That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

With very few exceptions, providing one’s birds (or any other animal) with more space is beneficial on many levels.  However, while keeping White-Crested Laughing Jay-Thrushes, Garrulax leucolophus, I learned that nasty surprises may be in store.

White Crested Laughing Jay-Thrushes are among the most amusing and curious birds one can imagine, and they are often star attractions in both private and public collections.  Unfortunately, due to their size (10-12 inches), insatiable curiosity and high level of activity, they are suitable only for an outdoor aviary or room-sized indoor enclosure…but as pets or study subjects they have few rivals. Read More »

Throughout my zoo-keeping career, I’ve always favored, at least as captives, the smaller members of any particular group of animals.  Be it amphibians, fishes, mammals or birds, smaller creatures are more easily provided with large, complex living quarters…and in such, they are likely to display a greater variety of natural behaviors and to reproduce.

Consider This….

I like to apply the same concept to pet parrots.  While the huge species are spectacular, most folks can more easily accommodate Cockatiels, Budgerigars, Grass Parakeets, Lovebirds, Bee Bee Parrots and similarly-sized birds.  But rather than keeping them in a standard “small parrot cage”, consider providing them with an “avian mansion”.  A pair of Lovebirds housed in a cage suitable for a pair of Amazon parrots will amaze you with their antics – more so, in most cases, than the species for which the cage was designed. Read More »

Also known as Chlamydiosis, Chlamydophilosis and Psittacosis, Chlamydia infection presents little danger to most bird owners, but is a real concern for others.  Today we’ll take a look at this much-discussed and often misunderstood condition.

Infection and Immunity

Many parrots, most pigeons and certain other birds (chickens) carry the single-celled bacterium that causes Psittacosis yet remain in good health.  Read More »

Nothing is more pleasing to aviculturists than an entire room in which their birds can really stretch their wings and legs.  Birds housed in such circumstances will exhibit a range of behaviors that are only hinted at in small quarters, and their chances of successfully breeding will skyrocket.

Bird Room Basics

Simply put, a bird room is a room which is outfitted especially for birds – essentially a giant cage.  The first I saw were re-converted attics in small private houses. One held Canaries, the other was give over to a colony of Gouldian Finches…both behaved so differently from caged individuals that they appeared to be of entirely different species.  Each room was a carnival of color, song, activity and begging nestlings.  The individual birds were in great condition and color, and far more vigorous and alert than those I cared for at the local pet store. Read More »