Health Issues
Stable or Cured?
Giving After Hours Emergency Advice For Birds There is one mistake that people with critically ill birds commonly make. They can’t tell the difference between stabilised and fixed. It happens, in part because they desperately want their bird to be ok. They will grasp at any sign that their bird is going to be ok…
Read MoreWhat Is Feather Destructive Behaviour?
Feather Plucking | Feather Destructive Behaviour | FDB Feather Destructive Behaviour occurs when a bird is intentionally damaging or removing feathers (usually but not always their own). There are multiple different types of feather destructive behaviours and it helps to identify exactly what type of destructive behaviour your bird is actually doing. Feather Destructive Behaviour…
Read MoreAbusing Veterinary Staff
Sometimes working in a vet clinic can break you. It doesn’t surprise me that the veterinary industry has a higher suicide rate than any other industry. There is a general attitude that vets are only in it for the money. That vets over-service and over-charge. The abuse veterinary staff receive continues to amaze me. The…
Read MoreHeat Stress In Birds
What is heat stress? Heat stress in birds is when a bird’s core body temperature is raised uncontrollably to a dangerously high level. A bird’s body temperature is normally between 39-43C/101-109F. If their temperature rises higher than this, it can quickly become a serious, often life-threatening problem. Birds are not like us, they do not…
Read MoreDifferent Types Of Evacuation Plans For Parrots
It is supposed to be spring here but someone forgot to tell the weather that. Australia is dealing with soaring temperatures and in most locations a heatwave. My television just announced we have officially hit record-breaking temperatures here. It has never been this hot since they started recording weather patterns and as I type I’m…
Read MoreHow Old Is The Newspaper That You Use To Line Your Bird’s Cage?
I think by now, most of us are aware that the best cage liner to use for our birds is paper. It lies flat, easily allowing you to monitor your birds’ droppings; it’s non-toxic and it is cheap. That said there is one risk with using newspaper that I think it is important to be…
Read MoreDealing With A Broken Blood Feather
For those who don’t know, I live with a very young Blue and Gold Macaw named Fid. I believe he is currently around 12 months old, although I can’t be 100% sure. What I can be sure of, is there is a very good reason why the first sentence he learned to say was “You’re…
Read MoreLet Your Bird Dry Itself After A Bath
When I was a child, I used to worry about what happened to birds when it rained. I’d lie in bed at night, listening to storms wondering how birds kept warm at night if they got wet? I figured they’d find a sheltered perch and ride it out but as perches are branches and branches…
Read MoreLearning To Recognise The Early Symptoms of Illness In A Bird
Recognising the early symptoms of illness in a bird can be extraordinarily difficult. Often when we realise a bird is sick, the small window to do something about it has already passed. To those who have discovered a love of birds, it’s a frustrating and scary thought. When I last took my elderly Galah/Rosebreasted Cockatoo…
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean When My Bird Fluffs Up?
“I have adopted a male Eclectus parrot and I have a question about cuddling and petting. I have been very cautious about it so far because I have read that with their hair like feathers they don’t like to be pet like other birds. However, when he is relaxing with me he seems to want…
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