#15 Parrotlet Chicks Learn Their Calls From Mom and Dad (Text Post)

I wanted to share the below article with everyone. It is very interesting stuff.
I ran across this article a few weeks ago on ScienceMag.org.


By: Virginia Morell

Watch the video here

Parrot communication in the wild from Karl Berg on Vimeo.

Parrots are talkative birds, with impressive, humanlike linguistic abilities. Also like us, male and female parrots are lifelong vocal learners. Because of these similarities, researchers have long wondered whether parrot chicks learn their first calls or if these sounds are innate. For the first time, scientists have succeeded in studying the calls of parrot chicks in the wild. They find that the birds do learn their first calls—and from their parents, much as human infants do. The findings suggest that parrots may be better than songbirds as models for studying how humans acquire speech.

Like other parrot species, green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus), a parakeet-sized species that lives in South America, make what scientists term a signature contact call, a sound that functions much like a name. The birds use it to find and recognize mates and identify their chicks. Other studies have shown that wild parrots often imitate one another's contact calls—rather like someone calling out the name of a friend. "One study of another species of captive parrotlets suggested that individual birds are assigned names by their family members," says ornithologist Karl Berg of Cornell University.

But he wanted to know whether the birds do this in the wild, too, and why. Captive studies cannot, by themselves, explain what function such behaviors serve in nature or how they evolved. But studying parrots in the wild is "extremely difficult" because they generally nest in hollows high in trees, says behavioral ecologist Timothy Wright of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, an expert on wild parrots.

To get around this problem, Berg and his colleagues worked with a wild population of green-rumped parrotlets in Venezuela that has been studied since 1987. The parrotlets nest in hollows in fence posts, and scientists set out 106 artificial nesting boxes, which the parrotlets readily moved into. The boxes allowed the researchers to access the birds, eggs, and chicks and to record audio and video in the nests. For 24 years, the researchers have tracked thousands of parrotlet pairs and chicks, so they know the birds' family trees.

Berg and colleagues swapped clutches of eggs between 12 unrelated pairs of parrotlets. When the chicks hatched, they were raised by foster parents. Serving as a control were chicks in eight other nests that lived with their biological parents. If the chicks' contact calls are innate, they should resemble those of the biological parents rather than those of the foster parents.

The team recorded and analyzed the calls made by the biological and foster parents and by the nestlings. The analysis, reported online today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, shows that the chicks learn their calls from the parents that raised them; calls are not inherited. "The parents—both mom and dad—provide a template," which the nestlings change slightly so that each chick ends up with a unique call, Berg says.

Later, when the chicks leave their nests, their parents use the contact calls to find their youngsters because they must be fed for another 21 days. Fledged chicks roost in large groups, so the parents need some means of identifying their own offspring, Berg explains.

The study is "an exciting first step in unraveling why parrots match each others' calls in the wild," Wright says. "It's a very cool study," adds Ofer Tchernichovski, a biopsychologist at Hunter College in New York City. The work "raises the possibility that parrots may be acquiring their calls in a way that's different from other species and might even be similar to some aspects of speech learning in human infants."

Republished From:
http://news.sciencemag.org/2011/07/parrotlet-chicks-learn-their-calls-mom-and-dad

Watch the video here -  http://vimeo.com/9117349

#14 Apple Cider Vinegar for Birds (Text Post)

I am always being asked about ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) and its uses with birds.

I use Apple Cider Vinegar in my birds drinking water. I have done lots of research and read many different studies and articles written about the health benefits of ACV. I didn't just wake up and decide to start doing it - I actually spent a large amount of time researching and reading studies. Most of the research I read said to use one half cup of ACV per each gallon of water. I decided on 5 tablespoons per gallon ( a very low dose amount ). For the first week I added 2 tablespoons to each gallon of water so that the birds could get used to it. After the first week I started using 5 table spoons per gallon and have continued now for over 3 years. Every 3rd week I give the birds only vita water and then start them back on the ACV again on the 4th week. I really did notice the benefits. My birds colors were brighter, they laid more fertile eggs and I have had almost zero illness. One of the really good things I liked about ACV is that it allows the birds body to absorb more calcium from their everyday regular food. I have had no slow crop issues with my babies and zero crop issues with the adults. I also raise cockatiels from time to time and they are very well known to have crop issues as babies. Sour crop or slow crop is very common. Adding ACV to the handfeeding formula has 100% stopped all slow or sour crop issues. This is my personal experience and I did a lot of research, However - I am no doctor and everyone should do their own research before starting an ACV treatment. On my different website information pages I list different uses for ACV and some links to other websites that will give you more information. Most of the research was done on chickens in the beginning as farmers started using it to prevent illness.  Since I have started using ACV even more research has been done and more information is not available on the internet to back up all the claims. I will be updating my website with this information soon. I do suggest that anyone who would like to use ACV do some internet searches and read all the information before starting. * Note that it is very important that the ACV you use has the MOTHER included in the bottle. Visit my website www.LuckyFeathers.com

#13 Competition Between Bird Breeders (Text Post)

Over the last couple of decades I pretty much kept to myself as a breeder. I was just not aware of the fierce competition and rivalry for supremacy between bird breeders. I have seen this strong competition before when my exwife was in the dog show business, but it never came to mind that it was also so strong between bird breeders until I set up a facebook account about 18 months ago. As I started viewing the different posts and joining the different bird groups (the ones that allowed me to join)  it was really a shock to see how other breeders strike down the competition and work against each other. Many of them believe they are experts and have no problem letting everyone else know it. I never really thought of another breeder as competition and have worked over the years to help many breeders and new comers to the fancy of bird breeding. I am sure many of the breeders would say if asked that it is not competition at all, and that may be true. I think the underlying issue is jealousy. As soon as I notice a breeder that starts to pick up in popularity and is showcasing beautiful birds, the attacks start and the comments back and forth start flying. I never take part in any of this and because I don't take part I believe that is why I have never been attacked or shunned like so many others I have seen, but for some reason today it was on my mind so I decided to post about it. There are good breeders that follow good ethics and I know we also have some bad breeders. But I would assume that most of the people who raise birds have a love for it - or they would not have got into the business in the first place. It really is not something that anyone I know does for the money. The cost of having an aviary and keeping lots of birds is something that will always exceed the money you may make from selling the babies. Or at lest in my case it does. My advice to customers is to look around, talk to different breeders and ask lots of questions. If you get a good feeling after talking to the breeder chances are you have found a person who loves what they do. Raising baby birds has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life so far and it should be that way for everyone who does it. Do it well, have fun, and try your best to be really good at it!

#12 Pacific Parrotlet Color Mutations (Text Post)

I have been working on a parrotlet color mutation page for some time now. Getting information from all over the internet and trying to pull it all together onto one page. Lots of people have helped with setting it up - thank you - Right now it is just part of my aviary site LuckyFeathers.com but soon I will upload it to its own domain http://www.ParrotletMutations.com 


The Parrotlet color mutations I list are only to be used as a guideline to help you and are subject to different breeders and standards. Because we now have over 50 different actual visual shades and colors of Parrotlets and no regulatory association making the color standards, I have decided to use the color mutations I have posted in my aviary alone so that I can have a regular standard to follow for now. As time progresses different colors and mutations will come into play and will be added to the list.

You can visit the parrotlet mutation page at the below links for now.
http://www.luckyfeathers.com/parrotlet_mutations.htm
http://www.nicebirdies.com/parrotlet_mutations.htm
OR  http://www.ParrotletMutations.com 

#11 A HOLIDAY REQUEST TO MY CUSTOMERS (Text Post)

A HOLIDAY REQUEST TO MY CUSTOMERS -
Or anyone thinking about buying a bird as a Christmas gift regardless of where you purchase it from.

My little babies are looking for "Forever Homes" Each baby is very special to me.
PLEASE - No Spontaneous Christmas Buying. Please take the time to think about your purchase.
Talk it over with your family before you proceed.
These babies will fall in love with you after only a few days.
It is heart breaking and very hard on them to be passed around to different owners. Please try to give them "forever homes" Be 100% sure that the person you are buying the bird for really wants a bird and will give it the life it deserves. It's really important. If you do buy a bird as a gift for someone, I suggest also buying a book that will teach the person how to care for the bird. Another suggestion is to pre pay for a pet wellness visit with the local bird vet. Many (Vet) doctors offices offer gift cards. Lots of things to think about before buying someone a bird as a gift. Thanks - Sean

#10 Why does my Parrotlet bite me? (Text Post)

The Question:  Why does my Parrotlet bite me, why is it not tame anymore and what can I do?

This section is for the single Parrotlet that was handfed as a baby and was very tame, and now all of the sudden is starting to bite you. If this does not describe your bird then the answer below will not apply.


The Answer:  both male and females

 This is such a hard question to answer because like people each Parrotlet has its very own personality and you can not treat each one of them the same way. We sometimes forget that these birds are NOT domesticated animals. They are not tame and friendly by nature. It takes work and a lot of  time and patience. There is no simple answer to the biting question, so I have put together a page that if read totally will give you an understanding of the answer and maybe even the solution. Parrotlets that are handfed as babies are generally not scared of anything. This of course depends greatly on the personality of each bird, but from my experience a handfed baby that grows up around people will not be scared of much. This can be dangerous for the bird. They have the personality of a large Amazon Parrot and because they are so small they are not aware of the dangers that come with this strong-headed personality. Please keep an eye out for dangers, it is your responsibility to keep the Parrotlet safe and away from other animals that may cause harm. The Parrotlet generally shows you that he is not scared when he is in his cage and feels secure. You may notice that he goes into attack mode when a stranger comes close to the cage or another bird is close by or even a strange dog or cat is in the room.

The biting stage normally starts between 6 months to a year old. Parrotlets love people too much. The biting does not mean that the parrotlet  does not love you anymore. He/she loves you so much it has chosen you for its mate. It is believed by many bird experts that the parrotlet becomes frustrated that it cannot drive you to the nest and the two of you are not setting up housekeeping. The parrotlet will bite you to drive you away from a potential suitor (your human mate, child, acquaintance or other pet). The male parrotlet also bites the female in the wild trying to wear her down. The Parrotlet is trying to drive you to the safety of his or her nest. He may bite other people to communicate that you already have a partner. The bird may become territorial when you hold him/her and bite any one that intrudes your space. Although these bites can be extremely painful, they are in fact love bites and almost never will they break the skin. If they are painful I suggest using one sheet of a paper towel to kind of hold/cuddle the bird with. Let him bite on the paper towel if need be.
Limits must be set early. The male parrotlet or aggressive female parrotlet in this biting stage, does not belong on your shoulder. Hold the bird on your finger at low chest or waist level. I believe that Parrotlets should also be stick or perch trained as well as hand trained so you can always handle them even when they are in the biting stage. Do not engage in rough play with the bird as that will bring out its natural aggression. Discourage nibbling on your body, or fingers. A jiggle of your finger and a firm "No" is all that you need for young Parrotlets. You must be consistent with this for it to work. At this stage do not give up on the bird. Please continue to hold and play with it during this stage process even if it is biting you. Start using a perch in place of your finger to hold him or her. If you stop working with the bird at this point it will revert back to being un-tame. This would be the worst mistake a bird owner could make. Remember that these little guys can live 15 to 30 years and how un-happy of a life it would have if it became un-tame and could no longer be held, pet or loved because it had lost its tameness. This is a natural stage for the parrotlet and it will only last about 8 to 12 weeks. Your parrotlet may come into this same biting stage each year as it matures and enters breeding season.


 Just a few of the different stages:
 As a general rule each Parrotlet goes through different stages and at least one biting stage each year. The first stage starts as soon as the baby is pulled from the nest box.

Stage #1
The baby will not eat after being pulled away from his parents. This stage only lasts about 3 days. The breeder must be experienced and know how to force the baby to eat at this stage. After a day or two the baby will take the food with no fight.
Stage #2
The baby knows that you are the mommy, He no longer fights you to feed, he runs to you when he sees you and demands that you feed him

Stage #3
The baby is around 6 weeks old. He is hungry but not starving because you have started to give him seed mix. He is curious to explore the world and it is hard to get him to eat. At this stage you will feel that you are back to stage #1 and you will have to be firm and force the baby
( without hurting him ) to take the food. At this stage it is very important for the baby to eat the formula even if you notice him eating the seed mix. The reason is because he needs water and the nutrition from the formula until he is totally on a seed diet around 8 weeks of age.

Stage #4
The baby is very loving and tame, however it was just purchased by its new owner and arrived at his new home for the first time. Now the baby is going to be scared and stressed for a few days up to a week. It is important at this time to not force the baby to play or be held. Let him get used to his new home. Let him learn where is food and water are kept. Remember he has only knew one person in his life up to this point. It will take him a few days to get used to everything. After 3 days to a week you should then start taking him out, holding him and playing with him. I believe that this stage (#4) is the very most important stage. During the handfeeding stages the baby is of course learning and becoming tame, However he is so interested in getting the food that nothing else around him really matters. He don't pay to much attention to anything except getting his food. At stage 4 the baby is weaned and no longer interested in just getting his food. Now he is interested in everything and anyone around him. This is when the real bonding takes place. Many times my customers believe they are missing important bonding time with the babies because they did not get to do the Handfeeding ( the breeder does that ) I believe this to not be true. Right after the baby is weaned and no longer interested in only getting his food is the real bonding time. That is why I like for my customers to get the baby within 6 to 10 days after the weaning process ( when possible ) so that the real bonding can begin.

Stage #5
The baby is secure in his new home. He is now reaching the age of about 6 months and starting to mature. This age can also come late and is not always marked at the 6 month period. Some babies do not reach this mature age that we are talking about here until they are 10 to 12 months old. However in most cases it will come around the 6 month area.  At this point the bird will start to see you as his mate. It is very important to follow the steps that I talked about above. If he continues to bite you and if it hurts - start using a perch to hold him on. Also this is a good stage to use the birdie play pens that I talk about on this page.



So what do you do?
What I do when my parrotlets go into the biting state or what a lot of people call the Terrible Twos is continue to work with them daily. Remember that each bird has its very own personality and you have to be the judge as to what your little bird can handle because you don't want to put to much stress on them. Keeping that in mind I always force them (if needed) out of the cage even if I have to catch them using a paper towel (no gloves), I move them to another part of the house where they can not see the cage. Otherwise they will not stop trying to get back to it. With the birds wings clipped I sit down on the floor with it and put him on my finger, He jumps off, I put him back on. ( you can also try using a perch in place of your finger) I do this over and over again for sometimes a strong 10 minuets until he gives up and remains on my hand. I also use millet treats holding them in one hand and letting him have the opportunity to have some each time he is on my finger. If I have a male or female that just no matter what will not give in, I cuddle them in my hand placed up against my chest as I continue to stroke his back with my fingers and talk to them with a sweet voice for 5 or 10 minuets and sometimes even walk about the house doing this. Normally they don't bite hard - However some of them do - In that case I use a paper towel to hold the bird (cuddling him) up against my chest with his head allowed to stick out of the paper towel and allow him to just bite the paper towel until he gives up (no gloves). All the time offering him millet treats and talking to him in a sweet voice.  Remember as I stated above you have to be the judge of your own birds personality and stress level. Doing this the way I have described above has worked for me 100% of the time. I have never had a bird that did not calm down and get over this biting stage by doing this. I sometimes have success in as little as one day, and on some birds I have to repeat this process for 2 or 3 days. Parrotlets are have very strong personalities and can be very strong headed, You must teach them that no matter how you hold them you are not going to hurt them and no matter how much he bites the paper towel (or your finger) you are not going to give up.

Not all birds need this kind of training, Many times with parrotlets they simply outgrow this biting state and things go back to normal in a couple of weeks. But you do take a chance of the bird learning that all he has to do is run or nip you on the finger and he can get his way. That is something you don't want him to learn.

If your little guy was handfed as a baby this will work, it may take longer for each bird depending on the personality and how much it was socialized as a baby.

Do NOT -  Just leave the bird in the cage and hope he will just some day get over it and run over and jump on your finger. It is very rare that will happen. If you stick your finger or hand in the cage and he runs away and you give up and let him continue to run away. You will loose your birds tameness completely.

Be very gentle when holding the bird, Do not squeeze him, talk sweet to him, offer him treats, cuddle him using a paper towel if needed (no gloves) and your little bird will tame back down in no time at all in most cases.

#9 Beware of Holiday Cooking and Birds (Text Post)

Holiday Cooking and Birds -- Beware of Reynolds oven cooking bags!!! Reports are out that they put off fumes that can kill your birds. I have done a couple of Google searches about this and I also now believe these bags are very harmful to birds. Remember that birds have a very delicate Respiratory System. So much so that coal miners used to take birds down into the coal mines to alert them of danger and fumes in the air. If the bird dies or gets very sick the miners knew to get out of the mine. Do your own research about this online, But take caution when using these oven bags. Our little babies can not be replaced and what a horrible holiday experience something like this would cause. PLEASE SHARE THIS AND MAYBE SAVE A BIRDS LIFE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

#8 Parrotlet Breeding - Start to Finish (Audio Post) Coming Soon

Currently I am working on an educational audio post about breeding Parrotlets. I will post it here once I get it finished. I will be covering everything from picking out breeders to handfeeding the babies.

#7 Bird Talk Magazine - Top 10 Quieter Birds (Text Post)

Over the many years I have been breeding birds I have done a few magazine interviews, wrote a few articles and done several presentations at bird clubs, pet stores and different associations. My birds are my passion in life aside from my family of course. Most recently I was interviewed for an article in Bird Talk about quiet birds (Parrotlets). I received my copy of the Bird Talk 2015 Annual Magazine today. I want to thank Ifsha Buttitta for writing this article and for interviewing me last fall. Her article covers the Top 10 Quieter Birds. In the magazine she covers several different kinds of birds (10) and has interviewed several experts in the bird breeding community. It is a very interesting educational article and I am thankful to have had my experience included. Everyone make sure to pick up your copy soon. Visit http://www.birdchannel.com/ for more info and to order your copy. Each magazine is full of great information and good reading. Every pet bird owner and breeder should be getting a copy of Bird Talk each year. I always look forward to getting my copy.  - Thanks, Sean Ira

#6 Breeding Parrotlets - Some general info. (Text Post)

Back in the early 1980's when I first started breeding birds my goal was to become an expert, I was very young and had no real experience. I believed that the answers to all my questions were printed someplace in a book. How wrong I was. Over the years I have read many books, university studies and watched many videos. But I have to say the most beneficial education was actually learning as I go. The best lesson I learned was to never be blinded by new ideas or new ways of doing things. Breeding birds is actually a science and what you learn as you go - will be the most important information. One way to learn valuable information is to talk with other breeders. Go to the bird shows, meet other breeders, join facebook groups and pick up some good books from the local library. Do not close your eyes to new ideas.

Note: The below breeding information is valid for the pacific, Green-Rumped and Spectacled Parrotlets. Their may be some small differences between the three different kinds of Parrotlets, but as far as diet, breeding, nesting and handfeeding, I personally have not seen any difference and following the same practices with each has been very successful for me. 

Parrotlets, particularly hens, should be at least a year old before they attempt to breed or they can become egg bound and die. Males who are too young often do not provide enough food for the hen and the babies which are then abandoned or destroyed. Young pairs can be kept with one another until they go through their first molt, then they should be separated until they are at least eleven months old. It is not uncommon to have hand-fed birds begin laying eggs as young as six months - which can be disastrous.

The male will usually investigate the box first and when he deems it safe, will try and entice the female into it. Once mating has taken place, the hen will lay from four to eight eggs although Pacific hens have been known to produce ten fertile eggs. She will hardly leave the nest box from several days prior to laying until the last baby is gone, which can be as long as nine or ten weeks!

Parrotlets do breed better when you have more than one pair as long as they can hear each other but not see each other. Many people trying to breed a single pair have not had success. This is very important! Stack the cages on top of each other or put something solid in between them so that they can not see each other. These birds cannot be within eye sight of another pair. Not following this suggestion can result in death. Males are very protective of their mates. If they see another male in the same area they will go into attack mode. A Parrotlet will kill its mate to keep it away from, or from flirting with others.

If you have a pair that will not breed don't give up. Try different things such as moving the breeder box or removing it totally for a couple of weeks. Sometimes when the box is there for a long time they just get used to seeing it and are not interested in checking it out. Before breeding your birds remove any breeding triggers such as sleeping huts or sleeping nests if used. When you add the breeder box make sure it is on the outside of the cage and put it up as high as possible. Move the perches or at least one perch in the cage close to the box so that it forces the birds to be closer to the opening of the box. This will give you a better chance of the birds checking out the box. If they show no interest after a couple of weeks try putting a piece of millet spray in the hole of the box with just a little bit of it sticking out. They will eat the millet and follow it into the box in order to get the rest of it. This sometimes helps trigger the breeding to start. Many people who have no luck with breeding only need to make a few changes in order to get results. I have talked to people who have placed the breeder box inside the cage or on the floor, or they have bought a cage that has a precut hole to attach a breeder box but the pre cut holes are almost always in the wrong spot. I have seen these cages with the precut holes placed down to low on the cage or on the side in the middle. This will not work for many breeder pairs. I have my best results with the breeder box on the outside of the cage placed up as high as possible with perches inside the cage moved close to the opening of the box. Also my advise is to check the box every day even if you know they are not going in it or have not laid any eggs. Many birds are strange breeders and they do not like to be disturbed when laying, sitting on or hatching eggs. In order to get my birds over this fear I check the boxes daily by looking inside. They see me looking in the box every day from the start. When they start laying eggs or hatching eggs they will be completely used to me looking in the box. There are several reasons you want to do this other than getting the birds used to it. Checking the box will allow you to catch problems quicker. Problems such as eggs that are buried or covered with pine shavings, broken or cracked eggs or even chicks that are having a hard time hatching. However I do need to advise you to use caution when looking into the box. If you have not got your birds used to it over time or if you did not start looking in the box prior to them having eggs. Starting this practice after the fact or disturbing birds that are not used to you looking in the box can cause problems. Many pairs will leave the box never to return or they will break or even through out the eggs. Get your birds used to you looking in the breeder box early. Another tip that helps trigger the breeding process is longer days. Keep the lights on in your bird room longer. My lights are on a timer. They turn on at 8am and turn off at 10pm each day. At night I use a backlight ( a regular black party light ) as a night light. This allows the birds to see at night and also gives them a very small amount of UV rays needed for health issues.

#5 Clean Green Parrotlets? Are they real ? (Text Post)

Essential Green
Also called by some breeders: Clean Green, Complete Green, True Green, Natural Green, Aviary Green and a few other terms.
Also called clean green by some breeders, However since most breeders can not guarantee the pureness of the green DNA back more than a few generations of natural green to green only breeding, I have chosen to call my purest green line of parrotlets Essential Green. I currently have bred 6 generations of natural green pacific babies. By my personal standards a bird will be called Essential Green after 3 generations of green breeding. Meaning the 4th generation of babies will be called Essential Green.  It would be acceptable to call a bird clean green only after 8 generations of natural green breeding by my personal standards, However even after 8 generations of natural green breeding there is no way of knowing if a color mutation was present for example 10 or even 14 generations in the past. Different breeders will call their green line something else, for example some breeders are using Clean Green, True Green, Natural Green and a few other names. My advise when looking for a pure line of green is to ask the breeder how many generations of green is accounted for. In my belief to be somewhat safe I would suggest at least 3 generations of green breeding in order to be classified as Essential Green.

Definition of Essential: 
Being such by its very nature or in the highest sense known ; natural 

Definition of Clean:  Free From, Uncontaminated or pure

LuckyFeathers Green Breeding Standards:
3 generations or less of natural green breeding - Green Parrotlet
3 to 8 generations of natural green breeding - Essential Green
8 generations or more of natural breeding - Clean Green / and possibly still classified as Essential Green
Wild Caught Green Bird Breeding - True Clean Green

*Note - Different breeders will use different terms for their green line of parrotlets. The above standards and the term Essential Green is only my personal aviary standard and not recognized by an official bird club that I am aware of and I am not even sure if anyone else is using this term. However anyone is welcome to use it as far as I am concerned. However I ask that you please not classify a green parrotlet as an Essential Green unless it was produced from parents with 3 or more generations of natural green to green breeding.
 

True Clean Greens are now rare and are very hard to find and some breeders say they are not available at all in the USA.  Just because a parrotlet is green does not mean that it is a true clean green or does not carry any of the color mutations in its DNA. Breeding two green parrotlets together may produce green babies and in fact some of those babies may very well be true clean greens, However the only way to know for 100% sure is to have DNA testing done. I am not sure what that would cost but assume it would be very expensive.

#4 Off to the bird show in Largo (Text Post)

Going down to Largo today to visit the local bird show. It is a great place to pick up Millet for the Aviary. Later I plan on doing a full audio podcast about bird shows - Knowing what to look for, Getting the best product & What to do when you get home for the safety of your Aviary. Following the steps I will be discussing later will help assure you do not bring home a sickness that could cause your birds harm.  Thanks,  Sean

Update: Great day at the show, The Largo show is always small, But they have a good turnout. I saw lots of beautiful little birds. Also picked up a 25 pound box of millet, The shows are really good places to get supplies and toys for the bird room. Talked to a few breeders and shared stories. Even though I dont set up at the shows or expose my birds to the shows, I do enjoy going and seeing all the different birds and meeting new people. Use caution when going to the shows, When you get home, change your clothes and shower before going into your bird room or playing with any of your birds. - Sean

#3 11-14-14 Video Recording - Shipping Playpens (Video Post)

In this short video I talk about the shipping playpen that I use for my birds. My babies are raised in playpens and are very used to this style of playpen almost from birth (hatch) making it almost a totally stress free experience when shipped. Unlike dogs or cats birds are used to being kept in cages or playpens and when shipping day comes, it is just another day for the birds. In each shipping playpen I include lots of food, water and millet.

View Video -  http://youtu.be/13NMDrWFr2o

#2 A little talk about parrotlets in general. (Audio Post)

#2
I recently did an Audio Recording about parrotlets for a national bird magazine that is putting together a story about parrotlets. Lots of good information for the first time pet owner. Keep in mind that when I recorded this I did not think I would be sharing it on my website. It was only intended to be heard by the Author that is writing the article - So it's not a professional lecture in anyway. ... - It's just basically me talking to myself about parrotlets. I was asked to answer some questions and not to stray off topic. So if it will help a first time pet owner make a qualified decision about buying and caring for a bird it serves its purpose. Anyone who might be thinking about a parrotlet as a pet might get some good information from it.

 

If the audio does not start playing automatically you can click on one of the links below and play the files with your media player or right click on the links and save the files to your computer for playback. Both recordings are the same. Just different file types

Parrotlets 3gp format   (7mb)

Parrotlets Mp3 format   (21mb)

Thanks,
Sean 

#1 Welcome to my little space on the web. (Audio Post)

#1

Welcome, I am in the process of setting up this blog. I am working on setting up an audio stream that can be loaded to the blog weekly in the form of a podcast. Please check back. For now you can view my current audio, podcast blog at my website www.LuckyFeathers.com

Thank you,
Sean Ira