Stable or Cured?

Quakers

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…

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Setting Up A Hospital Cage For Your Bird

Post-surgery galah

If there is one thing that my recent experiences with my galah Charlie has taught me – it’s the importance of having some sort of hospital set up on standby in case your bird ever becomes critically ill. Even if you are lucky enough to have access to an out of hours vet who can…

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The Hardest Thing About “Owning” Birds

Charlie Galah

As I type this, the newest member of my flock, Charlie the galah is with his avian vet and I’m not sure that he’s coming home. I’m sitting next to my mobile phone waiting for news. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve checked to see if my phone is working. I know I…

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Psittacosis/Chlamydia in Birds Explained

Budgie with psittacosis

Recently there has been a spike in concern about Psittacosis as news has spread that Petsmart in the US have removed birds for sale from 500 stores after 16 birds (so far) have tested positive to the disease. For many, it’s the first time they’ve even heard of the disease and understandably it has them…

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How Do You Look After A Bird When It Gets Old?

Old bird

This is the longest blogpost that I have ever written so I give you that warning and apologise for the length but I’m trying to be fairly comprehensive as this information isn’t easy to find if you need it. (Don’t worry – I believe in using pictures to break things up!) This post contains information…

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Tips For Birdsitting

Cockatiel wings up

Well it hasn’t been quiet at my house lately because we’ve had some visitors staying with us while their human left the country. Three extra birds don’t sound like much in theory but noise wise – it adds up. The birds’ owner was quite keen to see how her birds reacted around other birds. In…

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When Your Avian Vet Takes A Day Off…

Macaw

I just had my hair dyed yesterday. I got rid of all of my grey roots. I had finally found a colour that I liked and my hair was still at that stage where it looked like I’d been to a human hairdresser rather than to a lorikeet frizzathon. I had chocolate in the house…

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Rescuing A Bird Without Permanently Removing It

Jackie - a young female cockatiel with issues

Meet Jackie. A young, very friendly female cockatiel that is different from most companion birds because Jackie has a job. Jackie lives in an aged care facility (nursing home) where she provides “animal therapy” to the human residents who require assisted living care. As you can probably imagine, this little bird has become very important…

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