Q: I read that you will have a closer bond with a bird if you get it as a baby. Will the bond be even closer if I hand feed it?

-Max W.,  Clarksville, TN

A: In the last 10-15 years, bird keepers have undergone a drastic and much needed transformation in the way they care for their birds. It is much more widely known that birds cannot survive on seed-only diets or ...Save

I wonder how many hours in my life I have dedicated to staring at my birds? To a non-parrot owner, that might seem like time wasted, but we all know better.

It blows my mind whenever I read something about “new discoveries” regarding parrot intelligence in some science journal.  A bird’s foraging skill is hardly a new development. It is how they have fed themselves for millions of years.

But to a non-bird owner, or a scientist who is just ...Save

When the subject of vacationing comes up, a large number of parrot owners reveal that they don’t travel because they are afraid to leave their birds. Either they don’t have anyone they trust to care for them, or they are afraid that their bird will have disowned them by the time they get home.

Today I am going to try to talk you out of that thinking...

When people contact us about problems with their birds, one common (and notable) element is that most people are very surprised to learn that their relationship with their bird isn’t what they thought it was. They explain their once friendly and interactive relationship and now, suddenly, their bird wants nothing to do with them. They are always reluctant to believe you when you assure them that none of this happened suddenly.

No matter what bird sites you ...

Q: I travel frequently because of my job and lately I have been feeling guilty about leaving my bird so often. Do you think this will cause her to become unhappy?

-Monica, B., San Diego, CA

A:   The answer depends mostly on your situation, but also on your bird’s personality. You haven’t given me much information, so I will try to look at this from different angles.

If you live alone and have made arrangements to have someone come ...