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

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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!

Once upon a time my wife and I decided to open a bird aviary. We intended to raise a wide assortment of birds. At that time we already had about 6 breeding pairs of cockatiels, so that made us experts, right?

We build our aviary, loaded it with cages and away we went. But we forgot an important piece of equipment! A bird brooder.

Not thinking it was a big problem, we began to shop around to buy one. We got a severe case of sticker shock! A decent brooder is not cheap! At least $!50!! And I needed several! All of these electronic gadgets were outrageously overpriced, in my opinion!

A brooder is a box or some sort of container that supplies warmth and humidity to your baby chicks. It must be able to circulate the air around the bird. It had to be easy to clean and maintain accurate temperatures.

We managed to locate a couple of very old and antique looking human baby incubator that came from the intensive care unit from a hospital. The thing was at least 30 years old, and it was hard to believe they would put babies in it! But it worked great for us.

I look it over to see how it worked, and was totally amazed at its simplicity. It had a regular light bulb supplying heat, a fan that passed air over it and circulated it, and a pan filled with water. The light bulb would heat the water, creating steam/humidity, and the fan circulated it.

Now how simple is that? I could build one! So I did some shopping.

I needed a case or some type of box. I wanted it to be plastic because it had to be easy to clean, wouldn’t rust, or have any sharp edges. I needed to figure out a way to put a door on it, so we could observe the babies and have easy access. Where the heck was I going to find something like that!

I quickly located the perfect box! Van Ness sells a “sifting enclosed cat pan”. It measures 19 inches high, 15 inches deep and 10 inches wide. The “sifting” part means that there are two pans and a screening tray, and this is supposed to make it easy to clean your cat’s litter.

But this works absolutely great as a brooder! Disinfecting your brooder is critical. Remember, where you combine heat, humidity and bird droppings, you have created a great place to grow all sorts of nasty germs and bacteria. The brooder needed to be cleaned at lease twice a day. Having a brooder that can quickly be disassembled for cleaning without disturbing the babies is perfect!

The height (19 inches) made it perfect for larger birds. The electronics would be mounted to the roof, out of their reach.

I quickly planned my design out. This was going to work ten times better then my antique human brooders!

If this sounds like something you want to build, it’s very easy to do. But I would urge you to find someone experienced with working around electricity. If you don’t wire this up right, you can toast the wiring, blow fuses, and get yourself hurt.

BUYING THE PARTS

I drew up my parts list and went shopping. I started at the pet store.

Covered Cat Litter Box. This can be picked up at most of the large pet stores or department stores. Van Ness is a major brand carried by all of them. If they don’t have it in stock, it can be ordered. Last resort, search the internet.

Black Basking Light bulb. If you raise reptiles you know all about this. It’s a simple 60 watt light bulb painted a very dark blue. It radiates heat, and puts out a dark blue light. This will not disturb the babies, and supply more then enough heat for my brooder.

Then it was off to the hardware store.

I needed a light bulb socket. They have one that is very small, made of ceramic, and once mounted takes up only a small space. There are two screws for attaching the wire.

Dimmer Switch. I wanted one with a dial to adjust the voltage to the bulb, and when you push in it would turn the light on or off. By turning the brightness of the bulb up, it radiates more heat. Turn it down, and you get less heat. Simple, huh?

I picked up an inexpensive extension cord to supply the power. It’s much cheaper than getting a plug and wire and making it myself. I also picked up a package of machine screws and nuts to mount all of this stuff inside the box. You will also need a spool of hookup wire. Also grab a box of wire nuts to connect all of the wires together, and a roll of tape to cover up any exposed connectors.

I needed a fan. Something like a cooling fan from a computer would work, but it would require me to build a transformer to convert power to 12 volts DC. What I found was a 120VAC fan that looked like a large computer fan. This is available at your Radio Shack Dealer. This fan would be used to blow air over the light bulb, and then circulate the heated air around the brooder. I didn’t need a lot of air flow, but it had to be sufficient to do the job.

I got a stainless steel food dish and sponge from my aviary to use for humidity. By putting the sponge into the dish, then filling with water, it would “wick” the water to the top of the sponge and evaporate. This would work until I found a better method.

To really make this work, I needed to be able to control the temperature using an electronic thermostat. It had to be fairly adjustable for accurate settings between 98 and 105 degrees.

Most home made brooders used a “wafer” thermostat. This was a mechanical device where a metal disk would expand and contract in response to temperature changes, and would operate a relay to turn off the heat source. It was accurate, but only for a couple of months. Then it became very unreliable.

Every electronic thermostat I located was either not suitable for what I wanted, or was far too expensive. I finally had to settle for a reptile thermostat made by Zoo-Med. The sensor went into the box, and the controls were on the outside of the brooder. It was fairly inexpensive but not as reliable as I hoped. We ended up placing a temperature alarm inside the unit to signal of the temperate was getting too high or low.

One more optional addition…I added a 120v outlet plug. That way, I could daisy chain additional brooders, plug in an auxiliary light, or any other gadget I needed. Having a plug readily available was handy.

ASSEMBLY

Now comes the tricky stuff. You don’t have to be an electrician to build this but it helps to have an understanding with electronics.

You want to mount the fan near the top of the brooder. Try to mount it so there is a little bit of space behind it to supply air.. Mount the light bulb/socket so that the bulb is in front of the fan. The fan is wired so that it runs constantly. The light bulb is wired through the dimmer switch. Mount the dimmer switch to the top front of the box. With some experimentation you can determine the temperature settings, and mark them next to the dial.

If you go with the thermostat idea you need to wire the bulb so that it’s controlled through the thermostat. There are several ways to do this, so use your own judgement.

Buy a good thermometer and tape it to the front of the door. You need to constantly monitor the temperature to ensure it does not go outside the 98-105 degree range.

The only problem I have had with this box is when the birds get very big. They may be able to reach up to the electronics, or mess with the fan. You may wish to experiment with a method of covering the top with a screen. With this box, I only had this issue when I was raising the large Macaws. But by the time they are big enough to reach the roof, they are fairly feathered out and we can turn off the power. The box kept out drafts and the bird did fine.

The entire cost of this project is about $60 (without the electronic thermostat).

>>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”

Jerry & Sapphyre

I’d love to hear your own technique and experiences in building a brooder. Or if you’re planning of building one, please ask away in the comments box below. Thank you!

Many times we have read articles, or received questions, about whether you can put birds from different species in the same cage. To be honest, I still don’t have a definitive answer for this. But I can certainly pass along my observations as a bird breeder who has raised a wide variety of birds.

Whenever you introduce two birds together in the same cage, regardless of if they are the same breed or not, you need to take a slow approach. The birds need to be introduced and observed, and then you can combine them into the same cage.

When you combine birds, there is more of a domination mentality than just fighting with another breed. But you can introduce birds as babies, and they will learn to get along. However, you would not want to put baby birds in with adult birds.

This is especially true with birds that are injured. The other birds will immediately pick on the bird, and even kill it.

But we have not really seen any evidence that one breed of bird will instinctively attack another. As a matter of fact, we have had cases where birds you would never expect to get along fell in love with each other…preening and feeding each other.

LOVEBIRDS

These birds do not live up to their names. They can be very aggressive to other birds. The males are docile, but females can be very aggressive. They have been known to attack any other birds that enter their cage. It’s even dangerous to put two males or two females together.

And there are many cases where a paired up set of lovebirds will seem to get along great. Then, for no apparent reason, they will be fighting to the death! I still have not figured this out! We have lost a lot of lovebirds over this.

LARGE BIRDS AND SMALL BIRDS

From our experience, you can put birds of various sizes together. But the cage must be big enough for everyone to have their own “space”. And remember, they will each have separate diets, so more bowls will be required. The problem with this arrangement is that you can’t put a very large parrot into a cockatiel cage, because they may be able to bend and break the bars. Small birds will get through the bars of large bird cages. So some common sense needs to be practiced.

>>In my ebook “The Easy Parrot System”, not only do I share the EXACT cage sizes but also how far apart should the bars be (this is important- you don’t want your bird’s head get stuck in between the bars). In some instances, you should also know how strong the bars should be. For example, macaws have a crushing power of 2500 lbs (powerful enough to break off a human finger) so having the right gauge bar is crucial. Bird cages are an important and expensive investment so make sure you educate yourself: The Easy Parrot System - Bird Cages

Our aviary had a pair of breeding Blue/Gold Macaws. They were in a very large 4’x8’ cage so they could have lots of room to exercise. We also had lots of finches and lovebirds. And with any large aviary, you will always have escaped finches. You can either run around with a bird net trying to catch them (and maybe injure them in the process) or just let them be. These finches spent most of their time visiting the Macaws.

MALE CANARIES FIGHT

Canaries are not the best society birds. Two male canaries will fight with each other. Females are not as aggressive and can sometimes be kept together. It’s best that you do not put them with other birds (including another canary). Breeding canaries is an art, and you need to do a lot of research before attempting it. We had some follow breeders that love them a great deal! But in their case, canaries is all they breed and that is all they know. Just be careful pairing them up!

JACK AND BUGGY

Let me tell you the story about Jack and Buggy.

Jack was a Senegal Parrot that we rescued from a home where the owner no longer wanted him. Senegal’s are native to Africa, and are related to the African Grey. The owner actually thought he was a Conure. When we picked him up, he was in a cage in the basement. It was cool, humid, dark and dusty. The cage hadn’t been cleaned in months. We actually threw away the cage immediately. We didn’t want Jack to be constantly reminded of his past.

Mentally, Jack was a mess. He was depressed and very angry, launching at me every time I reached for him. After a few days he would come out of his cage, but would go to the top of his cage and stare at the wall, oblivious to everything around him.

Buggy came to us when we purchased our first stock of birds for our aviary. She came along with about 30 large parrots. “Mrs. Buggy” was a Grey Cheek Parakeet. This bird is native to South America, and they are very rare.

Mrs. Buggy was a healthy bird, very happy and friendly. We put her cage next to Jack’s cage, and Buggy would chatter to Jack. Jack showed no reaction or response, just sat staring at the wall. This went on for many days.

One day Buggy opened her cage door, went into Jacks cage, sat next to him and began chatting again. He finally showed signs of noticing her. Eventually they began preening and feeding each other. When Buggy finally went back to her cage, Jack followed her. From that day on, they were inseparable. Several years later, Mrs. Buggy developed some health problems, diagnosed as liver disease. We adopted the birds to a husband and wife who were both veterinarians and were able to take care of them, and promised to keep them together.

Lesson learned: It’s very possible for completely different species of birds to get along just fine. But it’s up to the birds.

>>Check out my ebook at http://www.TheTameParrot.com/cb/ - I believe every parrot owner should have a copy of this. It would prevent so many mistakes that bird owners unknowingly make (in some instances those mistakes are life threatening to the bird)

Do you have any experience putting two birds in the same cage? Or are you planning to do so in the near future? Please post them below - I’d love to hear your feedback and comments! Thank you!

We recently reported on the death of a very famous bird…Alex the African Grey. This story still saddens me, as I have been following the progress of the research of Dr. Pepperberg and her staff, and new of the death sort of hit me.

This got me thinking about all the birds I have lost in the past, and in some cases how devastated I became. And now I think about how the loss of the few pet birds I have will effect me…..

How do you deal with the loss of a pet? Can you deal with the depression? Can you function enough to think things out and not be totally devastated by the loss? It’s not possible to answer this. But maybe you will find yourself in a position to help counsel someone who is going through this.

Over the years we have been in this position. Pet owners have called me, inquiring on buying a replacement bird, and they end up talking to me for hours about their pet and how much they miss them. I would take the time to listen, give some gentle advice, and try to help them through this period of grief.

YOUR PET HAS DIED. WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?

It may not seem obvious, but if you have more then one bird in your home you need to investigate the cause of the birds death. Failure to immediately identify the cause of death could end up costing you even more birds.

The only good way to find the cause of death is to take your bird to a qualified avian vet and have an avian necropsy (autopsy) done. This will help to identify any disease that may be transmitted to the rest of your birds, poor diet, or other health issues.

If the bird died as the result of an accident, be sure that the problem is corrected so it won’t happen to other birds.

DEALING WITH GRIEF

I am sometimes amazed at the attitude of people. They do not seem to understand how attached people become to their pets. After spending their day with them, caring for them and playing with them, a huge bond develops. The loss of that pet is devastating!

The entire grieving process is no different then losing your parents, children, or best friend. First, there is the shock of their death. Time freezes, nothing is important any more. They become bewildered and depressed.

Then anger sets in. How did this happen? Who do I blame? Was this the cause of something I did (or didn’t) do? Guilt and fear take over your life.

Depression sets in. They feel saddened by the loss, drained of energy and overwhelmed with emotion.

After some time passes, acceptance takes over. They realize that their life will never be the same, but they must move on. But they will certainly never forget. And with the help of friends, they will eventually recover from their loss.

HONOR YOUR PET

A pet owner will never forget their loved one. And there are a number of ways to continue to honor them.

Make a donation to local agencies that help pets. The Humane Society, a rescue agency, or even for research. There are several organizations that do research into various bird diseases that can always use the support.

There are several websites that have set up memorial sites for your pet. At http://www.rainbowbridge.com has a virtual pet cemetery where you can post pictures and other information about your pet. They also have a grief support center if you just want to talk.

Plant a tree, shrub or flowers to honor your pet. Keep pictures of your pet around your home.

But never, ever forget your pet.

SHOULD YOU GET ANOTHER PET?

That has to be done when you area ready. Don’t rush out and get one the day the pet dies. You must first honor your deceased pet before moving on. You will know when you are ready.

Understand that when you get your new pet, it will not be the same bird you had. The personalities will be different, and you will have to go through a new learning phase. Be patient, things will work out.

DOES THE BIRD’S MATE SEEM DEPRESSED?

Some birds won’t handle the death of a cage mate. Other birds will get along fine. There are many tales about birds mating for life, such as the Lovebird or Doves. This is not the case. They will take on new mates. But they are also capable of feeling the loss. This is also true if they lose their owner. We have taken in a number of rescue cases where the owner died and nobody wanted the bird. The bird was in obvious depression and showing signs of health problems. After a few weeks of giving the bird love and attention, they have fully recovered. They were later sent to a new home.

So keep in mind that the pets may need some grief counseling just as much as the owners.

I recently ran into a situation that I thought I would pass along to everyone. I received a call from a lady who recently rescued a pair of parakeets.

They live in an apartment and they noticed that the tenant in their building was moving out. In the hallway they had placed their cage with two birds in it. When they arrived home from work, the cage was still there next to the door, but nobody was around. After a few more hours, it got dark. The hallway was getting cold…..and the birds were still there. So they took the birds into their apartment and left a note on the door to let anyone know where to pick them up.

After two days it was obvious that the birds had been abandoned, and they accepted them into their home. But now what? They never had parakeets before. They talked to another bird owner who had Amazons and got some advice, but the pet store said everything they were told was wrong! They need to come to the store and get some supplies. Grit, seed, sprays, mite protectors, all sorts of stuff! So upon advice of their vet (they also owned a dog) I got the call for help.

The birds seemed to be in great shape and were singing and playing in their cage. So I just told them to watch the birds for any health issues and take care of them. But having never owned a bird before, they didn’t know where to start and I was amazed at the advice they were being given.

 Forget the advice about grit (they don’t need it) and mite protectors (dangerous and not needed). The birds came with a little bowl of seed on the bottom, but they did not know what type of food they eat. What fruits and veggies are safe and most common to feed parakeets?

She was told to give them leafy greens, carrots, broccoli, and dandelions. No fruit! And they must be given ½ to 1 cup veggies every day, and only a few tablespoons of seed. Lots of gravel (parakeets need grit to digest food)…and put vitamins in their water. A cup of veggies? For a tiny parakeet???

She heard they need to take baths but will drown in even a tiny amount of water. How do you wash them? What seed is best? She was told that seeds bought from stores were not safe. And they have to be given “fly time” every day so they can exercise. Wouldn’t that be sort of dangerous?

All these questions just brings me back to earth. I’ve been working around birds so much that these questions just seem like they have obvious answers…..but to a new bird owner they are anything but obvious. So I spent the next few hours getting her educated on parakeets.

Parakeets are native of Australia, where there are lots of grasslands. They have no trouble at all foraging for foods, and eat fresh greens, fruits and berries, seeds. Captive birds are totally dependant on you to supply them with a fully nutritious assortment of foods.

The Association of Avian Veterinarians has studied this extensively, and came up with these recommendations. Half of the diet should consist of high-carb foods like breads, cooked rice, cooked beans and a good quality seed diet. Parakeets are very active and burn up energy at a huge rate. Like any athlete, a high carb diet is necessary to support that much activity. The other half consists of foods high in vitamin A. These are orange and yellow fruits and veggies such as carrots and yams, plus dark green leafy veggies like broccoli, dandelion greens and dark lettuce. They love apples and cherries, or other types of berries. I also recommend an occasional high-protein food such as cooked meats, eggs or even canned tuna. I get a lot of strange looks over this, especially when you add cooked chicken to the list.

Seed, as with any other birds, should never be the main diet. Parakeets fed on such a diet will not survive more then a few years. I also recommend a good quality pelleted diet, since the food can be left in the cage all the time. Parakeets do not sit and keep eating till they are full. They will nibble all day long. Fresh foods should be removed after a few hours, especially cooked foods. Again, would you eat food left out for 6 hours on the counter? Why would you expect your bird to do it?

I then went over the bathing issue. I think the people advising her were thinking about Finches, or Canaries, as they are known to have problems bathing in deep dishes. Parakeets love it! But try to use shallow bowls with about an inch of water. The pet stores have many dozens of models of bird baths to choose from. Also get yourself a spray bottle and gently mist the bird. Parakeets do enjoy being misted.

The question of millet was brought up, and if it should always be in the cage. She was told it contained some nutrients that were essential to their health, and without it they would die.

My kids tried to tell me that story…about ice cream. Sorry…it didn’t work with them either. Millet is a treat, and should be offered as that. Give the bird a small amount in the evenings only.

I was concerned about the advice to let the bird fly around the house for exercise. I always recommend birds wings be clipped. The bird can be let out of the house to exercise on the cage, or on the floor, and only while supervised. But letting those little guys have free flight is a disaster waiting to happen. There are simply too many dangers, and too many ways that they can fly out a window or follow you out the door.

>>I hope this information was as helpful to you as it was to my new bird rescuer. If you haven’t yet, I strongly recommend you to get hold of “The Easy Parrot System” to have knowledge of AT LEAST the basics of bird care. I go in detail into what type food you should give to your bird and just as important- what type of food that should NOT be given to birds: http://www.TheTameParrot.com/parrot-care/