Tropican sizes are a bit different.

April 19, 2016July 31, 2013 by

Due to our new extrusion operation at Hagen Industries, our Tropican sizes are a bit different. And, notably the Sticks and the Biscuits. These lots are just now coming to the US inventory.

The formulas, flavor & nutrient content, are the same high quality as before…in fact better. For about 10 years Hagen Pet Foods in NY had extruded our Tropican, in addition to our other extruded consumables (small animal), as well as the major tonnage for our Nutrience Dog & Cat Food products. The production of the smaller batches of pet foods in comparison to the dog & cat food was a production scheduling problem-and then it caused many delays in our inventory of Tropican products (and anything else with Tropican, such as Tropimix & Living World Premium Bird Seed Mixes).

Now that we’re producing the Tropican products right at Hagen Industries, we have smaller batches-all with laboratory testing and quality control lot testing at HARI, and the ingredients are sourced from local suppliers. This results in higher quality and higher standard of quality control, quicker testing time-as well as fresher to market objective that benefits our US customers. (and other countries). In fact, HARI has performed more tests lots since January than they did all last year!

I know that some birds are accustomed to eating a particular size and that perhaps this might be an adjustment to something “new” in the dish. My own pet birds, some of whom have been eating Tropican since 1993 were a little hesitant to dive right into the dish, but they did and still do. In fact, I have some Tropican Sticks produced in NY (notable with extraordinary holey texture) mixed in with the new production, and they prefer the new production. The newer Tropican results in much less powder and dust-therefore less waste.

I hope that helps explain the slightly new sizes of Tropican morsels.

Melanie Allen

Avian Product Specialist

Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp.

The play stand is too big for my house – now what?

April 19, 2016July 30, 2013 by

We get calls from customers a fairly regular basis asking to return a play standard cage because it’s too “big.” My follow up question will be is too big for the bird were too big for your home? Without fail the answer is always “it’s too big for my home.”

This begs a couple questions. We take great pains to make sure all of our listings have detailed product dimensions and descriptions “did you read the dimensions before you placed the order?”

So you did read the description?. Did you walk over to the area where cage is to reside with a tape measure to see if it would fit?

You’ve done all that but “it’s just bigger than you thought it would be – it’s too big for my bird”

We’ll take things back and refund money but I’ll always be a little confused about the “it’s too big for my bird” thing. Look at the picture above. It’s a tree that has to be 4-5-6-7 feet in diameter, with lots of very small birds. If all but one flew away would the remaining budgie think “gee this tree is too big for me?” I don’t think so.

My point is we spent a lot of time expressing love for birds while at the same time many of us mutilate them by clipping their wings. We keep them locked in steel cages usually less than 10 ft.² for decades, unless we relinquish them because they’re too noisy or too messy.

Our goal as an advocate for the birds is to help you ensure the best quality of life for caged birds. So if you need to order a bird cage or play stand feel free to reach out to us 877-287-0810 toll free or via e-mail or social media and remember what every carpenter will tell you measure twice and order once

by Mitch Rezman

Isn’t it Time We Had That Bird Poop Talk?

November 7, 2017July 26, 2013 by

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Email info@WindyCityParrot.com 24/7 for

Bird Care and Pre- or Post-Sales Questions

About a month ago I posted this video on our home page (we rotate videos on the home page weekly) Anyone who watches this video with birds in the room will be entertained by both bird(s) and video.

Catherine was taking care of some walk in customers when she came to my desk and quietly said “you should greet these customers personally.” I got up and bowl me over who was it but

Popcorn was clearly not impressed.

Gurudeva was visiting his sister here in Chicago and wanted to check our store out before returning to India via Canada. We must have been high on his to-do list. He has 1300 birds.

So let’s talk about poop:-) What got me thinking about the topic is a recent e-mail from a customer considering buying an HQ bird cage. She bought a Mollucan Cockatoo from a pet shop 16 years ago. She’s been shopping there for 16 years and last year bought a dome top birdcage from them.

After one year the bottom tray of the cage had started rusting out. She talked about having bought all of her supplies from this particular pet shop including walnut shells which are used as bedding in the bottom of the cage. She wasn’t sure of the make of the cage. The e-mail went on to question our policies and warranties on bird cages because the pet shop was not going to provide any compensation on the rusted tray. That’s a whole other subject (bird cage maintenance) but it got me thinking about the Walnut shells and the rusted tray.

Banner - Earn free bid food faster than a speeding parakeet

We have always been strong proponents of using newspaper (or paper of some sort) as a liner for bird cage trays. It’s cheap, it’s plentiful and it’s easy to dispose of. We have seen rolls of brown wrapping paper that been used. We know of people that go to their local newspaper publisher who will give them the cores of the newsprint rolls for free. If allergens are in issue you can even consider antimicrobial paper from Prevue Pet.

We have a problem with cage pan bedding, actually a couple. First of all it (bedding) retains moisture and in the case of birds, the moisture is uric acid as in acid. Acid will eat through the best powder coating and eventually the metal of the strongest of bird cages. Second – it (bedding) hides the poop which is something that you need to watch on a regular basis – which we’ll get to in a minute. It can also hide all sorts of infestations, parasites and other critters. Paper that is changed daily, solves these issues.

Now we’re not advocating that you analyze every dropping your bird produces but we want you to be aware of certain factors which can be indicators of ill health. Bird poop has three parts, the stool, urine and uric acid. A change in the property of any of these three items -stool (or feces), the solid dark part – urine and uric acid (urates) may indicate that your bird is sick.

The stool comes directly from the digestive tract and is the greenish blob you see. It’s color is affected by diet, change the diet and the stool changes color. Blueberries can turn the stool purple. Artificial colors in some diets can change the color of the stool too. What you really want to look for is if the stool becomes black and suddenly emits strong odor, this would be a warning sign of illness.

Urine is basically clear and is the watery part of poop that comes from your birds kidneys. If your bird drinks more water the droppings will be looser. Dry foods should produce drier poop. If you see unusually large amounts of water in the droppings making the poop very loose – this could be an indication of an illness.

The white creamy colored stuff is the uric acid and this is a key indicator of your bird’s overall health. It should be white or near white in color. If the white uric acid should turn to lime green, mustard brown, brick red or yellow, this should be a red flag that your bird is ill – a call to the vet would be in order.

Although record-keeping is a good thing, at the very least you should simply look for changes in your birds poop as a possible indication of illness.

Obviously poop is directly related to a bird’s diet. Birds that eat nothing but seed will typically pass dry, sticky, greenish-black poop that can indicate undernourishment. Conversely some healthy cockatiels have light green bird poop which is normal.

Females that are laying eggs drink more water and spend more time in the nest box which causes them to hold their droppings. When they exit the nest box and enter the cage they usually produce big, smelly droppings. Weaning formula given to baby birds will cause the baby birds to have large droppings comprised mostly of urine.

If you see bubbles or foam in the poop, this may indicate an infection. Conversely if your bird is straining to poop this could be a big indicator that your bird is suffering from a physical blockage caused by some sort of growth or egg-binding.

If you think your bird is sick in and your vet asks you to bring in fecal samples for testing the way to do it is shown in this video from Dr. Ross Perry.

Collecting a fecal sample from a parakeet:

We have intentionally avoided listing potential diseases and infections that poop may be indicative of because we are not veterinarians. We just want you to be aware of the properties of poop and God knows your bird produces enough of it.

Can you potty train your bird? Clearly it’s possible as indicated by the videos above. One simple way to start is knowing that birds poop roughly every 15 to 20 min. The spread can be as short as 10 minutes and as much is 40. The point is if you can capture the “rhythm” of your birds poop, let’s say every 15 minutes.

If your bird hasn’t pooped on you or the furniture, put your bird back on top of his cage and let him poop. Reward him and praise him with the high voice, offer your hand for a step up and engage your bird for while. In 15 or 20 minutes if your bird hasn’t pooped put him back on the cage, let him poop and repeat the process for few days.

This small time invested in this type of “potty” training will pay off handsomely in the time saved from not cleaning poop off furniture, clothing, doors and the floor. If your bird is clipped and cannot reach the cage or target this also will require that you take your bird back to the cage, or over the trash can or over the paper placed for the task at hand unless your parrot is also trained to notify you he has to “go”.

Squawk at you next week

written by Mitch Rezman CMO

Windy City Parrot, Inc

Simply Everything for Exotic Birds – Since 1993

My Umbrella Cockatoo Just Laid an Egg while Snuggling

April 19, 2016July 23, 2013 by

My Umbrella Cockatoo was snuggling with me while we were watching tv and she layed an egg on me!!! What the heck??? and what do you do with the egg??? she’s the only bird I own and only the third she’s laid.. the other two broke on the bottom of her cage…

Consider giving her a nest with nesting material and letter do her mom thing for a while – it will aid in reducing her egg laying Karen

An open cardboard box in the cage with some shredded newspaper for laying on the egg. You may want to change the way you snuggle with her and start to pet her from the neck up – Ovaries on a bird are higher on the back than we realize (which is way when see birds preening other birds in the wild they only preen the head and neck area) She’s bonding with you (and getting aroused) the way you’re snuggling ergo the egg. Also make sure she’s getting 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep by covering the cage.

What would it be like to have a large parrot?

April 19, 2016July 22, 2013 by

Woman with many parrot on both out streched arms

(Author Unknown) Try this:

1.WASTEFUL.. Buy $30 worth of groceries and throw $24 worth in the trash as soon as you arrive home. Do this several times a month. Parrots require fresh food in addition to pellets (not seeds) and are wasteful eaters. If you can’t afford the wastefulness of a parrot, you can’t afford the parrot.

2.BITES.. Slam your fingers in your car door to simulate a bite. If you have a parrot, you will be bitten, sometimes just hard, sometimes really hard, and some times with blood and severe damage. Parrots can be very temperamental and some favor a love/hate relationship that seems more like a game of “GUESS WHAT MOOD I’M IN TODAY”. Large male Cockatoos are famous for being hormonal teenagers. When these males are in the presence of a human female that is experiencing her monthly cycle – WATCH OUT! Remember, if your parrot bites someone, there may be a financial obligation that goes with that bite. Do you have homeowner’s/renter’s insurance? Does it cover animal bites? If not, how will you cover any lawsuit that may arise from a parrot bite?

3.ATTACHED.. Velcro a 1 pound weight to your arm and keep it there for 2 hours at a time, 3 or 4 hours a day, every day for a week. This is how it feels to have your “baby” with you, which you will want because they are our babies. In the case of Cockatoos, they crave the physical contact of their flock – YOU are their flock. If you don’t have the time or the desire to have this much interaction with a parrot, reconsider your decision to bring a parrot into your home.

4.MESS.. Scatter cooked and dry oatmeal on your floor. Let the cooked oatmeal dry good and hard. Clean up the mess and repeat. Do this a min of 3X a day for a week. This is similar to a parrot’s mess (food and poop). Its really more than 3x a day, but I can’t keep up with the sweeping and mopping more than 3x a day. Cage papers must be replace several times a week. The cage, toys, perches, playgyms, T-Stands, etc, must be cleaned at least once a week and sometimes more depending upon the bird. Birds are clean by nature. They spend several hours a day, every day preening/cleaning themselves. Don’t be selfish and ignore the mess. If you can’t or won’t spend the time necessary to keep the parrot’s home clean, then a parrot isn’t right for you at this time.

5.NOISE.. Record from the library the TOO screaming and play it on your stereo full blast for 15 mins 3x a day. Some parrots are not as loud, some may be louder, some may scream short periods, while others scream longer periods, but all parrots scream, squawk, sing, or talk. They do it when they’re happy, scared, mad, on alert, or just for no reason at other than to do it. If you live in an apartment or condo, your neighbors may become your enemy. Do loud noises bother you? Are you a nervous person? If the noise would be a reason to find your parrot a new home, DON’T bring the parrot into your home!

6.FEEDING.. Every morning before work and every evening as soon as you get home, fix a bowl of fresh fruit/veggies and water in clean bowls. Don’t forget to remove the food bowl after 2 hours so it doesn’t cause harm to your would be parrot. How often do you eat out? How healthy do you currently eat? You will have to buy groceries and cook for your parrot! Junk food won’t cut it. If you do not have the time to shop and cook for yourself before the parrot, what makes you think you will do it when you bring birdie home? Be realistic, if you don’t have the time to shop and cook, you don’t have the time for a parrot!

7.BOARDING/OTHER.. Planning a vacation? Travel a lot with business? Enjoy frequent weekend getaways? Need to paint? What about if you are ill, have an accident, or die? Where will birdie stay? Find someone to care/board your parrot before you get a parrot. Local bird shops maybe a place, but do you really trust them? Parents, friends, siblings, neighbors are a good choice, but find out if they are truly willing beforehand. The day will come when you must board your parrot for one reason or another. Make certain you are prepared for that day.

8.MEDICAL CARE.. Routine vet check-ups are a must, but what about medical emergencies? Is there an avian vet in your area? Not all vets see birds and not all vets that see birds are qualified avian vets. Locate the nearest avian specialist before you need them and get prices on routine care vs. emergency care. Wings and nail can be clipped by yourself, vet, or qualified pet shop. Be careful, blood feathers and nails will bleed if a mistake is made. Do you have the money to spend for the initial vet exam, the yearly exams, and medical emergencies? If not, then please consider your over financial situation. Parrots are expensive from the very beginning. If you get a great deal on a “used” parrot, there may be health problem and $1500 (or more) later, you may have a healthy parrot. If you don’t have an emergency stash, get one ASAP. If you cant afford to divert any funds to an emergency stash, you can’t afford a parrot!

9.TOYS, TOYS, TOYS Are you handy with a saw and drill? If not, then you will be spending a lot of money on chew toys, $30+/- a week! Parrots chew. If you don’t provide chew toys, they will find their own (sheet rock, furniture, wood trim, themselves, etc). Parrots don’t care what value an item has to you, all they care about is chewing, so provide plenty of chew toys at all times, as well as stimulating toys. Play with your parrot, remember they are intelligent and enjoy a variety of activities. Toys are a MUST to achieve a happy, healthy parrot. Add the cost to your budget, if your budget can’t absorb the cost, don’t get the parrot!

10.VISITORS.. Do you have frequent visitors in your home? Not everyone understands bird people and their birds and some people just shouldn’t be allowed around our birds. Be prepared to see a decline in visitors, rude guests, and guests who will try to teach birdie to say not so nice things, feed them junk food, smoke around them or try to touch them after smoking, etc. Your bird’s well-being must come first and foremost.

11.COOKWARE ALERT!.. Teflon kills! All nonstick surfaces have Teflon type coatings that produce a gas that kills birds – FAST! Opt for stainless, alum, copper, glass, or enamel. TEFLON coatings can be found in many household appliances – ovens, toasters, irons, waffle irons, coffeemakers, hairdryers, etc. If you think just this one time won’t hurt, YOU ARE WRONG! If you can’t part with the nonstick stuff, then at some point you will be parting with your parrot from death of the fumes.

12.TOXINS .. certain plants, smoke, aerosols, fragrances, candles with wicks that contain a metal stem, carpet fresheners, air fresheners, FaBreeze, some essential oils, certain hair products, certain foods (avocados, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate). As new products are added to the market, new dangers are made aware to us. You must continue to educate yourself on these hazards. Be prepared to parrot proof you home. If you can’t forgo the use of these items and are unwilling to keep your parrot out of harm’s way, why spend the money/time for a parrot at all?

13.TIME..Your parrot need your undivided attention for a considerable amount of time. Each species and each bird is different. A Cockatiel may only want 20 mins 3x a day (I can tell this by when he starts getting nippy), but a Cockatoo is happy only when they can be your right arm pal for hours at a time. There is bath time that needs to take place in the morning to give the parrot time to dry before nightfall. This can be a trying feat if birdie doesn’t favor bathtime, but it is a necessity. Every morning you must fix breakfast, change papers, and spend some quailty/quantity time. Does your morning schedule allow for this? Are your evenings filled with school activities, work from the office, college courses, etc? PLEASE reconsider the notion to bring a parrot into your home if you can’t spend quality and quantity time with your parrot!

14.DISCIPLINE..Discipline is not punishment. It is establishing boundaries, respect, schedules, education, and acceptable behaviors for both you and your parrot. In order to effectively discipline yourself and your parrot, you must first learn what is considered normal behavior and what is considered destructive behavior. This means you are going to have to READ, READ, and READ some more. Do you have the dedication it takes to effectively discipline yourself and your parrot? If not, don’t set yourself up for failure and jeopardize the well-being of another parrot by unknowingly encouraging behavior that will only pave the way for the parrot to place with another home.

15.EDUCATION ..Educate yourself on the type of bird you think you want to adopt /buy/rescue. Does this parrot fit the description of what you want? You must educate yourself on what the characteristics of a healthy bird and the cause and effect of illness. natural habitat, nesting, breeding, etc. Join a bird club, visit message boards, be involved with other parrot owners. More importantly is to continue to educate yourself. By educating yourself, your are paving the way for a very fulfilling relationship with your parrot. If you do not have the desire to learn as much as you can about your parrot, why would you want a parrot? Because they are cool? Please don’t be that shallow. Parrot ownership is a very serious commitment. You are responsible for the health and well-being of an intelligent, emotional, living creature. Don’t take it lightly or it will bite you (literally and figuratively).

16.CHILDREN/PETS.. Parrots may consider children and other pets as rivals. Be cautious of this fact. If you have or are planning on having children, you are in for a rocky ride. Be forewarned!

17.JEWELRY/CLOTHING ..A large parrot can and will remove gemstones from their settings! Earrings/Other piercings will be removed with or without a piece of flesh. Parrots seem to love metal and enjoy beaking chains into pieces. Clothing will have a new look that is personalized by your parrot. Little holes around the arms and neck is normal. Anything that is 3-D is considered fair game (rhinestones, studs, etc). Eyeglasses are no exception! If this behavior is unacceptable, then a parrot in your home is unacceptable!

18.POOP.. It happens and it will be on your floors (better put something over the carpet), on their cage/playgym, on your furniture, and yes – on you. More importantly is daily observation of what the poop looks like. You can tell if they are sick, if they are eating to many watery fruits, if they aren’t eating enough of something, etc. The poop must be cleaned off daily or the build up will be more disgusting than daily clean-ups. Birds are messy, not dirty. Don’t force them to live in substandard conditions because you are to busy or to lazy to tend to the mess.

19.MONEY..Even if the parrot was not expensive, there is the purchase of a quality cage that meets or exceeds space requirements, toys, food, treats, playgym, T-stand, carrier, initial vet check, perches (must have different texture/size to stimulate healthy feet), and the dreaded, fearful, emergency care costs. Don’t forget the cost to repair any damage your parrot may cause to you or other’s person or property. Owning a parrot and affording a parrot are two different things. If you can’t afford ALL the costs that go along with the parrot, don’t get the parrot!

20.ENTERTAINMENT/LOVE/JOY/HAPPINESS..A happy parrot makes a happy human. What a parrot provides in return for putting up with them is greater than you can ever imagine. Life with a parrot is never the same as the day before. We are willing owned by our birds and our life revolves around our birds. It is a commitment we gladly make for the rest of our lives. If you can’t make a lifelong commitment to a parrot, get a pet with a shorter life span.

If after reading this you still want a parrot, I welcome you and ask that you commit yourself to being the best friend you can be to your companion Good luck and remember that right now may not be the best time for you to become an owner, you be the judge. Please remember to always keep the parrot’s best interest at heart.

Thank you.

Another timely article about birds and this time about screaming.

April 19, 2016July 22, 2013 by

In response to the post on bird screaming found here

Hullo, Mitch. Another timely article about birds and this time about screaming.

I’d like to weigh in from a very limited viewpoint: one rescued parrotlet who is aggressive but trying hard to be good and, two, a peach faced lovebird who is the combination of Bette Midler, Carol Channing and Ethel Merman wrapped up in barbed wire.

Though their screechings can’t match the the volume of the bigger guys, at full throat it can still be an ice pick in the ear. I keep cotton balls near the cage for ear plugs.

From only these birds I have found two interesting strategies to quiet them down: the first is when I discovered that they were profoundly attached to the family aspect and when I was out of the room, they were much more vociferous. So now when I want to take a nap I move them into the bedroom (which one would think would be contraindicated) but they stop making noise immediately, except for a little nestling around. The same applies for watching a television program in another room. I bring them in and they instantly settle down. I think it’s because they can see me. But I also think it’s because they’ve been given the honor of physically being part of their family.

The second is that I never scream at them. When they are making noises and calling, I answer back with a soft responding to them by name. It is astonishing to me what kind of conversations we can have even if we are not in the same room. You might think me a dreamer but Maisie, the lovebird, has a call – a short sound – that is unmistakenly her name for me. When I answer with a short “Maisie,” she makes a soft chortle.

And so it goes for us. I have lowered the decibels to a level that satisfies us all and only for the price of a little time and understanding.

Best regards and continue to keep up your great writing.

SRB

How Do I Stop My Bird from Screaming?

April 19, 2016July 18, 2013 by

Why does my bird scream?

Boy if we had THE answer we’d be writing this from our yacht. But of course I have to weigh in here. What got me thinking about the subject of “why birds scream,” is some recent web surfing.

I spend my days doing what many of you wish you could be doing, surfing the web for bird toys and parrot cages. The magic of the internet enables us to shop the world. In order for us to provide the best possible shopping experience. We look at lots of sites and products. Pricing is important but not our priority. We feel good information about parrots and general avian issues is the most important product we can offer. And we offer that for free. We like to know who’s selling what. We also like to see how well they’re selling it i.e. is the site easy to navigate. Do they offer multiple payment choices and so forth?

But I digress – So here I am on the of a national chains of pet supply products. They have an FAQ for bird ownership. Something we always applaud. Well I’m reading the list and one of the topics is Why is my bird screaming? No real explanation is offered and at the end of the paragraph they recommend taking your parrot to a vet if screaming persists.

Yikers! Screaming parrots – vets – why?

Let’s look at this logically folks, not that parrots are logical but they are creatures of habit. One of the things we learned from Michelle Karras www.thepoliteparrot.comis silence means danger! If you have a flock of wild parrots in trees (in their natural environment) or even a flock of local wild birds in your back yard. On any given sunny day a flock of birds will make a lot of noise – it’s all about FLOCK. Chirp, chirp, scream, scream. What are they communicating about? Same things we do. “Find any food lately? Yeah they had a great sale on worms about a mile from here.”

SILENCE means danger! If you’ve ever seen a hawk fly over a flock of wild birds, you swear you can hear the sound of the hawk’s wings flapping. That’s one of the reasons parrots come in so many colors. If they’re quiet and deep in a tree they are difficult to spot. When that danger passes its chirp, chirp, scream, scream. So again I ask, “is screaming a reason to run to the vet? I don’t think so.

Something we hear a lot of is – people will have a screaming bird (usually newbie’s) and the bird will scream for whatever reason. What does their human companion do? Yell SHUT UP! And what does the parrot do? SCREAM SOME MORE!

Again I fall back on my good friend logic. The bird screams, you scream back. Do you think there may be a slight chance that when you scream back the bird might be thinking “hey – this is great! Someone is finally squawking back at me “hey SCREAM, SCREAM, please scream back some more, I’m lonely you’re my flock and I need to talk to someone than you?”

Begin to see where I’m going with this grasshopper? OK so now you know one of the whys. Here’s a little tip form Michelle Karras www.thepoliteparrot.comthat may work for you:

Excessive screaming is a learned behavior that we teach our birds. Covering your feathered companion with a blanket, teaches him or her that you will cover the cage when scream gets out of hand.

Yelling at a screaming parrot, gives the parrot the attention it seeks. Ignoring a screaming parrot is not the answer either. Ignoring bird’s screams could result in finding injuries too late (or water had run out). Options are to make sure all your Psittacines needs are satisfied. Large hygienic cage, clean water, fresh food, working toys. Twelve hours of sleep (uninterrupted), soft wood and other materials to chew, and plenty of exercise.

Start with a signal to stop loud parrots. Ring a cowbell (or bang a pot) in the room next to the screaming bird. They hear the bell (sound), they stop to listen, Show up from the other room while they are quiet to praise and reward. Set them up to succeed. Use a time when you know they are quite loud. Distract them with a new noise in the next room. As soon as they stop to listen, appear and praise.

Lengthen the time between the signal and your appearance each time. Try and take a whole day at first and only work with the parrot and the screaming. Initial rewards should be substantial, a known favorite treat. Use the same signal just before feeding fresh food. Wait until the parrot is noisy; give the signal, praise, and feed.

Not all parrots will quiet down for the same signal so you may have to try several noises before finding the one that works for you.

Note: Do not use your voice. They may try to mimic you.

Scream time is a time during the day that you allow your parrots to be noisy. This should be given somewhere between 3p.m. and 7p.m. each day. Encourage your parrots by playing stimulating music. Dance, sing or scream along with them. Scream time should last no less than 15minutes and no more than 1/2 hour each day.

Some parrots enjoy screaming to the vacuum, this is fine to encourage but play music as well. Find music that your parrot gets excited over. Use that same song every day for scream time. Change the music from time to time but be consistent overall. When Scream time is over, lower the music volume Talk your parrot down. Lower the music slowly, turn it off, and play their relaxation code music. Give them afternoon snacks when “cool down” is over.

Birds will wait for their “Scream Time” because they know they will be rewarded for their patience.

But you’re desperate you say, you need something to help shut the bird up before you go out of your mind. OK, so try this into something you need to plan for. For this exercise you’ll need a few single servings of your birds favorite treat, a large saucepan and a wooden spoon. Have the traits pot and spoon in another room with a bird can see them preferably right around the corner.

When the birds start to squawk don’t say anything but go into the the next room and bang on the pot – Bam, Bam,Bam. This will distract your bird momentarily briefly making him or her silent. Walk into the room with the cheerful voice praise the bird for their good behavior, the silence and give them the treat as reward for the silence. Let me know how that works.

Trying to save a feral pigeon

April 19, 2016July 16, 2013 by

Mitch,

Thanks. I will confirm with Dr. Sakas just to get his thoughts. After I sent the email, I re-read the excerpt from your original email and did notice that you had mentioned 6-12 hours for the crop to empty. I must have had brainlock, so I apologize :).

On a separate but related matter, I was wondering earlier how long it would take for a bird’s crop to empty and was going to ask Dr. Sakas, which, with everything going on, I had forgotten to do. Last month, we were rehabbing a feral Pigeon, who we named Streak. I am including a picture of her below.

In the picture above, she was standing in her water bowl (I guess to cool off her feet). She was ill, but you could hardly tell from the picture above. It is a long story, but she died (after 10 days in our care) before we could release her back into the wild. In addition to having three different infections, she had kidney and cardiovascular issues which contributed to her demise.

She walked into our house through the kitchen door that I had held open while she was standing on our back porch and would not leave. The picture above was taken the morning after she walked into our house. We took her to Dr. Sakas and even though she had eaten breakfast in the morning and was munching on her food continuously, when we took her into the vet that afternoon, Dr. Sakas said that her crop was empty. So her system was not processing food very well at all. She had parasitic, bacterial and fungal infections and she was passing whole seed in her droppings so she would not have lasted much longer in the wild.

Thanks for your help.

Grace C

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