That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

In the past I have written about the importance of providing wild birds with salt, grit and other essentials that are sometimes over-looked by folks maintaining bird feeders (please see article below).  Today I’d like to highlight high-calorie foods and water, both of which become increasingly important as temperatures drop.

How Do They Cope?

I’ve always wondered how birds, which seem so fragile in some ways, managed to cope with frigid winter temperatures.  The point was brought home to me when I cared for outdoor bird exhibits at the Bronx Zoo. I would arrive at 5 AM, and shuddered to see birds such as Bald Ibis and Indian Peafowl (which I associate with warm climates) sound asleep while covered in snow.  Read More »

Please see Part 1 of this article for information on the natural history and captive breeding of the brilliantly-colored Strawberry Finch (Amandava amandava).  I relayed there that my first experiences with wild-caught Strawberry Finches left me with the impression that they are among the world’s most spectacularly-colored birds.  However, captive-born individuals, while beautiful, often fall far short of the color standards set by their parents…today we’ll take a closer look at this phenomenon. Read More »

A variety of nutritious holiday bird treats are very simple to create, and offer the added advantage of keeping your pets occupied and engaged (a plus for you and them!).  The ingredients of those listed below can be modified to suit pets ranging from finches to macaws, and outdoor visitors of all sizes and shapes.

Stuffed Pine Cones

Pine cones are an old holiday standby for both pet and wild birds, and are used in zoo enrichment activities as well.  What’s more, they offer one of the quickest options for those beset with holiday chores (or, should I say, other joyous activities!).  Simply jam the pine cones’ nooks and crannies with natural peanut butter, and roll in dried fruit, seeds, nuts, crushed popcorn or other goodies.  Read More »

Molting season is a trying time for Canaries – after all, they are shedding and replacing over 2,000 feathers!  Following are some steps you can take to lessen the stress of your pet’s annual molt.

Timing of the Molt

Canaries molt once each year, usually in late summer or early fall.  The process seems partially controlled by an “internal clock”, and usually occurs at the proper time, but external factors do have an influence.  Molting out-of-season can negatively affect a bird’s health.

If your Canary is molting in winter or spring, try limiting its day to 8-10 hours of light, and keep the temperature at 68-70F.  Full spectrum light (please see article below) is also helpful in establishing normal cycles and supports immune system functioning.<!–more–>

Stressful situations can cause partial or complete out-of-season molts.  Fear (noise, another pet, moving), overly-warm temperatures, and too much light during the fall and winter are common causes of stress-induced molting.

Molting Behavior

Your Canary should complete its molt in 6-12 weeks.  During that time, the feathers will appear loose and disheveled (please see photo) and it may become listless and less active than usual; males often cease singing.  This is a normal response to the physical drain of growing so many new feathers; molting birds are also less capable of escaping predators, and so instinctively maintain a low profile.

Diet and Care

Despite being less active, your Canary’s need for protein and fat will soar during the molting season (feathers are 88-85% protein).  Egg Food, oil-rich seeds such as niger, flax and hemp and small live or canned crickets and mealworms are important additions to the diet throughout the molting period.

A bath should always be available and will get frequent use during molting; specially formulated feather-sprays are useful in dry homes or for Canaries that appear to be slow in finishing their molts.

Further Reading

Feather-related ailments can mimic bad molts and need to be addressed by a veterinarian.  Please see this article for info on French Molt.

Full Spectrum Lighting for Pet Birds

 
Domestic Canary image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by L.E. MacDonald

The very qualities that make parrots such desirable pets – intelligence, sociability, long lives and high activity levels – can also make it quite difficult to provide them with proper care.  During my years with the Bronx Zoo, I was astounded by both the numbers of people looking to find homes for their “problem parrots”, and by those seeking to adopt unwanted pets.  Parrot rescues have sprung up all over the world in response to this situation, but not all are what they appear to be.

Hoarders – Drowning in Birds

“Animal Hoarding” has become a trendy term lately, but there is nothing new about this sad phenomenon.  Over several decades, in the course of assisting the NYC Police Department and other agencies responding to animal emergency calls, I have run across people who jammed their houses full of unsustainable numbers of turtles, rabbits, lizards and even caiman (South American crocodilians) – as well as the more commonly-kept dogs, parrots and cats.  To the person, most were good-hearted and well-meaning, but for some reason (please see article below) they became enmeshed in unrealistic efforts to save too many creatures.  Read More »