room and you just have to have one of that
exciting new species, is a very common
initial mistake.
THE BENEFITS
Changing one’s personal lifestyle for
the good of one’s birds often has lots of
unforeseen positive health benefi ts. I
bought my fi rst water fi lter with my parrots
in mind, and today April and I would not
be without one in our kitchen. Home air
fi lters and room humidifi ers fi t into this
category. They improve our parrots’ lives
as well as our own.
Those few cleaning products still found
beneath my sink are now always selected
according to biodegradable effect and
non-toxic use around my psittacines. Even
the health food store shopping I do was
signifi cantly increased for the betterment
of my fl ock’s diet. I now eat more grains,
have switched to olive oil and grapeseed
oil cooking, replace salt with nutritional
yeast and seaweed minerals, and buy all
sorts of products made from tofu rather
than meat and processed goods (though I
do balk at purchasing ‘soy chocolate’ bars
or ice cream, I’m afraid!). The point is,
many of these choices are actually good
for humans also, and while they may start
out as sacrifi ce for the sake of one’s birds,
they can soon evolve into a preferred way
of running a household and living a life in
general.
A few months ago, an acquaintance of
ours informed us that she was moving
back to the mainland to live. Carol
requested that we adopt her Green-
cheeked Conure, called Boo. Boo is a
special needs conure who was born with
a deformed upper beak. He has learned to
eat just fi ne, but he is not particularly hand
tame and we were at fi rst taken aback
by the request to adopt him. Still, April
answered a fi rm ‘yes’ because we knew we
would be the most reliable place for him to
come at this time.
Truly, adoption of needy pets or breeding
stock is a whole realm of its own when
it comes to giving up things for birds.
It means more work, if not downright
inconvenience at fi rst. It is a tremendous
task and emotional commitment to take in
and love an animal you did not choose to
get in the fi rst place. But someone reliable
and caring has to do it, hence the many
private bird owners who have stretched
their hospitality and fl ock dynamics at
home to take in an unwanted feathered
friend—God bless them.The healthiest parrot foods are more
expensive and time-consuming to prepare—
but part of these ingredients can be your
meal too!WHERE IS THE WARNING?
You know, there is a funny thing about all
the sacrifi ces we end up making when we
assume the responsibility of having birds
in our homes. From the getting up before
dawn to feed on days we have to go out
of town; to irritating little chewed spots
on woodwork, the couch upholstery, or a
favourite piece of clothing; to the worry,
fear and high expense involved any time
one of our loved ones has a problem that
requires medical attention.
I wish more pet stores and breeders that
sell psittacines to the public would make
a point to emphasise such things—just
how much one must relinquish personally
in order to take good care of parrots and
other birds. Glossing over the seriousness
of this issue can lead to a bundle of
unhappiness later on—both for the
humans and their winged creatures.
For April and I, and those committed
owners like us, of course, it is ultimately
worth it in the end. We receive much more
than we end up surrendering.
And when you look at it that way, well,
I suppose a few mango branches taking
up room in the
bathtub on a rainy
day are perhaps
something to be
proud of, instead
of frustrated
over...nynynyyyDuring baby season we give up much of our living space to new fl edglings—a positive
benefi t to our home environment
UNDERSTANDING PARROTS:
CUES FROM NATURE
By Rosemary Low $79 + P&H Soft Cover,
186 pages, 76 colour and B&W images
Divided into seven sections—the Parts
that Make Up the Whole, Psychology,
Behaviour, What Parrots Need,
Breeding, Foods, and a philosophical
section entitled Stop and Think.
Topics include parrot anatomy,
psychology and behaviour—such as feather-picking,
stress, aggression, mimicry, play and roosting—and basic
requirements for a happy and healthy parrot.
Available at http://www.birdkeeper.com.au or See Free Mail Order Card