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Enrichment Tip of the Month
by Kris Porter |
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In my busy house, I often use diversionary tactics to re-direct a parrot's attention. I always have what I refer to as "strategically placed clutter" on the kitchen counter. Usually it is a large bowl of parrot toy parts, a cardboard box, a crock of foot toys, a container of colored pasta and anything else I can think of that might divert the attention away from the task I'm trying to perform (preferably without parrot interference). I find if I rotate the items that I have laying around on the counter and the breakfast bar I can keep their attention focused on those areas, at least for a few minutes. Time enough for me to wash and chop vegetables or prep supper.
I will also sometimes arrange a novel spot to place items of interest around the house to provide my birds a different place to explore. When you have your parrots out of an evening, you could set up a small table or TV tray in a corner of the living room with a crock of foot toys or toy parts and 1 nut hidden amongst those items. On that same table you might place a used paperback book to chew. This provides your parrot with a fresh new exciting area to investigate and hopefully keep busy for a little while.
Here is an activity that kept Zorba busy long enough for me to fix a quick supper. For this occasion, I happened to have an empty water bottle on the counter. I filled it with spare toy parts and set it on the counter hoping Zorba might focus on the new item and keep busy while I cooked. It worked!  Zorba at work in the kitchen!
For more great enrichment ideas check out:
www.ParrotEnrichment.com
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Hello Bird Lovers!
I hope you and your flock are all doing very well this month. I sure had some good laughs over the New Year's resolutions many of you wished your birds would make.
The winner of our overall favorite list contest and a $25 store credit was Anne C. from Hawaii. Here's Anne's resolution wishlist for her birds:
1. I will learn to poop over the toilet or in the neighbor's bushes.
2. No hanky panky with Mom's hand.
3. I will not exhibit my disgust with the menu by attempting a world record title for flinging food.
4. I will refrain from soaking everything I don't fling in my water dish.
5. I will return to my stand or cage without making Mom scrape me off, on the perch or bars.
6. I will not make phone ringing noises while Mom is in the shower.
7. I will give Mom/Dad another half hour before saying "hello...............hello........hello....hello..hello HELLOOOOO" at dawn.
This month we are very pleased to welcome Pamela Clark as a guest author to both our newsletter and the Avian Enrichment website. For those of you who may not be familiar with Pamela, she is a Certified Vet Tech and a parrot behavior consultant. Her particular areas of interest include the resolution of all behavior problems, but especially that of feather destructive behavior, excellent nutrition for each species and positive reinforcement training. She is also a well-known speaker and her articles have appeared in the Grey Play Round Table, the Companion Parrot Quarterly, Bird Talk Magazine, Birds USA, the Holistic Bird Newsletter, Parrots Magazine and Good Bird Magazine.
Winter has been brutal for many of us this year and I'm so much looking forward to Spring and the ability to let the fresh air into the house. I know that my flock will be very glad to be able to enjoy their outdoor aviary again as well. However, Spring brings with it some challenges as it is the start of the hormonal season for many of our feathered friends. Are you ready?
In her article, Feeding Parrots - Where We Go Wrong, Pamela proposes a relationship between our parrots diets and hormonal behavior. Definitely, some food for thought!
And check this out....Pamela Clark and Kris Porter have teamed up to make a DVD "Feeding Our Parrots Well" which is highlighted below. If we could sell this DVD directly through the Avian Enrichment store we would but it is only available directly through Pamela and Kris. We are glad to make this recommendation as part of our commitment to providing parrot owners with the best available advice for the care of their birds. We are also happy to support other vendors when we believe in the quality of their products and their dedication to avian welfare through education. Great job Pam and Kris!
Have a great month everyone! |
Feeding Parrots
Where We Go Wrong
One of the greatest challenges facing parrot caregivers today is that of deciding upon and then committing to a healthy diet for our birds. It seems that every "authority" has a different opinion and no one can agree. Everyone, from behavior consultants to veterinarians, seems to have a different idea about what is correct.
Most veterinarians agree that it is best to feed a 100% formulated (pelleted) diet with perhaps a small amount of added vegetables and fruits. They have good reasons for their convictions. First, the best of these diets will provide a parrot with excellent health. As a licensed veterinary technician, I have seen many happy parrots (who eat a 100% pelleted diet) in excellent plumage sail through their annual exams and lab work. Secondly however, without a good, solid knowledge of both the basics of nutrition and the pitfalls inherent in feeding parrots, it is almost impossible to devise a balanced diet and then get the parrot to eat it. They know that most owners will fail at this, unless they provide knowledgeable, on-going guidance.
Nevertheless, I don't see a lot of parrot owners sticking to a 100% pelleted diet for their birds, despite the good reasons for doing so. First, it goes against our grain to feed such a boring diet to these vibrant, dynamic creatures, whose not-so-very-distant ancestors were picking and choosing for themselves from the native wild resources.
Read More |
Parrot Puzzler
Quote of the Month
"It's not the fault of the parrot, but of the one who teaches him to talk." ~ Guatemalan Proverb
Birds in the News!
New Zealand's prime minister has appointed Sirocco (a very oversexed Kakapo featured in our October 2009 video of the month) as the official "Spokesbird for Conservation". Check out Sirocco's website at www.spokesbird.com
Funny Video of the Month
Check out a funny new parrot video here | |
New DVD by Pamela Clark and Kris Porter! 
For those parrot owners interested in learning how to feed an optimal diet prepared at home it is necessary to learn not only what to feed, but how to feed. Join Pamela Clark as she presents an easy-to-follow approach to providing your parrots with a wide variety of fresh, raw foods, cooked grains and legumes, with formulated diets as an important staple. In addition, these instructions address successfully the very difficult challenge of converting a seed eating parrot into one who eats readily a pelleted diet, as well as a variety of fresh foods.
Kris Porter joins Pam in this DVD production. Kris will show you how to make a quality birdie bread. She also offers examples and instructions on how to incorporate birdie bread into interesting foraging toys.
You can find more information, preview a 3 minute segment and purchase "Feeding Our Parrots Well" directly from Kris Porter's Parrot Enrichment website at www.parrotenrichment.com | |
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