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 »

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 »

Gapeworms are parasitic nematodes (Syngamus trachea) that colonize the tracheal walls (please see photo) of a wide variety of wild, domestic and pet birds.  These pests present somewhat of a dilemma, as they are associated with birds kept outdoors and/or those feeding on wild-caught invertebrates – two otherwise healthful aspects of bird-keeping! Read More »

A cure for Proventricular Dilation Disease (PDD), the bane of parrot-owners, has eluded veterinarians for over 30 years.  In 2008, Avian Bornavirus (ABV) was indentified as a probable cause of the fatal neurological disorder.  When I wrote about that discovery (please see article below), I hoped that more good news would follow…today I’m happy to file this promising update. 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 »