Tops Chatter

Several years ago, I was invited to Pittsburgh, PA to speak to the members of the Parrot Education & Adoption Center there.  Their executive director Christy Kaufman, who had made all arrangement for me to come and speak there, was a most gracious host.  I will never forget how welcome I felt.  She also impressed me with her knowledge about  parrots  nutrition.  She drove me around and showed me the area and such wonderful places like the National Aviary.  My memories of Pittsburgh are very found because of the open and eager to learn members of PEAC and Christy.

I just got the newsletter from PEAC in Pittsburgh, PA and it anounces that Christy is retiring from as a executive director.

I wish her all the best. I am sure it will not be easy to find a replacement for such an loving, patient, knowledgeble and hart working person and wish the board of directors and Christy that  somebody who can replace her will come anlong soon.

Here is a link to the newsletter, in which you can also find information of the “Parrot Personalities” workshop for the 24th of July.:

http://by145w.bay145.mail.live.com/default.aspx?&ip=10.25.142.8&d=d1825&mf=0

Take good care of your self, Christy. I hope to see you at some of the ‘parrot events’.

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.

When you think about it, parrots are a lot like rambunctious young children. They have the ability to repeat things – sometimes to embarrassing effect. And they’re notoriously messy eaters. Despite these behavioral quirks, parrots make for charming pets that constantly reward their owner’s care and patience. To get off on the right foot with your new bird, try to pinpoint the foods he likes best. Parrots are finicky eaters, but it shouldn’t take long to figure out their dietary preferences.

Fresh fruits are a staple of most parrots’ diets. Bear in mind that they are not suited to handle junk food, so keep the salty, fatty foods out of reach. It’s best to supplement the fresh fruit with nutritional parrot food in the form of pellets. You can think of these as the parrot’s snacks to be distributed between mealtimes.