That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Parrots, be they Budgies, Cockatiels, Lovebirds or Macaws, must be kept busy and challenged by their environments if they are to become well-adjusted pets.  One of the best ways to tempt them to explore and try new activities is via a tasty reward.  Several of our new products offer exciting possibilities in this area, and lots of fun for you and your pet as well.

Edible Nests (Snak Shak) and Perches

Few parrots can resist the urge to “improve” a potential nesting hole – the Snak Shak Bird House is all the more attractive as it is comprised of honey and alfalfa.  Available in 2 sizes, the Snak Shak will interest all small to medium sized parrots and may even help to spur real nesting behavior.

Our edible perches are available in straight and vine-like styles.  As the perches are consumed, they change size and shape, causing the parrot to engage in a variety of acrobatics in order to both remain on the perch and eat it at the same time – great fun!<!–more–>

Enrichment Pods

Designed along the lines of similar items used in zoos, Enrichment Pods are more in the nature of “enrichment activities” than toys, although they certainly will entertain you and your pet.  All are re-fillable and suited for Budgies, Cockatiels, Lovebirds and similarly-sized pets.

The Hide-and-Go-Treat and Forage Frenzy challenge parrots to find and then figure out how to remove favorite treats while the Polly Puzzler requires birds to match wooden blocks or treats to the properly-shaped hole.

Planet Pleasures Ecologically-Friendly Toys

Our Fair Trade manufactured Planet Pleasures Toys are made of palm leaf, coconut shell, bamboo, oyster shell and other durable, natural materials.  Constructed so as to provide an interesting, complex surface, they will keep your parrots busy for hours.  The Coco Rocket is designed for especially enthusiastic chewers, but the Bamboo Man, Birdie Bouquet and Hula Skirt can all stand up to a great deal of abuse.

Further Reading

Please see Behavioral Enrichment for Parrots for more thoughts on this important topic.

Parrots that are accustomed to working for treats on a regular basis are easier to train than bored birds.  Check out this amusing Cockatoo video and see what’s possible.

I’ve known Red-winged Blackbirds to return to NYC as early as Groundhog Day, February 2nd.  I’ve not yet had a chance to check yet, but if they’re already back this year they will be sorely disappointed by the weather.  Snow poses greater hardships on most birds than does cold weather – with internal body temperatures of up to 110 F and the ability to trap air within the feathers as insulation, non-migrants do just fine when temperatures drop.  Snow, however, covers food and forces birds to expend a great deal of energy foraging.  Read More »

Among the Waxbills (Family Estrildidae) we find some of the most popular of all cage birds, most of which are referred to as “finches”.  The related Weavers and Whydahs (Family Ploceidae), less commonly kept, are valued for their unique breeding and nest-building habits.  Oddly enough, only a few species of True Finches (Fringillidae) have actually made their way into finch collections. Read More »

Like many parrot owners, I’ve tried just about everything possible to teach my birds to speak – repetition, “mentor birds”, training CDs, begging and pleading, and so on.  A recent article in The Journal of Neuroscience (Jan. 2010) has added a new technique – a good night’s sleep! Read More »

The Canary (Serinus canaria), known the world over for its fine song, has another side – certain individuals not only become quite tame, but can also learn a host of tricks.  Most of the older bird keepers I worked with at the Bronx Zoo had honed both breeding and training skills on these delightful little birds.  Space for parrots was not always available to those of us growing up in NYC, and Canaries were far easier to manage.  Read More »