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 13th, 2008 by Gypsy

Talking Abilities
This chart applies to male birds of each species

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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