Many companion parrots enjoy spending time outdoors when the weather is nice as much as we do. What’s more, exposure to natural sunlight can be great for your pet bird’s mental and physical health. However, before bringing your feathered friend outside, some important safety precautions are in order. Follow these recommendations to ensure your bird is safe while enjoying the Great Outdoors.
Dr. Heather Barron will explore what is currently known about the herbal supplement industry, homeopathy, and other forms of alternative medicine, as well as discuss the pros and cons as presented in a review of the scientific literature.
Your bird depends on you for their care, which includes feeding nutritious foods, providing optimum housing and offering plenty of enrichment. Another important part of being a good bird steward is being prepared for vet visits.
Dr. Tully will field questions from participants, so now’s your chance to ask a question about your pet bird’s health, or tune in to learn more about avian health in general.
Do you know what to do if you find a baby bird? Should you leave it alone? Is it safe to bring it home? Find the answers to these important questions and more by tuning in on Friday, June 5!
In this re-occurring webinar on the last Friday of each month, our special guest Tom Tully, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice), DECZM (Avian) will discuss basic bird care and nutrition, and field questions from participants.
Life with a pet bird companion can certainly be a life of adventure. You have a feathered friend with the intelligence, and often the mischievousness, of a young child. A pet that might be inclined to talk back, or perform aerobatic feats around your furniture and furnishings. Your bird might be a snuggle buddy who shows affection by gently preening your hair or brow. Intermixed with all that love and shenanigans comes everything in between — especially the unexpected. Here’s a snapshot of what some bird stewards wish they knew before getting a pet bird.
Join us for a live, interactive webinar hosted by Laura Doering, former editor of Bird Talk magazine and Birds USA magazine. Our special guest Stephanie Lamb, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice) will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, how it pertains to pet birds, and how we can keep our pets safe and healthy.
Offering our bird’s foraging opportunities with pellets, Nutri-Berries, and healthy snacks is a great way to satisfy their work-for-food instincts. Other great foraging opportunities await with fresh, edible, non-toxic plants. In the wild, part of a bird’s search for food means tearing through a plant to get to the more desirable parts. It’s no surprise that parrots like to chew! Discover tips for creating an edible “foraging jungle” for your pet bird.
Many of us are having to stay home from work, school and other social activities to reduce the chances of coming into contact with and spreading the COVID-19 disease. Although this time of self-isolation may be challenging, it can also be thought of as an occasion to spend a little more time with our feathered friends and other pets. As pet owners are at home and observing their birds at times where they may not normally, they may discover that their birds tend to follow routines daily, just like we do!
The COVID-19 pandemic is an emerging disease with many facts still unknown. If you have questions about how it might affect pets, here’s what we know so far, with tips on keeping your pet birds safe.
Do parrots cough? Cough-like noises can indicate an underlying medical issue in our feathered companions. See how parrots’ coughs are different from ours, and when to call the vet.
Life with a parrot companion can sometimes mean dealing with a situation that you don’t quite understand or that might be causing discord in the home. A certified parrot behavior consultant can help. Learn what it takes to be certified, and how these specialists can assist you.
Dr. Pepperberg shares her experiences with taking African greys Griffin and Athena (and Alex before them) to the vet for their well-bird health checkups, which, with their verbal communication prowess, has led to some interesting vet interactions.
Dr. Pepperberg dishes on a recent health scare she experienced with African grey Athena. She gives us a first-hand account of dealing with Athena’s sudden feather issues to remind us that seemingly minor or temporary changes in a parrot’s environment can affect the bird’s health in unexpected ways.
Your house is all packed up, and you’ve hired movers to transport your belongings to your new abode. All that is left now is ensuring that you and your loved ones— including your feathered family members—arrive safely at your destination. Lisa Bono, CPBC, offers some important insight based on her own experiences on making the move stress-free for the flock, as well as tips to follow anytime you transport your bird.
Tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and vaping, can adversely affect a bird’s health. You might be surprised by some of the sneaky ways tobacco use and its by-products can adversely affect a bird’s health—see what you can do about it.
If you share your home with companions of both the feathered and furred kind, you might long to see your pets hang out together and be best friends. But before you do, these real-life situations prove that the hazards are real and the consequences potentially tragic.
Should Polly Ride Shotgun?
The term “distracted driving” conjures up thoughts of some obvious culprits – texting, talking on the phone, eating, etc. We must also consider driving with a feathered passenger – or other pet(s) – as a potential cause of distracted driving, especially a bird who is unsecured in the car. Find out why your bird needs to “buckle up” during car rides, the safest spot in the car for your bird and the type of carrier to help ensure you and your bird safely reach your destination.
How well do parrots remember situations, other parrots, and people over the course of their long lives? Dr. Pepperberg, gives us a rundown on research that points to parrots as having brain areas that function in ways similar to the human cortex, and how their extremely high neural densities enable advanced cognitive processing—which requires good memory.
