Random Thoughts...

I'm still struggling with topics for my article in the Louisiana Aviculture Society Newsletter. The issues that we address with our friends are not the same issues that I perceive with the bird buyer population in general.

Our friends know a lot about their species of parrot before they bring the bird home. I question whether other buyers do their homework or whether their breeders take the time to educate them.

Our friends know what a proper diet is and what flexibility they have in feeding their bird. Some new bird owners that we talk to think that seeds from WalMart are all they need. We once spoke to a man that went to Petsmart and asked a clerk to fix him up with a complete diet for an Eclectus. The clerk gave him pellets and a good seed mix and included a box of grit. The grit killed the bird in 6 weeks.

Housing for birds comes in a variety of flavors also. Current thinking says that parrot cages should be as large as possible. We have seen breeders with a breeding pair of Eclectus in a 2 X 2 X 4' cage...horrible conditions at best.

Maybe I'll do an article called "Have You Kissed Your Bird Lately?" I wonder how many new bird owners treat their parrot as their parents treated their canary 30 years ago.

...Debra and I are considering going to the American Federation of Aviculture convention in San Francisco in August.
Donations are welcome ;-).
- posted by J-Birds @ 8:10 PM |