parrot owner should have a copy of this. Discover more about getting the perfect bird to fit into your home in “The Easy Parrot System”

[tags]traveling with a bird, traveling bird cages, bird traveling cage[tags]

When we started out as bird breeders, we though we knew everything. We knew everything about nutrition…well, actually we knew they need more then seed, just didn’t know why. We know how to breed them…just leave them alone, they don’t need our help. We knew why the parents fought with each other all the time… OK that’s a lie… Nobody knows that answer!

We started out with cockatiels, and had quite a bit of success.

Then one day we were quickly brought back to earth, and reminded that we didn’t know nearly enough! One of our breeding pairs gave us a deformed chick. The baby’s legs were splay legged. That is when the legs are growing out sideways from the bird, and not under it where it can stand. We did our best and tried to help it, but it died after a few weeks.

A few months later it happened again, and with the same results. That is when we began to read everything on the subject we could get our hands on, and try to prevent it from happening again.

This little Quaker here will be able to live a normal life because it’s owner knew what to do to correct it’s splayed legs. If treatment is started early the legs will continue to grow normally, in a few weeks she will be able to remove the splints.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

Most of the research on splay legged birds seems to indicate the main cause is … You guessed it… Nutrition. How many times have I said this? Most problems that develop with birds can be directly blamed on poor diets, especially all-seed diets!

It is believed that when you have parents being fed an all seed diet, they are not getting nearly enough protein and calcium. Iodine, manganese, magnesium and many other minerals that are critical to reproduction are totally deficient in their diets. And this gets passed down to the chicks.

Other possible cause is not enough, or incorrect, bedding in the nest boxes. Remember, parents sit on their birds to keep them warm. The chicks are being forced down to the ground where they can not get their legs under them, causing the legs to get deformed. In come cases, their legs or joints become fractured.

Some research also indicates that this can be traced to a genetic problem. This is especially true if the parents come from a line of inbreeding. With inbreeding, there is a huge risk of passing along characteristics which can be undesirable, and will multiply with future lines. These genetic problems are suspected in a number of health problems in chicks.

The funny thing is that the parents seem to already know their baby is not quite right. They will refuse to take care of that chick, and concentrate on the rest of the clutch. There is absolutely no visual sign that the chick has a problem! This is what happened with our cockatiels. We had to start hand feeding at a very early age, making us think the splay legged problem was something we did.

In researching this, we also discovered one other possibility. In the wild, birds are always outside and in the sunlight (very important for health). When the chicks hatch, they are also in areas where they get some direct sunlight. But bird breeders were lead to believe that you put up a breeding box and the chicks are born and grown up inside of them. They spend their first few weeks of life…in the dark bottom corner… where there is no sunlight! To solve this, you need to be certain to give the parents a good pelleted diet that contains “active” Vitamin D3. Most of the better mixes do contain it, and it’s passed along to the chicks when the parents feed it.

HOW TO PREVENT IT?

It’s easier to prevent splay legged problems than it is to cure it! So start by getting your birds on a good diet. Many seed mixes contain a lot of millet. This is a very sweet seed and is more appropriate as a snack. It contains only a small amount of protein and calcium, and if this is the “seed of choice” for your bird, then the chicks will certainly have problems.

>>In my ebook “The Easy Parrot System”, I go into great detail about the proper diets for birds. Learn how to convert your birds from a seed diet to a pelleted diet with my step-by-step instructions, and some great ideas on getting your birds to take vitamins. This and many hints can be found in one convenient source:

The Easy Parrot System – Feeding and Nutrition

Breeding birds require a lot of calcium. This can be supplied by using cuttlebones, or by sprinkling powered form over the food. You can even use Tums pills! They contain tons of calcium in an easily digestible form, and do not contain anything that can hurt your bird. The flavored Tums also make it more appealing for them to eat. Just ground them up and sprinkle over their moist food.

If your bird is not on a pellet diet, you must begin getting vitamins and other minerals into their diet. Even the use of mineral blocks is better then nothing.

CURING A CHICK OF SPLAY LEG

The method used to rehabilitate a bird with splay leg will depend on how severe the condition is, and how old the chick is. If the chick has gone untreated for too long, it may not be treatable.

It’s sad that many bird breeders will not take care of such birds, as they are a waste of their time. These birds require a tremendous amount of “special care” that could go on their entire lives. Cages may need to be modified to allow ramps or special perching areas since the bird is unable to walk or easily move around.

What we prefer to do is locate a family that will adopt it. They have to be a very special person who understand what the bird is going through…Like maybe another handicapped person? Several of our birds were adopted out to elderly people with lots of time on their hands, and lots of love to give.

But this medical problem is curable! There are a lot of different and creative ways to go about it.

Step one is to try and identify what is causing it and fix the problem. If the parents are putting too much weight on the chick, add more bedding. Double check the diet and be sure it’s sufficient. Try to get more sunlight into the case… Find some way to get additional light to the chicks.

Curing the bird will involve trying to straighten the legs back under the bird. In severe cases you will need to find some creative ways to accomplish this.

Start by putting some soft bedding, such as paper towel, soft cloth or cotton, into a cup, and place the baby in it so that the legs are fairly straight under him. This will need to be done for a few weeks until the legs heal.

Another method is to “hobble” the legs by strapping/splinting them together. Care must be exercised to ensure that they are not too tight, and won’t cut off circulation or scratch up the legs. One method is to take some “vet wrap” tape (this is bandaging tape that sticks to itself, available at all drug stores). Cut off a thin strip about 4 inches long and gently wrap around the legs in a cross fashion. This will hold the legs together but not force them together too much. Remove the wrap a couple times a day to allow the bird to get the circulation moving in the legs.

Some breeders have created other methods to make a “cast” for the legs out of surgical tubing or cardboard. This would be a better method for larger birds, but it may be difficult to do this with small chicks and prevent scratching up the legs. One method I read about involved using some wooden craft sticks (like they used with popsicles), cutting them to the correct length, and strapping them to the legs using Vet-Wrap. This not only keeps the legs straight, but in the correct position under the chick.

You may also want to check with your vet. Once it has been determined how severe the problem is, a trained avian vet can suggest some additional methods. In very severe cases some sort of traction may be called for. Just remember that even the best methods may not completely cure the birds deformed legs. That does not mean it can’t live a very long, productive life.

>>Check out my ebook at http://www.TheTameParrot.com/cb/ - I believe every parrot owner should have a copy of this. Discover more about getting the perfect bird to fit into your home in “The Easy Parrot System”

How many treats do I get for washing all of this?

Okay, listen up! Today is wash day. Try not to fall in this time.

See… just drop the clothes in here.

“What the….?” Drop that in the machine.

Okay, fine! Give me the sock.

You have to shake it out first.

That isn’t how you pack it down.

I got your foot…. Now dig down deeper, your treat is at the bottom.

Hehehe… Blue soap on a yellow duck!

Everything is packed down, with Duckie at the bottom!

Living with a parrot can be challenging, rewarding, fun-filled, stressful, heartbreaking, nerve-wracking, and many other adjectives. Our parrot’s behavior is directly related to their interaction with us and how we care for our birds. Below are some tips for living comfortably with your pet parrot:

1. Don’t teach your bird to behave badly – Many parrot owners unknowingly teach their birds to behave badly. For example, you’re watching a movie on TV. Your parrot is on the other side of the room squawking loudly so you can’t hear what’s being said in the movie. You turn to your bird and shout “Shut up, Oscar!” Boom! You’ve just taught your bird that s/he can get your attention if s/he squawks loudly when you are watching TV. Completely ignoring the squawking will teach a parrot that the noise won’t get a reaction from you (hang in long enough for the bird to learn!). Turning up the TV volume won’t work because a parrot might squawk louder and louder until its voice can be heard above the TV volume. Be aware of your reaction to your bird’s behavior to ensure you aren’t teaching your bird the opposite of what you want her/him to learn, and also to ensure you don’t confuse your bird. A confused parrot may behave badly because s/he isn’t sure how to behave.

2. Rewarding (or not) – Always, always, reward positive (good) behavior immediately after the positive behavior. This means when your parrot steps up on your finger when you give the “step up” command, reward the bird with its favorite treat (just 1, not a dish full), pet the bird, or praise the bird. In some way, let your parrot know you are pleased with his/her behavior. Your bird will learn this is acceptable behavior. Never reward negative (bad) behavior. For example, your parrot is sitting on top of its cage and it’s time for bed. You ask your bird to “step up” and the bird tries to bite you. You pull your hand back and allow the bird to stay on top of its cage. Boom! You’ve just rewarded your bird for trying to bite you by allowing her/him to stay out. You’ve also taught your bird that biting results in the bird getting its own way. A reward to a bird can be eye-to-eye contact with you, a look from you, you covering its cage and other subtle reactions. When your bird tries to bite you or actually bites you when you are interacting, you should put your hand right back up to your bird and insist the bird step up in order to be put away. You may need to use a perch to get the bird inside its cage. Control your bird; don’t allow your bird to control you.

3. Healthy diet is key – A nutritious, healthy diet is key to your bird’s behavior, psychological (mental), and physiological (body) well being. A variety of nutritious food during a bird’s lifetime will help to ensure your bird stays healthy and happy. Good nutrition for a bird is no different than good nutrition for humans. Fast-food, fried foods, salt, sugar, caffeine, soda, chocolate, avocados, dairy products, and citrus seeds should not be fed to parrots. Raw, clean, pesticide-free vegetables are great, cooked beans/lentils, various fruits, multigrain/wholegrain foods like dry, sugarless cereals/breads, etc. , cooked brown rice, or any other types of food that are healthy and nutritious. Parrots can be finicky about their food, so you might have to try various shapes and sizes to find what suits your bird’s fancy! Piece size should be based on the parrot’s beak size, not the size of the bird. Also, some species of parrots don’t like particular types of foods and some parrots have specific dietary requirements which must be met, so research your particular bird’s species for this information. For example, a lot of parakeets and cockatiels don’t particularly care for fruit, and Lories require fruit, nectar, and pollen in their diets. An important tip about parrots and food – a parrot won’t eat something it doesn’t recognize as food. Therefore, keep offering the new food every day…the bird will eventually try it. To encourage your bird to try the new food, allow your bird to see you enjoying it!

4. Mental stimulation – An often overlooked part of keeping a parrot healthy is mental stimulation. Parrots are intelligent, some more than others. As a result, they need mental stimulation every day in order to stay psychologically fit. Provide challenging toys to fit the type of bird. A challenging toy would be one where, for example, the bird has to find the nut hidden inside; the bird has to open the lid to find the treat inside, a series of rings a parrot can climb through, etc. Many parrots enjoy music (or TV) when you’re away, but watch the type (they can learn to mimic what they hear)! Talk, play, and interact with your bird daily, particularly with cockatoos, macaws, and grays (not exclusively). Allow your parrot to be part of your flock (family)…your bird considers you (your family) his/her flock…by including him/her in as many things as possible with you in your home. Lack of mental stimulation can result in feather plucking, bad behavior, shortened lifespan, and a very unhappy bird.

5. Start with a tame bird – Most people confuse taming with training. Taming is the process of imprinting a parrot to humans so a bird is friendly. Training is the process of teaching a bird tricks, to step up/step down, to fly to you on command, etc. If you want a pet bird, one that doesn’t bite, that will sit on your finger or shoulder, and otherwise be a good companion, you have to start with a tame bird. Taming a bird begins by handfeeding when the bird is very young (about 10 days old). By handfeeding, a baby bird imprints on humans, resulting in a friendly (tame) bird. Once tame, daily human interaction has to occur or tameness can diminish. Don’t fall prey to many pet shop statements “you can start training it as soon as you get it home.” Taming takes much time, patience, and knowledge on the new bird owner’s part. Buy your just-weaned parrot from a reputable parrot breeder who handfeeds their baby parrots so you start with a tame bird. This isn’t to say all pet shops sell untamed birds…you have to do your homework and know what you’re buying. Most pet bird owners want tame birds they can handle right away, so seek out a parrot breeder or search pet shops carefully to find the tame, young bird you really want.

6. To breed or not to breed – It is a myth that parrots should be kept in pairs. The best pet bird is a single bird in the home. This means one parrot in the home can be tame and friendly, but when a second parrot is added, since birds prefer other birds to humans, some or all tameness can disappear. In most cases, one cannot keep pet parrots as breeders. In other words, a bonded pair of birds is either breeder birds or pet birds, but cannot be both. There are exceptions to the latter statement. In addition, if you don’t want baby birds, don’t buy a male and female of the same species and house them together. Baby birds may eventually result and/or the female may become an excessive egg-layer. Before you start thinking how nice it would be to have baby parrots, do some research to see if this would be something you’d enjoy. Dealing with baby parrots is a whole new aspect to keeping birds. Stick with a single bird. If you want multiple parrots, think about keeping different species if you aren’t interested in breeding them.

7. Think like a bird – You have to learn to see the world the way your parrot sees the world. Most parrots have a mental capacity of a 2-year old child. They are very psychologically skilled! Therefore, one should deal with them based on these facts. In addition, be aware that most parrots are afraid of new things, that is, things that are new to them. You might be familiar with something, but that doesn’t mean your bird is! Birds don’t know about things, such as window glass, water running from faucets, hot stoves, sinks of hot soapy water, commodes, the toy your child is playing with, the neighbor or your friend that they shouldn’t fly out of the open door, etc. A parrot does know the cat and/or dog is a natural enemy though! Be aware your bird can become stressed out, frightened, disoriented, and confused by new things. Painting the walls, bringing in new furniture, changing the furniture around, moving to a new home, addition of a child, loss of someone, are examples of some things your parrot might not understand so be sensitive to how your parrot might perceive changes in his/her world.

8. Respect your bird – A bird’s cage is its personal space, its territory, its safety zone. This is the one place in a bird’s world s/he can call his/her own. Of course, bird owners have to enter the bird’s territory to accomplish certain chores. However, when your bird is taking its afternoon nap, put off the cage cleaning until your bird awakens. Our parrots don’t always want to do what we want them to do when we want them to do it! Set up a daily routine of when you service the cage, when your bird naps, when you play together, etc. Birds love routine! There are some days when a parrot might not feel “up to par” or is in a bad mood. Give your bird the time it needs.

9. Time to visit the vet – A trip to the bird veterinarian can be a very stressful experience for a parrot. Some parrots get so stressed out they go into shock and die as a result of a car ride. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to occasionally place your parrot in a pet taxi or small, escape-proof cage, for short trips in your vehicle. Being ill is stressful enough for a parrot. Eliminate added stress and possible death by preparing your parrot for this occasion. If you own a parrot, you will eventually find it necessary to take your parrot to the birdie vet.

10. Lifetime Commitment. Be prepaired for a lifetime commitment. A healthy, well cared for bird will live for a long time. Small birds live for 15 to 25 years. Large parrots live from 30 to 50 years (or more). The birds can easily outlive you! What if your health fails, or an emergency develops where you can no longer care for your bird. Do you have someone ready to take over? Most birds turned over to rescue agencies are the results of an owner passing away, and none of the family members want the bird! Many people think of their children when they prepare their wills…and totally ignore their most loved pets.

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