Sticky post
So — your parrot preened themselves a little too hard. Perhaps they were flying around the room and landed a little funny. Either way, you notice that one of their feathers is bleeding. What in the world…? What should you do? If your parrot is bleeding, that’s an emergency. Yes, even if it’s just from a tiny little feather. Think about how tiny a parakeet … Continue reading Broken Blood Feathers: What To Do
Do you? Do you really? They are unpredictable; they bite often, and bite hard. They are far, far from kid-friendly. So let’s face it; most birds, were they dogs, would be put down. Louie’s grandfather (or at least great-grandfather) likely flew the canopies of the Solomon Islands. And Ozone’s father is probably still terrorizing some local somewhere in Africa. At no point should you assume … Continue reading “OMG, I want a parrot!”
When you think about adopting a baby bird, consider this: You are raising a child monster with permanently-affixed pliers, and that child is gonna be a two-year-old for fifty to one hundred years, depending on the species. Every mistake you make in his or her formative years, every bad habit you instill, will be with you for the duration of that parrot’s life. It’s so important … Continue reading A Parrot: The Forever Two-Year-Old
Naturally, my status of ‘crazy bird lady’ meant that I just had to find the wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill on a recent impromptu trip to San Francisco. Here’s how I did it. Continue reading How to (reliably) find the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Oh, the holidays–friendship, cheer, the season of giving… What more could a bird want than a bit of pizza crust? Unfortunately, Louie acquired a mild case of toe-tapping to go with it. 😦 This performance brought to you by pizza: I gave Louie a tiny bit of pizza crust (standard practice when we feel like spoiling our birds.) This particular pizza crust came from Old Chicagos, … Continue reading Allergies Don’t Disappear: Mild Toe-Tapping
I’m on the writing committee for a local charity, and this is one of the songs we might be using/rewriting for our musical. Tippy clearly likes it as much as I do. XD Click here to watch him rock out and ‘stick it to the man’! Continue reading Flock of ROCK!
Screaming is one way birds get attention (positive, negative, it doesn’t matter!) Now, I can’t definitively say whether or not this was the case for Miss Viola Waddlesworth at her former home, however, her friend Sam, the African Grey who went to a neighbor’s house, frequently shouts, “Shut up, Waddles!” …So yeah, we likely have a few years’ worth of bad habits to break with her. One major … Continue reading Teaching a Bird NOT to Scream: Reality
2020 Edit: This is my most popular blog post, so I thought I’d write a follow-up with better pictures! If you’re looking for a variety of mojo moult pictures over the years, you are welcome to also check out these images of his various moults (hard ones and easy ones) from 2015-2020.
Otherwise, keep reading to see photos of a hard moult and a mojo moult happening in one poor eclectus parrot at the same time!
2016: Is he sick? Does he have scabies? Is he dying?!!
No, no, and no.
Mr. Lou is going through the most intense mojo moult of his life right now, coupled also with a hard moult. He has to be beyond uncomfortable, but he’s still our cheerful little Lou! Our handsome boy is not so handsome.
Last night, we allowed Ms. Vi to climb into a diet coke box.
… She hasn’t stopped her hormonal quivering since. All parrots go through hormonal phases, especially in spring and summer given the extra daylight (which prompts a release of hormones) so that’s expected there.
But dark, enclosed places that resemble nesting hollows apparently jumpstart this phenomenon again.
It is with a happy heart that I can now say this: Vi CONSISTENTLY steps up! I waited two weeks to make sure, but it’s official: she is cage-bound no more! We made our goal of July! A little late, but better than never! When she’s in her cage, it’s her terms; she’s made it clear that her cage is her safe zone, and I … Continue reading Achievement Unlocked: Consistent Step Ups
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