Best Friends Animal Society

Parrot Garden

Parrot Care 101

Introduction

Congratulations on your decision to add a feathered companion to your family.

Birds can be incredible friends! However, most people aren’t familiar with a

parrot’s needs. We all are aware of how to interact with a puppy or kitten, but

most of us aren’t as well versed in avian care. We would like to help you learn

the best way to prepare your home for your newest family member.

This booklet is set up in chapters, each covering a different area of parrot care.

After each lesson on a subject matter there is a mini-quiz for you to take. Don’t

worry! The quizzes aren’t graded! They are just for you to see if you have a good

grasp of the information. It might be a good idea to jot down a few notes to

yourself when you are reading the material. There is also a spot to jot down any

questions you might have for staff when you come for your adoption visit.

Table of Contents

1. Caging and Housing

Mini Quiz

2. Nutrition

Mini Quiz

3. Toys and Enrichment

Mini Quiz

4. Behavior and Training

Mini Quiz

5. Flighted vs Wing-Clipping Decision

Mini Quiz

6. Lighting

Mini Quiz

7. Humidity and Bathing

Mini Quiz

8. Cleaning

Mini Quiz

9. Safety

Mini Quiz

10. Health Care and First Aid

Mini Quiz

CAGING / HOUSING

Parrots need two things for safe, enriched, and healthy housing: 1) a large cage, and 2) at least one safe, bird-proofed, designated area(s) away from their cage where they can forage, play, and interact with their human family.

Cages

Unless they are handicapped in some way and require a modified environment, a bird’s cage should be as large as you can afford. They need enough space in their cage to be able to exercise and play, and to accommodate a wide variety of toys and perches. When purchasing a cage, be sure to get a safe, trusted brand, such as HQ, King’s, Prevue Hendryx, Avian Adventures, or A&E. Purchasing a cage off of places like E-Bay may be cheaper, but many off-brand cages are made of cheap, dangerous materials that can hurt your bird. If purchasing a used cage off of Craigslist or similar sites, be sure to inspect the cage before buying it for the following issues: * Rust * Missing parts, especially door latches * Unsafe materials, such as iron or zinc. The only safe materials are stainless steel, ceramic powder coating, and acrylic. Bar spacing should be wide enough that your bird won’t get his toes stuck between the bars, but narrow enough that he can’t get his head between the bars. See the Resources Section below to find an online cage size and bar spacing chart that you can use as a guideline. Since birds spend most of their lives on their feet, they should have a variety of perch types, shapes, and sizes in their cage to maintain proper foot health. Perch types to use include: * Natural wood (not the same as smooth dowel rods) * Cotton rope * Flat / ledge-like * Swings / boings * Cement / sand. If you are going to purchase a cement / sand perch, be sure it has a smooth side for their feet to rest on, with the rough sides reserved for where their nails rest. Otherwise, the rough surface of these perches can create sores on their feet.

Play Areas

Play areas can be anything from a playstand, to a bird room, to an outdoor aviary. Whatever the case, it needs to be safe and secure to prevent your bird from hurting himself or from being hurt by other animals. This means: * removing all electrical cords, or running them through PVC or underneath some similar barrier * preventing access to the ceiling, moulding, or walls that the bird could chew on * preventing access to ceiling fans, open water sources such as toilets, and open windows * ensuring that the play area is composed of bird-safe materials such as untreated wood, stainless steel, ce-ramic powder coating, cement, acrylic, and/or PVC. Your bird’s cage(s) and play area(s) should contain many different types of enrichment, including toys, ropes, perches, and bird safe plants. More on this in other chapters.

CAGING/HOUSING QUIZ

1. What two things do parrots need for safe, enriching, and healthy housing? 2. Why do parrots need as large a cage as you can afford? 3. Name at least three safety issues to consider when purchasing a cage. 4. Name a few different types of perches that should go in a cage.

5. Name at least three safety issues to consider when purchasing or building a play area.

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

NUTRITION

Contrary to popular belief, parrots should not be fed seed . Their diet should consist of a combination of pellets and whole, fresh foods.

Pellets

The current recommendation by board certified avian veterinarians who are studying avian nutrition is that pellets should make up 50-70% of a parrot’s diet. The best pellets to feed are those that do not contain sugar or dyes, since these ingredients may have a cumulative effect in the body and can cause diseases over the long term, possibly even shortening their lifespan. Recommended pellet brands include (but are not necessarily limited to): Harrison’s, Roudybush, Hagen, TOPS (Totally Organic Pellets), and Caitec Oven Fresh Bites.

Fresh Foods

The remaining 30-50% of a parrot’s diet should be composed of fresh foods. This should include: raw or steamed vegetables (preferably organic, when available) * cooked whole grains and/or pseudo-grains such as rice (brown, wild, or forbidden), oats, barley, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and teff * soaked and cooked or sprouted legumes * raw, soaked, or sprouted nuts and seeds limited amounts of raw fruit Fruits, seeds, and nuts should comprise no more than 10-20% of their diet combined. Many people envision parrots in the wild eating a diet of nothing but fruits and nuts, but researchers are discovering that, for most parrot species, that is somewhat of a misconception. Secondly, wild birds expend a lot more energy than captive birds do, so they need the extra sugars and fats found in nuts and fruits. And finally, the fruits that they eat in the wild contain much less sugar and much more fiber than the fruits that are cultivated for human consumption. Offer fruits, seeds, and nuts only as a treat, and focus mostly on fresh berries and raw, unsalted nuts.

Preparation

An easy, time- and cost-effective way to provide a wide variety of fresh foods to your bird daily is to make something called “chop”. It is exactly what it sounds like: you cook a big batch of grains and legumes, chop up a variety of vegetables, then mix it all together in a large container, spoon 3-4 individual daily servings into sandwich bags or other containers, and put them in the freezer. Depending on how much you make and how many birds you have, one batch of chop can last anywhere from one week to several months. More info on how to make chop can be found in the Resources Section below.

Diet Conversion

Many parrots have never learned how to eat a healthy diet, but they can be taught to do so. If your parrot will not eat the foods recommended above, see the Resources Section below for articles about how to convert your parrot to a healthier, more varied diet.

Foods To Avoid

Toxic foods that should never be fed to your bird include: alcohol, avocado, cassava (tapioca), dairy products,

meat, chocolate/cocoa, peanuts, fruit seeds and pits. Foods that should also be avoided include: any foods

that are high in salt, fat and sugars and/or contain dyes or preservatives.

NUTRITION QUIZ

1. What should a parrot’s diet consist of? 2. What percentage of a parrot’s diet should consist of pellets? 3. What percentage of a parrot’s diet should consist of fruits and nuts? 4. What are the five toxic foods that should never be fed to a bird?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

TOYS AND ENRICHMENT

In order for parrots to thrive in captivity, we must meet their physical, mental, and emotional needs that they would otherwise be able to meet for themselves had they been born in the wild. That includes: * a good diet * exercise * a calm and safe place to sleep and relax * a healthy environment * social interaction * mental stimulation * training * empowerment to perform natural behaviors This is called enrichment.

Toys

A huge part of enrichment is teaching a bird how to play with toys that facilitate natural behaviors, including: * chewing * shredding * preening * picking up and manipulating objects with feet and beaks * problem solving foraging for food In the wild, birds spend anywhere from 6-8 hours/day foraging for their food. When birds are not provided with similar opportunities in captivity - if all of their food is just given to them in a bowl, and they are not given anything else to do - many different types of behavioral and medical problems can arise. This may in-clude, but is not limited to: screaming, feather destructive behaviors, self-mutilation, compulsive repetitive behaviors, biting, destroying furniture or other household items, shutting down and withdrawing inwards, obesity, liver disease, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and sores on their feet (from sitting in one place all day long). In other words, to give a bird some toys is not to spoil it; it is necessary to that bird’s basic well-being. There are many different types of bird toys available for purchase, but it is also easy to make toys out of basic household items. See the Resources Section below for links to various websites that sell toys or provide instructions on how to make them yourself.

Other Enrichment Items

In addition to toys, you can provide bird-safe plants in and around their cages for them to chew and shred. This is called browse. Many landscapers will happily give away cuttings from bamboo, fruit and nut trees, and other bird safe plants. Just make sure these plants have not been sprayed with insecticides or other harmful chemicals. Take only organically grown browse home to your birds. Providing visual and auditory stimulation is also very enriching. Some birds enjoy music or TV, but some birds find that level of constant noise and visual motion to be overstimulating. Some birds enjoy recordings of natural sounds or DVDs of other birds in the wild. Observe your bird carefully to make sure they are not be-ing overstimulated by introduced enrichment items.

TOYS AND ENRICHMENT QUIZ

1. What are the eight factors of enrichment? 2. What are the six natural behaviors that good toys enable a bird to perform? 3. How many hours a day do wild parrots forage for food? 4. Name a few medical and behavioral problems that birds can suffer from when they are not provided with enrichment on a daily basis. 5. What is “browse”?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff 1.

BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING

There is a lot of wide-spread misinformation about behavior and training in general, but even more so for parrots specifically. Many people believe that parrots bite, scream, destroy furniture, only like one person, “refuse” to eat certain foods or play with certain toys, etc., because they are wild animals and cannot help it, or because they are “mean” or “lazy” or “dominant” or whatever other descriptors we like to give them. Nothing can be further from the truth. All behavior is functional. Parrots behave the way they do because at some point in their life they have learned that it works, and it keeps on working. Alternately, they don’t behave in other ways that we want them to because they never learned how to do so. To be good caregivers, it is our responsibility to train them to successfully live in our environment, just as it is a dog owner’s responsibility to train their dog not to bark, bite, jump on people, chew furniture, etc.

Body Language

Successful training is a two-way conversation, rather than a one-way ultimatum. In order to have meaningful and productive conversations with your bird, you need to be able to understand what your bird is telling you in addition to being able to successfully make yourself understood to your bird. This means being able to read your bird’s body language. See the Resources Section below for some helpful materials on how to learn parrot body language.

Training

There are many theories about how to train animals, but through the scientific study of behavior we have learned that the best method meets The Three E’s: * Is it Effective? (In other words, does the training method work?) * Is it Ethical? (Does the training method avoid causing physical, mental, and/or emotional damage?) * Is it Empowering? (Does it enable the learner to make decisions and changes to their environment?) In other words, training methods that incorporate force, or dominance, or punishment might be effective, but they are neither ethical nor empowering. Conversely, absolute permissiveness by allowing the learner to do whatever they want may be ethical, but it certainly isn’t effective and may or may not be empowering. All Three E’s can be met through the scientific approach to behavior, called Applied Behavior Analysis, or more commonly known as Positive Reinforcement training. The foundational principles of ABA are:

Rather than assuming whom the learner is, we describe specifically what the learner does.

Instead of saying, “This bird is mean,” we say, “When I put my hand near the bird, he bites it.”

Rather than telling the learner what NOT to do, we teach them what TO do. Although our knee-jerk reaction may be to immediately scold or suppress a behavior we don’t like, the better

response is to show them how to do a more desirable behavior instead.

Rather than forcing the learner to bend to our will, we empower the learner to make the desired decision of their own free will.

Instead of manhandling a bird to get them to do what we want, we can teach the bird to voluntarily perform the desired behavior on their own.

Knowing these things is the first step, but learning how to train in this way requires help, instruction, and guidance from a trained professional. The Resources Section below lists several free resources available, as well as links to websites where you can locate a behavior consultant in your area if you would like more one-on-one assistance.

BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING QUIZ

1. Why do parrots - and in fact all animals - behave the way they do? 2. What skill must you learn in order to have successful, two-way communication with your bird? 3. What are The Three E’s? 4. What is the scientific approach to behavior called, and why is it the preferred training method? 5. When you encounter behaviors in your bird that you want to change, what are you going to do in order to learn how to train them appropriately?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

THE FLIGHTED V. CLIPPED DECISION

The debate over whether or not to clip companion parrots’ wings can become heated. Proponents of free flight maintain that it is the more ethical decision, providing birds with their most defining natural feature. On the other hand, proponents of clipping maintain that it is the only way to keep companion parrots safe, and not doing so is negligence. As with most debated topics, it is not that simple or black-and-white. Reality is that neither decision provides any guarantees, there are benefits and dangers to both decisions, and it is up to each caregiver to decide what is best for their particular bird in their particular environment. Keeping Your Bird Flighted Ideally, we could keep all captive birds flighted. Flying provides empowerment, muscle development, and cardiovascular exercise for birds that little else can offer. Even the best flapping exercises can’t provide the same benefit that actual flying can. However, the decision to keep your bird flighted means constant vigilance and the willingness to train and maintain life-saving behaviors. SAFETY: Every member of the household must be committed to keeping doors and windows closed, as well as keeping toilet lids closed, ceiling fans off, and not using the stove or any other hot surface when the bird is out of their cage. It is also very important to separate birds from other predatory pets, such as dogs, cats, and ferrets. Just because a bird is flighted does not guarantee that they will be able to escape from a predatory pet who is highly motivated to capture them, even just to play with them. TRAINING: Because accidents will happen in even the most vigilant home, it is imperative to teach a flighted bird to fly to you on cue. This behavior is called a “recall”, and it is fairly easy to train if you are taught how to do so. Also, there is a myth that birds become more “dominant” or “bratty” when they are flighted. That is a misconception. When birds have the ability to fly, they may exhibit behaviors that they would always choose if they always had the choice. Clipping a bird is merely masking the symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause of these behaviors. Rather than suppressing these unwanted behaviors, it is much better to change the underlying emotional responses your bird has to you and their environment by training them to come to you when called, to stay where you want them to stay, to not fly at and/or attack people, or whatever other undesirable behavior you see when your bird is flighted. Trimming Your Bird’s Wings There are some situations where it is safer to keep the bird clipped--either because it is impractical to exercise the safety precautions mentioned above, or because the bird was never taught how to fly and land safely, and poses more of a risk to themselves when flighted than clipped, or because of some other mitigating factor. Be that as it may, it is important to understand that clipping a bird’s wings comes with its own set of responsibilities and dangers. SAFETY: Clipped birds are even more at risk of predation by other household pets, so extra vigilance in this regard is a necessity. It is also a myth that clipping a bird’s wings will prevent them from flying away. Over half of the birds who are reported to lost and found networks, on Craigslist, and/or through bird clubs are clipped birds. This happens for a variety of reasons: firstly, because people have a false sense of security about their bird’s flying ability, they are more likely to take them outside than people whose birds are fully flighted; secondly, even a fully clipped bird can be carried miles away by a strong tail wind and will then not be able to fly back home; thirdly, many people don’t notice that their bird’s flight feathers have started to grow back in until it’s too late. For these reasons, clipping a bird’s wings does not mean that you can carry them around outside, or leave birds in rooms with doors and/or windows open, without risk. Whether you decide to keep your bird flighted or clipped, it is important to know how to prevent and prepare for an escaped bird. And if you choose to clip your bird’s wings, it is important to know how to do so safely and ethically. See the Resources Section below for more information on these topics.

THE FLIGHTED V. CLIPPED DECISION QUIZ

1. What are the benefits to keeping a bird flighted? 2. What are some of the safety measures that need to be taken when keeping a bird flighted? 3. What is the most important behavior to teach a flighted bird? 4. What are some good reasons to keep a bird clipped? 5. What are some of the safety measures that need to be taken when keeping a bird clipped?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

LIGHTING

Very few people think about lighting when they get a bird, but it is extremely important to their health and well-being, and there are several factors to consider. Sunlight Birds need natural sunlight for Vitamin D production, hormone balance, and organ, skin, and feather health. While we can try to emulate natural light in captivity, there is no substitute for the real deal. A minimum of 30 minutes of direct sunlight exposure per week is recommended for adequate Vitamin D production, but the more you can give them, the better. You can do so by building an aviary in your yard, or by training your bird to load into a travel cage or carrier and taking them outside with you on outings or just hanging out in the yard. IF you do not have predatory raptors like hawks or eagles in your area, and IF your bird has a very strong recall in a variety of settings, including outside, then you can also choose to take your bird outside with you without any sort of enclosure at a minimal risk. Just bear in mind that choosing to do so otherwise carries with it a high risk of your bird getting carried off by a bird of prey or a strong gust of wind. When taking your bird outside isn’t an option due to extreme temperatures or incomplete training, make sure your bird is getting enough pellets (50-70% of their diet), which have synthetic Vitamin D, and/or is getting enough foods that are high in natural Vitamin D. Making sure that they live and play in rooms with lots of natural light can also help psychologically, but will do nothing to help them physically, since glass fil-ters out the UV rays that are necessary for vitamin synthesis, organ function, and hormone production. Indoor Lighting Not only do birds see a larger portion of the color spectrum than we do - being able to also see ultraviolet light - they also see light faster than we do. Light hits our eyes in waves, and when those waves get fast enough, our brains perceive it as solid light. Birds see light faster than we do, which means that the waves have to be faster for birds to perceive them as being solid. This means that the regular light bulbs we use in our homes, while appearing to give off solid light to us, appears to be flickering to our birds. Imagine living in a world of flickering light bulbs! How irritating! How disorienting! How headache-inducing! It’s no wonder that our birds can seem agitated and cranky so often. The measurement that indicates the speed of light waves emanating from a lightbulb is called Color Render-ing Index, or CRI. Birds start perceiving light as being solid at a CRI of 91, so the bulbs in the rooms of your house where your bird will live or visit need to be at least 91. Most Full Spectrum (FS) lightbulbs meet that minimum requirement, but you can also find photography lightbulbs with a 91+ CRI for much cheaper than FS bulbs. Another note about FS bulbs: they are not a sufficient replacement for natural sunlight. Further research into these bulbs has shown that: a) The UV rays only extend about 18” from the bulb itself, but b) keeping the FS bulbs that close to a bird’s cage tends to cause corneal scarring in their eyes, and c) the bulbs only produce UVB for about six months, so after that they aren’t even providing the physi-cal benefits they claim to. Nevertheless, they are quite useful as replacements for regular lightbulbs in terms of allowing the birds to see their full color spectrum and in solid light instead of flickering light.

LIGHTING QUIZ

1. Why do birds need natural sunlight? 2. What is the minimum requirement of natural sunlight per week? 3. Why is sunlight through windows not enough for a bird’s health? 4. What is Color Rendering Index, or CRI? 5. What is the minimum CRI that birds need, and what two kinds of lightbulbs provide it?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

HUMIDITY/BATHING

With very few exceptions, the vast majority of parrot species in the wild live in very humid environments with frequent rainfall. Their respiratory system, skin, and feathers are designed to live in very wet climates. When they are not provided with this type of environment in captivity, they can develop inflammation in their respiratory system, painful skin conditions, and/or start plucking their feathers. Some birds will even start mutilating their skin. For this reason, it is very important to provide a humid environment for your bird. There are two ways to achieve this: Humidity Unless you live in an area that is already naturally humid year-round, it is important to purchase a humidifier for every room that your bird will live and play in. It’s best to purchase a humidifier that has a built-in hy-grometer (the instrument that measures ambient humidity) and can be set to run at a specific humidity. The reason for this is that molds start growing in the home environment at 60% humidity, so ideally you would keep the humidity as high as possible for your bird without exceeding the level at which molds will start growing. So, purchasing a humidifier that will allow you to set it at 55% humidity will ensure that your bird lives in as humid an environment as possible without mold growing. Birds living or staying in outdoor aviaries can of course live with higher humidity. Bathing In addition to providing a humid environment, you must also provide a way for birds to bathe them-selves. Regular baths or showers emulate the frequent rainfall they would experience if living in their natural habitat, and are crucial for skin and feather health. Once a week is the minimum recommended amount, but some birds need more frequent baths than that, and generally speaking once daily or every other day would be ideal for most birds. There are several ways to bathe a bird: * an automatic misting system * spraying them with water from a spray bottle * taking them in the shower * providing a shallow dish with warm water If your bird is not already accustomed to getting baths or showers, it is crucial that you not force them to do so in a way that scares or angers them. Since baths are such an important part of their lives, you do not want them to view bathing as something that is scary or dangerous. This is also why it is NEVER acceptable to try to punish a bird by spraying them with water. The easiest approach is to offer each bathing method listed above one at a time and see if your bird naturally gravitates towards one particular method. If they already enjoy bathing in a certain way, that makes your job much easier. If your bird tries to avoid or escape every bathing method, you can pick the one or two that work best for you and train your bird to accept - and eventually enjoy - bathing by using a training technique called systematic desensitization. The basic idea is to start with the closest thing to bathing that your bird currently does and rewarding the bird with something they really like every time you expose them to this limited version of bathing. Then, gradually increase the bathing behaviors through baby steps, making sure to keep each baby step pleasant and rewarding. For more detailed information and instructions, see the Resource Section below.

HUMIDITY/BATHING QUIZ

1. What three parts of a parrot’s body are most affected by the humidity level in their environment? 2. What are the two things a bird in captivity needs to maintain healthy moisture levels? 3. What percentage should a humidifier’s hygrometer be set to in a home environment? 4. What are the four methods available to bathe a bird? 5. What training method should be used to teach your bird to accept and enjoy baths?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

CLEANING

Birds make messes. Big ones. Constantly. It is our job as their caretakers to clean up after them. However, it is important to do so using only cleaning supplies that are safe for our birds. Surface Cleaners A bird’s respiratory system is very different from ours. Their lungs are connected to a series of air sacs that run throughout their body, even into their bones. For this reason, they absorb much more of the molecules they breathe in than mammals do. Whereas humans only absorb about 30% of what we breathe in, birds absorb more than 90%. For this reason, it is very important to never use harsh chemical cleaners around birds, especially aerosolized ones. Safe cleaners to use around birds include (but are not necessarily limited to): * Grapefruit Seed Extract or Grapefruit Essential Oil mixed with water at 7 drops per quart * Organic Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water at a 1:1 ratio * Chlorhexidine solution in water (be advised that, once Chlorhexidine is mixed with water, it is only good for 72 hours, so be sure to mix a new solution every time you clean rather than mixing it up all at once) * Detergent-free soap in water You can choose to wash your bird’s dishes with dish soap that contains detergents, but if you do so be sure to rinse thoroughly, as detergents can be toxic to birds if ingested. Be vigilant to make sure there is no remain-ing soap residue on the dishes, especially water dishes. If you have a bird with a contagious disease such as PBFD or ABV, you may wish to use a QAC (Quaternary Ammonium Compound) disinfectant cleaner or a new cleaning product called “Accel” in order to reduce the spread of harmful viruses and other pathogens to other birds. Air Purifiers Because birds have highly efficient respiratory systems, as discussed above, keeping their air clean is as important, if not more so, than keeping their cage and other supplies clean. You can do this by, in the first place, making sure that their environment is well-ventilated, and secondly, by placing a HEPA filtration system in every room where they live and play. A good HEPA filtration system can be a few hundred dollars, so if you need a cheaper solution in the meantime, you can make your own by purchasing a box fan and a HEPA filter that is designed to go in air conditioning units from any hardware store, and taping the filter to the intake side of the box fan. The whole set-up costs around $40. For maximum efficacy, HEPA filtration systems should be kept running constantly. Change out the filters as frequently as the manufacturer recommends. Used Toys and Supplies Many people like to trade toys with other bird owners, repurpose household items or items purchased at thrift stores, or bring in pieces of wood, plants, and other objects from the outdoors to enrich their birds’ lives. All of these are excellent ideas, but care must be taken to properly clean and disinfect products before introducing them to birds. Toys made with paper and/or other organic matter should not be reused, as they are impossible to properly disinfect. Fabrics should be washed in hot water with bleach or Accel. Less porous objects should be disinfected with the products listed above and set out in the sun for 48 hours. For more information and helpful tips about cleaning, see the Resources Section below.

CLEANING QUIZ

1. Why is it important to never use harsh chemical cleaners around our birds? 2. Name a few kinds of cleaners that are safe to use around birds. 3. What are the two kinds of cleaners you can use if you have a bird with a contagious disease? 4. What should you have in each room of your home where your bird lives and plays to purify the air? 5. What bird toy materials should not be traded and reused for your birds, since they cannot be properly disinfected?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

SAFETY

As their caretakers, it is both our responsibility and our desire to keep our birds as safe as possible. However, the first thing to understand about safety and birds is that it is impossible to provide a 100% safe and risk-free environment for them. Every decision, every scenario, carries with it both risks and rewards. It is up to each of us to know our individual birds and environments and decide for ourselves which risks are worth the rewards and which ones aren’t. That said, knowledge is power, and knowing about common dangers can ease your decision-making process and help to minimize the risks to the birds in your home. We have already discussed some common risks in previous sections, but below are some others to be aware of and consider. CANDLES: Wicks contain heavy metals that can cause toxicity in birds, and the perfumes in scented candles can cause respiratory inflammation.

CARBON MONOXIDE: CO leaks in a home can be fatal to birds at much lower levels than for humans, so a CO detector is a good idea, and be sure to keep your bird’s area well-ventilated.

DISEASE: Like all animals, birds can be carriers of contagious diseases. Exposing your birds to other birds with unknown health status can expose them to deadly diseases, and bringing a new bird into your home without properly quarantining and vetting them first can pose a risk to your whole flock. To learn more about disease prevention, see the Resources Section below.

GRIT: Unlike passerines and other families of birds, parrots do not use or need grit, and if ingested it can cause a life-threatening impaction.

HOME IMPROVEMENT PRODUCTS: Many products used for home improvement emit chemicals for many days after being used or installed. Before doing any home improvement projects, remove your bird from the home and don’t bring them back until the products are no longer off-gassing. The general rule of thumb is: if you can smell it, it can harm your bird.

METAL: Any metal that is small and soft enough to be swallowed can cause life-threatening toxicity to a bird. Carefully check each toy before introducing it to your bird to make sure there are no parts that they might be able to ingest. Use medical-grade stainless steel hardware as much as possible in your birds’ cages and play areas to avoid zinc, nickel, or lead flakes from being ingested by your bird.

PESTICIDES: Avoid using pesticides in your birds’ airspace, such as sprays, flystrips, foggers, powders, moth-balls, flea collars, flea shampoos, and miticide disks--basically, anything that your bird could ingest, inhale, or get stuck on. For safer pesticide methods, see the Resources Section below.

PLYWOOD AND PARTICLE BOARD: These wood products are toxic to birds. Use only raw, untreated wood to make perches, toys, playstands, and other items for your bird.

POISONOUS PLANTS: Many common household and landscaping plants are toxic to birds. Allow your bird to come into contact only with bird-safe plants. More information about safe and unsafe plants are in the Re-sources Section below.

PTFE (TEFLON): When heated above 400 degrees, Teflon can instantly kill birds. It is also a carcinogen. Avoid non-stick pans, cooking bags, self-cleaning ovens (or at least, don’t use the self-cleaning cycle), and electrical appliances like hair dryers and space heaters that have PTFE and instead use PTFE-free appliances such as stainless steel, ceramic, cast iron, stoneware, pyrex, and PTFE-free appliances.

SALIVA: Saliva from humans, dogs, cats, and other omnivorous or carnivorous animals contains gram-

negative bacteria that birds have poor immunity against. Allowing household pets to lick your bird, or allow-ing your bird to eat food from your mouth or stick their head in your mouth, puts them at risk of a deadly bacterial infection.

SOIL: Soils can contain pesticides and/or fertilizers that are toxic to birds, and even organic soils contain fungi that can cause deadly fungal infections. If you choose to let your birds play with plants or wander in your yard, monitor them carefully to be sure they are not ingesting any soil.

SUBSTRATE: Litter of any kind can get impacted in a bird’s crop if ingested, and clay litters create a lot of dust that can cause respiratory inflammation. Pine, cedar, and redwood shavings emit aromatic oils that can cause respiratory inflammation. Use only paper products or non-aromatic wood shavings as substrates for your cages and clean/change them frequently to prevent the growth of harmful molds and bacteria. For more information about safety issues with birds, see the Resources Section below.

SAFETY QUIZ

1. What kind of environment is impossible to provide for our birds? 2. Name at least three common risks from previous sections. 3. Name at least five common risks from the Safety section.

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

HEALTH CARE AND FIRST AID

As with ourselves and other types of animal companions, preventative medicine, regular check-ups, and emergency preparedness are important for the health and well-being of our avian companions. Preventative medicine involves good husbandry and minimizing risks, as described in the previous sections. The rest will be discussed in this section. Regular Check-ups The first step to providing regular check-ups for your bird is to find a good vet. Because avian medicine is so different from dog and cat or large animal medicine, it is important to find a vet who has direct experience - and preferably specialized training - with birds. The best-case scenario is to find a board certified avian vet. If one is not available near you, try to find someone who is experienced with birds but not board certi-fied. Most veterinarians who regularly practice avian medicine, whether they are board certified or not, are members of The Association of Avian Veterinarians. You can go to the AAV’s website, aav.org, and look in the member directory for the vet who is closest to you. If you cannot find an avian vet near you, the best thing to do is find the closest avian vet to you - even if they are several hours’ away - and make the trek to have them do a baseline exam on your bird. Once they have examined your bird, they can legally advise and collaborate with other vets who are caring for your bird. The next step is to find a dog and cat vet in your area who is willing to see your bird and collaborate with your long-distance avian vet in order to get advice and instructions from them. That way, if your bird gets sick or injured and you don’t have time to drive them several hours, you can take them to your local vet and have them consult with your long-distance avian vet to help treat your bird. Whatever veterinary solution you come up with, it is always a good idea to take your bird to your vet for a baseline exam, and then follow your vet’s recommendations for wellness visits and diagnostic testing. Emergency Preparedness First aid is also an important facet of caring for your companion parrot. Unfortunately there aren’t any first aid classes for birds like there are for dogs and cats (yet!), but there are a few good books and websites that give instructions about what you need in your first aid kit and how to perform basic first aid on your bird. The best, most user-friendly resources currently available are the book First Aid For Birds: An Owner’s Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet by Julie Rach and Gary Gallerstein, DVM, and a nice article on “How to Make a First Aid Kit for Your Bird” here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1912&aid=2882

There’s also an article in The Bird Owner’s Manual by Jamie Leigh-Powell on making a disaster preparedness kit that is indispensable for teaching people how to be prepared for an emergency such as hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, or other scenarios where you would have to get your bird(s) out fast and may be in limbo for several days. More information on that will be listed in the Resources Section below.

HEALTH CARE AND FIRST AID QUIZ

1. What are the three facets of protecting the health and well-being of our avian companions? 2. What is the best case scenario for obtaining veterinary care for your bird? 3. What is the second best scenario for obtaining veterinary care for your bird? 4. What can you do if the first two options for obtaining veterinary care aren’t available? 5. What two kinds of kits are useful for emergency preparedness at home?

Questions you might want to ask Parrot Garden Staff

RESOURCES SECTION Caging/Housing Cage Size and Bar Spacing Chart: birdownersmanual.com/cagesarentprisons Nutrition Parrot Nutrition and Healthy Recipes: https://www.facebook.com/groups/156496311144601/

Nutrition For Pets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/139357782824396/

Chop Recipes and Instructions: http://parrotnation.com/recipe-posts/

Diet Conversion: birdownersmanual.com/tryityoulllikeit Toys and Enrichment Avian Enrichment: http://avianenrichment.com/

Toy Making Ideas and Instructions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheParrotsWorkshop/

The Parrot Enrichment Activity Book: http://www.parrotenrichment.com/

How To Make Foraging Toys At Home: http://frombeakstobarks.me/2009/04/04/how-to-make-cheap-and-easy-foraging-toys-at-home/

Behavior and Training Understanding Parrot Body Language (scroll down to bottom of page, on right): http://www.goodbirdinc.com/parrot-store-dvds.html

Free mini-lessons on behavior and one-on-one help: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ParrotBAS/info

Articles and Information about behavior, and sign-up for online courses: http://behaviorworks.org/

More one-on-one help and resources: birdownersmanual.com/anounceofprevention Find a certified professional bird trainer in your area: iatcb.com The Flighted v. Clipped Decision Get Your Bird Back! DVD (scroll down to second row, right side): http://www.goodbirdinc.com/parrot-store-dvds.html

Information on how to properly and safely trim wings: birdownersmanual.com/toflyornottofly Humidity/Bathing Information on how to systematically desensitize birds to bathing: birdownersmanual.com/scrubadubdub Cleaning Links and resources to cleaning supplies: birdownersmanual.com/cinderella Safety Quarantine procedures: birdownersmanual.com/quarantine Safe and Toxic Plants: http://www.plannedparrothood.com/plants.html

Health Care and First Aid birdownersmanual.com/thebirdscoutmotto