Absolutely great!
Good morning - just opened my first ParrotChronicles.com online. What a great publication! Very diverse and well-written. I look forward to the next issue. Keep up the good work.

--Diane Shepherd

Red-belly's body language
Paul Martin wrote that his bird flicked his head when not wanting to be picked up. (Parrot teaches human, Summer 2002 Mailbag.) I have a red-belly, Teddy, who has a foot code. If I approach him to step up, he raises his left foot if he wants to be cuddled and petted and the right foot to just perch on my finger. Woe to me until I caught on a few months after bringing him home as a baby! When he's ready to have the lights turned out, he looks at me and says, "Night night," which are my words when turning the light off. If I don’t do it quickly enough, he says, "Night night for birds," which is another phrase of mine!

--Sharon Jones, Durham, N.C.

Dr. Kenneth
What a wonderful and informative article from this veterinarian (What to expect at the vet's, November-December 2002)! Anyone who lives in his area is lucky indeed to have him to care for their animals, birds especially. My pet eclectus was recently ill, the first time in her 11-year-old life. Much of what the good doctor said I found true in my experience. It made me feel encouraged and confident that I had made the right decision for my bird. She is well now and I am grateful. Thank you, Dr. Kenneth, for taking the time to write for all of us.

--MaryAnn Gless

Snack suggestions
I have just returned from the vet with your URL, and am thrilled to have found it - great and wonderful Web site. Helen (Pssittacus erithacus) turned 12 on Oct. 11 and is suffering a calcium deficiency - we hope. She is a seed junkie, but not too difficult about her food. I am a schoolteacher at present and she is allowed to come to school with me. She is sat by an elderly nun called Sister Ignatius, who adores her. My question is this: what can I pack for her daytime food instead of seeds? She plays with and flings her veggies about. With much thanks for all the birds you benefit around the world.

--Marius Vogel, South Africa

If pelleted foods are difficult to buy in your area, you might try making your own bird snacks. Check out Bon Appe-tweet! (Spring 2002) for recipes, and The fussy eater (Summer 2002) for tips on how to tempt your bird to eat more nutritiously. --Editor

Parrotlet lovers
Do you ever write articles about our little parrotlets? I have two 5-year-old brothers, Pip n' Squeak (Pacifics). We just lost our BB last month, who was just 7, from a heart murmur and infection. We literally felt like the breath went out of our lives but we were fortunate to have our other little twosome to fall back on. We literally got kicked out of Hawaii on account of BB being illegal but he was more than well worth giving up a job and a house for.

--Gae Thiel

We did a species profile of the parrotlet in our Fall 2001 issue (The adorable parrotlet). --Editor

Feather-picking prevention tip
I have a goffin's that barbers his feathers. I buy tamale corn husks and separate them into thin strips, then tie tons and tons of them to the cage bars. He spends hours destroying them and not himself.

--wabirdrs2002@aol.com

Every tip helps. For more, see The worst of habits (Fall 2001). --Editor

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