in your flock holiday issue 2012

Inaugural

Holiday

Issue

November 2012

TEAM VOLUNTEERS

AT BEST FRIENDSPG. 12

Travel Safely 24Calcium Matters 10Can I Deduct That? 21Make it with Pumpkin 28Watch Birdie Language 19

In This Issue

Inaugural Holiday Issue

In Your Flock ~ 3

ARTICLES

DEPARTMENTS

Volunteerism HelpsMore Than Birdsby Sandy Lender

i erent Birds a it i erentlLearn to watch the body languageof various parrot speciesby Lisa A. Bono, ACPBC

edu t omethin i eby In Your Flock Staff

e orate a elby Sandy Lender

Have Bird, Will Travelby Emily Trimnal, PIJAC

Avian InsuranceWhile options are few, policygives owners options if you plan aheadby Sandy Lender

12

5 Editor’s NoteThen Came the Day...9 Adopt MeParrotlet Bernie10 Bright EyesAvoid Calcium Overload20 Snowball the Dancing CockatooTM

27 E-mail from ParkerLater28 From Petri’s KitchenPumpkin Balls for Parrots30 Parrot Products31 Parrot ReviewsLife with Alex, a memoir32 HHIW—Foraging Wheel34 Resource Directory

19

21

22

24

26

Harley is a 23-year-old double yellow headed Amazon. Photo courtesy of Lisa A. Bono

Sydney displays body behavior that says he’s

ready for rest. Photo courtesy of Lisa A. Bono

Bernie’s lookingfor a new home.

Information

How to Navigate In Your FlockOur DepartmentsYou’ll know you’re reading a regular department when you see the In Your Flock feather on the page or spread. Also referred to as columns, the regular departments in this publication include:

You May Have Heard—news bitesAdopt Me—the month’s featured adoptable bird*Bright Eyes—avian health-related topicsFrom Petri’s Kitchen—parrot and softbill recipesE-mail from Parker—Patricia Sund of Parrot NationTM and Park-er entertain with their (mis)communicationsSnowball the Dancing CockatooTM—cartoonParrot Products—new or favorite items for birdsParrot Reviews—books, movies, websites for parrot enthusiastsHere’s How it Works (HHIW)—in-depth look at parrot products

Keep watching our pages! We have a few more fantasticdepartments in the works to share as the page-count grows.

4 ~ November 2012 ~ www.InYourFlock.com

If you have an article to sub-mit to In Your Flock, we’d love to hear from you. First, send an e-mail to publisher@inyour-

ock.com with the following:1. your general idea or topic;2. approx how many sources/experts you think you can include in the article;3. approx how many high resolution pictures you can provide with the article; and4. what credentials you have as a) an authority on your topic and b) a journalist.

You can see our editorial calendar with deadlines at h ps://www.inyour ock.com/whos-in-your- ock/editori-al-calendar/

Take note: Your next issue ar-rives in January 2013. We hope you have a lovely holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

* If you’re an owner or manager of a rescue with a parrot (or other companion bird) ready for a long-term home, contact us at publish-er inyour ock.com to see if we can place him or her in the Adopt Me department.

November 2012 ~ Vol. 1 No. 1

In Your Flock is proud to be aFellow Member

of World Parrot Trust.

1242 SW Pine Island RoadSuite 42-404

Cape Coral, FL 33991-2126Publisher

Sandy Lender Ink, [email protected]

Associate PublisherJoe Dougherty

[email protected]

EditorSandy Lender

[email protected]

Advisory BoardNancy Speed, President

American Federation of Aviculturewww.afabirds.org

Dr. Kirk S. Andazola, DVMCoral Veterinary Clinic

http://CoralVetClinic.com

Ann Brooks, President, FounderPhoenix Landing

www.PhoenixLanding.orgIn Your Flock magazine and InYour-Flock.com are intended for educa-tional and networking purposes. The magazine is published 12 times a year by Sandy Lender Ink, Inc., Cape Coral, Fla. The opinions expressed by experts in the publication are not necessarily those of Sandy Lender Ink or its affili-ates. The information presented herein is not meant to replace the expertise of your on-site avian veterinarian. As always, if you believe your companion parrot may be ill, you are advised to take him to your avian veterinarian for examination. In Your Flock magazine staff members cannot vet the breeding sites that may advertise in the mag-azine pages nor the rescues that may request funds, thus we encourage readers to research facilities prior to spending money or donating to new/unknown vendors/entities.

In Your Flock ~ 5

Editor’s Note

Then Came the Day...Different people develop different skill sets. In my guest post on Patricia Sund’s Parrot NationTM recently, I stated that I don’t have the moxy it takes to open and run a parrot rescue, but I’ve got the background to publish a parrot magazine. What started out as an idea for a conservation and aviary owner resource morphed into an all-out magazine for anything a parrot enthusiast might need. It got scary for a while. I wondered where the start-up capital would come from. It takes a lot of sweat equity, too. The computer on which I type this note, had it any anthropomorphic qualities, would ask to be returned to the store from whence it came. Someone playing World of Warcraft 24/7 would make a better owner. For one, he wouldn’t have parrots pecking at the nifty built-in web cam... What made me add a painful work-week to my current editing schedule? Simply put: the birds. I love each member of my flock. My sun conure taught me the meaning of unconditional love. He is the sunshine in my day. I’ve met “bird people” both online and in real life who love their birds the way I love mine. But that’s not why you risk starting a magazine. We have a responsibility to the birds in our care, to the wild birds in the natural habitats around the world and to the captive birds who have found themselves in need of new homes to learn more about them and to share that knowledge with one another. There’s a revolving door of information called social media that can pose a danger to the feathered friends in our homes when we don’t vet that incoming information with clear thinking. Not every website administrator is a journalist or public rela-tions professional. Not every facebook group moderator under-stands the concept of primary sources. Not every blogger quotes three independent resources within articles he posts. Heck, that kind of stuff doesn’t show up in half the editorial candidates I interview for jobs these days. For something as important as companion parrot health and happiness, for something as important as habitat conservation and the end of the wild parrot pet trade, for something as import-ant as helping rescues and sanctuaries get birds into long-term homes, for something as important as ending the loneliness of the neglected parrot alone in someone’s garage we must join together with good journalism practices to report well-researched, current information. We need a place where any member of the avian community can go to get reliable information on any number of topics. That’s why I took the plunge. And that’s why I share this quote from Anais Nin: “Then came the day when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

All my best,Sandy Lender

You May Have Heard...

ZuPreem Recalls ec c ru le rmulas

As you may have seen on the In Your Flock facebook page, ZuPreem®, under parent company Premium Nutrition-al Products, Inc., voluntarily recalled the 11/30/13 and the 11/13 expiration date codes of ZuPreem Medium/Large and Large FruitBlend™ With Nat-ural Fruit Flavors maintenance formula bird foods. ZuPreem initiated the recall because two lots may contain calcium lev-els higher than what is recom-mended. The worry behind an elevat-ed level of calcium is its ratio to phosphorous, according to Dr. Kirk Andazola, a member of In Your Flock’s advisory board. He explained that when the ratio gets out of balance, the bird’s body can create com-pounds that cause the body to

ush calcium out even calci-um that’s in the bones. Check out this month’s Bright Eyes article on page 10. As always, if you suspect any kind of illness in your companion parrot, take her to your avian veterinarian immediately. The recall is limited only to 11/30/13 and 11/13 expiration dates. Consumers are advised to review the back side of packaging for the “Use By” or “Best By” (expiration date) to determine if the product has been a ected by the recall. All ZuPreem channels, including

distributors and retailers, had been noti ed as of ept. 30 of the recall. Each partner had been asked to immediately re-move these products from store shelves. The two recalled lots are 598405052 and 598405072. The lot and expiration dates by sku, and this press release, can be seen at h p //www.zupreem.com/fruitblendvol-untaryrecall. Sources: ZuPreem and Coral Veterinary Clinic

Greys Makecal ere ces

oyal ociety Publishing an-nounced ndings of a study of grey parrots using audito-ry clues to nd food Aug. 8, 2012, in its Proceedings of the Royal Society B that show Afri-can grey parrots making log-ical inferences. In a two-step choice task, six parrots select-ed opaque plastic cans with nuts inside by inferring that

containers shaken by scientists and producing no noise were devoid of a treat. The Royal

ociety reported that the scien-tists were surprised to nd the birds’ performance sensitive to the movement during shaking. If the scientists shook the con-tainers vertically, in a motion resembling head-bobbing, the birds had less success identi-fying which ones were empty. Containers shaken horizontal-ly posed no problem. The paper titled “Grey parrots use inferential reasoning based on acoustic cues alone” is au-thored by Christian chloegl, udith chmidt, Markus Boeck-

le, Brigi e M. Weib and Kurt Kotrschal. In the introduction, they explain that most non-hu-man species have trouble pick-ing out the correct “contain-er” when they can’t “directly perceive” the reward. For this study, the noise during shak-ing lets the non-human par-

Lisa A. Bono’s African grey, idney stares at the camera as if insulted that any scienti c group would need to test his

remarkable abilities.


ticipant perceive where the reward is. When the scientist shakes an empty container, the non-human participant has to make a two-step deduction. It has to deduce that the absence of noise means there would be noise, thus a reward, in the oth-er container. The authors explain that great apes and 3-year-old children can solve the task, although it takes a 4-year-old child to solve the task at adult-like per-formance levels. “Non-human primates repeatedly performed poorly in other acoustic prob-lem-solving tasks as well, even if they had mastered visual versions of the same task.” Then along came the African grey parrot. “ imilar to the great apes and in contrast to all other species tested so far, the grey parrots spontaneous-ly used the presence and the absence of a ra ling noise to deduce the location of hidden food.” As mentioned above, mo-tion played a role in the birds’ success. “Through a series of experiments we found com-pelling evidence for the ability of African grey parrots to use noise created during the shak-ing of containers to detect hid-den food. Even from the very

rst trial, our sub ects could also use the absence of noise in a shaken container to infer that food must be in the other, non-shaken container. uch be-haviour has so far been shown only in the great apes, but not in any other non-human an-imal. Human children solve this task from an age of 3-4 years, and the birds’ success rate was comparable to those of the 3-year-olds. The parrots’ near-perfect rst-trial perfor-mances as well as the results of our control experiments sug-gest that an understanding of the causal properties underly-ing the task is the most likely explanation for the birds’ per-

formance….It is remarkable that these largely experimen-tally naïve parrots solved a task that experimentally expe-rienced monkeys were not able to solve.” As a side note, in the expla-nation of the testing procedure, the authors explain that the birds’ “participation in the ex-periments was voluntary, and the sub ects were free to leave the compartment any time.” Apparently, the monotony of selecting food 12 times in a row got to one participant. “In one case, a bird left the testing com-partment during the session and did not return; the session was terminated and continued on the next day.” To read the entire article, which is a technical, scienti c piece, visit h p //rspb.royal-societypublishing.org/con-tent/279/1745/4135.full. Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences

R GreyThere’s a parrot in Texas who uses her gift of gab to raise money for avian charities. Ein-stein the Talking Texan Parrot sells ring tones on Myxer.com for 1.50 each. All of the pro ts from the sale of the ring tones go to bene t avian organiza-tions involved in rescue, con-servation and research. To do your part, simply go to www.Myxer.com/Einstein-Parrot, select from the 29 ring tones available, and then fol-low the instructions to down-load one directly to your cel-lular phone. The most popular

Einstein ring tone is “Who Let the Dogs Out,” although the In Your Flock editor prefers “The Clean ong.” The more ring tones you download, the more parrots are helped. Every six months, Einstein has a drawing and random-ly chooses an avian organi-zation to receive the money raised from the preceding six months. Currently, ve orga-nizations are signed up to be in the drawing. They are The Alex Foundation, Dee’s Hav-en, Feathered Friends Forever, The Oasis and Wings of Love Bird Haven. You can watch the drawing when it’s posted on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/EinsteinParrot. The win-ner is noti ed via e-mail. If you belong to an avian or-ganization and would like to register to be part of the draw-ings, go to www.EinsteinPar-rot.com/Ringtones.htm to get more information. Source: Ein-stein’s Mom (Marcia Kwarsick)

Pum k Pauc yJust as the media was tell-ing holiday bakers to expect canned pumpkin supplies to recover from shortages in 2009, 2010 and 2011, this summer’s drought in the United tates stops the presses. Pumpkin patches on the East coast that felt the damage of 2011’s Hur-ricane Irene aren’t back in full force and patches planted throughout the Midwest have their share of malformed and stunted plants thanks to too-hot and too-dry conditions. In Europe, the unseasonably

In Your Flock ~ 7

cold weather during pumpkin growing season has left about 40 percent of the pumpkins too green and too small for Jack-o-lantern use. The hope there is that pumpkins will ripen once in stores. The hope everywhere is that what has grown will meet the market demand. Of course, higher demand than supply means higher prices. For a couple of recipes that call on fresh pumpkin rather than canned, check out From Petri’s Kitchen on page 28. Sources: multiple

ConservationistGoes HomeWith a sad heart, we report that Russell Errol Train passed away Sept. 17 at the age of 92 in Bozeman, Md. Train not only received the Presidential Med-al of Freedom and the Public Welfare Medal, he served as the administrator of the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency

from September 1973 to Jan-uary 1977 and was a found-ing director of World Wildlife Fund where he led others in working to protect our planet and the life on it. The current CEO of WWF, Carter Roberts wrote on the WWF site, “Un-doubtedly Russ would pre-fer that we not spend a lot of time mourning his passing. He would want us to redouble our efforts to save the animals and places we care about, to solve the problems of climate change and resource scarcity and to build leadership capaci-ty in those countries where it’s needed most.” Sources: multiple

Rescue Opens in Southwest FloridaThe 501(c)(3) Parrot Outreach Society held its grand opening Sunday, Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its new location of 1105 Taylor Road in Punta Gor-da, Fla. A supportive stream of

more than 100 visitors shared the day with President Pam Hill and Vice President Paul Perez. Bubba’s Bird Toys sold stands and toys with proceeds going toward the rescue’s efforts and visitor Danielle Newel not only won the 50/50 raffle that afternoon, she also donated her winnings back to the rescue. A spokesperson for the rescue shared that “We had numerous people take applica-tions home and we are looking forward to seeing how many are returned and will lead to adoptions.” With the opening of the new adoption center, Parrot Out-reach Society is giving the birds in their care more opportunity to meet potential new families as well as carrying the basic needs of toys, food, play stands, free grooming services and eventually cages. “All money raised through the sales of mer-chandise goes right back into the rescue to care for the birds. We are volunteer-run and have no paid employees.” U

Sunny is an adorable sun conure who’s had three own-ers in his short life because the economy keeps getting in the way of a happy home. He waits at Parrot Outreach Society for a new owner to come bond with him. Below, Bubba’s Bird Toys donated proceeds from its day to the Parrot Outreach Society.

Adopt Me

Private Owner: BernieThe Adopt Me department of In Your Flock is designed to bring loving, long-term homes and adoptable parrots together. While the intent is to have rescues work hand-in-hand with In Your Flock sta members to highlight gorgeous parrots for placement with new homes, this rst edition has a special li le friend who hit our radar in an une pected way. Meet Bernie.

“I am sure there must be someone out there who would give him more than I can.”

Name: Berniee : unsure

Hatch Date: unsureAppr Age: Food: Roudybush mini with cockatiel seeds, nuts, fruit and fresh veggies dailyDisposition: happy; gets overe cited when he comes out of his cage and nips ngers, ears

age: W H D comes with toys

Bernie s story: This well-loved parrotlet Forpus coeles-tis went to live with a family in ndiana right after he

edged in May . When the human he d bonded with went to college, he got lonely, but his grandma has been giving him lots of toys and a ention while she nds him a new family to live with. he says Bernie knows a few words but needs someone with patience and time to work with him. “He will stay with me until that happens, as am not disposed to ust foist him o on someone who doesn t really want him or know what they are ge ing into.

We ll be working with a entral ndiana group to help get Bernie into a great, loving, long-term home. f you have e perience with parrotlets or have an interest in o ering Bernie a forever home, please contact In Your Flock at publisher inyour ock.com. Bernie s looking forward to meeting you.

Did you know?Bernie’s cousins in the wild learn their contact calls from both of their parents? The Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B reported in uly that chicks learn from the parents that raise them, and don’t inherit their “cheeps as once believed.

In Your Flock ~ 9

Editor’s Note: While many sources spell phosphorus with an –ous at the end, the Merck Veterinary Manual does not. We elected to follow their practice.

When this author served on the board of the Kansas City Herpetological Society, I prepared the group’s monthly newsle er for a while and I seeped myself in knowledge of how to feed a variety of rep-tiles. As readers might expect, calcium plays an important role in reptile health. e ing calcium levels right while keeping protein levels down is key to proper shell formation for turtles and tortoises. Lizard owners want to dust crickets with calcium powder before feeding them to a bearded dragon or leopard gecko. And I can still spot a calcium de-

ciency in someone’s iguana from across the room. All that stored knowledge came in handy when my sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis) selected me 13 years ago. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus ma ers when feeding people, reptiles or avians. e ing vitamin D3 from cautious sun exposure helps the body absorb vitamins and minerals necessary for good health. As with sun exposure, too much of a good thing is not so good. When ZuPreem had its voluntary recall of speci c foods near the end of Septem-ber, the cause for concern was suspected increased calcium percentages in the a ected lots (See page 6). I asked one of my avian veterinarians if addi-tional calcium in a bird’s body

would cause kidney stones or something equivalent to that. While, yes, stone-building is one symptom of too much cal-cium, there are more serious conditions to watch for in a companion parrot who’s had too much of the mineral. Dr. Kirk Andazola of the Coral Veterinary Clinic shared the process by which hyper-calcaemia takes its toll on a bird. He explained that the bird’s body rst works to ush out the additional mineral. By doing so, the body will actu-ally overcompensate for the problem of too much calcium to phosphorus and will end up ushing too much calcium. The body will pull calcium from the bones and reserves in the body to ush out bits the bird needs, resulting in hypo-calcaemia. The overcompen-sation results in the opposite problem; owners will have to worry about a bird with bri le bones and nutritional second-ary hypoparathyroidism. One way to ensure birds take in the right amount of calci-

um, vitamin D3, phosphorus and full spectrum light is by controlling their diets and sun exposure. Owners can simulate the sun with arti cial ultraviolet radiation, also known as full spectrum bulb use. The bulb to nd is one that resonates in the 315- to 285-nanome-ter spectrum, which is what Michael David Stanford used in his thesis work at the Royal College of Veterinary Sur-geons. In his 2005 thesis report “Calcium metabolism in grey parrots: the e ects of husband-ry,” Stanford writes that “The provision of 12 hours daily of arti cial ultraviolet radi-ation signi cantly increased the plasma ionized calcium concentration independent of the diet fed.” In other words, during the three-year study, the group of 20 parrots (Psi acus e. erithacus) to which Stanford fed seed exhibited bone density deterioration until he began “dosing” them with UVB radiation. “This study concludes that

Editor’s Note: While many

Bright Eyes

Avoid Calcium OverloadBy Sandy Lender


the provision of adequate dietary calcium and vitamin D3, plus UVB radiation are essential for the prevention of disorders of calcium metabo-lism in captive grey parrots.” While sunshine provides natural D3 that helps the bird’s body absorb calcium, some of the foods we offer our par-rots perform that function as well. For instance, the USDA: National Nutrient Database in-cludes in kale’s list of benefits the ability to help the body absorb calcium. The website FitDay.com takes that infor-mation a step further, discuss-ing the entire Brassica family of vegetables, of which kale is a member. The Brassicas broccoli, cauli-flower, collard greens and kale contain vitamins A, B2, B6, C, E and K; the minerals calcium, manganese, potassium and zinc; and the phytonutrient organosulfur; glucosinolates; and more. The site explained, “Calcium and phosphorous are utilized during bone mineralization to form calci-um phosphate. This is a vital component for healthy bone structure….Calcium plays a

vital role in other physiologi-cal activities. It helps to regu-late enzyme activity, cell mem-brane functions and muscular contractions. It also regulates blood clotting.” It’s like a power mineral for birds when in proper ratio to phosphorus. That ratio is 2 (calcium) to 1 (phosphorus). How do you know you have enough of one and enough of the other? You can find charts and figures at many dietary sites such as the American Dietetic Association, the Food & Drug Administration and the USDA: National Nutrient Database. These organiza-tions are designed to assist humans in selecting nutritious foods for their plates, but that doesn’t change the organic makeup of a vegetable or its benefit or detriment to calcium absorption. That’s right, some vegetables may be high in calcium, but not good in their “delivery.” Take spinach. Half a cup of raw spinach is known to contain 146 milligrams of calcium. According to FitDay.com, if you boil a full cup of spinach, you end up with 245

milligrams of calcium. Unfor-tunately, spinach is high in oxalic acid, an oxalate. Oxalic acid can block the absorption of calcium in the body. When explaining this to newcomers to the reptile husbandry arena, I’d tell them to imagine the oxalic acid particle coming up to the calcium particle and grabbing hold of it, bonding to it and preventing it from going through the walls it wanted to go through. That’s overly simplistic, but it puts a pic-ture in your mind to help you understand that spinach isn’t the greatest way to get calcium into a pet’s diet. The aforementioned collard greens are a powerhouse of calcium without inhibitors. Half a cup of raw collard greens delivers 178 milligrams of calcium and when you chop or chew the greens, the phytonutrient sulforaphane is formed. That phytonutrient is known to cause the death of colon cancer cells in humans. That’s good gastrointestinal tract news for our feathered friends. The detoxifying en-zymes that the collard greens’ nutrients put into action are especially good news for birds who are prone to liver prob-lems in captivity. I’ve researched a number of vegetables that should be commonplace for U.S. and Ca-nadian readers and made the results of that research avail-able at www.InYourFlock.com on the Bright Eyes page. That page is available to both Flock Members and the general public, so please visit and take a look at the vegetables that offer good calcium sources for your birds and those that might hinder calcium absorp-tion. Above all, keep in mind that too much of a good thing does create a downward spiral toward poor health in our companion parrots. U

Terms to KnowHypercalcemia—too much calcium in the blood; excessive ingestion of vitamin D causes an electrolyte imbalanceHypocalcemia—not enough calcium in the bloodHyperparathyroidism—when the parathyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone (PTH)—hav-ing high blood calcium—hyperparathyroidism kills through heart failure (tachycardia is common), kidney failure (kidney stones are common), stroke or other dangers to your companion parrot Hypoparathyroidism—when the parathyroid glands fail to secrete the necessary PTH to work with vita-min D and calcitonin to maintain calcium levels in the bloodstream—it affects the activity in the bones, bow-el and kidneys, and may lead to improper functioning of the heart, nervous system, kidneys and more in your companion parrotSources: Multiple

In Your Flock ~ 11

VolunteerismHelps More than Birds

When a group of like-minded parrot enthusiasts visits Best Friends Animal Society, their combined experience forwards health, healing for all

By Sandy LenderDepending on your level of ex-perience in the avian commu-nity, you may or may not have visited or worked with a par-rot rescue yet. For a group of companion parrot owners who met through online network-ing, a mid-September visit to Best Friends Animal Society (Best Friends) Parrot Garden in Kanab, Utah, made a last-ing impression that no group member will soon forget. Tawanna Crabb, Bonnie Graf-ton, Janet Holt Hilton, Carmel Mayhan, Kelly Moore Parsley, Patricia Sund and Bonnie a s staggered their arrivals some-what, but all met in Kanab to work during the week of Sept. 17 at the Parrot Garden sec-tion of Best Friends. Jacqueline (Jacque) Johnson is the manag-er of the Parrot Garden at Best Friends and said the sta refers to it as a sanctuary. “Parrot Garden is located at the Best Friends Animal Soci-ety’s sanctuary, but we are pri-marily an adoption facility,” Johnson said. “Every bird that comes here to live is guaran-teed a home with us for the rest of his or her life, if an adoptive family is not found. So, we are actually both a sanctuary and a rescue.” The 2012 Harris Poll Eq-uiTrend® study named Best Friends the Animal Welfare

on-Pro t ational Brand of

Best Friends recently welcomed cockatiels Junior, Edgar, Cygy and Flappy into the Parrot Garden after a 45-day quarantine.

ere s a shot of the cockatiel ight with its fantastic view. Below: The Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary welcome center sits nestled among trees and mountains of calm and quiet. Both photos courtesy of Kelly Moore Parsley


the Year. It’s recognized as a national animal welfare organization building no-kill programs and partnerships that will bring about a day when there are No More HomelessPets®. Best Friends is the country’s largest no-kill sanctuary. Parsley, a nurse in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, made the trip to the sanctuary for the rst time and shares how the group formed the idea to get together. She explains that Sund had gone to the Parrot Garden about two years prior, and Parsley had followed the details of that rst trip on Sund’s Parrot Nation blog. After that, Parsley started talking to Johnson, the manager of the Parrot Garden. Before Sund’s initial coverage of the sanctuary, Parsley hadn’t heard of it. “I had no idea the place existed,” Parsley admi ed. “I had been in a few facebook groups with Jacque and we found out we had a lot of things in common. Patricia called me in April of this year to see if I wanted to go with her on her next trip out.” She explained they talked about it more at the Chopalooza event at Bonnie’s Birds in Port Char-lo e, Fla. The shop, co-owned by Grafton, sells bird supplies and functions as an adoption outlet for the Florida Parrot Rescue. The guest list for the Best Friends trip grew from there. Grafton and Parsley arrived rst, making their

rst full day at the sanctuary Sept. 1 . They stayed until Sept. 23 and performed a multitude of tasks in between. Holt and Sund arrived as if in a torna-do of cleaning supplies. Holt went to the sanctu-ary to make arrangements for her beloved cocka-too ’Ze to have a loving home after Holt’s passing in the far, distant future. Sund made the trip to get dirty. That’s right—volunteers at Best Friends can work with the animals or get down to washing the windows. “We have regular local volunteers as well as vol-

unteers visiting from around the country,” Johnson ex-plained. “We can have as many as four here at any one time, as well as interns. We are a teach-ing facility. Volunteers can do anything from cage cleaning to socializing birds. They provide showers, help feed, and assist in moving birds to and from their outdoor enclosures. We try and give our visitors an ar-ray of tasks to choose from so that their volunteer experience is a good one.”

“The Parrot Garden is a work of beauty and love, Janet olt ilton said. “This small sta

performs miracles on a daily basis and do it gladly.” Photo of the Conure Fountain

courtesy of Best Friends

Back, from left: Patricia Sund, Bonnie Grafton, Bonnie Wa s.

Front, from left: Jacqueline Johnson, Kelly Moore Parsley.

“Many of our volunteers are new to birds and by neces-

sity are limited in what they can do,” Johnson said. “But

having experienced parrot people meant we could turn

them loose to work with some birds that needed extra TLC. It

also meant we didn’t have to train them in basic husbandry skills; they could work along-

side caregivers. Patricia is a cleaning machine! She made

sure every baseboard and win-dow were sparkling before

she was done.” Photo courtesy of Kelly Moore Parsley

In Your Flock ~ 13

Something interesting about the volunteer program at Best Friends is its openness. “Although a number of our visitors and volunteers are bird people, we do have a high number that do not have any experience, but plenty of interest,” Johnson said. “We try and tailor the volunteer experience to each individual’s level of skill and knowledge.” When a new volunteer arrives, he goes through training with the Volunteer and Visitor Division, which also helps schedule him in the different animal care areas. “When volunteers arrive at Parrot Garden, we have them view a safety video, and then they work alongside staff. We view these interactions as an opportuni-ty to educate and inform people about parrot needs and care. We average four to six volunteers a day during the summer and 10 a week in the winter. We also offer a daily tour that is open to the public. I would estimate that about 2,000 people interact with us a year here at Parrots.” Hilton enjoyed her opening tour of the entire facility with tour guide Faith Maloney. “What a treat!” Hilton said. “What a beau-tiful lady….I gained a huge amount of respect for her during our short visit.” After tours, the group split into pairs and singles to perform the tasks most suited to them. Parsley told of sitting with a greenwing macaw named Sasha for two hours. “It’s different for everyone,” Parsley said. “It is what you make it....I was there to do everything I could. You can experience all of Best Friends. You can go to Dog Town, go to cats, go to bunnies, go to piggies. We took birds in and out each day.” Grafton told the story of Jammer the Quaker parrot as she described one activity she and Parsley did together. “When his [Jammer’s] owners moved

to California, they didn’t know Quakers are illegal there. The neighbors complained about the noise from next door and officials were minutes from eu-thanizing Jammer when Best Friends swooped in. Needless to say, this poor bird had just moved to a new house and then got moved away from his family. He was withdrawn and scared. “So Kelly and I sat down with him. It took a while, but after about an hour, he stepped onto Kelly’s knee. Then he stepped over to mine. Pretty soon he climbed up onto my shoul-der and I got him to where he thought I was okay. We trans-ferred that so he thought other people around him were okay.

Mescalita shows off what a loving and gentle bird she can be despite the hardships she’s faced in life. Above: Bonnie Grafton spends time scratching the spots a partial-ly paralyzed bird can’t reach easily. Photo courtesy of Kelly Moore Parsley.

At left: Beauty shines through bright, healthy eyes. Photo courtesy of Janet Holt Hilton.


“My personal favorite part of the day is early afternoon,”

Jacque Johnson said. “All the major cleaning is done in the

morning, and early afternoons are for socializing birds, which

means we get to play. We try to make sure every bird has a positive interaction each and

every day.” Johnson puts in at least 40 hours a week, some-times 50 to 55 depending on

what’s needed for the job. “As a manager I need to be available

to fill in for absent caregivers or to respond to situations that may arise ‘after hours.’” Photo

courtesy of Best Friends

Above and above right: Another parrot at the sanctu-ary is King O, a fairly young DuCorps cockatoo who was originally named Ophelia. His first guardian loved him and doted on him as King O demanded and deserved. When she passed away, one of her relatives took King O into his family. In his grief, King O acted out and ended up in a covered cage in a room alone, plucking his feathers. Anoth-er guardian came along who loved him and he bonded to this new friend. The plucking didn’t stop, but at least there was friendship again. Then the economy took this friend away and King O went to Best Friends for safe keeping. Jac-que Johnson (performing one of her most important duties above) shared that O hates to be locked in a cage, but loves to be the center of attention from lots of new people. “His ideal home would be with a small retail business owner that he could accompany to work each day.” Both photos courtesy of Janet Holt Hilton.

At right: This macaw gets some fun in the sun. Photo

courtesy of Best Friends.

In Your Flock ~ 15

memorable experience of the week. “The Parrot Garden had recently lost one of their rescues,” she said. “The bird shouldn’t have died, but years of neglect and an all-seed diet had stacked the cards against it. We were able to attend the burial. Words cannot adequate-ly describe the beautiful cere-mony. There wasn’t a dry eye, even though many of us didn’t know the bird that had crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. The love, compassion and care that was shown during this ceremo-ny will never leave my mind or my heart.” “It is extremely hard when-ever we lose a bird,” Johnson shared. “Although I believe our residents get the best pos-sible care and diet, sometimes they come to us with medical issues that are too advanced. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it’s devastating. Each bird is placed with love in Angel’s Rest during a ceremo-

Now Jammer is a project bird who has his own intern. Megan will work with him from now on.” Grafton also worked with a blue-and-gold ma-caw named Mescalita who lives at the sanctu-ary, but will get to see her person in November. “Lita had a virus as a young bird that left her paralyzed from the neck down,” Johnson ex-plained. “Her person, Susan spent hours and hours on physical therapy for Lita, and she was able to regain a degree of function. However, her feet do not work and she is unable to fully vocalize. Susan had modified Lita’s cage so that she could have a high quality of life and self-reli-ance. As Susan started to age, she worried about where Lita would end up and she decided to place Lita with Best Friends now. Susan is still very involved in Lita’s life and will be coming to visit in November. All of our birds are available for adoption to the right home and Lita is no exception.” This sounds as if the crew spent their time constantly at work, but there was time for camaraderie and renewal. As Parsley ex-plained, she originally planned the trip to be a fun time. She want-ed to go with Sund to enjoy the time away. Then events with a failed rescue in Ohio put her directly in contact with needy birds and contentious issues. “I’ve seen so much bad,” Parsley said. “My expectation was just to see the birds being taken care of. My goal for going became a need to heal.” What Parsley experienced was a common thread among the members of the group. “You couldn’t look anywhere without seeing something amazing,” she said. “It’s hard to understand unless you’re there and you see it and make it tangible. This was something completely different. The first day I was there, we had a quiet moment where it was just Jacque and I, and I broke down sobbing. She asked if it was what I expected and I told her, ‘it’s so good.’ It exceeded whatever my expectations were.” Grafton sought something good as well. “My husband and my business partner will tell you my going was a retreat; I went to recharge my batteries. There’s a lot of burn-out in what we do. It was like Leave it to Beaver. I don’t know a better analogy. There’s such a spirit of community there. Everybody cares. Wendy the vet tech had a barbeque for her son and invited all the people she works with at Best Friends. They’re her family.” Something the family let the visitors share was Hilton’s most

At right: Fred and Gringo are amazons that Kelly Moore Parsley

likens to an old married couple. “They squabble. It’s like watching

Fred and Ethel. At Best Friends, bonded pairs are kept together. When I saw these two cuddled

up together for a nap, I just had to capture it. That picture hit home. This is how it should be.” Photos

courtesy of Parsley


ny we call a Placement.” As any rescue manager will tell you, each day brings a new request to take in a bird for some reason. “Every day we get re-quests to accept a bird or birds into Best Friends Parrot Garden,” Johnson said. “It would be wonderful if we could take them all, but that isn’t realistic.” The team has to show restraint when letting birds go to new homes as well. “When you are in rescue, you have to walk a very fine line,” Johnson explained. “We need to make sure we use due diligence in screening our applicants. But we can’t make the cri-teria for adoption so stringent that no one can qualify. If someone wants to adopt from us, it’s our job to educate them and help them learn to provide the right level of care. I feel that I have a staff that does an incredible job of finding the right bird for the right family. “We rarely have birds returned, and when we do we don’t see a lot of negative issues with them. They’re returning to a familiar place with people they have relationships with.” When accepting birds into the sanctuary, the staff starts by as-sessing each bird’s immediate need. “We have a triage system for admittance,” Johnson said. “First and foremost is for birds with medical issues, followed closely by birds suffering abandonment, neglect or abuse. Then birds that come from the local area, and then finally birds in loving homes that just need placement. “Once a bird is accepted, it goes into our quarantine facility, which is located five miles from the sanctuary in the town of Kanab. This facility is only used for incoming birds and anything that is taken into the building stays there. That helps us maintain the health and safety of our birds at the sanctuary. While they are in quarantine, they undergo a complete medical check-up, in-cluding blood work and testing for medical conditions, diseases and nutritional status. “If a bird has an immediate medical need, it may be isolated at our clinic where it can get the medical attention it needs. Our baseline quarantine period is 45 days, but that will be extended as long as necessary to complete any required medical treatment. Best Friends Animal Society has four veterinarians on staff and the Parrot Garden has its own vet tech, who is highly skilled in dealing with birds.” That kind of love, compassion and

dedicated care permeates what the staff at Best Friends does for the animals and for the people who come through the door. “We knew it would be fun,” Parsley said. “We knew we’d meet friends from online. Bon-nie and I got there and were in tears the rest of the week, but they were good tears. The place just seeps into your soul. The birds are great and you go for the birds, but you miss the people afterward. We essen-tially walked into someone’s house and were greeted with open arms.” How beautiful that each bird seeking a new beginning finds open arms there as well. U

Take-AwaysFor Visitors

• Parrots are not domes-ticated—they are wild animals in captivity• A seed diet is not ap-propriate for companion birds• Birds are extremely intelligent, high-mainte-nance companions that require one-on-one time every day• Hand-raising babies doesn’t guarantee a better companion because the more intelligent a species is, the more it relies on learned behavior• A hand-raised baby doesn’t receive the ed-ucation it needs to be a happy, confident bird—only another bird can teach those skillsSource: Best FriendsAnimal Society

In Your Flock ~ 17

Different BirdsSay it Differently

Learn to watch the body language of various parrot speciesBy Lisa A. Bono, ACPBC

With more than 350 species of parrot origi-nating from all over the world, it is difficult to generalize the body language of the entire pop-ulation of parrots with the rise of a few body feathers. As Liz Wilson once wrote, “While parrots might be considered to be rather noisy, babbly creatures, they do most of their actual communication through body language, not voice. This is crucial for us humans to under-stand if we ever want to successfully commu-nicate with our parrots, so we need to learn to pay attention.” I may specialize in the African grey (Psittacus erithacus) parrot, but I have been the main care-taker to many species of parrot. So I have learned a lot of the differing body language for various spe-cies. I quickly learned that

the way I read my Amazons (Amazona) did not necessarily work with my Af-rican greys. If I had relied on interpret-ing my greys’ body language to read my caique (Pionites), I would surely end up with bitten fingers. While it is important to have a basic knowl-edge of ethology and applied behavior anal-ysis (ABA), it is just as important to know the species with which you live. In the world of

parrots, each bird is an individ-ual and while this article may generalize the body language of a species, remember that indi-viduals vary. A parrot that is ready to bite generally shows signs of aggres-sion. A bite rarely occurs out of the blue. When it does, it is usually from a bird whose body language has been ignored for a long time. Why bother warning if no one is listening, right? Parrots that are threatening

to bite may show some similar warning signs. They may hold their feathers completely erect to make themselves look bigger. Their eyes may dilate and contract rapidly (eye pinning or flashing). If so, this is a potentially aggressive bird. Should the parrot have his feathers pulled in tight, standing still with eyes wide as sau-cers, the parrot is frightened and will resort to aggression if necessary. Additionally, Kashmir Csaky says she has noticed that a parrot’s tongue will be held halfway between the upper and lower beak and

How many signs of “upset” can you see in Ol-lie the white-bellied caique? As Kashmir Csaky has observed in parrots, this little one’s open beak reveals a tongue pulled back out of the way in case an unlucky human doesn’t mind the pinning eyes and lunging posture.

In Your Flock ~ 19

For instance, Amazon parrots are among the easiest to rea he i air their tai s, i t their ings a i e ith their e es ashing Cockatiels ( ill let o t a hiss with their crest erect. Cai es stalk, remin ing me o a li le ll-dog walking very slowly. They are methodical in their movements and wait for the moment to po nce. Seconds before a bite, cockatoos ( ) often make a clicking noise with their beaks. Macaws ( ) will bob their heads ickly and or lean forward to form a sort of S-c rve with their spines. arakeets b dgerigars ( -

) will be vocal or as call it, complaining prior to a bite. African greys often remain still and s int, or they growl and rock back and forth. ow yo can take those li le tidbits of infor-

mation and incorporate them into what yo r bird is trying to comm nicate to yo . Combined with the generalized blanket statement for body lang age, yo may have a be er nderstanding of yo r companion parrot species

Snowball the ancing Cockatoo appears co rtesy of ird overs nly, a (c) ot For ro t ird esc e and Sanct ary. isit www.birdloversonly.org for information.

Snowball the Dancing CockatooTM

hen Stirling s feathers stand p, the -year-old Congo African grey is le ing yo know to keep tender ngers away.


Deduct Something NiceBy In Your Flock Staff

At this time of year, part of the brain naturally turns to taxes. Not only have we been beat over the head with tax talk from politicians as of late, some of us have accountants reminding us to get things organized for Q4. Whether you seek a 501(c)(3) to which you can give an end-of-the-year tax-deductible gift or you merely wish to help out an organization that’s trying to

make it through 2012 still afloat, the number of groups that could use a helping hand is astronom-ical. For the purposes of In Your Flock, here’s a short list that fo-cuses on the birds we care about so dearly. The following groups did not ask to be listed here. Keep in mind, this list is just the tip of the iceberg in the avian commu-nity of need.

Make sure you check with your tax preparer to get cred-it for the donations you make to non-profit organizations throughout the year. Keep in mind that products you receive in exchange for your monetary gift have a value that should be deducted from the total amount before you list your donation. The item you received is in ex-change for part of your gift. U

Alex Foundation, TheURL http://alexfoundation.orgThis is the foundation formed to assist in fur-thering the study Dr. Irene Pepperberg has been performing for more than 30 years to bring un-derstanding and attention to the intelligence and reasoning abilities of the African grey par-rot. When you visit the home page, you’ll see links across the top to learn about the lab and tabs to donate or purchase items from the gift shop, among other actions. For folks who would like to make a donation without going online:

The Alex FoundationBrandeis University MS 062

415 South STWaltham, MA 02454

(Note the home page has a list of rescues that would welcome support.)

American Federation of AvicultureURL www.afabirds.orgEstablished in 1974, the AFA represents all as-pects of aviculture and helps educate the pub-lic about the responsibilities of keeping birds in captivity and the birds’ special needs. “The AFA is dedicated to the promotion of aviculture and the conservation of avian wildlife through the encouragement of captive breeding pro-grams, scientific research and the education of the general public. To promote the interests of aviculture, the AFA works to educate legisla-tors within the USA. The AFA also represents the avicultural community at CITES meetings.” President Nancy Speed is a member of In Your Flock’s advisory board.

Best Friends Animal Society Parrot GardenURL www.bestfriends.orgSee the article on page 12. When visiting the home page, you’ll find information about all the society’s animal involvement. Click on the “At the Sanctuary” link to visit the Parrot Garden.

You’ll also see “Giving to Best Friends.” Or you may send a donation to:

Best Friends Animal Society5001 Angel Canyon RD

Kanab, UT 84741

Bird Lovers OnlyURL http://birdloversonly.orgHome of the “infamous” Snowball(r), this is where you get access to his story, his rescue group and his cool stuff. Click on the “About Us” tab to bring up the “How you can help” link.

Phoenix LandingURL www.phoenixlanding.orgThis all-volunteer organization was established to promote and protect the welfare of all parrots, acting as advocates for those who have no pro-tection. The rescue provides educational activi-ties, facilitates adoptions, sponsors wild habitat and natural parrot behavior research, supports conservation and eco-tourism, and more. Pres-ident Ann Brooks is on the In Your Flock advi-sory board. When you visit the home page, the donate button is the third from the right, and opens a link to a page of affiliate members who sell bird-friendly products you may need, with proceeds going to assist Phoenix Landing.

World Parrot TrustURL www.parrots.orgWith one-third of all parrot species threatened in the wild, the staff at WPT has a daunting job of conducting and supporting field conservation projects, working to eliminate the international trade in wild caught parrots, and increasing awareness of the plight of parrots both in the wild and in captivity. WPT works with parrot enthusiasts, researchers, local communities and government leaders to encourage effective solu-tions that protect parrots. You can make a dona-tion or become a member.

In Your Flock ~ 21

By Sandy Lender


As the calendar reaches just one page, our thoughts turn to decorating our homes with sil-ver Menorahs or green and red baubles that make the end of the year bright and beautiful. Whatever holiday you celebrate, make sure the ornamentation is safe for your feathered friends. Read the labels on artificial greenery to see the decoration’s chemical content. You’ll find lead and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in many popular items. If you’ve stored pretties from years past, take pains to remove as much dust as possible before putting them in areas where tender nares will breathe in the particles. The lead I mention here isn’t in paint, as you might suspect. A variety of websites describe the process by which fake needles are made and it involves melting down lead to form the needles and their casings. This is also where PVC comes in. While the scary mention of dioxin, phthalates and vinyl chloride gas spring up all over the Internet when you type in PVC, keep in mind that those chemicals form, or are released, during the production or destruction of PVC. The reaction to get the bad chemical requires heat greater than that gen-erated by typical Christmas lights. Of course, the fact that artificial trees or wreaths do not biodegrade but must be incinerated to avoid eternity in a landfill sheds another dark light on them. Parrot guardians have the option to buy a real tree from an organic Christmas tree farm that doesn’t use pesticides, herbicides, etc. Their numbers are growing. A national group of small farmers got together in 2002 to form a Certified Nationally Grown program to help consumers find produce grown without chemicals. If the idea of self-regulation doesn’t set well enough with you, the Department of Agriculture also developed an organic certifica-tion program that year.

Given the fact that a small amount of chemicals actually goes into the pro-cess of growing a tree over its lifetime, you might not have many worries about bringing a tree from a big-box store into your home. The North Caro-lina State University, in conjunction with the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center report “on the average it takes 1/4 of an ounce of pesticides over the life of the tree to produce it in the field, which is based on the active ingredient in the pesticides including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides used for an 8-year rotation. This value is for Fraser fir pro-duction in western North Carolina only. Other areas of the country produce different species of trees with different pest problems.”

If you’d like to err on the side of caution and purchase a real tree or decoration to celebrate the season, you can find a list of organic Christmas tree farms at www.GreenPromise.com/re-sources/organic-christmas-trees.php. Notice that the list there is from May 30, 2010. www.beyondpesticides.org/christmas-trees/alternatives.php offers a more updated list of places to find organic trees, wreaths and gift ideas. Keep in mind that any real tree you bring into your home is likely to contain Aspergillus spores. While it’s commendable to purchase the balled trees that can be planted after the holi-day, the ball of dirt and burlap is a breeding ground for spores that could increase your bird’s chance of illness. This might be a great time of year to instead increase your dust-control pro-tocol for healthier avians. No matter how you choose to deco-rate, may you and your feathered friends have a lovely season together. Editor’s Note: For more information on the chemicals used in Christmas tree farming, visit the In Your Flock website. U

In Your Flock ~ 23

Have Bird, Will TravelBy Emily Trimnal, PIJAC

Tip #1Get your bird accustomed to its travel cage. Select a quality cage that will prevent your bird from escape, but can allow him to stand and stretch comfortably. For short excursions, cat and dog carriers would be suitable for smaller beaks. Larger birds can easily tear through the plastic of such a carrier, so investing in a wire carrier is recommended. Search for a carrier that ideally has a pull out tray, grate and large access door. Don’t spring a long trip on your bird. Start out by taking fun, short trips around town. Monitor your bird’s habits while travelling and adjust its carrier accordingly. Increase the amount of time the bird spends in the carrier, and keep careful watch to see if he exhibits any signs of car sickness. Once you are satisfied that your bird travels comfortably, you are ready for a longer trip.

Tip #2Keep ginger root on hand. Ginger root is a com-mon ingredient in anti-nausea medications that are often used for women experiencing morn-ing sickness. It is possible for birds to get car sickness, and if your bird is one of the unfortu-nates, ginger root may help ease his discomfort. You can buy ginger in its root form in the pro-duce department. Shred the root with a grater and store it in a plastic bag. Feed some to your bird a couple minutes before travel, and see if it helps ease any symptoms. You may feed more, smaller amounts to your bird throughout the trip. Other bird owners have reported that covering the carrier partially can help ease any

motion sickness. Once you and your bird have settled into travel, the symptoms may subside.

Tip #3Give your bird fresh fruit instead of water during the trip. Water in a dish can slosh and spill over in the carrier. Instead provide fresh, juicy fruits during the trip to keep your bird hydrated. If you are traveling for an extended period of time, during any rest stops you can offer your bird water, but it is not recommend-ed to keep it in the carrier.

Tip #4Buckle in your bird carrier. In case of an acci-dent, you don’t want your bird’s carrier to get flung around the cabin of the car. During one of your practice runs, try buckling in your carri-er and find the best way to secure the carrier in your seat. Depending on how you secure the carrier, you may find that it tends to slant forward with the lean of the seat. Rolling up a towel and using it as a wedge underneath the carrier will help correct this slant, which can be uncomfortable for your bird during longer excursions. You may find that it is not possible to se-cure your carrier successfully with a seat belt. Purchase bungee cords at your local hardware store and use these to secure the carrier instead. The best configuration I have used involved anchoring the bungee cord to the head rest of the seat.

Tip #5Visit your local AAA office if you are planning

The holiday season is a time for us to be with those we love—both feathered and not

feathered. For many people, the holiday sea-son means travelling to be with family. Trav-

el can be stressful, especially if you decide to take a trip with your companion parrot.

Don’t stress this holiday season, and follow the few tips outlined in this article for a safe

and stress-free journey.


on staying overnight at a hotel with your bird. AAA provides handbooks that list hotels by region/state. These handbooks include infor-mation such as hotel price range, amenities and pet friendliness, and if there are any fees asso-ciated with booking a pet room overnight. Plan your route beforehand, and mark the pages with pet friendly hotel information, so you can easily grab the handbook and reference it while on the road. These books proved invaluable for me during my cross country move with my birds.

Tip #6Pack an emergency kit. Along with your normal emergency kit implements, be sure to pack e tra blankets preferably eece or wool , an extra jug of water and heat packs. You can purchase heat packs that are heat activated like glo sticks—snap them until you hear a crackle, and then manipulate the pack to get it pliable as it heats up. These heat packs will provide heat generally anywhere from three to eight hours. In the event that you are required to keep yourself and your birds warm, these packs are invaluable. Once you have the pack activated, place it under your bird’s grate in the travel carrier, or in another area near the carrier in such a way that your bird cannot access the heat pack. Then use one of your emergency blankets and completely cover the carrier. The supplemental heat from the pack should be trapped under the blanket and provide your parrot with a su cient amount of heat.

Tip #7Do not be concerned if your bird fails to eat during your trip. Oftentimes parrots will refrain from eating while on the road, unless they are completely comfortable. You may o er favorite foods in a dish in the carrier to allow your bird the option to eat. If your bird refuses to eat while on the road, instead o er foods in the morning and evening while you are not in motion. If your bird gets excessively carsick, o ering warm, soft foods in lieu of pellets and seed will allow his digestive system to rest. Ex-cessive regurgitation can take a toll on a bird’s system, and if this becomes a problem please consult your avian vet.

Tip #8When you reach your destination, house your bird out of the main family activity area. Your bird will be tired from travelling, and the added stress of new, unfamiliar people can do

more harm than good. Slowly introduce your bird to new people a few at a time, and don’t pressure your feathered companion to interact with your family. If you are not there to supervise your family members around your bird, it would be rec-ommended to put your bird in a room where the door can be closed. Younger children may be intrigued by your feathered friend, and you don’t want those who may not know be er feeding any unhealthy or potentially toxic items the bird.

Tip #9If you are taking a long trip with your parrot, consult your veterinarian and get a wellness check before embarking on your trip. You want to make sure your travelling buddy is healthy before you embark on your journey. Addition-ally, it may be advisable to ask your veteri-narian if she has any anti-nausea measures for your pet parrot, just in case. Carry your bird’s critical information with you, including your vet’s name, number and emergency contact information.

Tip #10Have fun. Travelling with your avian compan-ion can be a fun and enjoyable journey. Driving long hours in a car with your parrot can be a great bonding experience. When introducing your bird to your family, use that time as an educational experience. An-swer questions, and if your parrot is comfort-able, allow your family members to hold the bird and see what this li le bundle of feathers is all about. The rst trip is the most complicat-ed, so don’t allow any hiccups in your travels to prevent you from trying again.

Behavior, Conservation, Diet, Fun, Health, Nutrition, Rescue, Tips, Toys, Training...

Subscribeto In Your Flock at

www.InYourFlock.com

In Your Flock ~ 25

No one wants to think about the worst-case scenario of a sick bird and a low bank account balance. Social media sites are filled with parrot evangelists who proclaim there’s only one man-date: You can’t afford the pet if you can’t afford the vet. That’s the end of their conversation. As it turns out, that doesn’t have to be the end of the conversation. Of course you should consider all the finan-cial ramifications before bringing any pet into your home. Veterinary care is vital to a happy, healthy companion parrot. Even as the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook for 2012 reported pet-owning house-holds in the United States were on the decline due to the economic state, insurance companies have bumped up their offerings for those house-holds. Specifically, com-panies like Omega Gen-eral Insurance Company in Canada and American Pet Insurance Company in the United States are making sure they pro-vide a way for pet owners to afford critical care services for their loved ones. What’s interesting to see is that households with companion par-rots still have to wade through plans that cater to cats and dogs. The brochure for Embrace Pet Insurance defines the whole concept without mention of birds: “Pet insurance is health insur-ance for your cat or dog.” This author thanks Chris, Christina and Mi-chael at Embrace, trupanion and Petplan respec-tively for their understanding while visiting with me about the lack of avian policies at their companies. I commend these companies for of-fering help to pet owners, but how does a trial plan for a new puppy or kitten help a bird own-er? How do sample prices of periodontal disease treatment give us an idea of how pet insurance might help with a bird who has broken a wing? After I picked up a brochure for VPI® Pet In-surance I found a section called Avian & Exotic Pet Plan. While the marketing is still geared to-ward the larger audience in the United States, at last a group recognized the costs associated with avian care. At this time, VPI has one plan for avian com-panions with an optional rider. Jeremy and Lee-na at VPI spent some time explaining the two products to me.

The Avian Plan covers up to a maximum of $7,000 in medical expenses per year per bird. The plan costs $14.35 per month and covers such services as diagnostics, surgeries, out-patient procedures, accident, illness and injury treat-ment, medications, and the like. The rider is available only as an addendum to the Avian Plan and is for routine care. It covers up to $181 of basic veterinary procedures such as the annual physical exam, complete blood count, cultures, a blood panel, wing and nail trims, and the like. The routine care rider in ad-dition to the Avian Plan costs $22.60 per month per bird. That means you’ll pay a total of $271.20 for the year to cover one bird’s medical needs. Each

bird gets his own policy and each bird will need to qualify. When you apply for your bird’s policy, you will be asked questions to determine if your bird

has any pre-existing conditions. The policy won’t cover those. As Jeremy explained to me, if you have a re-homed bird or a bird with an unknown past, you will only be expected to answer the questions to the best of your ability. Leena explained that the policy renews every year with no additional ap-plication. When you first sign up, you pay the first and last month’s premium to get started. If your bird has recently exhibited any signs of lethargy or is new to you, you may be asked to take him in for an exam before a policy can be is-sued. Jeremy said any licensed avian vet of your choice can do the exam; you’re not expected to use a specific vet that VPI selects. In fact, once your bird’s new policy goes into effect, you can go to any licensed veterinarian you prefer for regular check-ups or emergency needs. You pay the fee at the time of service and collect the veterinarian’s official invoice and receipt for payment in full. When you get home, you can download a claim form from the VPI website or request one be mailed to you. Fill out the form and, after making copies for your records, send the invoice and receipt to VPI for the percentage reimbursement your policy has remaining. Not every bird owner has $271.20 to spend on insurance per year, but that amount, split

Avian InsuranceWhile options are few, policy gives owners help if you plan aheadBy Sandy Lender

You will be asked questions to determine if your bird has any

pre-existing conditions.


-

---

-

-

--

-vider selected. You also let CareCredit know the a ount o credit ou re re uestin . You can e denied credit as with an credit lendin service. nce a ain lannin ahead works in our a-vor with this lan. ou know our ird needs a s eci c rocedure or a condition that the in-surance co an would consider re-e istin

erha s e in the CareCredit card to cover a ortion o the ee u ront is an o tion.

t this ti e onl sells avian olicies over the hone not online. You can reach the co -

an at - even on aturda s. et-erinar et nsurance Co an and ational Casualt Co an underwrite the olicies in Cali ornia and all other states res ectivel . n the event ou nd an avian lan ro an-other et insurance rovider lease write to In Your Flock to let us know so we can share it with all of our readers. ake sure our carrier is endorsed or at least acce ted the erican ni al os-

ital ssociation which can hel kee re iu s and deducti les within reach for con-

su ers throu h its olic reco endations.

E-mail from Parker

Later atricia und of arrot ationTM

From: ParkerTo: MomSent: 3:06 PMSubject: L8rWhat time is it?

From: PatriciaTo: ParkerSent: 3:07 PMSubject: RE L8rWhat di erence does it make?

From: ParkerTo: MomSent: 3:21 PMSubject: RE RE L8r

ill sto ed and la ed with us. nd when he left he said ee ou later.

From: PatriciaTo: ParkerSent: 3:22 PMSubject: RE RE RE L8r

ka . o?

From: ParkerTo: MomSent: 3:30 PMSubject: RE RE RE RE L8rWell, when is that?

From: PatriciaTo: ParkerSent: 3:31 PMSubject: RE RE RE RE RE L8rThat would be when he gets back.

From: ParkerTo: MomSent: 3:40 PMSubject: RE RE RE RE RE RE L8rWell, when will that be?

From: PatriciaTo: ParkerSent: 3:41 PMSubject: RE RE RE RE RE RE RE L8r

ater

From: ParkerTo: MomSent: 3:45 PMSubject: RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE L8rYou re ust sassing me now, aren t ou?ParkerCracker Boxes Rule!

In Your Flock ~ 27

From Petri’s Kitchen

Pumpkin Balls for Parrots

1 small pie pumpkin about $3.662 big carrots about $0.801 cup red quinoa about $3.002 twigs of Italian parsley about $0.15

cup organic a seed about $0.25Optional1 cup organic rolled oats about $0.75

Ingredients

Steps1. Cut the pumpkin into quarters, saving the seeds for another recipe; bake the quarters at 350 degrees F in a shallow baking dish with some water until the meat is soft enough to mash about 25 minutes ; pull o the peel2. Boil the carrots until soft enough to mash3. immer the red quinoa in water until u y about 15 minutes ; drain and u with a

whisk4. Mash the pumpkin and carrots together; add the red quinoa, chopped parsley, a seeds; mi it all together5. Form the pumpkin mi into 1-inch balls6. oll the balls in the organic oats and o er the treat to your lucky parrot!

Petri’s extra notes: The e tra pumpkin balls you make can be frozen for later. Refrigerate what your birds don’t eat right away. With a

1 -inch circumference pumpkin and two thick carrots, this recipe makes about 65 balls at the 1-inch size. That means it cost my mom $8.61 to make fresh, nutritious holiday snacks for the

ock at about 13 cents per treat. he says that’s thrifty for a treat the size of my head.

Pumpkin Seed RecipeThis is easy to do if you’re patient with the process. After you remove the seeds from your pumpkin, wash them thoroughly with cool water.Lay the seeds out on a kitchen towel to dry. (They stick to paper towels.)When they look dry, place them on an aluminum cookie

sheet avoid the non-stick and Te on sheets. You want to lay the seeds in a single layer and put the sheet in an oven pre-heated to 375 degrees F. At 10 minutes and at 20 minutes, use a spatula to turn the seeds over so they don’t burn. You’ll cook them for about 30 min-utes total.

Take them out after 30 min-utes, allow them to cool down so they won’t burn tender tongues and share them with your lucky parrot!

Petri’s extra note: Remember NOT to salt the pumpkin seeds. Parrots don’t process salt the way humans do.


Parrot Products

Holiday, Safety, Cold Weather Items

The In Your Flock e e e he e e e h e e e e h e he

e he e The e e e e e e e e e e he -

e e e h e he e Th h

e e e e e e

Bird Safe Candles

e -e e he e e -

he h e

e e e e e ee he e e

e he e h h

e e e h e e he e e e

e ee he h he e

e e he

eThe Birds and the Bees e

ee -e h

ee e ee e e e e

e h e h e

e e e e

h e e -- h

Candle Bee Farm e e ee

ee e e e e

h e e e ee

e e e e e e e

e he Bluecorn Naturals -

e h e e ee e h

The e e h e e e e-

e e he e h he e e e h e e

he h e e e e ee The

e e e ee -e e

e

Thermo PerchThe The e h he e

e h e e h - h e e ee e -

e e h e e e he e e h he e he

he e he e e e h ee e

e e e he e e e e h h

e h h he ee e -

he he -e The The e h

he e e e

e e e -e e ee

The e h h e he - h e

he e h e e h

h e he h e e e e The - e

e e e - he

e e e e e

he h

e h ee e h he e e h e e

he e e

The e h e e -

he ee e e

e The e h - e - e

e The e h- -

- e

The The e h e e e h e

h30 ~ November 2012 ~ www.InYourFlock.com

Draft Protection

e e h he e he e

e e he e e e

h -e e he

e h e e e

e e e e h

e e he he e h

e e e e - h e

e he e h he e he ee

e e e e e he e

e e e ee h h e

The he ee e e h

e ee e

e e e e h e he e e e

e e e e h e e h

e e e e he e The

e e e h e

h e e h e he e h e h

e h-e

he e e The e

e e e e e

e e - h e e e he

he e

e e e e - e

Bird Bunker e h

e ee h e e e The

e - e h e e h e e e

e e h e

e he e h he

h e he e e e The e

- h e he e

The e e e e

h ee e h h ee e

e h h e ee h h

e e e

Parrot Reviews

Life With Alex, a memoirReviewed By Sandy Lender

he Life With Alex e e e -

e h e e e e - -h

e h e he e e e e e

e e e e

h The e e e

h e -e e h e e

e h e e h e ee

ee h e h he h e

e e h h

h e -e he e e he

- e h h ee e e e he e e ee e e e e e e e

e e h e h e e h e he e

e e e he e h h h he e The

he e e h he e

e e ee e e he e e e e

e e hee h h e e e h e e e

e e e he h e

he e e e e -e he h e e he he e h e he e e he e h h ee e he e e The e e

he e he he e e e

e e e e h he he h h he e he e ee

e e e e h e e -e e e e e

e he e h e h

e e he e e h e

h e e e e

he e e he e The e -

e h h h e

h h e The e e

e h e e -

e e e e e e e e

e Life With Alex, a memoir

e e e h-

e eIn Your Flock ~ 31

Here’s How it Works

Drs. Foster and Smith’s Foraging Wheel

-

--

-

--

For more information, call(800) 443-1160 or visitwww.DrsFosterSmith.com. Tell them you saw it in magazine.


Column Ads(Column Ads are sold on a first-come, first-serve and pre-pay basis each month.

Each Column Ad is one (1) column wide by two (2) inches tall, which gives you roomfor your company name, 30 to 45 words of text, and contact info.

Contact [email protected] for more information.)

Bonnie’s BirdsA bird’s best friend...offering nutri-tious food, cages, play stands and enriching toys. Services: adoption, behavior, boarding, grooming, rehab, relinquishment. Proud to foster for Florida Parrot Rescue ~ floridaparrotrescue.comLocated: 4300 Kings Hwy., Ste. 401, Port Charlotte, Fla.

941.979.8295

The long-awaitedLife with Alex, a memoir

film is now availablefrom Grey Parrot Studios.

www.LifeWithAlexMovie.com

(a portion of the proceeds from this film will benefit

the Alex Foundation)

Q: Why did the budgie go to the candy store?

A: To get a tweet!

In Your Flock is the only avian publication in circula-tion that brings all the topics you want to one convenient place. Join our experts in sharing our efforts in con-servation and education. Join our flock.Subscribe at:

www.InYourFlock.com

This month’s cover models posed courtesy of It’s For the Birds in Naples, Fla. This trio is related, but not from the same clutch. The young lady, Penny, has gone to her forever home where her family is ex-cited to have a famous parrot in the flock! Do you have a gorgeous parrot worthy of front cover treatment? Contact [email protected].

Your Cool Name HereAll your advertising text could be right here, telling thousands of parrot parents what kind of nationwide services you offer for their feathered friends. From building websites for their busi-nesses to building misting systems for their aviaries, you have a skill someone across the country needs to hear about. Let IYF help you get the message out! 888-982-9552

Resource Directory(In Your Flock’s Resource Directory is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers and service providers who can get you the information you need to keep your birds hap-py and healthy. Let them know you saw them in In Your Flock magazine.)

Birdbrain Gifts 29Contact: Janet Braywww.birdbraingifts.comINYRFLOCK code

Bonnie’s Birds 34Contact: Bonnie or Rebecca941-979-8295

Doctors Foster & Smith 35800-443-1160www.DrsFosterSmith.com

Grey Parrot Studios 34LifeWithAlexMovie.com

Kissinger, Megan 2Contact: Megan239-410-0066www.megankissinger.com Have a safe and

happy New Year!


RE

C

OM M E N

DE

D

VE

T

E R I N A R

I AN

800-443-1160DrsFosterSmith.com

“I can only think of one thing greater than being happy and that is to help another to be happy, too.”—Jim Thomson

in your flock holiday issue 2012

Documents

parrot enthusiastsheres

parrot productskeep

flock feather

photo courtesy of lisa

adoptable bird

companion bird ready

new home

dancing cockatootm27