ParrotChronicles.com

November-December 2004, Issue 19

Clicking with your bird. Clicker training, the concept of using a small plastic device - or your voice - to teach an animal to perform tricks, can help you develop a great relationship with your parrot.

Call of Guyana. Nancy Cullity fell in love with Guyana and its wild parrots. Now her husband and Boston bird sanctuary Foster Parrots hope to honor her memory by protecting the country's endangered birds.

Stop picking at that! If he just can't keep his beak off those stitches, your bird may need one: the dreaded lampshade. Here's what to look for in a good Elizabethan collar.

Product review: My Weigh i2500 and Sterling Professional Avian Scale Kit. Weighing your bird is a vital part of keeping him healthy. You can make this chore easier by investing in a high-quality scale.

A Bird in the Hand. Parrots do more than give you a taste of nature right in your own home. They open the door to all sorts of other kinds of wildlife.

The Net is a big place. Let the Product Finder help you find what you're looking for.

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Bird clubs. Meet fellow owners.

Bird rescue groups. Adopt a bird in need of a good home.

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.

"Curious" reactions
Just wanted to drop you a line and thank you for your wonderful editorial on Howard Voren's speech at the 2004 convention of the American Federation of Aviculture (A curious kind of logic, In My Opinion, September-October 2004). I wasn't there, but a colleague of mine was. Thank you for calling him out on the ridiculous claims he made in his speech. I'm sure you know that your editorial stirred something up in the avicultural community, and I'm sure that you will be getting lots of hate mail about this, but know that the avian welfare community does support you and thanks you for standing up for the birds.

--Becky Margison, Avian Protection Society, www.avianprotectionsociety.org

A friend and I attended the Howard Voren session, totally unaware of what was going to occur. We sat there, aghast at the venom. There was no question-and-answer period. The title of the session ("The Myth of the Maladjusted Parrot") was misleading. I felt duped. I thought it would be about strategies that would help a parrot (and human) work through behavior issues. Later, when I was going to another session, one of Mr. Voren's supporters and a presenter, while directing conventioneers, made several dereogatory remarks to me about Ms. Blanchard, right outside the door of her room. Thank you for writing a response to this unfortunate display.

--Susan D. Latham, San Francisco

Voren's speech was beyond ignorant. He, as well as most of the breeding community, truly believe his statement that the bird overpopulation crisis is a lie. They don't want to know the truth, just as the world didn't want to know the truth of the millions of dogs and cats slaughtered every year for lack of a home. And they still don't want to know. The reality is that parrots are now being slaughtered not only for the lack of homes, but also for the exotic beauty they are cherished for. Don't believe me? Check it out at www.theangryparrot.org. Keep on breeding these lies and birds, Voren, but be aware that each baby may end up on a cold stainless steel table feeling the prick of a needle, the last thing they will feel before they are pushed into a body bag and tossed in the freezer.

--Tami Myers, The Angry Parrot Inc.

There are three points I need to comment on.

You write, "Many different people spoke on a wide variety of topics, including Sally Blanchard, whom I understand did not spend the majority of her time at the podium attacking Voren." The truth is that I didn't spend any time whatsoever attacking Mr. Voren. Actually I never mentioned his name in either of my programs. Nor did I make any references about him that one would believe were in discussion of him as an individual. In my first program I talked about a desperate need for a middle ground in aviculture and where I thought that aviculture had failed the parrots. I presented my opinion about the deplorable "production ethics" that some parrot breeders employ ... " If the shoe fits, wear it. This was also what I discussed in the panel where Mr. Voren became extremely vitriolic in his attack on my beliefs about parrot concerns. In my second program I talked about behavior.

Except for a brief mention of one of his statements, I am not disputing Mr. Voren's statements in my editorial in the next issue of the Companion Parrot Quarterly. I do not believe in giving someone with his extreme beliefs credibility. The editorial in the next issue is about the American Federation of Aviculture, the "Avicultural Rights Fanatics." It is about their paranoia, denial, name calling, and the mistaken belief that anyone who doesn't believe what they believe is an "animal rights fanatic." It is about how these avicultural rights fanatics have failed parrots. It also explains that I believe the moderate people will never succeed in changing the AFA - especially now that PetCo is sponsoring the AFA magazine. For over 25 years I have tried to make the point that the AFA's concern is about protecting the "rights" of the collector/breeder and has little or nothing to do with the quality of parrot care and welfare.

Mr. Voren's attacks and rudeness were by no means the only ones I experienced at the AFA convention. I consider these attacks to be absolute evidence that I am making a difference - these people would not be so concerned about me if I did not present a threat to them. However, I was extremely fortunate to be able to spend time with several supportive people who clearly represent a much more middle ground. I think they are the majority within the AFA yet the more extreme people are unfortunately the ones who continue to make the policy.

--Sally Blanchard, Companion Parrot Quarterly, www.companionparrot.com/

It certainly sounds like you have been brainwashed by ARFs and missed the points Howard was making in his talks. That's too bad. His points were right on the mark.

--Lisa McManus, International Conure Association, www.afabirds.org, Rocky Mountain Society of Aviculture

Shower perches and the Wingdow
A few months ago I bought one of the suction-cupped perches reviewed in your September-October 2004 issue (The Wingdow Seat - a good idea, if pricey), at a pet store in Belfast, Maine. I don't know for sure if it was "Polly's," but it looks almost exactly the same, if larger and more expensive ($29.95 instead of $19.95). I love the perch and (once he got used to it) my Congo African grey does, too. I stick it to my car window he can take rides in the car with me, to a full-length mirror bolted to the wall in my art studio so my bird can watch me paint, and have also adhered it to my shower tile a few times successfully. I have never had to use the oil trick to get the suction cups to stick, but I do wiggle it around a bit before he steps onto it and I always check to make sure the perch is perpendicular to the surface to insure balance. I think it's a great product and I wonder if the reviewer would have been happier if she'd tried the larger version.

--Melani

I made my own shower perch, a piece of wooden dowel (sized for our Meyer's) and two large suction cups attached on each end with small brass wood screws (won't rust) all purchased from a local hardware store. I designed it to fit into the corner of our acrylic shower unit. It has never fallen, it is simple and inexpensive to make at around 4 dollars. I enjoy ParrotChronicles.com - great reading.

--Peter Lombardo, Marlborough, Conn.

Thanks for the great review. We absolutely love our Wingdow. We have a van and drive down to Arizona each year, then back to visit relatives in Las Cruces and Fort Worth. We love to take our white-front Amazon, Hahn's macaw, and Quaker with us, but it is so hard with a carrier. The Wingdow stays up in the van window and they love to watch everything go by. It also shields them from the wind.

--Suzanne Wadas

Some eucalyptus okay
I was surprised to see eucalyptus listed as a toxic plant. Many exotics live and thrive in various types of eucalyptus. Please research this plant as you will find there are over five hundred varieties and of those 11 are edible. Cockatoos, cockatiels, and budgies live in them. Many South American species also live in eucalyptus and do very well.

--Melissa White

You're right. Eucalyptus should be on both lists - toxic and nontoxic. According to Dr. James Harris, author of ParrotChronicles.com's Ask Dr. Harris column, eucalyptus got a bad rep years ago when it was sold as nesting material. The shredded plant invited the growth of aspergillus spores and birds died from mold infections. So it's still not a good choice for bedding, no matter what the variety, but eucalyptus should not be written off entirely. Ask your veterinarian if the eucalyptus in your area is safe to give to your bird. --Editor

Charlie helped
I just read an article about a consultation with Charlie from the Seattle Parrot Market (Tale of two consultations, Summer 2002). The author suggested that Charlie was selling his services at an inflated price and expressed suspicion that he didn't have references from satisfied customers. Sadly, the Seattle Parrot Market has gone out of business, and Charlie now sells popcorn and pretzels near Pike Place Market. I visited him a couple of weeks ago after adopting an umbrella cockatoo with all three of the unholy trinity of behavior problems: screaming, biting, and feather-plucking. For the price of three bags of popcorn and an extra five dollars I gave him "just for the advice," Charlie spoke with me for two hours about my bird's problems. He recommended a diet change, frequent bathing, and certain toys, and said I'd see an improvement in four days. He gave me his cell-phone number and told me to call back if I needed help. Two weeks later, I live with a sweet, cuddly bird who screams no more than normal The aggression has dropped off sharply and he's stopped picking at his feathers. So, here I am, Charlie's satisfied customer. I only wish the Parrot Market were still around.

--Tucker Estron

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