Parrotlets

Who are you calling little?! Whoever came up with the name “parrotlet” was definitely on the right track! The name describes them perfectly! They are, indeed, every bit a miniaturized parrot. It’s amusing to watch big bird antics come from such a little body.The parrotlet is a small bird with a big love of adventure and, given the opportunity, ...
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Should You Change Your Parrot’s Name?

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Senegal Parrot “Mavi”

 

Can you change your pet parrot’s name – yes; should you change it – my opinion – no, not under ordinary circumstances.

If you haven’t yet watched the Cornell Lab of Ornithology video entitled “How a Parrot Learns its Name in the Wild,” you should definitely take the time to look it up. There is a growing amount of research into the science of parrots’ names, which is pretty cool.

Personally, I won’t change my birds’ names. Whatever they come with is there ...

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Twelve Vital Skills To Teach Our Birds

Celestial Parrotlet

Celestial Parrotlet in his travelling carrier.

 

Baby birds are tabula rasa, blank slates, and therefore are such joys to train! But before I get into this, I feel that I have add a little side note: I personally believe that parrots aren’t meant to be pets, yet our captive birds need us. In light of this, I encourage rescue and re-homing where possible. Mine is sometimes a bit of a controversial opinion, but I do also whole-heartedly support people who buy baby birds. I ...

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Spoiling your Parrot Vs. Good Quality of Life

 

 

 

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How do we tell the difference between spoiling a pet, and giving a good quality of life?

There are two main components for a captive bird’s quality of life:

  1. The basics: Food, water, a decently-sized cage, fresh toys, suitable perches, and a clean, safe environment
  2. Unconditional love: Your understanding, patience, dedication, and empathy

If you’re wondering whether a bird is spoiled, ask if what he has or is being given is really necessary in his life?

Providing a parrot the basics isn’t so basic at all in the eyes of many non-bird people. ...

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Glossary of Bird Names

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A Congo African Grey – CAG.

 

While abbreviating names can be much faster to write or type, sometimes it can get confusing even for people who are used to doing it! That’s why I’ve compiled a glossary of the most common abbreviations of bird names.

Cockatoos are the easiest, although they sound more confusing at first. Quite simply, the ‘too’ of cockatoo is abbreviated into numerical form, 2. Then the first letter refers to the actual species or sub-species. Note that cockatoos are also often ...

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Music and Your Parrot

Senegal parrot playing.

Senegal parrot loves music.

 

One of the things I often get asked by friends and family is, ‘Doesn’t your bird hate your musical instrument?’ It is, after all, very loud. And it takes my attention away from them.

As a musician, I find that my parrots have come through necessity to relate to my music. I had to find a way to turn my own practise time (which is of vital importance to me) into a fun time for them, too. Otherwise ...

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