Category: Housing

Webinar: The Grey Way — Summer Safety Review!

Join us for a free, live webinar on Friday, June 6th, with parrot behavior expert Lisa Bono as she shares essential summer safety tips to help keep your pet bird safe during the hottest months.

Webinar: A Look Back At The Phoenix Landing Wellness Retreat Part 1

Lisa Bono gives us an exclusive look at the Phoenix Landing Wellness Retreat. Discover expert insights on bird nutrition, behavior, health, and enrichment to elevate your bird care skills and connect with fellow enthusiasts. Don’t miss out, sign up today and tune in April 26th!

Webinar: Translating Parrot: Choosing, Adopting And Bringing Home An Older Parrot

Join us October 20 with renowned parrot expert Pamela Clark and learn insider tips for adopting and caring for an older companion bird. Pamela will guide you through the process, from choosing the right age and species to integrating adopted parrots into your flock, using her decades of experience to ensure a smooth transition.

Webinar: The Grey Way—Bling That Cage!

In this free webinar episode of The Grey Way, Lisa Bono, CPBC, will offer tips to help bird owners bling out their bird’s cage. Sign up and tune in Friday, May 5, 2023!

Webinar: The Grey Way—Food Can Be Fun!

In this free webinar episode of The Grey Way—Food Can Be Fun, Lisa Bono, CPBC, will give her tips and tricks to get your bird to eat healthy foods! Sign up and tune in Friday, October 14, 2022!

African grey parrot on harness

Summer Safety

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.

cockatoo face

Why You Should Rethink Allowing Your Parrot On The Floor

Understanding our birds instinctive and their learned behaviors and knowing how to work with them can serve us well in avoiding behavior issues. A “cute” behavior that may have encouraged by the caregiver in the beginning, can become a learned behavior that is adapted by the parrot that leads to negative consequences.

African grey parrot indoors on perch leaning forward

Tune In To Your Bird’s Daily Habits

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!

African grey parrots on play gym

Why A Routine Helps The Flock And The Caregiver

A daily routine can give companion parrots a sense of security — knowing what’s in the plan for the day means they can look forward to timely meals/snacks, out-of-cage time, social interaction, and clean cages. Get inspired by the way Lisa Bono, CPBC, maintains a schedule that helps ensure she doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to caring for the flock.

African grey parrots

Friends Or Frenemies—How Well Do Parrots Interact With Each Other?

For parrots in the wild, flock dynamics include bonded pairs, siblings, and flockmates who forage for food together, play together, or simply co-exist with one another (and, of course, help keep a lookout for predators). What about companion parrots? Will two parrots get along? Dr. Pepperberg dishes on the interactions among her African grey parrots, as well as explains why it can be challenging so to predict how flock dynamics will play out inside the home.

parrots in cages

Moving With Your Bird? How To Reduce Stress For Everyone

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.

black and white close up image of the profile of a sulphur-crested cockatoo

Playing With Fire: Tobacco And Pet Birds

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.

close up on face of a brown dog from the nose up

Birds And Other Pets: Why You Need To Be On Guard

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.

quaker (aka Monk) parakeet on a rope toy

Give Your Bird Some “Gym Time”

It’s time to think outside the cage! Add some real-estate to your bird’s indoor habitat by way of a play gym. Play gyms offer companion parrots of all sizes and species the perfect place to get wild, to chill for a while or to hang out with their favorite people.

side view of cockatiel on perch in cage

New Bird? 5 Ways To Get Off To A Great Start

Have a new bird, or know someone about to welcome a bird into his or her life? Setting a bird up for success as a companion pet has a lot to do with the right interactions. Learn what you should do — and not do — those first few weeks after bringing a pet bird home. Get on the right track with your pet bird, and maintain a mutually respectful relationship for the years ahead with these helpful tips to welcome a new bird into the home.

budgie and cockatiel perched on bars of down-facing lamps

Pet Bird Home Hazards

Looking for a reason to update some of your home furnishings? Here are a few suggestions for swapping out potentially dangerous household furnishings with more bird-friendly designs.

Amazon perched on wire atop cage

Tips To Manage Your Pet Bird’s Mess

In addition to tried-and-true cage maintenance products, there are additional ways to maintain a clean and healthy environment for your feather companion. With some simple pre-planning and regular maintenance, you’ll be able to put your feet up and enjoy more one-on-one time with your bird.

close up on blue and gold macaw face

Airplane Travel And Your Pet Bird

So you want to take a vacation?! Of course you do, and you want your best friend, your companion bird, to go along with you. Use these tips to do it right.

green-cheek conure perched on finger

Tips To Get Your Bird Back In The Cage

Our small birds love their time out of the cage. How do we know this? We know because sometimes it’s soooo difficult to get them back in the cage. Plan for this by training your pet bird. Here are some tips to try for when you need to get your small bird back in the cage, now.

flock of sulphur-crested cockatoos walking on ground

7 Ways You Can Help Birds And The Environment

Here’s an annual event that bird lovers can help celebrate — Earth Day, which takes place on April 22 each year. In honor of Earth Day, here are seven ways bird lovers can make a difference in our own neighborhoods and abroad.

close up on heads of cockatoos facing each other, one with beak open

Pet Birds And Other Birds

It’s easy to assume that birds must like other birds. But before you buddy up two birds consider that fact that many avian veterinarians treat bird patients that were injured by other bird housemates.

African grey parrot standing on cement or similar surface outside

Parrot Feet

When we think of birds, we often imagine these fascinating creatures flying through the air. Yet, what goes up must come down. Let’s focus on birds’ feet, which allow birds to maneuver and rest while taking a break from flight.

budgie on perch in cage beside cuttlebone

Parrot Toys: What Are We Going To Chew Today?

Providing projects that occupy busy beaks and stimulate avian Einsteins is one of the never-ending challenges of parrot ownership. The quest for that perfect bird toy takes us trekking to innumerable pet shops and bird marts, and pouring through countless catalogs.

sun conure perched on branch leaning to the side

Pet Bird Owner Summer Safety Tips

But before you fire up your backyard grill or unroll the pool or spa cover, take a moment to see what steps you need to make to ensure your bird’s safety and well-being all summer long.

zebra finch perched on branch

Finch Or Canary — What’s The Difference?

If you’re considering adding a finch or a canary to your family, you might be surprised to find that a canary is a finch. Zebra finches, society finches, also called Bengalese finches, and canaries actually have a lot in common.

blue and white budgie climbing on bars inside cage

Budgie Vs. Cockatiel — Which Is Right For You?

For years, budgies, also called parakeets, were the most numerous companion birds, and only recently were overtaken by cockatiels. If you’re looking at getting one or the other, how do they compare?

blue and white budgie standing beside round plastic toy with bell inside

Top Toys For Parakeets

Give your budgie (aka “parakeet”) some toys! You will be wildly entertained as your budgie plays, and your budgie will stay active and engaged without getting into any mischief from boredom.

a nanday conure sitting atop a cage playing with newspaper on the cage

Pet Bird Enrichment: Four Great Uses For Newspaper

To many pet bird owners, yesterday’s news is today’s cage liner. In addition to the long-held practice of lining the bottom of the birdcage with newspaper, here are four other ways to get the most bang out of your newspaper subscription buck.

rainbow lorikeet preening another rainbow lorikeet

4 Easy Ways To Deter Breeding Behavior

Find out why you might want to rethink your pet bird’s cage setup, how long you leave the lights on, the type of foods you feed, and even the way you pet and interact with your bird.

conure sitting on perch in cage

Halloween Safety For Birds

Some frightening things can happen to our birds if we are not vigilant during Halloween festivities. But you can do a lot to prevent any problems by planning ahead.

male Eclectus parrot bathing in a bird bath

The Splash About Bird Baths

Birds like to get wet and water stimulates normal preening behavior. So, how can you help your bird bathe and enjoy water to the fullest?

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