Tops Chatter

I wish all of you, your family, including the feathered and four legged ones a very Happy 2010.

May it be a year full of health, peace, happiness and prosperity for all of us.
I will keep sharing information mainly on parrot food and other bird related issues, which I think can help us making the life of our beloved birds a better and healthy one.

I already suggested the Nourish To Flourish – A Healthy Cookbook for Parrots several weeks ago as a good Christmas gift. Since I got the book, I keep enjoying it every day. It astonishes me constantly how in 129 page can be so much information.  This is a long needed cookbook for parrots; or better for their owners.

Nourish to Flourish is really a treasure. It contains information about parrots nutritional needs, basic utensils in your kitchen, essential dietary components, how to teach your bird to eat new foods and learn to forage, which foods to avoid, many great recipes and much more. All of this combined with wonderful and fun photos. The book is spiral bound, which makes it easy to use while you are cooking.

No matter what parrot food you offer to your bird right now, this book can only enrich your knowledge and your birds diet.

Like you already know, I like to use herbs for my parrot’s food. Now at this time of the year there is not much growing. I am also an avid user of herb teas. To buy them in bags is not only expensive, but it does not taste as good as tea from fresh bulk herbs. So, long time ago I started to have always a supply at hand. Eventually I thought it would be a good idea to mix some of them and offer them to my birds.

Now during winter, when there are no fresh herbs, my birds have their bowl with dried herbs in the cage. But that is not the only way they can be used as parrot food. I add them to omelets and other fresh food. They give a variety in taste and provide nutrition.

Here are a few of the dried herbs I use:

Nettle leafs – which have a very cleansing effect and are especially good for older birds with arthritis.

Peppermint – calms the digestive system and nerves, is soothing and strengthens the heart muscle.

Yarrow – is good for the liver and the glandular system

Slippery Elm Bark Powder – draws impurities and heals all parts it comes in contact with.

Hawthorn berries -are high on vitamin C and B complex and are very good for the hearth.

Dandelion leafs – promotes healthy circulation, strengthens arteries, stimulates the liver and cleanses the blood and much more.

In case you want to give it a try, here is where I buy my herbs:

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

http://www.oregonswildharvest.com/

A while ago I wrote an article about intuitive parrot feeding for the Parrot International Press. I just saw that they have it up now. They have many interesting articles about parrot food, behavior and parrots in the wild. They really cover the whole parrot world, from pet birds to information about conservation, reintroduction in the wild and much more.

http://www.pipress.org/2009/11/intuitive-parrot-feeding/

I wish you all a Happy Holiday Season

You might imagine that traveling long distances in a car with your pet parrot could be a real headache. Surprisingly, the process can be painless and even fun if you prepare well ahead of time and make a few basic considerations. Your parrot will be happy and content during the duration of the ride as long as it receives food, water, shelter and some parrot cracker now and again. Make sure that the bird is well fed before the journey commences because it will be less likely to eat during the trip.

Keep a bottle of fresh water within the bird’s reach, and keep a spare ready to go within the car. Bird travel carriers are the final consideration. The carrier needs to be large enough to allow the bird to stretch its wings. Good ventilation will allow the parrot to breathe normally, so check that there are relatively large holes or vents in the carrier. Just like a common birdcage, the carrier should also feature a perch that allows the bird to stand.

I just got the newsletter from Phoenix Landing. And their long awaited cookbook for parrot owners “Nourish to flourish, a healthy cook book for parrots” is out and for sale. You will learn a lot about parrot food and easy, healthy to prepare dishes for your birds.

The good thing is, it makes a great Christmas present and you help Phoenix Landing at the same time. All rescue facilities need every penny in these hard times. So, why not help with a book that is helpful to you and as the money you spend helps the birds Phoenix Landing is taking care of.

Here is the link:

http://www.phoenixlanding.org/books.html

BTW they have a beautiful calendar too.

Do you ever ask yourself why you live with parrots? I think I do it every day. I think one reason is, so I don’t ever stop learning. LOL. I never feel alone and never get bored. There is always parrot food to prepare, something to clean, someone who wants a scratch or just a goodie. And they teach me the most incredible things. Parrots scream. Some of them more, some less. On some days more, on some days less. Sometimes I don’t even hear it, sometimes it irritates me and sometimes it even annoys me.

A while ago I was reading a book that suggested that we humans run on programs, like computers. And when there is a certain program and the outside shows something different, we get negative reactions. Cleo is a rather quite cockatoo. But not too long after I red the book, he got one of his screaming fits. I got first annoyed. Then I suddenly thought, “Oh, my program is that he should be quiet right now and that’s why his screaming is bothering me”. If I would not have this programming, this would not affect me at all. So, Cleo taught me to learn in live what I had learned in theory in the book.

As the owner of a pet bird, it’s important to stay in tune with the animal’s dietary needs. When parrots, parakeets, canaries and other domesticated birds experience health problems, the issue can often be traced back to poor feeding habits. When creating a dietary plan for your bird, take its unique needs into account. Not all breeds of parrot like to dine on the same nutritional regimen.

Poor diet can seriously increase the risk of infection and cause excessive molting. If you notice that your bird is losing feathers at an alarming rate, it’s probably time to reassess its diet. You can also tell a lot about your bird’s health from its general disposition. If it is no longer playfully clinging to its swing or responding favorably, trying switching over to a holistic bird food

It’s the time of the year again, when nature starts to go within and rest. Though we humans get busier then the whole rest of the year. It seems that nobody is home anymore and everybody is just running all over the place. And all of this to stuff ourselves for one day and start running again. I think Thanksgiving and Christmas should be in summer. Then we could rest like nature does it, during these short, cold days. Maybe I should move to the southern hemisphere. LOL

 Anyway, we have to be specially careful and attentive around these holidays. We often are stressed and our birds pick up on it.  Sometimes we can be less attentive due to all the things going on. That could cause a higher risk of accidents. Let us all keep breathing deep to relax as much as possible, so we can enjoy these time. Our birds will appreciate it. They will also appreciate when they can have a bite or two of some of the goodies. A little piece of turkey and some pumpkin make a good Thanksgiving parrot food.

 I wish you all a PEACEFUL and HAPPY THANKSGIVING

It is very interesting what some people mean when talking about fresh parrot food.  When I get calls and bird owners ask me about what could help support certain conditions, I always ask if the parrot gets fresh food. The answer is often yes. Someway into the conversation I get told, that the fresh food is cereal, birdie bread and similar. I think it is a good idea to bake bread or cookies for a bird and ad some fresh vegetables. This is actually a good way to get a parrot to eat things it might not, when offered by itself. But it is certainly not a substitute for fresh vegetables and fruits. I know it is sometimes not easy to get our birds to eat fresh food, if they are not used to it. But if we are a bit inventive, we can get them to eat the things we offer.

Some examples:I like to cook quinoa, millet or rice and ad fresh vegetables. With a bird that is not used to these foods, I puree the veggies. To ad some of their favorite foods (like a little nut butter) helps too. After they are used to eat these new diet I ad small cubes of vegetables. Eventually they will eat the vegetables by them self.Vegetables in omelets or birdie bread are usually welcome by most birds. Sometimes it helps to fry them very short in some olive oil. Most important is, to start with baby steps. When you get used to one dish, try the next one. Eventually you will become a gourmet chef for parrots.