Button Quail Happen

Last week I was happily going about my business, cleaning bird cages, doing house chores, feeding birds, when I happened to look in my smallest button quail cage. This is a regular bird cage with a solid floor on the bottom grill. It’s a moment of desperation cage, as buttons can’t be housed together if you have more than one male.

The World For Parrots

Fewer parrots every day are able to live in their original homelands. The declining numbers make most of us aviculturists heartsick. Yet aviculture is one of the saving graces for birds of many species. And on top of that, we have exciting news like the recent sighting in Brazil. Possibly for the first time in decades, a Spix’s Macaw was seen flying through the trees. http://www.birdlife.org/americas/news/spix%E2%80%99s-macaw-reappears-brazil The species has not been confirmed, but it’s a big, blue parrot.

Watching the Wilds

With aviaries and cages in my back yard, I have always been blessed with wild birds in the trees and bushes. We even get hummingbirds when the citrus trees and jacaranda tree bloom. Not sure if they are just getting braver or if the increased supply is just too much to resist.

Apple Cider Vinegar

In my kitchen, I have two Brita pitchers that I use to fill up the drinking water tubes and dishes for all my birds. The Brita pitchers are easy to use, and we also have a water bottle style filter system that holds much more water but dispenses it slowly. So we keep that for human consumption. And even with data showing the filters don’t do a whole lot for the water, I still feel better doing this rather than not. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/19/are-water-filters-bs.html

http://doesitreallywork.org/brita-review/

The Hospital Cage

When you care for birds, you need to be prepared for the worst that could happen. A first aid kit is certainly a requirement. You can easily put one together for your flock by Googling that. You’ll find the basic http://www.beaknwings.org/ed/firstaid.pdf to the thorough. http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/firstaid.html

PLEASE NOTE: I am not a veterinarian or an animal medical worker. Sick birds are usually very ill by the time they show any symptoms. Consult your qualified avian vet before trying any home solutions. Only resort to home care if a vet cannot be reached quickly.

The Great Outdoors

As I have often stated in this blog, my dream is to get most of my birds outside. Even if I am not breeding those birds, outside is better for them than inside. Especially since we live in California. No tornadoes or hurricanes, just earthquakes, and wildfires, which threaten inside and out equally.

Losing it in Translation

I imagine some parents go through this with babies. They argue over and translate what the baby says. Parrots keep this game up much longer. Babies get better at communicating. Birds, not so much.

Parrot Potpourri

I realize I first heard that word, Potpourri, on the old and ground-breaking series, Laugh-in. Took me a while to learn to spell it. But here are a few small incidences that happened in my life recently.

You MIGHT have a Parrot If

If your house has lots of child-proof locks and gates, but no one under 21 ever comes to your house.

If your wardrobe has a special section for shirts that have been chewed through in spots.

If you ever have gone to work without knowing that you had a bird deposit on your clothes. Or if your spouse hugs you and then later finds the bird deposit has been transferred.