Health
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Blood Feathers – What to do!!!
This is something every bird owner deals with at least once in their time owning birds, which is why it is so important to know what a blood feather is and what your course of action should be to keep your feathered friend as safe as possible. Blood feathers can absolutely be Life threatening and should be dealt with as urgently as possible! What is a blood feather? A blood feather is a feather currently growing from the follicle, meaning the feather still has the bird’s blood supply running into the feather. If a bird preens this feather in the wrong spot or they sustain an injury to a blood…
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Household Items That KILL/HARM Parrots
If you’ve been reading some of our posts, you will know parrots are fragile animals, they are not like dogs and cats who have adapted to live in the human home. There are a variety of things in and around your home that could cause harm if not could result in death and we do not want that we want that we want to ensure your feathered friend can stay as happy and as healthy as they can for as long as possible. Common things you may have in your home will cause you rethinking if parrots are good in your home or if you are okay with not using…
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Parrot Enrichment: Think Outside The Cage
Written by: Elle from elleandthebirds, Thank you so much for contributing Elle I am sure everyone else will love this post just as much as I do! If you’ve done research on parrot keeping, you’d know that a parrot’s cage should contain a variety of toys and other enrichment activities to keep them mentally stimulated when you’re not home. Parrots are highly intelligent and destructive by nature. They spend a large majority of their waking hours foraging for food. But what about when you are home? What is your parrot actually doing while out of the cage? Some people keep their birds on their shoulders the entire time they’re…
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Can You Clip Parrots Wings?
“My budgie came from a pet store that had them clipped and said it was fine” that’s the same pet store that told you that budgies are fine in a little sparkly pink cage. Just because vets will clip parrots’ wings and people do clip parrots’ wings does not mean it is safe or a good idea. I know you’ve got a million reasons running through your head about why you think wing clipping is good but please hear me out… at the very least read the table just so we can debunk a couple of those common misconceptions around the common question Can you clip parrot wings? Will…
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Do Parrots Sneeze?
There are two different types of sneezes a parrot can have. It is important to distinguish which your parrot is experiencing because that will determine your next course of action. Your parrot can have a dry sneeze where it is just air, or a wet sneeze (this is serious). Dry Sneeze Causes Dry air – If you live somewhere where the air gets dry during winter or is generally dry your bird could be reacting to the dry air. Parrots naturally come from a more humid environment so that is what their respiratory system is designed to thrive in. Click here to learn more about humidity and parrots Dust –…
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Why Is Your Parrot Pulling Out Their Feathers – Feather Plucking In Parrots
Feathers Plucking is something that can be seen when keeping parrots. Feather plucking is something that requires you to take a deeper look into the care you are providing. This is not something parrots do in the wild. CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN IMMEDIATELY IF YOU NOTICE YOUR PARROT PLUCKING! – this is something that can be a symptom to a health condition and that must be ruled out first and foremost. Plucking becomes habitual if you do not get help from a professional as soon as you possibly can, that being said this shares common reasons your parrot could be plucking and steps you can take to help fix it ALONGSIDE…
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Humidity and Parrots – Essential part of keeping parrots
You see all these parrot owners on social media sharing about their humidifiers, the question is are they essential to a happy healthy parrot or are they something overhyped? Most parrot species come from the rainforest. Their respiratory system and entire body is designed to live in those conditions. often times our human homes are far to dry for a parrot, unless if you live somewhere that is humid year around and your home is humid it is good practice for optimal health to have a humidifier in the room or home you keep your parrot in. Benefits of a humidifier: Humid air is easier on your respiratory system and…
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Do Parrots Smell Bad?
Do parrots smell? A healthy parrot with good hygiene should have no smell. That being said if you are noticing there is an unpleasant smell it generally is the bird’s droppings and not the actual bird. It can be the actual bird but most times it is not. Some reasons your parrot may smell; Poor overall hygiene – just like us parrots can give off an unpleasant odor if they are not getting frequent baths and are not in a clean environment. Birds are messy, but it is very important to get into a routine and keep on top of it. It is not good for you or your parrot…
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HELP! – My Parrot Has White Spikes On Its Head?
This is completely normal, so do not fret. These white spikes are new feathers coming in, they are often referred to as pin feathers. What are they? Pin feathers are new feathers coming in. you may notice your bird sheds (molts) old feathers this is normal but birds must get new feathers in if they are losing old feathers otherwise you will have a bald bird. Pin feathers are a new feather in keratin sheathing. What do they look like? Honestly, they look like little white spikes all over the bird’s head usually (as they can’t reach their head). What do I do? With little birds especially you want to…
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How Long Should My Parrot Sleep?
Sleep is a very important thing for your bird. If your bird does not get enough sleep, it can become hormonal (thinking it is a breeding season) or tired just like humans. Your bird’s sleeping arrangements should be in a quiet dark place. Your bird should get 12 – 14 hours of undisturbed sleep. Undisturbed sleep Undisturbed sleep is the key to this topic. You can put your bird in its cage for 12-14 hours covered but be watching a movie beside the cage, that is not sleep. Ideally you want to have a space for your bird for night time. Some people have an extra room they use just…