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Perfectly lovable. Handicapped birds 
make great pets, capable of giving and receiving just as much love as the "perfect" parrot. All they need is a chance.
Return of the blue and gold. Colorful 
macaws once again fly the skies of the island of Trinidad, thanks to one woman's determination.
Is laser surgery for the birds? Faster, cleaner 
and less painful than the scalpel, the laser has become a life-saving tool for vets - especially those who treat birds.
A Bird in the Hand. You talkin' to me? 
Because my parrots sure aren't. Despite my whistling the Andy Griffith theme song approximately 5,328,412 times.
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Lovebirds fall foul of avian flu fears
From CNN.com
Churchill's daughter says 104-year-old parrot not her father's
From Ananova
Do you have what it takes to be a rescuer?
From ASPCA Animal Watch
'Telepathic' parrot sparks rethink
From Ananova
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Bird clubs. Meet fellow owners.
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Avian veterinarians. Don't wait until a medical emergency to find a good vet.
Parrot index. Read about the different species.
FAQ. How to care for your parrot.
Hazards. How to make your home safe for your bird.
Glossary. From blood feather to psittacosis, learn the lingo.
Thanks for aviary tips
I just read about your backyard aviary (A backyard aviary, Winter 2001) that you constructed for your parrots. It was a great story, and it gave me lots of ideas for mine! I plan on having a songbird aviary with finches, parakeets and canaries. I emailed the company that you used for netting to get a quote. Thank you very much for the helpful tips!
--Erin Collins
Birds and natural disasters
What a heart-warming story! (Wildfire!) January-February 2004.) In 1994 I helped rescue 150 breeding birds
in San Luis Obispo county. How wonderful that the local pet stores
helped out. On many bird lists that I subscribe to I had heard about
Baar's birds but didn't know a name or location. It's good hear it had
a happy ending. My birds and I are going through aftershocks from the 6.5 quake in San Simeon, Calif., on Dec. 22. One of my African greys has started to
pluck again. I am overindulging her with almonds in the shell, hoping to distract her. I do enjoy the ParrotChronicles so much.
--Debi Schmitt
I know what it is like when disaster happens and people have to evacuate with their companion animals. Sometimes the animals get left behind and that is when we step in. I am with our local Emergency Services Disaster Agency chapter and I help with the animal disaster rescue plan for our county, and unfortunately it had to be activated last May 2003 when tornadoes went through our communities. The stress that people feel when they do not know what to do with their beloved pets is heartbreaking. We are trying to organize a program for the public on animal disaster plans: what to do, what to have ready to go, and the contacts for help. Please keep up the good work educating people about how to care for their birds (and all pets), in good times and during emergencies.--Tammy Hanley, Central Illinois
We enjoyed the article on our efforts to help out with Nancy's parrots. We'd like to recognize all the organizations and people who helped out with time or donations to this effort. Caring for 44 displaced, frightened and fully flighted parrots is no small task. Every little bit of aid was a Godsend. Thanks to the following for their donations of cages, food, dishes or toys: Bird Crazy on Clairmont Mesa Blvd., Our Feathered Friends, the San Diego Pet and Animal Supply on Federal Blvd., members of the Parrot Rehabilitation Society, and members of the Ridgeview Neighborhood Association, all in San Diego. Also the El Cajon Animal Shelter, who delivered food donated by the public; Walmart off Aero Dr. and in Santee, for donated food and an air purifier, and Sabrina for the two three-tier cages and food.--Guy and Adrienne Mock, San Diego
Review 'misses the mark'
Your review of the Pet Pocket Bird Carrier (Pet Pocket carrier is not for the birds, January-February 2004) completely missed the mark. The current Pet Pocket is not intended for use with an Amazon, cockatoo, or any other of the birds mentioned in your review. It is only intended for use with cockatiels, quakers, Senegals, Hahn's mini-macaws, and other birds of a similar size. I have been selling them for six months now at bird fairs around the midwest. I sell responsibly. I always ask the purchaser what bird she is buying it for and I won't sell it if she wants to try to stuff a big bird like an Amazon into it. Global Pet Products told me that due to popular demand they intend to come out this spring with a larger, sturdier model sized for an African grey. Please pull that review. It's negative because the reviewer was trying to do something with the Pet Pocket for which it was never intended. That's not fair.
--Cliff Patterson, The Baby Bird Farm, Rockford, Ill.
The Pet Pocket Bird Carrier earned an unfavorable review primarily because of its flimsy construction, not because it does not comfortably accommodate anything larger than a parakeet or cockatiel, although that is a drawback, too. (Global Pet Products' Web site misleads a bit on the size issue. The company advertises the carrier for small and medium sizes. The latter suggests the carrier will accommodate a mid-size species such as a small cockatoo or Amazon.) Even small birds deserve a safe enclosure. In our opinion, the Pet Pocket Bird Carrier does not provide that. --Editor
Dana Wilson's review of the Pet Pocket Bird Carrier was excellent. I have an African grey and have been looking into bird carriers myself. I have to admit the Pet Pocket did not impress me, either. Please consider reviewing the Poco Pack, found at www.simplyparrots.com. While it is more expensive than the Pet Pocket, it seems to be worth it judging by the description.--Liana, Houston
Petco's bird adoption days
I am thrilled that Mickaboo has decided to take on the responsibility of joining with a major chain to help. What it all comes down to is that people will always buy birds on whim, for show, or for their momentary entertainment. Refusing to get involved because we don't agree with this is cutting off our nose to spite our face. I have long said instead of criticizing and re-quoting the problem we who do know different need to be a part of the solution. Kudos to Petco and Mickaboo!
--Janet Henson, Dallas
While your article is interesting, this was not the first bird adoption fair held at a Petco. The nonprofit Wilson Parrot Foundation, dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and eventual adoption of neglected, abandoned and abused parrots, held a Parrot Adoption Day at the Alexandria, Va., Petco on Nov. 8, a second one Dec. 7 and a third Jan. 24. At the first event we were able to adopt out a lovely Congo African Grey that had been at the rescue for over a year. So far, both he and his new family (human and birds) are getting along marvelously.The Alexandria Petco is different from many others. The manager has 10 birds, many of them rescues, and has an employee dedicated to supervising bird feedings and care, including play time with humans. When their previous supplier sent unweaned baby birds, both the manager and bird specialist took babies home with them to ensure they were fed. I have to say, this store is really something else.
Just wanted to set things straight.
--Amy Lane, Wilson Parrot Foundation
I just read the story about the bird adoptions at Petco in San Bruno - that is wonderful. We, too, have been working with Petco here in the northeast. Stores in Nashua, N.H., Burlington, Mass., and Woburn, Mass., have put up signs urging customers to consider adopting instead of buying. I go in twice a month with a few birds, as well as a few dogs.--Ellen Schloss, Beaks and Noses, Inc., Billerica, Mass.
No matter how much Petco attempts to clean up their disgustingly tarnished image it will not atone for the all the neglect and cruelty the birds, in every store that sells them, have had to endure. I used to work as an avian specialist in one of the Petco stores before I understood what they were about - and the bottm line for them is profit. One Senegal died from an "unknown source" which I tracked down via the necropsy report to Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease. Did they shut down the bird facilities and sterilize, and test remaining birds or ever inform individuals of recent bird purchases of the gravity of the situation? No. Petco did nothing. This chain must cease selling all live animals and it deserves to suffer monetarily, the only pain they seem to understand.--Jtaprato22@aol.com
I'm a bird lover with seven parrots who was amazed to talk to a Petco staffer considered the store's "bird expert." I thought she would be knowledgeable about birds. Boy, was I wrong. We talked for 45 minutes and when I left, she said, "Thanks for the valuable info." I actually educated her about birds. I've had similar conversations with other Petco and Petsmart staff. It breaks my heart to see Petco and Petsmart sell baby birds because I know they are not telling the potential owners what to expect. I see birds for sale in my local paper (Austin, Texas) every week because people just didn't know what they are getting into. Most are two- and three-year-old cockatoos.--Holly Fedor
My husband and I stopped buying our parakeet's supplies at both Petco and PetsMart a long time ago. The cages were usually dirty and the birds didn't look healthy. In fact, most pet stores that sell birds treat them like dirt. When our bird needs food, we usually buy her seed at Wal-Mart or the local food store. When she dies, we will go to a private breeder to buy another bird - never at a pet store like we have done in the past. I wish all bird lovers would boycott pet stores that do not take care of their birds. Complaining to customer service about conditions at stores like Petco does not help. They don't call you back.--Nancy Davidson, Des Plaines, Ill.
We would like to address some comments made in the article by Don Cowan, Petco’s director of public relations. He said that parrot rescue groups that refuse to work with Petco unless it plays entirely by their rules stand in the way of progress. He cited one organization that would not allow Petco representatives to tour its facility. "We have a vendor certification program," he said. "We do surprise inspections. Why should rescues be any different? Don't we have a right to see the animals they'll be presenting in our stores?" Surely Mr. Cowan is referring to Foster Parrots Limited. We invited the local regional and district Petco managers to visit, although it was not to allow them to view the animals as merchandise as the above statement reflects. Rather it was to provide Petco with proof that indeed there is an overpopulation of unwanted parrots. We also expressed a grave concern at the time of the use of covered water dishes, we feel that these covered crocks pose a serious threat of drowning a bird. This concern was ignored. Recently we met with representatives of PetsMart and invited them to tour our sanctuary. Although PetsMart is just as responsible for the overpopulation of parrots as Petco is and we have just as many complaints against this chain, they have had the common courtesy of replying to our concerns. PetsMart Charities' decision to conduct a survey into the bird relinquishment problem is a step in the right direction. Although holding adoption clinics at pet stores that sell parrots is against our beliefs, Mickaboo is educating people on the need for adoption and proper care of birds, two things sorely needed to prevent relinquishment. Education can be conducted in any number of ways, and Mickaboo and Foster Parrots merely have different ways of going about it. We applaud their efforts.--Tami Myers and Mary Margison, Foster Parrots Ltd.
I hope that Mickaboo Cockatiel Rescue will continue working with Petco despite criticism from other parrot rescue groups. We need to promote parrot adoptions and educate potential owners on the overall care of parrots, including their environmental and social requirements. Corporations like Petco and PetsMart have the means to reach people and shape attitudes of pet owners so that all pets will benefit. The general population perceives the pet store giants as experts in all aspects of pet care for parrots, dogs, cats, pocket pets, reptiles, fish and other marine life. As parrot ownership increases in popularity so does the probability that these wonderful, long-lived creatures will experience the devastating scenario that our dog and cat population is going through right now. The only way that the animals we have domesticated to live in our world have any hope of realizing the quality of life they deserve is for human animals to work together to make it so. There can be profit in doing the right thing; people can make a living doing the right thing.--Mary McKee, Liberty, S.C.
Taking time to grieve speeds healing
You may recall Ralston, our little budgie who was your "case study" for your insurance article. (Who will pay the vet bill for birds?) Ralston died rather suddenly this past Friday due to gastrointestinal problems. I wanted to share with you what we did to work through our grief. Bill built these Web pages, and together we waited a couple of days to bury her, opting for a "home viewing" with a memorial of things she loved. It would not have occurred to me to do this had I not encountered through my hospice work the efforts of a Petaluma woman to help people prepare home funerals. There is no reason people can't do something similar for pets. We buried Ralston with some of her favorite toys today on the hill in the back yard and planted a jade plant, her color, over her grave. It was very healing to spend time with our little pet.
--Christine Okon, San Francisco
Parrots aren't the problem
The title of this article (The Parrot Problem, November-December 2003) is grossly incorrect. It should read "The People Problem." While quoting this person and that study might impress most, not I. Anyone can find something or someone with a title that will say what you want to hear. The real problem is training and education. I have done numerous behavior and nutritional modifications to a number of abandoned and abused companion parrots, and educated the new adoptive families on how to properly co-exist with these marvelous and intelligent creatures. I know it is human nature to dwell on the negative 10 percent versus the positive 90 percent, but let's try to sell a little more positive, shall we, Mira?
--Guy Mock, San Diego
Foster Parents wrote in your January-February Mailbag: "Birds can destroy furniture, scream incessantly, and have been known to frequently send people to the hospital due to physical attacks. The bottom line is: these are displaced wild animals that simply do not belong in captivity..." While I do believe there is a problem with unwanted parrots, I feel sorry for the people at Foster Parrots. Anybody who has developed a successful relationship with a companion parrot would never write this. It is a little bit like the person who never finds love and loses their belief in the power of love. The problem with parrots in captivity is not inherent in the nature of the animal itself but in how we husband them. If your parrot is not working out in your household, it's time to take a step back and ask yourself, "Am I providing a good diet? Am I giving him the opportunity to fly and exercise? Am I keeping this animal in a perceived safe and comfortable place?" The truth is there is a silent majority of people out there who are learning how to properly care for these animals and are thankful for the quality of life the relationship allows both parties, bird and human. My family has had an incredible and successful relationship with companion parrots for over 13 years. There has not been a day that I have regretted having these animals in my life.--Mona Delgado
Parrots and Paris in 'The Seedful Life'
Marguerite Floyd is too, too funny! (Paris thinks it's tough milking cows?, A Bird in the Hand, January-February 2004). I've had some of my own little ideas for a reality show, but could never put them into words quite like she does. Thanks for a wonderful laugh to start my day.
--Bellehillarabian@wmconnect.com
Excellent! Absolutely excellent! I laughed so hard while reading this story that my co-workers thought I had lost my marbles! Your spoof of "The Simple Life" was great and look forward to more of your writings.
--Liisa Befrene, The Toronto Parrot Club
When Paris gets out of the hospital, she can sit my birds next. I really want her to meet Jake the Senegal whose mission in life is to eradicate all humans who come too close to his cage. Your column was hilarious, and you aren't the only one who sees how bogus those reality shows are. Keep up the good work!--Ellen in North Carolina
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