The Two Ts: Tara and Tweety

After the tragic death of Sunny, Tara's bonded buddy, Tara once again fall into solittude and loneliness. She screams more often and tends to be more restless...

Due to a strange twist of fate and unforseen circumstances, a good friend of mine decided to give up his Tweety, Sunny's little sister!!

He has very generously and kindly pass Tweety to me, with the knowledge of what happened to Sunny.

I kindly accepted his offer considering Tara's loneliness and thought to give myself a second chance and opportunity to make-up for the wrong we have done with Sunny.

Both Sunny and Tweety came from the same brood and both of them are yellow Fischer's lovebirds.

Today is the first day Tara meet Tweety and to our pleasant surprise, it is a sisterly love at first sight!

They started preening each other and perching together on the play gym within a minute of their first encounter of each other.

We are so glad things turn out fine!

Below are some photos of how contented both of them are, in each other's company.

Article #2: A Guide to Parrots Caring

A Guide to Parrots Caring

Acommodation

Cage is often seen as a must for the birds, not as a place to imprison them but as a secure and comfortable night nesting ground wild equivalent . The principle to the sizes of the cage is as big as possible according to the respective sizes of the parrot species. Therefore the bigger the bird, the bigger the minimal cage size requirement. Care needs to be given to the cage bar spacing according to the size of the specie to reduce any possibilities accidents of.
A macaw’s jumbo cage

A jumbo cage made for a macaw. The bigger the cage the bigger, especially for these huge, hyperactive guys.






Bodhi's cage

Play gym or stand are good places to allow the birds to be during their ouc time. There are specially designed, ready made ones commercially available or one can diy. A variety of different types of Toys are often added to the gyms so that the birds will not be bored and can enjoy themselves, being intellectually and physically engaged for hours on ends.

A diy tree gym made of natural acacia branches suitable for medium to large sized parrots.

Perches are an important component of parrots' accommodations as they spend almost their entire lives on their feet. It is thus prudent to be aware and consciously select quality perches for our birds.

Natural perches which come from non-toxic trees are the best as the bark serves as natural friction and traction for their feet and claws as well as provide something to chew, which is part of their natural behaviour.

Synthetic perches often take the forms of ropes, concrete, metal or plastic ones.

Concrete perches are good in offering some friction for the claws such that nail clippings need not be done as often. However, some poorly designed ones may affect the feet over prolonged usage by the bird.

Wooden dowels are the most readily available type of perches encountered commercially. They may serve adequately as a perch but can be a tad smooth for baby birds who are learning to perch. Generally speaking, variety is king in selecting perches for the parrots and therefore, it is good to have the various types of perches available for the parrots' standing pleasure be it in the cage or on the gyms or stands. Remember however, not to overcrowd with too many perches.

Food

Morning: Pellets with a scatter of seeds mix

Late Noon/Evening: Vegetables-fruits mix or sprouted grains/beans mix

Sunflower seeds are not given as a staple for Tara, Bodhi and Xiao Feng due to their high fat content.

Baby get 1 scoop each day though as he's a growing and hungry baby. Bodhi is especially susceptible to obesity as an Amazon and Tara because she is smaller in size and thus more vulnerable to a high fat diet.

To achieve a balanced diet for the parrots is an art in itself, where some species have unique requirements that need to be met. There are many articles and studies on it. So do check them out. Check out Article #3 if you are curious what a healthy parrot diet is like!

Bathing

Sometimes when I'm more free...Baby, Bodhi, Xiao Feng and Tara gets a bath....they usually gets it at least once a week...sometimes more, depending on the weather. Sunny weather usually means more bathing opportunities. They get to dry themselves on the play gyms. If it is sunny after their bath, their gyms are sometimes placed partialy exposed to the sun so they get some natural sunshine. Natural sunshine is a good source of vitamin D.

Hygiene

Baby's cages lining are changes daily due to the amount of waste she generate! Xiao Feng, Bodhi and Tara's cage linings are changed once in a few days.

The metal bars are swiped with clothes or towel papers to remove stains due to flinging of food, dropping stains, etc. The perches are scrubbed of any dropping or food debris, rinsed and sun-dried before putting back into the cage. These are done sporadically by my sis or me when necessary although some would prefer a weekly or monthly cleaning routine.

The rationale is to make their cages as clean as possible by changing the linings as frequently as possible. In the wild, they do not have problems in hygiene in the form of contact with their droppings because the forest is so huge!

Food bowls are washed daily and dried every time before refilling for the day.

Physical Maintenance

Wing clipping: This is done whenever they molt and their primary flight feathers grow out to ensure safety. Wing clipping is practiced to limit flight, i.e. inability to gain altitude when flying; NOT to eradicate flight altogether. They should be able to land safely on the ground in times when they decide they want to fly!

Nail Clipping: This is for both our safety and theirs. Claws are naturally polished in the wild due to activities that causes their claws to be in contact with frictional surfaces. Claws are clipped when that they do not injure themselves or ourselves.

OUC Time

OUC Time refers to Out-of-Cage Time. Parrots are not born to be imprisoned. In the wild, they would have ample space to fly, climb or walk! Given the sacfricies they made to be with us in domestic settings, ouc time will help increase the quality of their lives as our feathered friends.

Baby, Tara and Xiao Feng are let out everyday but the amount of time they are out are random. It can be long hours or lesser than half an hour; either on the play gym or cage top playing, depending on whether me, my sis or dad are around to supervise. Bodhi gets out of cage time daily, Bodhi usually just around his cage, or on the gym.

Especially for Baby, the macaw, she is let out as much as for the whole day. Having ample space to play, climb or just perch is very important to the well being of parrots as huge as these. They thrive on space and stimulations.

My flock are also often let out during feeding or cleaning times when we clean the cages or fill the food bowls.

Toys

Toys are an indispensable tool to keep our parrots occupied and exercising due to their captive situation where they no longer need to search for food, nesting sites or flee from predators. A collection of toys are reserved for all 4 birds. Basically toys can be grouped into 3.

Synthetic toys: Those made specially for parrots or for human babies.

Home Toys: Safe domestic materials that can be converted to toys for parrots to play, e.g. toilet rolls, newspapers, cleaned empty plastic bottles, etc.

Natural Toys: Natural non-toxic branches, leave and flowers. These are the "toys" parrots have in the wild! Once in a while, Baby, Bodhi, Xiao Feng and Tara get big fresh, non-toxic branches to play in and chew. They love the fresh branches a lot!! Its parrot paradise for them.

Foraging Toys: Working toys are toys that make the parrots "forage" to get treats, so as to simulate the natural setting of foraging and searching for food. Another way to simulate this natural foraging behaviour is to put clean pebbles in the food bowls or cover the food bowls with some safe chewable material so that the birds have to find their way to the seeds or pellets.

1-4 of these toys are placed in their cages at any single one time. They are cleaned and rotated. Natural and home toys are expendable, old ones being thrown away and replaced by fresh new ones.

Socializations

There is so much information for this topic that it can be written into a book all by itself!

Random one-to-one direct interactions.

Handling the bird in the form of Step Up Practice is an important direct interaction to be done with our birds on a regular basis. it is a form of direct interaction that allow both the bird and us to clear what cooperative and healthy relationship exist between both--us being the dominant member of the flock to eb trusted upon for safety, food and other material resource securities.

With Tara, it occasionally takes the form of trick learning. She currently knows 2 tricks and can perform one rather consistently.

Momentary direct interactions also occur spontaneously throughout the day to tell them we are still around. This is practiced in the form of spontaneous greetings, cuddles and dry kisses when we pass by our birds while doing our stuff.

Other forms of direct interactions includes talking to the bird, cuddling/scratching/preening, giving them treats etc.

It is also important that the birds are exposed to direct interactions with people other than the caregivers. So the birds occasionally gets to be exposed to different people and environment through mopa outings or when visitors to our home are interested enough to handle the birds.

For any bird excursion, safety is one of the highest concern. Ensure the bird is well clipped and do not have any behaviourial problems that make the bird dangerous to itself or the public, e.g. phobia.

Passive interactions throughout the day as my mum is often at home or when we are around and the birds' cages or stand are placed where they can observe going-ons.

Instructional interactions, teaching them how to play by themselves independently is very important. Wild birds spent most of their time searching for food, keeping a lookout for predators and breeding. A companion parrot who does not need to find food and worry about predators will thus have a lot of free time on its hands (or wings).

This is where playing and instructional interaction comes in. Some birds naturally learn by themselves the concept of playing and making themselves occupied. Others don't. Anyway, instructional interaction teaches the bird how to play and occupy themselves so that they are not over reliant on us or becomes bored. We play toys or shred paper/branches with them in a fun way while they are on their respective gyms. Another way would be the “picnic play”. A picnic cloth can be laid on the ground for hygiene and easy clean up. Toys are spread out on the floor and the birds and humans get to play together. Bodhi and Manju (a grey that used to be with us) enjoy this on the floor play time very much. They love the toys, each other’s company in playing and also us playing the toys together with them. It occasionally ends with some favourite treats of theirs—seeds! So you can get idea how the name “picnic playing” comes about! Also random.

Sleep

All 4 birds get their cages covered with clothes usually by 7 pm and uncovered around 7 am the next day. This is to reflect the natural amount of daylight and sleeping hours they get back in the wild...approx. 12-13 hours. Sometimes Bodhi and Xiao Feng will sleep much later due to disturbance from my night activities.

Cloth is used as cage cover so as to minimize disturbance that our night activities will have on their sleep. Be careful about the material. Those that can be chewed by the birds and sprayed have the potential of entangling them. There are birds that lost a toe or are strangled to death in this way.

Working Principles

There should be some underlying regularity to the care regime but there should also be some flexibility and randomness so that the parrots do not get fixated to certain rigid schedules, which is bad for their psyche and may result in behavioural problems.

Consistency is also important. Parrots have long lives and therefore there is a need to be consistent in the quality and quantity of care and love we offer them!! I know it may be hard at times...so the keyword is try to be consistent over the many years ahead!! This is where multiple care givers can make the difference. While one person's consistency in quality and quantity of care may fluctuate over time due to personal circumstances, other care givers can fill in for the lack in those times. Having several capable people as primary and secondary caregivers will reduce the chances of some behavioural problems such as one-person bird. It also helps in situations when we may not be around due to work or other leisure activities, e.g. overseas tour.

Vet Checkup

Routine checkups are good for the birds, especially if the bird is approaching middle age where some of the old age problems may start arising. Recommended routine checkup is once a year.

A purely physical examination cost around $20-40 dollars. A full health screening should include tests done on the blood and droppings which will of course, cost much more.

There are two views on checkups. One is that unnecessary checkups may expose the birds to infectious diseases at the clinic while another view is that routine checkup is a health guarantee so as to remedy any health problems before they escalate.

So far, Bodhi has been to the vet once for an irritated eye and Baby has been to the vet for an injured leg. I do not, however, bring them for annual checkup. This, however, will change once they get older when old age, long term diseases may set in and where health screening will be beneficial in detecting these problems early.

Conclusion

The above brief outline only covers the day to day care of parrots. They are however, sufficient to ensure you raise a healthy and happy parrot. However, it does excludes parrots that already carry with them behavioural or health problems.

If a parrot without any physical or behavioural problems baggage are cared for in the above manner, they are most likely to be happy, problem free and healthy parrots for life even though there might be periods (e.g. breeding, molting) that may test our consistency and patience. If the parrots are problems free, happy and healthy and we enjoy both their companionship and the care we give them, there are much fewer reasons or causes for selling or giving parrots away. This is one of the most important reasons the above was written in the first place.

For birds with behavioural or physical problems, additional care, socialization/training techniques, medical aids etc needs to be applied to remedy the situation.

Also, building up upon a healthy and happy parrot, we can enrich the relationship further by trick training or for certain species, speech learning.

Finally, breeding is not covered here.

For these topics, you can refer to many articles, books or experienced trainers, vets or breeders for answers!!!

Article #1: 10 Pointers for the New Parrot Companion Caregiver

Over the years, being someone who loves to write, I have pen down much of what I have learned either through experience, research or from people into thematic articles.

They have been stored on my hard drive, with some being posted in a parrot forum.

Thought it would be nice to share them all here in my blog since I'm too lazy to update the blog regularly. :P

So here it is...Gabriel's Parrot Articles Series...article #1:

10 Pointers for the New Parrot Companion Caregiver

A young bird is like a blank page waiting to be written. That is why a new parrot caregiver should be prepared and educated on guiding the baby what is appropriate and constructive in making the human-parrot companionship a fulfilling and problem free one.

The first three points are to prepare ourselves as parrot owners while point number 4 and 5 prepares the bird for its arrival. Point number 6 reminds us on how to take care of the bird’s health while the last four points pertain to starting the bird right in its behavioural development.

For the second hand parrot or untamed parrot, there may be baggages and history that the parrot carries with it. Yet, the shift to a new environment with new owners means a period of adjustment. This period of adjustment provides a golden opportunity to reduce or even eradicate past behavioural problems or other challenges. Therefore, the following points can still be applied to these birds with positive effects.

It is hoped that the below will be of help to fellow parrot lovers who wish to keep these nature’s wonders!

1. Do your research

The most important first step towards parrot keeping is to know what you are getting into! Below are some critical reasons why doing self study on parrots and parrots keeping is mandatory:
--Diversity of parrot species from the majestic macaws to the precociously pretty parrotlets
--Different types of parrots have different physical and psychological requirements, characteristics and general personalities
--Second hand birds versus baby birds; untamed birds versus handfed tame birds; weaned versus unweaned babies.
--What we want and wish to have in a parrot companion
--Our budget, both short term and long term costs of keeping the various types of parrots.
--Our lifestyle, current standards of living, family members’ acceptance/involvement etc.
--Therefore, research aids us in making informed and well thought out decisions on the type of parrot that optimally matches our wants, abilities and resources with the needs of the particular parrot specie

The above paves the way towards happiness and contentment of both our companion parrots and us, reducing the chances of regrets and mistakes in our choices of parrot.

2. Unweaned and Untamed Birds

There is much literature on why getting unweaned baby parrots are discouraged, so do check it out. Weaning is a stressful process for baby birds and many things could happen if they are not cared for properly. The same goes for handfeeding, with concerns such as sour crop, burnt crop, infection, formula rejection, etc.

I remember losing my first unweaned African Grey baby. The vet’s lab report is a bacteria respiratory infection, caught from other birds while at the pet shop. On hindsight, the baby has appeared skinny and of a weak constitution then but I was so eager to get a bird I consciously will myself to overlook that nagging sign. It’s a harrowing experience losing a baby parrot this way, not to say a huge waste of money and time. Lesson learnt and I get my second chance with Manju, my sister’s African Grey; healthy size and outgoing baby when we first met him. He sailed through our handfeeding and weaned smoothly.

Moral of the story--unless you seriously wish to learn how to hand-feed and wean a baby bird, is willing to make all the efforts (multiple feedings daily, preparing formula, weaning food, etc), to learn and accept whatever risks that may come your way, it is much safer to get a weaned bird although unweaned babies are more readily available in Singapore’s contexts.

Other than the issue of unweaned babies, is the issue of tameness. Parrots come with varying degrees of tameness from wild caught untamed adults to meek and mellow babies. It is therefore important to be clear right from the start the kind of relationship you wish to have with your parrot.

A most intimate and interactive relationship with a parrot would probably means a need for a tame bird while someone who wishes to keep the parrot in a cage or aviary all the time and appreciate it at a distance can be less demanding in this respect. To avoid disappointment in companionship expectations, get a parrot that is tame enough to be handled, that cooperates in stepping up onto our hands. Wild adults may be much cheaper but the taming process require skills, experience, consistency and patience on the part of the owner and the help of a bird trainer or avian behaviourist, best left to those willing and capable of the aforementioned.

3. Protection from household dangers

Before bringing your bird home, an inspection around our house can help reduce the chances of regrettable accidents. Keep a lookout for toxic plants or substances such as Teflon coating on frying pans and ironing devices, uncovered fish tanks that can drown unwitting birds, etc. A checklist of household dangers can be gotten from available parrot resources.

4. Homecoming

It would be good to prepare the cage in advance, if not at least the place and position allocated for the parrot and its cage, keeping in mind the dos and don’ts of a parrot’s housing environment—not too near an open window with strong noon heat, not too near doorways that may frighten the birds when people pass by and suddenly appear in their line of vision, etc.

Ideally, fetch the bird home at a time when the house is quiet and when one has ample time to help the bird adjust to its new home.

5. Wing Clipping for the Companion Parrot

Parrots destined to become friends with us and allowed some freedom outside their cages should have their wings clipped for safety reasons. Limiting their flight ability through wings clipping is a painless process and helps facilitate the establishment of a cooperative relationship between us as dominant flock leader and them. Many a new bird is lost when the bird is startled into flight, leaving the new owner distraught with loss. Wings clipping also prevent birds from flying into household hazards such as ceiling fans, kitchen fire, etc.

There are, however, some people who allow their companion parrots’ wing feathers to remain unclipped. These people have chosen to flight train their parrots. As wonderful as it may sound for the birds and us to see them happily and healthily soaring, recall training is important. These parrots have to be trained regularly. Even so, loss is unpredictable especially when they are startled while in the open. I have heard of macaws lost this way.

There is a lost budgie that once flew into a classroom, colliding with the ceiling fan, splattering blood and feathers all over the screaming students.

Please, do not let tragedies like this happen to you and your bird.

6. Introduction to a healthy diet

A healthy selection of fresh vegetables, fruits and grains should be introduced right in the beginning as this is a good time to teach the bird to be open to a wide variety of food alternatives. Offer the bird comfort food that it has been eating while introducing new vegetables, fruits or grains. Pellets are a convenient and important addition that should make up a major perceptage of their staple.

This is because once the bird is set in its eating habits; it is more difficult and stressful to convert it to a healthier and varied diet.

7. Setting limits right from the start

It is understandable that the new bird may be frightened of us and its new environment initially and may require a few days to settle down and get used to. Once the bird is observed to behave normally, relaxed, eating and drinking properly, socialization and handling should begin.

Baby birds are usually cooperative, mild and easily impressionable, making handling and training easier. This is a window of opportunity not to be missed. This will let the bird learns its place in this new “flock hierarchy".

Behaviours can be modified to make some species more suited to domestic setting, for example, teaching a cockatoo to play independently and quietly, a firm will with the baby macaw so that it knows its place, stick training the Amazon in the event of sexual maturity aggression in the future, teaching the bird to get used to a carrier for transportation and excursions in the future, etc.

8. Attention moderation

While there might be an urge by you, family and friends to keep checking out the new bird frequently, moderate the attention to the same amount you are able to consistently give throughout the coming years. Giving too much attention at the beginning will deceive the bird into expecting the same amount of your time, all the time. The innocent bird may not understand why we have to spend the whole day working plus over time or rushing a school project, thereby possibly inducing stress or bouts of screaming episodes.

So start the bird on the right footing by balancing different forms of attention and teaching it independent play. It will go a long way to achieving the happy and contented parrot family.

9. Socialization and the one-person bird

Just as with attention, a bird should be exposed to interaction and handling by different people so as not to allow the bird to demand too much out of a particular person or be too reliant and emotionally attached to him/her. Such strong attachments may on one hand be flattering for the person, can on the other, become a source of problems, especially in the event that this person may not be able to care and attend to the bird due to unforeseen circumstances.

Exposing the bird to multiple people allow the baby to be used to others, thereby making for a stranger friendly bird. Although some species, such as the African Greys, may be shier in front of strangers, with proper and consistent exposure and socialization, it is possible to get an extroverted grey that talks in front of strangers! There are accounts that validate this, so do not overlook this aspect. It can also be an enjoyable experience for these intelligent and sociable birds.

10. Toys and a dynamic environment

In relation to the above point, get the new bird used to changes in the environment and different toys. This is a preventive measure against phobias that some parrots might develop. Toys are instrumental in engaging the time of the parrot to occupy their intelligent minds. As such, it is important to get new baby birds used to the idea of toys and their purpose as play things. Some intuitively know toys as toys but some may need to be taught.

To break the monotony of our home, outdoor excursions can be a stimulating and enjoyable experience for both the birds and us. So do get the bird used to going outdoors and to different places, making for a confident and outgoing bird.

Finally, enjoy the companionship of your parrot!

End Note:

This is yet another piece written during the holidays when I'm very free. Because I realize that many questions have been frequently asked by those who are new to parrots keeping, I have decided to write an organize into a guideline what I have learned from people, books, magazines and experience with my birds.

May they be of help to new parrots owners.

Xiao Feng's here to stay!

My first priority is that Xiao Feng will go to a good home after knowing what he's been through. And initially i have doubts about whether I can provide him such a home in consideration that I already have my flock to care for and how needy cockatoos can be.

However, after several weeks of being with us trying to work out his screaming problem and searching for a suitable, trusted friend to adopt him, Xiao Feng seems to have fitted right in to our home. He seems to be contended and confident with my home environment and flock care routine such that he no longer scream intermittenly for long.

So I guess he'll be with me for good!

Too soft hearted and GREEDY to part with him now that we find out what a sweet little cockatoo he is!!

Here's a clip of Xiao Feng playing with some of his toys: