November 9th, 2008 by Gypsy

Tips on short trips, long trips and airplanes.

Before you attempt that cross-country ride, give your bird experience on shorter trips. Visit a nearby friend or relative, have a snack at an outdoor café, or even pick up some toys at a pet store. Provide some fun destinations: that is, somewhere other than the vet or groomer.

A few things to consider as you are heading out:

1. Never take your pet bird outside without it being inside a carrier, travel cage or attached to an avian harness.

2. Your bird’s carrier should be firmly belted to the back seat of your car. (The front seat can be dangerous if your car has a passenger-side airbag.)

3. Reassure your bird by making sure it can see you during the ride and can hear you talking.

4. If the day is excessively cold, hot or windy, and the trip is optional, wait until the weather is more accommodating.

5. Covering the carrier with a sheet or towel can protect your bird from the elements. However, Dr. Jorge Mayer, DVM, of Massachusetts advised not to cover the bird completely. Birds that are in the dark can stumble off the perch when the carrier is jostled.

6. Make sure your destination is not only pleasant but also safe for your parrot. Avoid anywhere that is dark, smoky, overly crowded or that might otherwise overwhelm your bird. If you are visiting friends with dogs or cats you are unfamiliar with, can you find a secure room for your parrot? Do your friends know how important it is to keep windows closed and to keep your parrot away from lit stoves and other hazards? Even though your hosts are well-meaning, be vigilant; they are probably not aware of some of the commonplace dangers to parrots, such as salty foods, chocolate, air freshener sprays, and so on.

7. Enjoy your trip! Your bird will “read” your manner and relax, even if it’s not quite ready to socialize and prefers to just observe.

Get Ready For A Longer Trip

A few things to consider if you and your parrot will be away for a night or longer:

1. Pack for both you and your parrot. A supply of your bird’s particular food brand is essential, as it might not be available at your destination. A stash of treats, toys, perches and dishes also makes life easier, depending on the duration of your trip. Also, a small carrier might be fine for a quick trip across town, but if your parrot will be spending a few days away from home it will probably need something larger. Luckily, there are collapsible travel cages available that you can assemble once you reach your destination.

2. If you travel to another state, confirm that there are no quarantines in effect and that your species of parrot is legal there. Quaker parakeets, for example, are illegal to own in California, New Jersey and several other states.

Flying With Parrots

When Jen Silva recently relocated her brown-headed parrot and two cockatiels from Texas to Japan, she learned how complicated it can be to coordinate such a move. Her first piece of advice?

“If someone is only going overseas for a vacation, I recommend finding a good bird sitter,” she said. Assess the difficulties and expenses to you as well as the stress on your birds, especially if the country you are visiting imposes a quarantine period.

Nevertheless, Silva had some good tips for domestic and international flights:

1. Talk to the airline, and make sure you understand their regulations for traveling with birds. Airlines differ not only in their policies, such as whether birds are allowed to travel in the cabin, what size birds are allowed and any extra fees. Silva learned that no pets are allowed in the cabin for international flights, and there is a limit to the number of hours the birds can stay in the cargo hold. Also, make sure your travel plans do not involve switching planes to another airline, with a whole new set of regulations and fees.
Check the airline’s specifications for carriers. Silva was able to adapt Chihuahua-size crates by outfitting them with wooden perches, spill-proof water bottles and a supply of food.

2. Obtain a health certificate from an accredited vet no more than 10 days before your flight. For international travel, you will need the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, (APHIS) (www.aphis.usda.gov/travel/pets.html) form 7001, signed by both the vet and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) person in your city; this form has a raised seal.
3. Also, if you are leaving the country, you will need a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) permit (www.cites.org), which might take three weeks to obtain. Keep a copy of all your paperwork, Silva advised. You will need it for your return trip.

4. Make sure your birds are banded if you are traveling abroad.

5. Have your bird’s wing-feathers trimmed, or have it in a secure, safe harness. Airport personnel might ask you to remove the bird from the carrier to pass through security checkpoints, and you’ll want to avoid a panicked bird flying in a crowded terminal.

6. Research the types of bird food, equipment and veterinary care available at your destination. Bring enough food and supplies with you to last through your trip. If you are not likely to find an avian vet once you arrive, follow Silva’s lead: have your vet perform the full battery of tests on your birds before you leave home, and keep them indoors once you arrive to prevent exposure to new diseases.

Help Your Parrot Become More At Ease With Its Travel Cage

1. If the travel cage resembles your parrot’s regular cage in some way, things may go more smoothly. A vastly different appearance can be off-putting, especially at first.

2. Make sure the carrier is big enough for your bird, which should at least be able to turn around and enjoy some movement.

3. Leave the cage around for a few days or weeks so your parrot can get used to it and see that it doesn’t pose a threat.

4. Put some tempting toys or treats in the cage where your parrot can see them and investigate; for example, most of our birds can’t resist a sprig of millet.

5. Avoid dangling toys to prevent your bird from getting knocked around when the carrier is in motion.

6. Avoid a water dish in the carrier; your parrot probably won’t appreciate a sudden bath. Water bottles can be a great alternative as long as you are sure your parrot knows how to use one. Jen Silva, who recently relocated with her parrots from Texas to Japan, found investing in non-spillable bottles well worth the price. Juicy pieces of fruit can also provide liquid on short trips.

October 14th, 2008 by Gypsy

By: Ispas Marin

article source:  http://www.animaltalk.us/for/Animals/

You are the proud owner of a parrot and you are looking for a toy for your pet. The offer of parrot toys on the market is huge, so how do you know which parrot toy is safe for your pet? Because you should be aware that some of them are dangerous for pets as they may hurt them. Therefore, an important parrot care issue is its toys.

The first aspect you should take into consideration when buying a parrot toy is the size of the toy and the size of the pet. Basically the parrot toy should fit the size of your parrot. Why is that? Well, because a big size parrot is strong and can easily break a small toy into pieces which can be easily ingested by your pet. Therefore, try to avoid small parrot toys if your pet is big. You should know that nowadays there is a large array of big parrot toys which are made from thick plastic, perfect for a big strong-beaked parrot.

Things aren’t easy with small parrots wither. A small size parrot can be afraid of a big toy so try to fit the size of the toy to the one of the pet. If you can’t tell which parrot toy is good for your pet, look at the label or ask for more information.

Another important aspect is the type of the parrot toy. You should avoid buying parrot toys which are made out of small pieces as the parrot can remove them and, consequently digest them. Remember that a parrot has a strong beak therefore any piece which is bite-size for the parrot should not be on the toy.

A parrot toy is usually hanging on some chains. These chains can represent a possible danger for the health or life of your pet. How is this possible? Well, chains come in two types: the chains with welded links (which are safe for your parrot) and the chains with closed links (which are not safe). The parrot may try to open up the link which is not weld and its beak would get stuck in that space. The parrot may get hurt while trying to release itself. Consequently, examine carefully the chains attached to your parrot toys.

But the chains are not the only dangerous pieces of a parrot toy. Parrot toys made out of wood may also be dangerous. Therefore, wood is another important aspect to think of. Parrots are birds which love to chew wood. They do this to find bugs hidden inside the tree bark in the woods. So a parrot will always start chewing a toy made out of wood. Some types of wood are not good for parrots, so you should check the internet for a list of parrot-safe wood.

Parrots are also birds which enjoy preening and grooming. Their instinct is telling them to constantly pick or even chew their feathers. This is not a healthy habit for your pet. So you should buy a chew rope, which is a very useful parrot toy as it allows your pet to exercise its habit every day without causing any problems to itself. But pay attention to the deterioration of the toy as it gets extremely ragged and worn out. Replace it with a new toy as the clumps may cause accidents to your pet. Your parrot could catch its feet into the clumps and could get hurt while struggling to escape.

In conclusion, there is only one rule to apply for this parrot care issues: whenever shopping for a parrot toy use the common sense rule. If you look at a parrot toy and it doesn’t seem safe, don’t buy it. Don’t buy any parrot toys which can get ingested or which can get a foot or a beak caught inside them. And always examine the parrot toys carefully before putting them into your pet’s cage.

And if your parrot is ignoring its new, shiny toy, don’t worry. It doesn’t hate it, it is just being cautious. Parrots don’t like change, like most pets. And a new toy represents an unexpected change for their habitat. Therefore, the toy must be put under strict observation to make sure it is not a possible enemy. After two or three weeks of monitoring the intruder (the toy) the parrot will gain confidence into its new toy and it will start playing with it!

October 11th, 2008 by Gypsy

How To Find One, and
How To Tell If You REALLY Have One….

Liz Wilson
Parrot Behavior Consultant

Every time I talk to bird owners, I emphasize the importance of having one’s pet bird checked out yearly by an avian veterinarian. Indeed, I generally refuse to work with a parrot with a “behavior problem” until after the owner has had the animal thoroughly checked out. After all, many so-called behavior problems are actually manifestations of physical problems.

I also routinely hear stories about veterinarians seeing birds who apparently do not have a great deal of information about them. A recent example would be the parrot who was diagnosed as having allergies simply because he had a runny nose — but that diagnosis was evidently made by just looking at the outside of the animal. From the owner’s description, no diagnostic testing was done. According to the Association of Avian Veterinarians (the AAV), bacterial infections are the most common cause of runny noses in pet birds, NOT allergies, and testing needs to be done identify the specific bacteria and the most effective antibiotic with which to treat it (bacterial culture and sensitivity testing). When I questioned the bird’s owner further, she admitted that she didn’t think this vet was a “real” bird vet.

Consequently, I am often asked just how a lay person is supposed to find a vet who is knowledgeable about birds, as opposed to a vet who will see birds…and how can a lay person tell the difference.

Disheartening Survey
When people get a new dog or cat, most of them know to seek veterinary care for their new pet. According to a survey done in 1989 for PET AGE MAGAZINE, 60% of dog owners and 68% of cat owners have their animals checked by a veterinarian. However, the same survey found that only 7.6% of bird owners take their animals to avian veterinarians, and that 92% of their respondents take their sick birds to pet stores to be treated.

Pet Stores and Pet Store Medications
These numbers are incredibly depressing, considering the fact that the average pet store employee has neither the training nor the qualifications to treat sick birds safely and effectively, nor does (s)he normally have access to the most effective drug therapies available. From my own experience, over-the-counter pet store medications at best only mask signs of a problem without correcting the underlying cause — and at worst, these “drugs” waste valuable time that a sick bird simply does not have. They can also alter the results of proven avian diagnostic techniques such as bacterial culture and sensitivity testing as well as blood tests for chlamydiosis (”Parrot Fever”).

Suffice it to say, if your foot is broken, you don’t go to a shoe store for treatment. A corollary of this rule is that you don’t take a sick dog to a cow vet — so you shouldn’t take your sick bird to a dog vet.

So What Exactly Is An Avian Veterinarian?
Contrary to what many people seem to think, most veterinarians are NOT trained in veterinary school to deal with every species of animal they might come across in private practice. They are required to learn about the domesticated animals (dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc.), but not what are termed exotic animals.

Most veterinary schools have a course in avian medicine, for example, but in most cases that course is classed as an “elective.” In other words, veterinary students are not required to take it. They take the course only if they have a specific interest in these other types of animals. Also, not all veterinary schools even work with exotics. For example, for the last several years, the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania doesn’t treat any species of exotics in their small animal facility in Philadelphia — they treat only dogs and cats. Consequently, no matter how interested they might be, vet students at the U of P will get no hands-on experience with exotics unless they have spent part of their training in other facilities.

A Rare Bird
Avian vets are extremely dedicated individuals who, in their copious free time (joke) have sought additional training in the relatively new field of avian medicine. They are members of the AAV, so that they have access to all the most current medical information about birds. This is really important, since new information is discovered all the time, and we all want our birds to benefit from “state of the art” avian veterinary medicine.

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