Birds of a Feather

As your searching for the right companion pet you a bird might come to mind. One question that might come up is which species is for me? Well if you find yourself asking that particular question then it is suffice to say that almost none of the larger parrots are in the mix. The larger parrots can be more alluring with their amazing colors and wonderful abilities. However, these birds ARE NOT for everyone.

Medium to large parrots require much more dedication than their smaller counterparts. Just because your friends Macaw will wave and dance doesn’t mean that yours will. Birds such as macaws, cockatoos, amazons, and greys are far more demanding than say Budgie’s, lovebirds, and cockatiels. It is far more beneficial to get some practice in way before taking on the more “impressive” birds.
Ultimately it is up to you but a caution must be given in advance. Most of the larger birds will go through a period of sexual maturity that lasts from months to years. During this time, the amazon that you once knew may try to take a crack at you. Hey you know what? He or she may even break the skin with one of his or her attacks. Most parrots that go through this end up being sold or given away because the owners could not “deal” with this part of a birds development.

Another aspect to getting a medium to large parrot species is the amount of time that is required from you day in and day out. All of these animals need AT LEAST 5 hours out of their cage per day. Most of that TIME should be spent with you. If for whatever reason you stop devoting that amount of TIME with your parrot then it just might begin more pulling its’ feathers out.
So honestly we have to ask ourselves a question. Is being owned by one of the astonishing creatures better for us with our lifestyle or is it beneficial for the parrot? If you can say yes to the later then you might can consider a larger parrot as a pet. Please take a self-less look into owning one of the larger parrots because most of what is involved are self-less acts.If your looking for a bird as a companion pet and the larger parrots don’t quite fit look into the Budgies (Parakeets), Lovebirds, or Cockatiels.

Thanks for Reading! James Ward

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Made With Love from Your Pet Owners

 
 
Sometimes store bought toys and accessories aren’t enough. You may find yourself in a local pet shop wondering about searching for the right parrot toy but, it seems like everything in there just doesn’t fit what is in mind. The perfect branch to fit into your lizard terrarium seems useless. Why not make or find it yourself?
                                                         
There are tons of creative ideas that can be done to make your pet his or her next toy or accessory. Many times most get into the daily hustle and bustle of going to the pet shop and searching for the perfect item for their pet. Often times it just seems easier to just buy it and take it home. Wouldn’t it buy more “authentic” if it was either made or found by you?
                                                    
There is a vast array of information on how to make toys for your pets on the web. Here are just a few:
Sites for making bird toys
· http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/ideas.htm - g0123054
· http://www.fluffies.org/parrottoymaking.htm
· http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/birdinformation/homemadetoys.php
· http://birds.about.com/od/livingwithabird/ss/homemadetoys.htm
Sites for making Cat Toys
· http://www.felinexpress.com/cat-care/homemade-toys.asp
· http://cats.lovetoknow.com/Homemade_Cat_Toys
· http://www.cat-lovers-gifts-guide.com/homemade-cat-toys.html

Sites for making Dog Toys
· http://www.make-and-build-dog-stuff.com/homemade-dog-toys.html
· http://www.dogtopics.com/177/ideas-for-homemade-dog-toys/
· http://www.puppydogworld.com/the-guides-dog-homemade-dog-toys/

Reptile lovers out there, most things that you can find in nature can be sanitized and placed into terrariums. One thing to keep in mind when choosing an item is make sure the area it is found hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or any other chemicals. After that then place the item in a hot bath and add a cup of bleach for an hour. Once that is finished wrap the item in aluminum foil and bake it in the oven on 300 F for an hour. This should be sanitized enough to keep herps safe. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100512161554AACvJPc)
 
Thanks for Reading! Sorry for the untimely post. James Ward

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Amazons Are Amazing!

Pete The Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot

The beauty and talents of Amazon parrots can be astonishing but it does come at a price for some folks. Most talk so much that you’ll be wishing for just one moment of silence in any given time. These particular parrots aren’t for the faint of heart. It takes a great amount of time and energy to "tame" so to speak these birds down. If not properly trained they can become quite territorial and highly aggressive. Their intelligence has a tendency to get them into loads of trouble.

These amazing animals are found throughout South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In the environment their intelligence and great ability to vocalize helps them find food and stay alive.  They are full of personality and can be delightful if one puts all the blood, sweat, and tears into the relationship. This bird can have a particularly stunning ability to mock human speech. Like most parrots, these are no different in that it is a must to stimulate them mentally regularly.

If this doesn’t happen they will find other means to place that brainpower. From managing to escape the cage and tear something up in the house or scream for someone’s undivided attention. Those issues may seem pretty devastating however the worst would be for it to begin mutilation by ripping feathers completely from its body sometimes bringing blood. Amazons aren’t as probable to do this as some of the other parrots. Still yet, it could and has happened.

Birds are emotional creatures that need our love and devotion. As time passes on the bird and owner relationship can either get better or worse. Amazon’s aren’t a short-term commitment either. They can live 40 plus years in captivity and may even out live you. I know a lady who’s had her Amazon for well over 55 years. She eventually passed and a family member began taking care of him. For a certain amount of time the parrot grieved over its missing owner. This is something that we should certainly consider when thinking of them as potential pets.

Amazons are amazing (AAA)! I remember when Pete, my Blue Fronted Amazon, came to me. His owner didn’t realize he was actually a she. The “other” owner placed him in a cage with another female and expected them to mate. This caused terrible problems for both birds. Pete took it the worst, eventually plucking his chest feathers because of the stress. She’s an amazing bird who loves to sing and dance. The lady had her in a cage that was completely metal. There wasn’t a trace of wood or anything chewable for that matter in her cage.

Amazons love to chew things. So what I gathered was the stress and nothing to chew on caused the plucking. I heard about her from a friend and went to adopt her. The lady was glad to send her home with me. She’s doing incredible now, loving and living life to the fullest. Pete still doesn’t trust many folks though but with time I hope to change all that.

Thanks for reading!

Any questions or suggestions email me at JamesDWard24@gmail.com.

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Parakeets

Parakeets are amazing little birds. They make a great starter pet too. They can be trained to do tricks and have an excellent nack for mimicking. Parakeets come in a few different color variations from blue to green. These little birds are low maintenance. So long as you keep their food and water bowls clean by washing them daily. A weekly cage cleaning would suffice.

These birds aren’t well suited for distinct declines in temperature. So be sure to keep them in an environment with a relatively constant temperature with no drafts. Parakeets as with most other parrots are a bit on the messy side. They love to throw empty seed shells all over the place. One thing that has to be checked as often as possible is the food dish. Often times the dish seems to have seed and in reality its just seed shells. So the ‘keet could potentially be starving.

Pellets are a great idea for just about any bird. However, it can be a bit tricky to get your bird acquainted to eating pellets. One trick is to put ¼ pellets and ¾ seeds for the first couple of weeks and then slowly increase the pellets until there is nothing but pellets in the dish. Another great idea is to place pellets in the food dish throughout the day and at night a couple of hours before covering the ‘keet to go to sleep allow it to eat as much seed as it wants. The parakeet may play with the pellets at first for a few days to weeks but, eventually it will begin eating but, don’t forget during this time to substitute with seeds at night allowing it to eat as much as it wants, then replace the seeds back with pellets before covering the parakeet up.

My first pet bird was a green parakeet named Pete. He was a wonderful pet when I was about 11 years old. Pete would set on my shoulder for most of the day. Hanging out with me as I played in the house or outside. I really found that I enjoyed his company. Sometimes I would place him in a plastic airplane that I would pretend fly him around in. He was a great pet and a wonderful friend.

My Two Parakeets Brooke and Blue back in October 2009.

 If you have any questions or suggestions just send me an email at JamesDWard24@gmail.com

Thanks for Reading!

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Introduction

This is a blog about the care of pets. There are many things that you don't find out until after the pet is home. Things like from certain animals going into hibernation to basic care and behavior. While most care sheets go over factual straightforward advice on caring for animals, there are many issues that come up when caring for our loved pets that can't be found so easily. This is more of a personal approach to caring for the animals that we all love. Whether your new friend is a rescue or adopted from a pet shop, there should be a little something for everyone.

I have cared for many animals over the past 20 years. My particular experience comes from the caring of exotic animals such as snakes, lizards, crocodilians, and parrots. However, I have cared for everything from Labrador Retrievers to 15 ft. pythons. I bred the larger pythons for about 3 years until I had to sell out and move in order to go to college to get more formal knowledge. I currently major in Biology at Mountain State University in Beckley, West Virginia.

This blog will be updated on a weekly basis. Anywhere from one to three blogs will be posted weekly. If you have any specific questions you can shoot me an email at jamesdward24@gmail.com.

Thanks and hope you enjoy.

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