There are over 350 different parrot species. The conures alone, with close to 40 different species, account for more than 10% of the total. We find that many of the differences are not noteworthy enough to warrant the confusion of a separate page for each species. Additionally, too much pointed information often winds up causing misconcept...

One day Dave walked into a pet shop looking for doves when the shop owner offered him a toucan. He'd never imagined owning a toucan before, but could not resist and that's where the infatuation started. A complicated diet As stunning and exotic as these magnificent birds are, they are insanely difficult - near impossible - to keep in captivity...

Hi, my name is Chrissann Nickel, also known as “The Toucan Lady” from Adventures in Toucanland. I’ve been a big Bird Tricks fan for about a year now, shortly after I adopted my three adult Toco toucans – Paco, Paz, and Pepe (otherwise known as the “Three-Cans”) in June 2011.

I am really excited about this new blog series we are beginning, sharing the successes of others who have overcome behavioral problems using the Bird Tricks training program. I ...

Two years… 730 Days… 17,520 hours… Countless Miles… No matter how you look at it, two years on the road is a long time!  Especially when you travel the country by truck and RV… correction; make that two trucks, and two RV’s, a flock of birds, magic props, motorcycle, and a house cat.  Driving separately from Jamie can be painstaking, but it does give me some time to reflect.  Not only on shows and future plans, but on training, and what I can do to become a better trainer.

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Many of you have asked if we plan to socialize Rocko, our toco toucan, with our parrots (consisting of macaws and cockatoos and parakeets). Obviously, we won’t be letting Rocko get to know our parakeets. They are too small and toucans actually eat baby birds in the wild, along with lizards, small snakes, etc (in captivity they are given meal worms if they intend to breed and sometimes just as treats) so those little guys are out of the picture.

 

As for the macaws and medium sized parrots we have, here is a video that demonstrates what Rocko WOULD do if ...

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In our seminar DVD set, I talk about the Gypsy Experience as a means to training your bird.  It refers to my lifestyle – everyday a hundred new mile markers roll by, every night my birds are in front of more than 5,000 people.  Every day they experience different people, places, and things.  For a species that spends 80% of its day foraging for food and having to figure out new things, this is the next best thing to a magic potion for success with your psittacines.

Whether I’m traveling by land or by ...

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