Archive for the ‘Parrots’ Category

I’ve read posts from members on the forum of walking outside and having someone’s (probably lost) parrot land on their head or shoulder and always chuckled at the idea of parrots just dropping from the sky. I think this story out of Australia takes it to a whole new level. The comments on the page are priceless. Enjoy.

“Drunk parrots litter Australian town” « Don Surber

The story: “Hundreds of seemingly drunk parrots are falling out of trees and the sky in a northern Australian town, mystifying veterinary surgeons who are struggling to care for them. The brightly coloured lorikeets are showing classic …

Publish Date: 06/05/2010 8:00

And boy are they noisy! How’d you like to have that in your back yard? LOL

Video: Lorrikeets get drunk on fermented flower nectar

It’s not as difficult to get started with training your Quaker Parrot as you might think. You can start by teaching your Quaker a few basics, and this is true whether your pet has been with you a few days or a few years. In my opinion, one of the best things you can teach your bird is to have a reliable step up response. What this means is that your Quaker will step up immediately onto your hand when you give it the command to “step up.”

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I recently wrote an article about blue and green Quaker Parrots and the differences I’ve noted between these two color varieties. A question popped up on the Quaker Parrot Forum yesterday about whether there are differences between male and female Quakers, so I thought I’d try to address this question here.

In my experience, I have not noticed any differences between male and female Quakers in personality, talking ability, train-ability, aggressiveness, intelligence or any other trait or skill. There are only a few responses to the question so far on the forum, but those who have responded up to this point agree with my own experience.

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A question that sometimes comes up about Blue Quaker Parrots is if there is any difference between them and green Quakers other than the price. This is an important question, because Quakers are often chosen as pets not for their looks but for their great personalities. They truly are “a lotta parrot in a little package.” So if there is a difference in personality in blues vs greens, I agree that it should be noted.

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Sadly, Alex the African Grey Parrot passed away about a week ago at the age of 31. Since I named my first Quaker after Alex, it seems fitting to recognize his passing and celebrate his life. I remember first reading about Alex more than ten years ago. I was charmed and amazed at his human language skills. I even have several video tapes in my library about this very special African Grey.

A remembrance page has been set up if you would like to express your condolonces. And many newspapers around the globe have reported on Alex’s death (See Bird Brain or Parrot Prodigy and Death of Gifted Parrot Stuns Scientists). I’m sure you can also visit any parrot forum on the Internet to witness an outpouring of sadness and respect for this very unique Grey.

Dr Pepperburg has stated that Alex never stopped learning. In one of the above articles, she relates how Alex made some new progress just last month. We have learned so much about our own parrots because of Alex. This was the first real research that showed parrots are able to go beyond simple mimicry and actually understand the human words that they learn to say. Alex the Grey will be deeply, deeply missed.

I’ve received several questions about egg laying recently, and this is definitely the season for it. Not all female Quakers lay eggs, but some do. Most owners are usually surprised when their single bird lays an egg, and many are often concerned by it and wonder what they should do.

A while back I wrote an article that discusses egg laying in parrots. It focuses more on chronic egg laying, but the advice in the article is still appropriate and helpful even if your Quaker only lays one or two eggs. If your pet Quaker has suddenly produced an egg and you’re wondering what to do, this article on egg laying in parrots should help.

Here is a question that comes up a lot from new Quaker owners: "What’s the best cage size for my Quaker Parrot?" This new article not only answers this question in detail but also provides additional tips to help you choose the best cage for your new bird.

When I first became involved with Quaker Parrots, the wisdom of the day was to purchase a cage that is no smaller than 18×18×18. I believe the thinking was that this size would be sufficient to allow a Quaker to stretch and flap its wings. Of course, that would depend on how many toys and other items are in the cage, but that was the general idea. After living with these birds for a number of years, I agree that this size provides a sufficient home for a Quaker and personally would never consider a cage that was smaller than this.

Read the full article: The Best Cage Size for Quaker Parrots

Please take a few moments and send a postcard to the address below to help the Quakers in NJ. This would be the first legislation of its kind and as such could have an impact on the wild Quakers in other states as well. Thank you in advance for helping out our friends in New Jersey. Also, once you have mailed your postcard, I’d love it if you’d post a comment below to let everyone know.

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Many years ago I heard bird expert Mattie Sue Athan describe this time of year as "the screaming season." She was referring to the time of year when the days start getting longer but before spring officially hits. The phrase has stuck with me as each year around this time I see many Quaker owners come to the forum in search of help with screaming issues. Unfortunately, there are no quick and easy solutions for parrot screaming, but hopefully this article will help you understand why birds sometimes scream and some things that may help. The following excerpt sums up the article:

My husband and I live with 8 Quakers, and while we have our noisy times, the majority of the time it is fairly quiet in our home. These methods really do work, but they do not work overnight. Once again, patience and consistency are the keys. And it helps to remember all of the wonderful qualities that our Quakers have to offer – and that we humans are not so perfect either.

Read the full article: Parrot Screaming – Causes and Possible Solutions

Do your parrots love keeping a regular schedule and routine? Mine sure do as illustrated in this cute story that I wrote a number of years ago. Be sure to leave a comment on the article if you have a story of how your own bird prefers sticking to a normal schedule. Here is a preview from the article:

Over the years, I’ve heard over and over again how parrots are creatures of habit. I also believe that they have an incredible sense of time, perhaps some sort of internal clock that keeps accurate track of the passing hours and minutes. I was recently reminded of just how true this is when for several days in a row I got up a little earlier than usual to get some extra work done.

Be sure to read the full article to find out where this is going: Parrots Do Love A Routine