taken literally 1 minute apart

Ah, the ‘ol scream and sleep.

If my birds were to send out Valentine’s Day cards

Valentine’s Day is on the way…  

say “I Love You!” with some Zazu’s House Valentine’s cards!

Pixel is wishing everyone Happy Holidays!

The (not so) surprising disappearing parrots

“Guys, let’s not with the extinction, please.”( Cacatua sulphurea, Lesser Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo, Critically Endangered. Photo Source) I’m about to talk about something that is a bit of a bummer. Okay, it’s a really huge bummer, but I think it’s really important to talk about this stuff, otherwise we lose things before we even know they are gone. If you are a bird lover (HIGH FIVE, MY DUDES), you probably know by now that there are some endangered parrots. I won’t shut up about Kakapos, but another one that is somewhat famous is the Spix’s macaw, thanks to the kinda-recent Rio movies. These are really important species that are getting much needed attention. What might surprise you (or, not, if you have been keeping an ear to the ground on this stuff) are some of the other species that are endangered. Like, African Grey Parrots. Sun Conures (yes). Lesser Sulfur-Crested Cockatoos (critically endangered). Many Amazon parrot species (yellow headed, double-yellow headed, red-crowned, etc etc. Some declining more than 90%). Several Macaws (Blue-Throated, critically endangered, probably fewer than 300 left) . Red-And-Blue Lorys. Lovebirds (yeah…). Just to name a few. (If you did a double take at Sun Conures or Lovebirds, you’re not alone. They are among the most commonly sold pet parrots here in the USA). There are many more species on the endangered list, and a great number more that are listed as vulnerable/decreasing at an unsustainable rate (essentially, these species are usually destined for the endangered list unless population trends change for the better). Here’s a chart if you are interested. A few seem a bit out of date; as African Greys have been re-listed as endangered recently. http://rainforests.mongabay.com/endangered/charts/birds-parrots.html It’s easy to see animals commonly kept in captivity as pets and not realize the really serious threat that hangs over the heads of their wild cousins. While imports into the US are less of a concern than the used to be ( The Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA) was enacted in 1992 to protect exotic bird species from international trade. The Act maintains that wild-caught birds may only be imported into the United States if they are produced in accordance with service-approved management plans for sustainable use of the species. Essentially, it’s illegal for hobbyists to import birds for the pet trade any longer. They are still smuggled, however.), it’s still a really huge problem in some parts of the world. Habitat loss/destruction are also an enormous factor in the decline of many of these species. If you are interested in a parrot, please research not only care (and the incredible requirements of time and money), but source. Though much decreased, illegal trade still happens. Educate yourself about how to avoid accidentally buying a smuggled bird. Though this is depressing, knowing that they are in trouble is the first step to helping. I know not everyone can donate, but even just spreading the word and creating awareness is a huge step in the right direction (how many of you were surprised to see Sun Conures, or African Greys, or Cockatoos on the list?). There is a lot of good information over on https://www.parrots.org/ both about keeping captive parrots, as well as conserving wild ones. If you can’t donate, you can always put something from their shop in your wish list! https://www.parrots.org/shop You can make some art of an endangered parrot to spread the word, too. It’s good #decembird2016 fodder, hey? If birds aren’t your thing (I.. forgive you, I guess), spread the word about other endangered animals commonly kept as pets (oh my gosh, poor Axolotls). I could write about this stuff for days, but this is already a long post. Please use this as the launching point: stay interested, stay curious, say upset… because without people that give a flying flip, these birds will go extinct.

Something to know about parrots!

They’re not for everyone! I’m a broken record about this, I know. But I think this sentiment goes under appreciated and unheeded a lot. If you like an animal who’ll tolerate you doing things to them even if they’re not 100% comfortable with it, then parrots are probably not your jam. They are an animal who commands complete respect for their autonomy and forcing them to do anything they do not want to do will simply turn them into aggressive terrorbeasts.  Even the most benign things like putting your hand over them when they’re busy foraging, or petting them when they don’t ask for it can earn you a lack of trust at best, and a bite at worst.  When their (often subtle) cues and body language goes ignored often enough, biting become their main mode of communication. In parrots that are so use to having their other modes of communication ignored, they learn to skip it all together and go straight to bites (since this usually sees the results they are looking for; you backing off). Based on what I’ve seen of the average person when they try to interact with my birds–a lot of people REALLY don’t grasp what it means to “not force anything on them”. It doesn’t mean to back off when they cry or nip, nor does it mean not to pursue them if they decide to fly away from you in favor of a safer perch. It means not getting them to that point to begin with. A lot of people have no idea how to do this. Maybe it’s akin to expecting someone to read the animal’s mind. But what it’s really about is being slow (yet steady) to act, and close observation.  This means parrots require patience. More so than perhaps any other animal you’ll ever have under your roof. In my experience, training a parrot is fun and rewarding. A lot of folks have reblogged my recall videos of Milly and tagged it “I want a bird”. Which is cute and flattering–but most birds won’t stay on demand nor come on demand right off the bat. It takes a lot of work and consistency to get to that point. And before even that, it takes a lot of trust. But how do you train an animal that you can’t force concepts onto? You have to convince it that it wants to heed these commands; that doing so it worth its time. These commands to step down, step up, stay, come–are never really commands when you’re dealing with a parrot. They are invitations. And for a very long time, the bird will not take you up on these invitations. It’s something you build up slowly and consistently over time. Even once you reach a 99% success rate in having your parrot take up your invitations, you have to continue practicing them and reminding them that these invitations are not something that the bird wants to miss out on. You can’t force a parrot to learn what you want it to learn. You can’t force a parrot to love you. You can’t punish it for disobeying or ignoring you. You can’t act as though you have any authority on it. When you work with a parrot, you work with it. The trust, communication and respect must be a mutual thing, or it just won’t work very well for either of you.  I find a lot of folks think they understand what I mean by this… But when I see them in practice, it’s clear that they don’t. Folks are so use to asserting themselves over animals (and over fellow humans too, lets be fair) that they don’t even realize they’re doing it. But a parrot will always let you know. And this is why so many people seem to opine that parrots are “Evil”. They’re not. They just expect some respect, and we’re not use to that haha.

Thanksgiving Pixel ft. “Yawn and Preen”

reminder:

are baby parrots cute? 

yes.

do you want a baby parrot?

no.

Oh boy, I always need to rant about parrots.

You want a bird? Great! Don’t get a parrot! Think instead of getting something that doesn’t need the insane social environment and 60+ years from you. Get a pigeon, dove, finch, canary, maybe even a starling. They don’t scream, they can’t break your finger, and can be just as cuddly. They aren’t endangered, they do well with a pal, but don’t self-mutilate at the drop of a pin. They still need plenty of time and care, but certain pigeon species have been domesticated, meaning they do better in captivity. PARROTS ARE TAME, NOT DOMESTICATED.

If your mind is so set on a parrot you need to do so much more work to get there. Go volunteer at a parrot rescue, they are different animals as adults than babies. Oh boy are they cute when they are little, they are when they are big as well, but they are also hormonal and will bite. Hard. Go get to know a parrot at a rescue and if you have the means to provide a stable environment for it the rest of it’s life, then consider adopting. No more baby parrots are needed in the pet trade, they change as they mature and will go through fazes of sexual frustration as they lash out because that’s all they can do. If you can come to terms with parrot behavior and deal with getting bit every once and a while look into adopting a cutie.

If you refuse to get a rescue, at least don’t get a large parrot baby. Cockatiels, conures, budgies, and parrotlets are comparatively better. They live 30 years most which means most times they won’t outlive you. They can be nippy, but they are not quite as socially complex. Cockatiels are an especially easy bird to read and understand the body signals of. I’m not saying these birds are easy, they still need plenty of time spent with them every day, especially if you want them to be hand tame. Unlike dogs and cats who are able to seek you out for cuddles and just live in your house, birds often get forgotten about in their cages. Their diet needs to be a pellet diet supplemented with fruits and veggies and perhaps some seeds sometimes as a treat.

EDIT: Small little thing I remembered, domesticated chickens are fabulously great pets, even for an indoor environment. They can be wonderfully affectionate and come in many tiny, almost pocket sized varieties +egg a day if you’re lucky. Look up Seramas, Frizzles, Silkies, and Polish, they are all very unique looking and typically friendly species. During the day keep them in a little caged area, but get some chicken diapers (they exist and are becoming more common) and you can let them roam your house poop free.

My cousins have domesticated chickens running around their house and they are the SWEETEST birds, they’re so lovely and cuddly. They’ll hop right up on your lap and just sort of gently cluck while you’re watching TV.

At this point in my life of regular care for 2 umbrella cockatoos and a green wing macaw, I can thoroughly say that I do not recommend them for domestic ownership.

It runs us ragged at our facility dealing with those three alone. Parrots are parrots, and in the wild, their piercing vocalizations are critical to interacting with large flocks over large areas.

They do not take this into account when living in your home. And they will scream. All the time.

They need so much specialized care, I honestly cannot fathom how anyone without the patience of a saint and a myriad of knowledge and resources would want to bring one of these animals into their homes…

I know exactly one person that I can say without a doubt that yes, his parrot is well-kept and happy.

My old boss at the museum has three children. Two of them I didn’t know about until about a year in, but I heard about Simon the first day. In fact, I heard about Simon before I was even hired.

Simon is the blue and gold macaw my boss got thirty years ago as a young bird. He was a “house-iversary” present from my boss’s wife after they both got tenure-track jobs and knew they were settling down. They raised him extremely well, but my boss still has some scars from where Simon took chunks out of him during puberty. Simon has the run of the house. There’s always someone home with him, whether that’s my boss, his wife, or one of their human children. Always. My boss would skype with the bird and talk to him on the phone; when his wife was in the museum and he was at home, she’d do the same thing. When they were away on digs, they made sure to call Simon and talk to him multiple times a day, just to make sure he could hear their voices. Their eldest daughter took care of him then- they all love that bird. I’ve skyped with him, too. He showed me his toys and pretended to be my boss’s cell phone.

There’s one room in the house that’s just a specialized bird jungle gym. Loads of things to climb on and play with. Even though it’s a fun room, they never shut him up in there; the only time he’s shut up is at night. Otherwise he has unrestricted access to his “flock.” There’s some edible plants in there too if he wants to forage. Simon has a “cage” and I put that in quotes because it’s basically a closet he sleeps in and eats in. After meals they typically put him in there until he poops, but the general consensus is “this is why we have hardwood floors.” One of the major axes around which their lifestyle revolves is parrot care, and they knew this going into it. This was something they wanted as a family.

Simon also has a provision in the will. I was helping my boss pare down his book collection and he talked about having to go through his dad’s books after he died and how he didn’t want to make Simon go through that. He was joking, but then he got serious and mentioned that they’d actually set up a fund for Simon’s care if anything happened to them. He knows there’s a chance the bird will outlive him and he’s not only sure of what will happen (the oldest daughter inherits the house they live in and the bird because she’s his favorite of the human children), he’s also set aside money for his continual care. 

That’s the sort of thing you have to consider when you get a baby parrot. They’re not really pets so much as they are major lifestyle commitments. Any animal is a commitment, of course, but parrots don’t just require special consideration, they require major changes that most people probably can’t handle.

My parents have a double yellow headed Amazon that belonged to my great grandmother. He’s old enough that the vet suspects he may have been wild caught back before there were laws to prevent that kind of thing. George is older than I am and it’s still very, very possible that he may outlive my parents or at least outlive their ability to care for him.

Since my girlfriend and I are such animal-lovers the family has basically come to an understanding that we will be inheriting George if my parents reach the point where they can’t meet his care needs anymore. But think about that. That’s THREE GENERATIONS of committed animal lovers needed to provide for one bird’s lifetime.

80% of large parrots will be surrendered within their first 2 years in a home. IF YOU AREN’T READY TO CARE FOR A STRONG, LOUD, TEMPERAMENTAL, NEEDY, FEATHERED INFANT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE DO NOT GET A PARROT!

Sooo very important!

seriously guys stop thinking predator/prey and predator/predator interactions are cute and stop reblogging them. they are extremely dangerous and everyone needs to stop spreading it, as it only leads to more similar situations.

i’m so confused why do y'all think this is about vore

You can’t stop me from shipping Nick/Judy! DX

um this is about real animals..

@lookatthisbabybird is referring to those so called ‘cute’ gifs/images/ etc of animals such as cats and dogs paired with small birds, small mammals, reptiles, etc. I.E predator Prey reactions. All random feed back aside, this is very serious. It’s not cute, unless your goal was to end up w/ injured pets. Birds are -especially- at risk because cats (and a few other common domestic pet species) have a bacteria that is fatal to birds, as well as rodents, from what I recall.

I don’t know why I’m bothering with this other than pet welfare is serious business for me, but ya’ll need to take this serious if you want your pets to remain safe. Cruelty ain’t cute.

For the record ALL mammals (or at least a significant portion of them beyond ‘a few’) have the special bacteria that is fatal to birds, its called gram negative bacteria.

For this same reason you should never let your bird nibble off something you’ve eaten, cause it can get them really sick. Its not just cats, the issue with cats is they lick every part of their body and its more likely to be all over their body, but its not a cat exclusive thing. 

Gram negative bacteria found in mammals can also be highly fatal to reptiles. NO, your cat snuggling up to your bearded dragon isn’t cute; you’re putting your reptile’s health at risk. You never know when your cat is going to realize “hey, this is a living thing. I could eat this!” and then you’ve lost a beloved pet all because of careless anthropomorphism.

Imagine some giant decided that you and their pet tiger were “friends” because the tiger didn’t immediately kill you on sight and stuck you in a pen together. Would you feel safe?? No you would not!! You can’t gauge when that tiger might be hungry and want a snack, and whether or not it will decide that snack will be YOU. That’s how your exotics feel next to your cat or dog, or each other for that matter.

So yeah. Just like…. don’t do that. Let your animals live in their own separate little worlds. Environmentally dependent animals (most exotics) are better off that way anyway.