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Popcorn Balls

Here is a sweet treat to make and give to your bird. Popcorn balls are easy and fun, roll them small to use in foraging toys. Even mixing seeds in creates a unique foraging opportunity because your bird will have to pick them out!

Ingredients

8 cups popped popcorn = 1/4 cup unpopped kernels
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp cold water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup mini marshmallows
butter or shortening for hands
*nuts, dried fruit, pellets, seed…

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the corn syrup, cold water, sugar and marshmallows.

2. Stir until the mixture is combined and syrupy. Carefully pour the hot mixture into a large bowl containing the popcorn, stirring to coat each piece. Chopped nuts, dried fruit, and even their seed mix or pellets can be added.

3. Lightly coat hands with vegetable shortening or butter and quickly shape the coated popcorn into 1″-2″ balls.

4. Wrap with cellophane or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

TIP! For popping plain popcorn, pour the ¼ cup of kernels into a brown paper bag and fold the open end up a few times and tape closed. Place the folded side up, and place into your microwave. Set it for about 3-4 minutes; time will vary by microwave, so listen for 3-5 second intervals between popping. It is better to undercook it than to burn it. Even if there are unpopped kernels in the bag, don’t worry, the birds can eat those too! (Make sure to pick them out though if you want some popcorn balls for yourself).

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Foraging

Any bird lover can tell you that parrots are smart, some say they can have the intelligence of a 2 year old. Help exercise your bird’s mind by creating foraging opportunities for them. When parrots are given a full bowl of seeds or pellets daily, they don’t have to “work” and can become bored or lazy. This can lead to free time for screaming, feather picking, food throwing, or other undesirable behaviors. In the wild, parrots can spend between 4 – 8 hours a day foraging. This includes looking and climbing for food, ripping up plants, bark, and grasses for grains and seeds, tearing into a ripe fruit or a nut, and more!

There are many ways to provide enrichment; one of the simplest is offering fresh food. Not only is it good for them, but a wide variety will allow them to experience many different tastes and textures. If your bird is already fed fresh foods, offer it different ways. Chunks of food can be slid onto a stainless steel hanging skewer, where they will have to figure out how to access it as well as eat from it.

For parrots that need something more stimulating, there are many toys that encourage puzzle solving and item manipulation.

Many foraging toys and activities can be made at home. If you have an extra hang-on bowl, place a treat inside and position it in a different area of the cage everyday so your bird must find it. Food and treats can also be wrapped in packets of paper or paper cups to allow for more food finding opportunities.

There are many more foraging toys available; we can help you pick out an appropriate one for your bird. If you have pictures of your bird enjoying a foraging toy, or any foraging ideas that your bird loves, send us an e-mail.

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Keeping Your Bird Outside

Summer is approaching quickly, and many parrot owners are taking advantage of our Southern
California climate and leaving their birds outside for fresh air and sunshine.

It is important to keep your bird safe outside, so here are some tips:

– Always supervise your bird if left outside on a stand or perch. Many urban predators like cats, dogs, and even wild birds of prey will take advantage and injure an unattended parrot.

– Even better, keep a small cage for outside use, that way it can be locked and provide added security, whether it is from strangers, or if your bird is full-flight or an escape artist!

– Choose an outside location with partial shade so the bird doesn’t overheat, and avoid taking them out on extremely hot days. Food and water should always be provided.

Many bird enthusiasts in the area also keep aviaries where the birds are outside year round. This is a great time to start acclimating birds to the changing temperatures. Begin by taking them outside in the morning when it is warming up, and bringing them in before dark. Every few days, keep them outside an extra hour or two until they have adjusted. The longer you can acclimate your bird the better. On extra cold, windy, or rainy nights, if you don’t have the ability of transporting your birds inside, make sure they are sheltered from the elements by using tarps, plastic siding, shade cloth, or blankets. If you live in a different state or area, check with other sources to make sure your aviary is set-up adequately for your different weather conditions.

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Healthy Parrot Pasta

This is a fast, easy recipe that has a lot of color, flavor, and different textures to encourage birds to eat healthy.

It is also very flexible; the ratios of beans to vegetables to pasta can be changed to accommodate individual tastes. Pictured below is equal parts beans to vegetables and a third part pasta. Keep in mind, 2-3 cans of beans will make a very large batch, but is only recommended to add more variety to the mix. One can of a single type of bean is great too.

    Ingredients

•1-3 cans of various beans (red kidney, garbanzo, white cannellini, black beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas)
•1 bag frozen vegetable mix (may include corn, carrot, peas, green beans, lima beans, bell peppers, and more)
•Pasta of choice (wheat pasta or vegetable pastas are great for this recipe)
•Tomato marinara optional

    Directions

1. Begin by bringing a pot of water to a boil. (One large enough to accommodate all ingredients.)

2. Add in dry pasta, it will require the longest cooking time. Usually 9-13 minutes depending on the type.

3. Measure the frozen vegetable mix into a strainer and briefly run hot water over it before adding it into the boiling pasta to keep the cooking time minimal. The frozen vegetables usually require 6-8 minutes to be fully soft.

4. Open the beans and pour them into a strainer and thoroughly rinse them. Add them to the cooking pasta and vegetables. They will only need about 3-5 minutes of boiling, enough to heat them up as canned beans are already fully cooked.

5. Added in this order, everything should be done by the time the pasta has completely cooked. Strain the cooked mixture, let cool, and serve! Freeze leftovers for an easy, quick treat later that takes only a minute or two to re-warm.

Optional: Place the cooled serving into a sealable container. Add a 1-2 teaspoons of tomato marinara and close the lid tightly. Shake for a light, even coating of marinara over the whole mixture. Sometime this can encourage picky eaters to eat their vegetables.