Posted on by

The High “Five”

A fun trick to teach your parrot is the high “five” (or four…)! You will only need a small T-stand and your bird’s favorite treats.

Prepare a few small treats in your non-signaling hand. Place your bird on the T stand and approach your bird as you would to “step-up” (this will be your signaling hand). As it raises its foot, vocalize a key word like “gimme 5”, “high 5”, etc., and open your signaling hand to a flat position with your palm facing out at your bird like a high five. Try to touch your palm to your parrot’s foot, and right after contact, offer the treat prepared in your other hand. Initially you will want to reward any small movement. As the response time improves, you can tighten up the action and start rewarding the foot-lifting when it’s higher and ignoring foot lifts that are small.

Remember, birds need breaks too, and sometimes have off-days. Training is best in short segments, occuring frequently rather than long sessions.

TIP: When teaching tricks to parrots, it is helpful to have a verbal AND a visual cue.

Posted on by

Tents

In the wild, parrots typically do not build their own nests- instead they find empty cavities in logs or trees to nest in. Because they seek out small, dark spaces for security, many owners like to offer tents for their birds. Tents are quite popular with parrotlets, lovebirds, lineolated parrots, conures, and some larger parrots. They come in different shapes, sizes, and materials; some are long, tube-like, and open at both ends, while others are triangular, or only have 1 opening.

Many larger parrots will think a tent is a toy and tear them up quickly instead of using them! But, even the little birds will chew holes in their tents so it is important to check them frequently for holes and loose threads, both of which can be hazardous.

Posted on by

Halfmoon Conures

Halfmoon conures are small conures from Mexico to Central America, ranging from 8.5 to 9 inches overall. While similar in size to Greencheek conures, they look quite different. In fact, they look very similar to Peach-fronted conures, but you will notice a variation in their beak color. Halfmoon conures will have a tan colored upper mandible (like a crescent moon!), and the Peach-fronted conures have all black beaks.

Although primarily green- they have a striking orange cap and shades of blue on the head, tail, and on the primary feathers of their wings. The males and females will look similar and a DNA test is recommended to determine gender.

In general, conures are not known for their talking ability, but these small conures can pick up a medium-sized vocabulary. They are also playful, curious, and interactive with their owners. When excited, they can make loud noises but they are not typically as loud as the larger Aratinga conures such as Sun conures, or Jenday conures.

The lifespan of a Halfmoon conure is approximately 24-30 years. They should be fed a pellet-based diet along with a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, and seeds as treats.

Posted on by

Kung Pao “Fried” Rice

An easy-to-make, healthy recipe, with a variety of vegetables, protein, and grain. Try doubling the recipe to prepare a large batch which can be separated into portions and frozen for convenient re-heat-able meals.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp unsalted peanuts
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup peas (or chopped snap / snow peas)
  • 1/4 cup carrot (shredded or diced)
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and minced)
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

    • Directions:

    1. Cook rice according to package directions. (This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice!)
    2. In a small bowl, crack 2 eggs and scramble with a fork.
    3. Chop the peanuts to a size appropriate for your bird. For large birds, leave them whole or halved.
    4. Prepare the other ingredients, such as washing a dicing the carrot, washing and chopping the snow or snap peas if using them in the pod, and peeling and mincing the ginger.
    5. Place a large pan on the stove and set to low-medium. Add the carrots, peas, peanuts, ginger, and pepper flakes to warm and slightly cook for a minute.
    6. Add the egg to the pan and use a wooden spoon to push the mixture around as it cooks. When egg pieces start to form, add in the cooked rice and stir well to finish cooking all the egg.
    7. Let cool and use the sesame seeds to sprinkle on top!