ISSN 1492-8132
Issue 106, © 2004
No reprints without permission

Our latest CD of Robirda's canaries singing consists of 12 16-bit true-stereo tracks, each averaging almost 5 minutes long, for a total of 58 minutes and 48 seconds of canary songs.

You can hear a 10 second mp3 sample here. Listen carefully, and you will be able to hear the different positions of each bird!

Another says, "I just received my 'New Songs from the Birdroom' CD last night. I got up this morning and popped it in-- You should have seen my baby perk up! Your CD sure did start him singing. He was hanging from his swing looking out the way of the CD player and singing right along with it. Thanks again from a very contented canary and his owner!"

Learn more here!

The folks at Bird & Cage aim to provide birdkeepers with a great selection of good quality cages and birdcage accessories for great prices, and their customers agree.

A recent customer comments, "I want to thank you for your excellent customer service. Your responses to my queries were timely and effective. I appreciate that so much. I have a friend thinking of a cage like mine for her canary. I will certainly pass on the news of the excellent service I received, as well as a great cage. Thank you so much."

Find out for yourself by visiting BirdandCage.com

Most small species of birds kept as pets have a potential lifespan of 10 years or more. There are even documented reports of some small birds having lived for 20 years or even more!

But our pets' wild relatives, supposedly enjoying the 'natural life', rarely if ever manage to live as long as their potential. The stresses of competing for food and shelter, and especially, the strain of breeding and raising as many babies as they can in a single short season, generally see that most small species will rarely live for more than a year or two in the wild.

The natural life is no paradise, but instead is harsh and filled with dangers. So if you want to be truly kind to your birds, consider these facts, and see that your bird's life is not as natural as that of his outdoor relatives. That way, you and s/he can both live a long and happy life together!

We rely on you to help keep this publication and its associated websites alive. If you find help you need in this ezine or on our websites, please consider joining our sponsors.

Read testimonials or find more details on sponsorships. If you're looking for something different, check our home page for links to all our great products and services!

Our next issue is due Nov 7th. We hope you and your birds stay safe, well and happy in the meantime, we look forward to seeing you all then! 

Robirda
Kelowna, BC
Oct 24, 2004

Welcome to Robirda's Companion Birds eZine

For breeder or pet bird owners who care.

Hello! Welcome to Flock Talk's 106th issue. Subscribe and unsubscribe information for the email version of this ezine is at the bottom of this webpage.

Table of Contents

Website News

Halloween is coming up fast, so be sure to keep a watchful eye out that nobody offers your bird(s) any chocolate. Certain candies - especially anything containing chocolate - can be dangerous and even deadly to birds, so make them their own treats (such as the yummy popcorn treat from Flock Talk 38) and make sure to keep those inquisitive little beaks out of trouble during the holiday season.

Last issue several people had difficulties making purchases from us, due to the fact that PayPal chose that weekend to update their servers (without any notice to us). Their upgrades have been completed, and everything is again back to normal. We apologize for any troubles you may have had trying to purchase an item from us during this time.

This period has been difficult for us too, as Robirda has been dealing with yet another illness, and is still struggling to deal with her previous health problems as well. All these illnesses have made it difficult to keep up with everything, and we'd like to let you know that we are doing the best we can to minimize any troubles or delays wherever we can.

Feature Article

An Introduction to

by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © 2004

When they hear the word 'aviary', most people think of a large outdoor cage filled with a variety of bird of several species, all happily living together in a natural setting, similar to how they would live in the wild.

Many zoos and nature preserves have displays that do little to dispel this idea. But what most people don't realize, is how much work goes on behind the scenes to maintain these 'natural' displays.

Much thought is required when setting up such a display. At least some of the birds living in it must be visible to the visiting public at all times, for interest to be maintained. This generally entails keeping more birds in a smaller area than would ever happen in the wild.

To counter the stress of crowded conditions and the (for some species) unnerving situation of being stared at by crowds of strangers, most establishments keep a close watch on the inmates of their aviaries, and have 'back-up' facilities away from the main displays. Should an inhabitant begin to show signs of stress or illness, he or she can be removed to these more private facilities and allowed time to recover before being returned to the exhibition area.

Some establishments arrange for each group of birds to have private areas available to them, accessible through 'pop-holes' into a shelter, sometimes decorated to appear as part of the display, sometimes simply placed at the back of the enclosure, perhaps screened by some plantings.

In such cases, the birds can come and go as they please, and visitors have to take their chances on seeing them. Other establishments don't have the room or facilities for such a set-up, and instead rely on having private quarters to which the birds may be removed when necessary.

What all this means is that in most cases, few if any birds will remain in these displays year round. Instead, they are rotated in and out of the main display as conditions and co-inhabitants change, thus allowing their keepers to have a lovely display while at the same time keeping all their stock healthy.

Newcomers to bird-keeping in general and aviaries in particular often have the idea that keeping an aviary provides a more natural lifestyle for their birds than would be possible in a smaller cage, and many also believe that having all their birds in one aviary will reduce the amount of maintenance needed.

While this is a lovely idea, in most cases it's a pipe dream. In order to provide a setting as close as possible to a bird's natural environment, the aviary must provide, not only food, water, and room to exercise, but adequate territory for each species it holds.

Social though many species of birds are, in a wild environment they will usually flock in groups that include mostly - if not all - members of a single species. Whenever multiple species co-exist closely in the wild, careful observation will see that they are quite careful to give each other plenty of elbow room.

This may be achieved in a variety of ways. Often different groups of birds will use the same feeding grounds, watering holes, or bathing sites at different times during the day. Other species may forage side by side on similar foods, but most members of each flock will keep a careful eye out, ready to fly away at the least indication of aggression.

It's not unusual to see a variety of species feeding together, in fact, and this fact is often used to justify housing similar species together in an aviary. But in the wild, after feeding is over, these 'flocks' will scatter, each group going their separate way. This is just not possible in a closed-in aviary.

Most aviaries are too small to be able to replicate a natural environment for a mixed group of birds in this manner, and so their inmates, rather than living the 'natural life' fondly imagined by their human caretakers, instead live a nightmare life of stress and constant striving for a better position within the flock, with the goal of gaining a better chance at an equal share of food and drink.

Less dominant members of the aviary may not be able to get a large enough share of the resources consistently enough to properly maintain their health, and this, along with the constant stress and competition, can cause a slow deterioration of their health. Due to the fact that all birds strive to hide any signs of illness, this means that in most cases any such deterioration will not be noticed until the bird is near death.

A keeper who has experience keeping birds in an aviary will know to spend plenty of time simply watching the interactions of the birds, and will watch closely for any signs of aggression.

In most cases, such a keeper uses his or her aviary (or aviaries) as an adjunct to the birdroom, rather than instead of a birdroom. He or she will have made sure that each bird living in the aviary will also have individual quarters available, should the need arise. This way, any birds who appear to be less than optimally healthy may be removed immediately, and placed in their own living quarters.

Once there, they can be more easily observed for any signs of illness, or simply given a chance to recover from the stresses and strains of aviary life and the constant striving for dominance and access to food and water.

Some General Guidelines to Using Aviaries and Flight Cages

(We're defining 'Aviary' as a large separate enclosure for birds, large enough for a human to walk into. Flight cages, although sometimes called 'indoor aviaries', are simply large cages, and are not usually big enough to walk around in.)

          -- Don't expect to be able to keep all your birds in your aviary all year round.

          -- For small species such as canaries and finches, make sure that you have at least 1 to 2 cubic feet of space inside the aviary for each inmate. Note that some species - many waxbills, for example - will require more space than others.

          -- For those same small species, be certain to have at least 6 - 12 inches of perching space for each inmate housed in the aviary. Again, some species may require more.

          -- To reduce competition as much as possible, have multiple drinkers available, each placed well away from the others, and placed both high and low in every area of the aviary.

          -- Similarly, have multiple feed cups, likewise placed well apart from each other. One foodcup for each inhabitant of the aviary is best, but there should be no less than 1 for every 2 inmates. Unlike the drinkers, keep all the food cups fairly low, to reduce mess (and cleaning time).

          -- Ensure that none of the food and water sources are under any perches. This apparently minor detail is of utmost importance to maintaining health and vigor in your flock!

          -- Use your aviary as an add-on to your birdroom, not instead of a birdroom. Try to keep an individual cage available for each bird in your care, whether it is currently in use or not.

          -- Be careful when mixing species, and be sure to use only social species. Don't mix larger birds with smaller, or hookbills with passerines, and make sure that all the species in any given aviary eat the same foods. This last is especially important for longer-term health.

          -- Be sure to read up on each species and make sure that they will be compatible with the other members of the aviary. Some species will be non-agressive with other species, but extremely agressive to other members of their own species, while others will try to boss anything that moves. A few species are so mild-natured that any birds not of their own species can push them about terribly.

Paying attention to this kind of detail can seem like a real nuisance sometimes, but will be well worth your while in the long run, for it will allow you to keep your aviaries properly maintained, and your birds happy and healthy.

by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © 2004

Canary Book

"It's everything I imagined it would be and I'm just thrilled with my copy! - so great to have and to hold!!! It's a very attractive book, and a nice size as well - one that I can easily tuck and have on hand to refer to and read whenever and wherever."

"I ordered 'Canary Tales' by Linda Hogan last year... Although I fully recommend buying her book, I find Robirda's book much more complete, easier to read with less difficulty finding information."

"You have given us excellent assistance in keeping our canary alive! The advice of other 'experts' nearly killed him, including two vets who did NOT know about canaries, and gave us dangerously wrong advice."

"You have a way of making things easy to understand, and I love the look and feel of your book - not to mention that it is so easy to find the information I am looking for. THANK YOU!!!"

"It's SO beautiful, and the photos and illustrations are wonderful, I love it!!!!!! Thanks so much!!!"

"Received your book today, and was surprised how great it is! It's well worth the cost and then some, thank you!"

Learn more about Robirda's book at robirda.com/brats.html.

Try Robirda's ebooks for all the quality at a fraction of the price! See full ebook details here.

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