Budgies are home parrots that need specific care. This article will give you a rough idea on how to go about caring for your little budgie.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The African Grey
The African Grey Parrot is among the most beautiful and easy to live with species of parrots. They are similar to dogs which are a mans best friend. These great birds are originally from central Africa, it is extremely clever and renowned for its special talking abilities. The African Greys are able to acquire an impressive vocabulary and potentially to communicate easily with their owner.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Information on Birds for Kids - Raptors
What's a bird?
Do you know what makes a bird different from other animals?
Is it the pretty colors?
No -- other animals, like fish and insects, come in all sorts of beautiful colors too.
Is it the bill or beak?
No -- other animals, like the duck billed platypus (a mammal), have bills too.
Is it the eggs?
No -- other animals, like fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects and even some mammals, hatch from eggs as well.
Is it the wings?
No -- other animals, like insects and some mammals, have wings.
Feathers!
All birds have feathers and birds are the only animals that do!
Feathers do many jobs for birds. Soft down keeps them warm, wing feathers allow flight and tail feathers are used for steering.
The color of the feathers can be used to hide the bird or to help the bird find a boyfriend or a girlfriend!
Scientific information: Birds are a scientific "class". The scientific name for the class is Aves.
The Raptors
Birds of prey or "raptors" are meat eating birds that use their strong feet, talons and hooked beaks to catch and kill their prey. This group includes eagles, osprey, hawks, owls (Great Horned Owl), kites, harriers, buzzards, merlins, vultures, goshawks and condors. They eat small mammals such as mice and rabbits, fish, snakes, and even other birds. Some catch and kill their food and others (like vultures) feast on the leftovers other hunters leave behind.
Birds don't have teeth... can you guess why? Teeth are heavy and would make it very difficult for birds to fly. This is especially important for birds of prey who must fly swiftly to catch their food. Birds "chew" their food inside a part of the stomach called the gizzard. The gizzard has strong muscles which grind the food against a rough inner surface to break it down.
Raptor eyes are so big that they cannot move them. The bird has to turn its entire head to look around (that's where the idea that owls can spin their heads around comes from... they can't really, but they can turn their heads a LOT farther than we can!)
The eyes of a raptor are so important for their survival, that they have three eyelids. The third one is partially see-through (partly "transparent") which allows the birds of prey to protect their eyes when attacking prey and still have some sight.
Birds of prey have eyesight that is at least two or three times better than ours. Some can see a grasshopper from the other side of a football field! Golden eagles can spot a rabbit from over a mile away and owls have great night vision so they can hunt in the dark.
Do you know what makes a bird different from other animals?
Is it the pretty colors?
No -- other animals, like fish and insects, come in all sorts of beautiful colors too.
Is it the bill or beak?
No -- other animals, like the duck billed platypus (a mammal), have bills too.
Is it the eggs?
No -- other animals, like fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects and even some mammals, hatch from eggs as well.
Is it the wings?
No -- other animals, like insects and some mammals, have wings.
Feathers!
All birds have feathers and birds are the only animals that do!
Feathers do many jobs for birds. Soft down keeps them warm, wing feathers allow flight and tail feathers are used for steering.
The color of the feathers can be used to hide the bird or to help the bird find a boyfriend or a girlfriend!
Scientific information: Birds are a scientific "class". The scientific name for the class is Aves.
The Raptors
Birds of prey or "raptors" are meat eating birds that use their strong feet, talons and hooked beaks to catch and kill their prey. This group includes eagles, osprey, hawks, owls (Great Horned Owl), kites, harriers, buzzards, merlins, vultures, goshawks and condors. They eat small mammals such as mice and rabbits, fish, snakes, and even other birds. Some catch and kill their food and others (like vultures) feast on the leftovers other hunters leave behind.
Birds don't have teeth... can you guess why? Teeth are heavy and would make it very difficult for birds to fly. This is especially important for birds of prey who must fly swiftly to catch their food. Birds "chew" their food inside a part of the stomach called the gizzard. The gizzard has strong muscles which grind the food against a rough inner surface to break it down.
Raptor eyes are so big that they cannot move them. The bird has to turn its entire head to look around (that's where the idea that owls can spin their heads around comes from... they can't really, but they can turn their heads a LOT farther than we can!)
The eyes of a raptor are so important for their survival, that they have three eyelids. The third one is partially see-through (partly "transparent") which allows the birds of prey to protect their eyes when attacking prey and still have some sight.
Birds of prey have eyesight that is at least two or three times better than ours. Some can see a grasshopper from the other side of a football field! Golden eagles can spot a rabbit from over a mile away and owls have great night vision so they can hunt in the dark.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Keeping a Pet Parrot
Having a pet parrot is great fun but it’s also work - more work than a lot of other pets like cats and dogs. Having a pet parrot is like having a companion with you all the time. There is a lot to do to keep them happy and healthy. It’s important that someone getting started with parrots knows exactly what’s involved and what their bird will expect. Once you are willing to except the responsibility of a pet parrot the fun and enjoyment you will get is tremendous.
There are lots of different species of parrots, and they all require different care. However, there are certain common factors that are important to all parrot species:
• Nutrition – Parrot diets may vary slightly from one species to another, but, in general, they should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, parrot pellets, quality vitamin enriched parrot seed mix, and daily fresh water.
• Cleanliness – The cage should be cleaned daily with water and mild soap. Always wash your hands before handling a parrot, or preparing food, to reduce the risk of bacterial infections. Human saliva contains bacteria which are very harmful to parrots, so you mustn’t allow a parrot to place its beak into your mouth or nose.
• Cages – Regular inspections of the cage should be made, looking for such things as sharp metal edges that have been caused by the parrot chewing the cage. The cage must be big enough to allow the parrot to fully spread out its wings, and there should be sufficient room for four large parrot toys.
• Socialization – Parrots need lots of social interaction to remain healthy. Therefore, you should place their cage in an area of your home where you and your family spend the majority of your time, so that the parrot gets lots of human interaction. However, do not choose the kitchen as the place to site the cage, because cooking may give off chemicals that are toxic to parrots.
• Grooming – As strange as it may seem, parrots actually require quite a lot of grooming. Nails and beaks never stop growing, and need to be clipped about every four weeks. If you fail to do this, they can easily snag on various parts of the cage, and possibly injure your parrot. Daily baths with fresh water are required to keep their feathers in good condition.
• Hand feeding a parrot baby is not really difficult. The danger is the possibility of accidentally aspirating the baby. This can happen any time during the hand feeding process. Maybe the baby gets excited and jumps just as you put the food into his mouth. Maybe he tries to fly or explore and isn't quite expecting the food that you are trying to feed him. Maybe you just get impatient when he is more interested in the wall behind the counter than the food you are trying to feed him. Whatever the reason, it only takes once. The result might be that enough food is shot into his lungs that he dies in your hands in a matter of seconds, or maybe just a little food gets into the lungs and he gags and coughs for a couple of minutes and then seems fine. In the second case, you may notice that he is breathing heavier a week or so later. A fungal infection has started to develop in his lungs from the fluid in you put into them. Over the next couple of weeks you will watch your baby die slowly as his ability to breath becomes more difficult. Aspiration pneumonia can take 4-6 weeks, or more, to kill the baby - a very slow hard death. Even an experienced breeder and hand feeder can accidentally lose a baby now and then to aspiration, but if you lose your baby, it's the only one that you have.
• In addition to the dangers of hand feeding, there are so many other dangers that can be crippling or life threatening for the baby if they are not recognized in time. Problems such as splay leg, scissor beak, ruptured air sac, stretched crop, constricted toe, stretched crop, dehydration, and many other possible problems can be corrected if recognized soon enough. An inexperienced feeder may not see a problem until it is too late to correct it. Even if they see that there is a problem, they may not know how to fix it. I frequently get emails from breeders that have problems with babies and don't know what to do about them. Most inexperienced people would be unlikely to see the problem until it was too late to correct it.
There are lots of different species of parrots, and they all require different care. However, there are certain common factors that are important to all parrot species:
• Nutrition – Parrot diets may vary slightly from one species to another, but, in general, they should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, parrot pellets, quality vitamin enriched parrot seed mix, and daily fresh water.
• Cleanliness – The cage should be cleaned daily with water and mild soap. Always wash your hands before handling a parrot, or preparing food, to reduce the risk of bacterial infections. Human saliva contains bacteria which are very harmful to parrots, so you mustn’t allow a parrot to place its beak into your mouth or nose.
• Cages – Regular inspections of the cage should be made, looking for such things as sharp metal edges that have been caused by the parrot chewing the cage. The cage must be big enough to allow the parrot to fully spread out its wings, and there should be sufficient room for four large parrot toys.
• Socialization – Parrots need lots of social interaction to remain healthy. Therefore, you should place their cage in an area of your home where you and your family spend the majority of your time, so that the parrot gets lots of human interaction. However, do not choose the kitchen as the place to site the cage, because cooking may give off chemicals that are toxic to parrots.
• Grooming – As strange as it may seem, parrots actually require quite a lot of grooming. Nails and beaks never stop growing, and need to be clipped about every four weeks. If you fail to do this, they can easily snag on various parts of the cage, and possibly injure your parrot. Daily baths with fresh water are required to keep their feathers in good condition.
• Hand feeding a parrot baby is not really difficult. The danger is the possibility of accidentally aspirating the baby. This can happen any time during the hand feeding process. Maybe the baby gets excited and jumps just as you put the food into his mouth. Maybe he tries to fly or explore and isn't quite expecting the food that you are trying to feed him. Maybe you just get impatient when he is more interested in the wall behind the counter than the food you are trying to feed him. Whatever the reason, it only takes once. The result might be that enough food is shot into his lungs that he dies in your hands in a matter of seconds, or maybe just a little food gets into the lungs and he gags and coughs for a couple of minutes and then seems fine. In the second case, you may notice that he is breathing heavier a week or so later. A fungal infection has started to develop in his lungs from the fluid in you put into them. Over the next couple of weeks you will watch your baby die slowly as his ability to breath becomes more difficult. Aspiration pneumonia can take 4-6 weeks, or more, to kill the baby - a very slow hard death. Even an experienced breeder and hand feeder can accidentally lose a baby now and then to aspiration, but if you lose your baby, it's the only one that you have.
• In addition to the dangers of hand feeding, there are so many other dangers that can be crippling or life threatening for the baby if they are not recognized in time. Problems such as splay leg, scissor beak, ruptured air sac, stretched crop, constricted toe, stretched crop, dehydration, and many other possible problems can be corrected if recognized soon enough. An inexperienced feeder may not see a problem until it is too late to correct it. Even if they see that there is a problem, they may not know how to fix it. I frequently get emails from breeders that have problems with babies and don't know what to do about them. Most inexperienced people would be unlikely to see the problem until it was too late to correct it.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Bird Keeping Series – Budgies
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| Budgie |
Friday, April 1, 2011
A Lover of Birds
I have always been a lover of birds. Ever since I was a little child I remember that every time I looked out my window and saw birds, I would one day own as many as I could. This started off my hobby of bird keeping. Although this hobby is expensive and you have to consider that birds love their freedom, it is a hobby that I persist in keeping alive.
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