From the category archives:

Pet Birds

The Four-Inch Tall Bully

by Keith G. on October 25, 2009

Most people have known a bully. Bullies steal your lunch money, tell you what to do, and pick on people smaller or less fortunate than them. But what about when that bully is only four inches tall and feathered? Kiwi, our male maroon-bellied conure, is a bully. While he lacks thumbs to steal my lunch money or the language skills to make fun of me, it doesn’t stop him from bullying everyone he meets, regardless of their size.

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Look Who’s Squawking

by Keith G. on October 2, 2009

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” I’ve always enjoyed that phrase, first coined by Charles Caleb Colton in 1820 in his book Lacon, or Many Things in Few Words, addressed to those who think. I’m not sure that counts for Neil Diamond cover bands or Spam, though.
Parrots are masters of imitation, and can often [...]

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Parrot Poo Patrol: A Dirty Job, Part 2

by Keith G. on September 11, 2009

As I detailed in a previous post, Contessa, my eldest parrot, experienced a bout of diarrhea recently, which is never a good sign in birds. When that bout turned into a smelly, messy weeklong malady, we quickly made an appointment with the vet.
We had to wait a couple of days to get in to the [...]

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Parrot Poo Patrol: A Dirty Job

by Keith G. on August 27, 2009

As a bird owner, I find that I spend a lot of time looking at poop. Let me explain.
About four years ago I became a bird enthusiast. Not by choice, really, but by proxy. My girlfriend at the time (my current wife) was the proud “parent” of three parrots, Chicken, Kiwi, and Contessa, who are [...]

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