ISSN 1492-8132
Issue Number 58,
Copyright © 2002
All rights reserved,
No reprints without permission

This can be easier to decide, than to do. Whenever we are enjoying ourselves, our pet birds, social creatures that they are, will want to join in the fun. To them, this includes sharing in the foods that everybody else is eating. Like children, if denied access to a particular item, they may try even harder to get ahold of it - usually, when you're not looking.

To forestall such accidents, don't leave your chocolates sitting out uncovered on a table or counter. Instead, pass them out individually, when you want to share them, and be sure to tell everyone to be careful not to leave any laying about uneaten, and why.

Put any chocolate not immediately eaten away, as promptly as possible, and, as a final line of defense, stock up on items that your bird considers to be treats and that you know are good for him. Then, when the humans are handed their treats - the chocolates - you can include your pet in the celebrations by offering him a special treat too.

This website specializes in offering toys for birds of all sizes. While there is a preponderance of larger toys, this is true of many pet supply stores, who rarely have much of a selection to choose from. That is not the case here!

You can find items for every size of bird here, even finches and canaries. If you like, you can choose to buy parts separately and put them together yourself! Offering payment options for offline as well as online shopping, this is one of those rare commerically-oriented sites that is both useful and fun for all kinds of bird people - no matter what kind or size of bird/s happen to own them!

Our next issue is due Nov 24th - until then, may you and your birds enjoy all the best of everything!

Robirda
Nov 10, 2002

Welcome to Robirda's Companion Birds eZine

For breeder or pet bird owners who care.

Our pet birds can eat just about anything we can, with a few exceptions like caffeine, chocolate, and avocado, all of which are known to have toxic effects on avian species.

But there's a few other facts you will want to keep in mind, when you are feeding your birds. Just like you, if your birds are allowed to eat unlimited quantities of anything they like, the end result will very often be a fat, unhealthy bird.

This is especially true of birds who have limited opportunities to exercise by flying.

The avian metabolism tends to be very active, and in the wild, there is a very good reason for this - it helps the bird to respond promptly to any possible threat. As a result, all birds love high-energy, fatty foods, such as nuts and oily seeds. If allowed to, they will happily consume enough to cause serious damage their inner organs.

Human 'junk' foods are another source of problems. Junk foods tend to be high in, not only fats, but salts. Too much salt can be deadly to birds, again, mostly because of their tendancy to have a high rate of metabolic activity. Too much salt can raise the blood pressure quite quickly, and in a creature like a bird, that is already functioning at a much higher average rate than humans tend to, this can have deadly results in relatively short order.

So be careful, canny, and wise, throughout the winter holiday season, and keep a good stock on hand of healthy bird-treats to offer your pet - especially for those times when he sees you snacking, and wants a treat too!

Feature Article

Time and again one issue in particular keeps arising, wherever pet bird owners gather to talk. To say this issue is controversial, is a huge understatement! Specific factors may change dramatically from area to area, which means that every ethical pet bird owner needs to learn the facts pertinent to his or her local situations, before deciding for themselves what is the best answer to the question...

by R C McDonald
Copyright © Nov 2002

We've all seen it, time and time again. We walk into a pet store, looking for supplies for our birds - and our eye is caught by an all-too-familiar scenario.

There sits a bird (or maybe there's more than one) who looks at you dully, with misery and suffering in his eyes. He's in a tiny cage, with one perch, a seed dish full of husks, and another with a layer of filthy, slimy-looking water in the bottom of the cup. Period. His feathers are ratty and mussed, and he looks as if he feels he is living in hell.

What loving, caring human wouldn't want to rescue a bird found in such a situation? Yet, you will hear time and time again from those who spend their lives working with birds, that if you are planning on keeping it as a pet, buying a bird like this may not be a very good idea.

It may help if you realize that by buying a bird from any store you think may not be taking proper care of their birds (or who do not take sufficient care to see that they acquire their stock from a reliable source), you will only encourage them to continue the misery.

You may be able to save one bird or two, or in some cases a few more than that - but by giving these companies your money, you are letting them know that it will be in their fiscal interest to replace the birds you buy with others, using your money to help continue the chain of misery.

The only way to stop a horror like this is to refuse to offer such companies your support - especially financial.

Remember, every bird you 'rescue' from them, will promptly be replaced with another, and another, and another... birds are nothing but inventory to this kind of store, and, similarly to the rest of their inventory, as long as the 'item' is selling, they will continue to restock - usually from as cheap a source as possible.

It is important to let such stores know that you will not be buying any live animals from them, and why. In fact, one reason there are so many more pet supply stores than there are stores that sell the pets themselves, is that there is often more profit (and far less expense) involved in selling pet supplies than there is in keeping and selling live animals or birds.

After all, sacks of seed or kibbles don't need anywhere near the level of care and attention live animals do - which helps cut costs and raise profits.

There are, of course, other factors to consider as well. For example, if a bird is selling for $500, it is most likely that half of that or less was paid to the breeder, depending on whether it was sold directly to the store, or second-hand through a wholesaler.

The sad fact is that it is often next to impossible to make a profit hand-raising properly socialized bird-babies. The only way to make much profit is to operate under factory-line conditions that give you little to no time to spare for the birds. Such babies rarely get any attention at all, other than having a gavage-tube full of food shoved down their throats several times a day.

In fact, if a young handfed bird is to be properly socialized, the time spent will mean that the $250 selling price will fall well below the breakeven point, if the breeder is to make something close to what is normally considered a fair wage.

The time and expense of hand-rearing can also mean that corners may be cut in the diet or the living environments provided, in the interests of saving money. While this may show no obvious ill effects in the short term, it can and often is a major factor behind longer-term issues.

Aside from potential health problems, this sad series of facts means that many young birds being sold as 'handfed' (and/or 'handtame'), may actually have very little idea how to interact with another living being of any species.

A young bird lacking proper socialization already has serious psychological problems, if they are to develop sane and stable personalities - and this affects the levels of general health such a bird can achieve, too.

That combination can mean a lot of trouble, too many vet bills and eventually perhaps even heartbreak for a new bird owner, too often not very far down the road, either!

Good pet stores do exist - but currently, they are too far and few between. Such stores buy their stock only from ethical breeders, and keep their stock in clean, spacious quarters, offering them a variety of foods and toys.

If you should happen to find such a store, please give them all the support you possibly can - they are fighting an uphill battle, and can use all the help you can offer!

Is it not better to try to stop the carnage while we can, and let pet stores everywhere know that we require that they treat their stock as the living, feeling beings that they are?

Is it not better to inform any company we see who refuses to care for their stock adequately, that we will NOT support their attempt to profit off helpless creatures, and that is the reason why we will refuse to buy anything from them?

Is it not better to continue to attempt to educate anybody interested in birds, in what is *really* required for their comfort, happiness, and long-term health?

After too many years, and too many pet-store horror stories seen and heard, this is my conclusion, along with some of the reasons behind it.

Each of us must make up our own mind about the answer to this question. What will your decision be?

by R C McDonald
Copyright © Nov 2002

There are many different kinds of birdie-bath tubs on the market, meant for use by small birds. The problem is, it can get rather overwhelming, when you're a new pet bird owner, trying to choose which kind to buy!

I have tried many different styles of birdie-baths since first beginning to keep canaries, and for me the single most useful tubbie has proven to be the 'bay window' kind, with a clear or semi-clear plastic hood, and a light-coloured plastic bottom - white, yellow, pink, or pale blue or green. They come in other colours, but those seem to be received best by the canaries.

In the picture the link above will take you to, which shows the small-bird bath-tubs sold by Abba Seeds, this is the tub labelled B001. B005 is similar, but because of the wire used in place of the plastic hood, water can splash a LOT further - further than you might believe, until you actually see it!

If you haven't yet settled on which kind of birdie-bathtub to use for your birds, consider giving something like this a try - I very much doubt you will be sorry!

• Do you have or sell a great bird product? Send us a sample, and have it reviewed for Flock Talk readers! We will be reviewing foods, cages & cage accessories, toys, and other bird items we have direct experience with in upcoming issues. To arrange for a review, send your inquiry and a brief description of your product(s) here, to Robirda

This issue's question:

"I put some water in a dish for my bird to bathe in. He stares at it and I am not sure he knows what to do with it. Do canaries just need time to adjust to something new? Will he bathe in it eventually or what?"

Robirda's answer:

"Hello! Yes, most creatures do take a little more time to adjust to changes than we humans tend to. But, there is some questions you need to ask yourself, in order to make sure that you have offered him a bath he will feel comfortable using.

"First - is his bathtub easy for him to reach? Is it made of non-slippery material? It is very important that a bird-bath offer sufficient traction for his feet, and for that reason you should never use a pottery dish with a smooth glazed finish, or a tub with a mirrored bottom.

"Next - how deep did you fill it, and, is the water cold? Warm water will help strip the oils from his feathers, so it is important to use cool or even cold water when offering a canary a bath, and, it should never be more than an inch or so deep.

"Another thing to consider is the colour - some canaries will not use tubbies made of certain colours, especially the darker ones. You also want to consider the ambient lighting where he is kept - is it bright enough that he can see light reflecting off the water, and easily see that it is not too deep? He needs to be able to see the interior of his bathtub clearly, before he will jump in!

"You may find it easiest to buy and use one of the many small bathtubs made specifically for pet birds, although you can also just use a plastic drain tray made for use under plants. If you find that the finish is a bit too slippery, simply sand it a little with some light grade sandpaper."