The Garden Side of the Monkey Grass
I really enjoyed The Garden Side of the Monkey Grass! I love reading anything from Mattie Sue and have all her books. Thank you!

--Rose Keith, rkeith@rockford.com

--Carolyn Steele, Tulsa, OK

--Don D., casareal@charter.net

Getting the poop off
I really enjoyed Dana Wilson's most recent review, on bird poop removers (The great bird cage clean-off, May-June 2004). It was very interesting to me because in the quest for a fast poop-dissolving cleaner that is also non-toxic, I have made a few discoveries. In my job providing clients with custom salt-water aquariums, I needed a non-toxic glass cleaner (cleaners with ammonia or bleach or other caustic ingredients are deadly to the ocean creatures we strive to keep alive). I discovered a window cleaner called Clear Power that out-dissolves Poop-Off! and the other cleaners and does a beautiful job on cages, perches, and glass, too! I love this stuff. In fact, I'm thinking of becoming a distributor for the maker, Melaleuca. Another cleaner I like is Red-e Clean, but lately I haven't been able to find it. I did buy a steam cleaner awhile back, but it's a little too complicated to use all the time, so that I use for the twice-a-year super-cleaning sessions! Keikoa and Bubo love to watch and offer suggestions and criticisms - but then that's how parrots are.

--Linda Rockhold, keikoaamazon@netscape.net

--Richard Taintor

--William Kohles, williamkohles@email.grcc.edu

Australian vacation
I loved the article Australian vacation! As an Australian fan of ParrotChronicles.com, I am pleased to see some of Australia's birdlife getting some promotion. The author was correct in that parrots are less of a trourist attraction than the cuddly marsupials. I think Australians are so used to seeing cockatoos and lorikeets of all kinds that they forget that other people might like to see them. Aviculture is also less popular in Australia, which is good and bad. There are fewer pets bought and rejected; however, it makes buying bird supplies a real pain! It's true that all the birds worth seeing are found in Australia's interior, where the weather isn't as pleasant and facilities are lacking, but I believe it's worth all the sights - cockatiels, galahs (rose-breasted cockatoos), sulphur-crested, corellas, red-tailed blacks, gang-gang cockatoos, budgies, rosellas, Major Mitchell's and many more. Rainforests are the go to see lorikeets of all types. Before the author goes on her next Australian trip, I would advise that she try and make contacts with Aussie aviculturalists in different regions. They would know which type of parrots could be most easily found. Ignore those travel brochures! Bird magazines published in Australia such as Australian Birdkeeper magazines and Pet and Aviary Birds magazine should be chock full of info, and there are bird chat groups with Australian members. I look forward to the details of the next Australian holiday in an issue of ParrotChronicles.com!

--Misaki, Townsville, North Queensland

Treat them right
Thank you for the story about PetsMart and Petco selling unweaned baby birds (The Parrot Problem, November-December 2003). My green-cheek conure was bought from a Petco by a family who wanted him to be a pet for their 5-year-old-daughter and returned before coming to live with me. He is a sweetheart and I am thankful everyday that he is with me. He will scream for long periods of time even if he is home alone; I wonder now if that is because he was on a deprivation diet.

Two days ago I went to PetsMart with a friend to get a toy for my green cheek. There I saw a baby green cheek with intense yellow coloring on the sides of its body and head. Its feet were still pink and floppy. She saw me and rolled onto her back and waved her feet in the air, and I asked to hold her. The clerk in charge began telling me that it was her job to handfeed this baby (whom she thought might be 8 weeks old) but that she hadn't done it in a couple of days and the bird might be a little angry. Far from it! The baby was happy and sweet. I asked the clerk what kind of green cheek it was (I didn't know at the time that it was a yellow-sided color mutation) and she told me it was a parrotlet. I corrected her, but I wonder how many times this has to happen. Why don't these chains spend the time or money to train or hire people who actually know something about birds? Why isn't there a law saying that birds must be weaned before they can be sold in stores? How many baby birds will continue to be bought by families who don't know anything about them, and then end up returned or in a shelter? We don't ask these animals if they want to give up their freedom and come live in our small homes in a cage. We just take them. The least we could do is know enough about them to treat them right.

--Lacey Hoyer, lacey_brooke@hotmail.com

Look for an update on Petco's animal-care troubles in California in the September-October issue of ParrotChronicles.com. --Editor

Will we ever be print?
Are you ever going to have a newsstand magazine? This is a darn great magazine and I am sure a lot of people would come forward.

--Lisa, New Orleans

A print version of ParrotChronicles.com is not planned at the moment - but we love being asked! --Editor

Blind parrots
I'm adopting a blind Nanday conure next week, and was searching the Web for information on the care of blind parrots. Happily, I found your site, and you are now bookmarked. Do you have any articles, info or links addressing blind parrots?

--Roberta Carr, San Diego

In Perfectly lovable (March-April 2004), owners of blind and other handicapped parrots share some tips on care. Good luck with your conure. --Editor

Making your own toys
I just wanted to tell you what a great article Cher Angelo wrote concerning making your own bird toys. (Roll your own bird toys, January-February 2003.) I have a Congo African grey and I've balked at paying those ridiculous prices for toys, so I made my own, too. I'm fairly creative and enjoy watching Tommy play with my latest creation. You've given me some great ideas for more toys and I just wanted to thank you. I'm on disability and home all day, and playing with Tommy ( and my yellow Lab ) is very therapeutic for me.

--Michael in New Jersey

A suggestion for Marguerite
She forgot one very important job our cockatoos do (What are birds good for?, A Bird in the Hand, May-June 2004). That is house renovation. How much could one save by having your bird remove all the molding from your living room before laying that new carpet?

--Vanessa, owned by Holly, a lesser sulfer-crested cockatoo.

ParrotChronicles.com

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