"LETS ALL GO ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY" Traveling with your bird- By Gary Colvin

Looking at the weather now, our summer holidays seem like a long way away, but before you know it, vacation time will be upon us. It is important to take some time to prepare what we are going to do with our pets, and especially our parrots. If you are anything like me, I tend to leave things to the last moment and then have a mad scramble to get everything done, but with a little bit for fore thought and organizing, you can not only make it easy on yourself, but also easy on your parrot.
   Probably the first consideration is where is your parrot going to go….is it travelling with you, or will it be staying elsewhere while you are gone.
   If your parrot is staying put, you have a few options

• HOME SITTING. This may be suitable, especially if your birds are in an outdoor aviary, but remember, during Summer we can have some stifling heat and dreadful humidity, You really need someone that is reliable that that you can be sure will provide fresh food and water at least once, if not twice a day, or are living in your home in your absence. Also make sure there are plenty of food and water bowls that cannot be tipped over, and in different positions, so that some will always be in the shade and will stay cool. I personally do not like the idea of a parrot being left alone, in its cage, inside a house, as it could become too hot. Your parrot really needs to be checked twice a day during this hot weather and make sure there is good air flow and shade to keep them cool.

• STAYING AT ANOTHER HOUSE. This can be a suitable situation, especially if the people caring for your parrot, are already parrot people. If they already have parrots, you may want to make sure they have had their birds fully vet checked, and likewise have your parrot checked out, just minimize any threat of spreading disease. Check what other pets they have, that may be a threat to your parrot. If you are going to board your bird with a friend, you may want to try taking your parrot over for short visits, just to desensitize him to any change .Taking him over for visits can get him accustomed to the new surroundings and also give you a chance to discuss caring with the bird sitters. These visits can give your parrot the chance to acquaint itself with his holiday carer and also give them both a chance to interact positively. You may want to pre package all of your parrot’s food up into daily rations to make feeding easy, especially if do not feed the same types of food that you do. When trusting your parrot with a friend, or family, it is always a lot of responsibility, and just as the person looking after your parrot should never take on this task lightly, it really is a case of “all care, no responsibility!” If you do not think someone has the time and patience to care for your parrot, then maybe this person is not suitable.

• BOARDING. Boarding at a parrot boarding facility can be a great idea and these people are set up to accommodate your parrot and know how to look after them. Unfortunately these sorts of facilities are very scarce so you need to source them out early and book in, as availability can be very limited. Best places to try are any avian vets, maybe the breeder of your parrot, if you know it, and also the Parrot Rescue Centre. You may want to visit and check out the facility to make sure it is suitable, but as these people are always very busy, always phone and talk to the owners and make a time that is suitable for both of you. Any good boarding facility will require that your parrot be fully checked out by an avian vet and tests done to screen for disease. This is important to stop the spread of diseases, some of which could be fatal to your parrot. Just remember, if you are not required to have your parrot avian vet checked, then none of the other parrots boarding there are, so your parrots health is at risk... Personally, I would not board my parrot somewhere that did not require an avian vet check and clean bill of health from all the birds staying there. You may want to board your parrot there a few times, just for a weekend or two, so he can get to know the facility. It gives your parrot a chance to get used to somewhere strange and for the boarding staff to meet your parrot.

• TRAVELLING WITH YOU. If you are holidaying somewhere that allows you to bring your pets, then taking your parrot along can be a great option, but again just a little fore thought may be needed to ensure this a pleasurable trip for you and your bird. If caravanning, or camping, make sure you are allowed to take pets into the area. Also give some thought to what you will do with your parrot if you go out. Check for possible predators, and possibly the possibility of theft.

If you are going to travel with your parrot, or even if you are just going to be moving him to somewhere else, now is the time to start getting your parrot used to his travel box. You really want the whole experience to be a pleasurable one and as less stressful as possible, so slowly starting to train him to enter and enjoy being in his travel box is important.
The best way to achieve this is start giving your parrot short stays in his carry cage and also to feed him in there. Start by first thing in the morning, before you feed your parrot, place some of his favourite foods in his travel box and get him to have his breakfast in there. If your parrot is doing a reliable “Step Up” and “Step Down”, you can just carry him to his travel box and ask him to step down on his perch. If your parrot isn’t hand trained yet, you still have time to start training him now, or you could lure him into his travel box by placing his favourite food in the box and letting him step in himself…..this could later be put on a word cue, such as ….”.In Your Box”. Just remember to make this an enjoyable act and never slam the door shut. You want you parrot feeling very relaxed and happy to go into his box, if he feels trapped or scared, he may be reluctant to go in next time. Once he is happy going into his cage a receiving treats, slowly shut the door for a short period of time and only progress in duration once your parrot seems calm. If he is happily eating at his food bowl, then you can leave him in there till he has finished. We always want to create happy associations with anything new we are training, so our bird is eager to do what we ask.
Once your parrot is happy being in his carry box, we can then start carrying him around, to get him use to movement. The best sort of travel boxes are the cat and small dog cages that are heavy duty plastic and have a wire door front. They are well covered, so your parrot will feel protected, but still have plenty of air holes for air circulation. You can attach a perch to the inside of your box by fixing a natural branch with screws from the outside, which will be sturdy and not move around. If you have swings in your carry cage, it may be a good idea to remove them, while your parrot is in transport, as they can swing, hit and possible hurt your bird. This cage should be placed somewhere securely in your car, where it cannot move, or become a projectile if you have to break suddenly. Placed on the ground behind, or in front of seats to secure them in, or having the seat belt secured around the cage, should stop any movement.
Once you have your parrot trained to enjoy going into his travel box, you can start to get him accustomed to going in your car. This may just mean a drive up and down your driveway to start with. Again you want to start off slowly and build up slowly and this is called Progressive Desensitization…..small steps that are always associated with a good, or rewarding outcome.              
 If he doesn’t enjoy being in the car and you terrorize him by overwhelming him, you could have a screeching neurotic parrot screaming in your car for the entire journey. 
If you parrot is going to be travelling a long distance, it is important water is supplied to stop dehydration. This can be supplied in a few ways to try and minimize spillage and mess. Firstly, if travelling be car, you can use deep bowls with small amounts of water and check and refill when you take breaks.
You can also train your parrots to drink from one of the water feeders that have a reservoir and a ball bearing to stop spillage. Again, if your parrot is not used to drinking from one of these, you may want start training him now while you have plenty of time. Another way of supply moisture for you parrot while travelling, is to chop up foods high in water content, such as watermelon, rock and honeydew melon, strawberries pawpaw. Really any mixed fruit salad will have a high moisture content and will be less likely to spill and make a mess.

Other considerations before you travel may be getting your parrot micro-chipped, just in case he escapes while you are away. Even small parrots can be micro-chipped which will ensure his safe return to you, should he turn up at any vets, council, or animal refuge.
Harness training, as discussed in earlier articles, may give your parrot the advantage of coming out while you are away.

Any new behaviours or events should be started to be trained now so that you can progress slowly and get it right. If you allow yourself plenty of time, you will not have to rush yourself, or your parrot and you should be able to achieve the goals you need. Sit down and make a list of anything new you want to train your parrot that will involve him going away or any new experiences he may have to get used to.              

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• What Are the Individual Foraging Components?
  The system is made up of two distinctively different types of devices all are easy to use and economical. 1.) Destructible (shredable) chipboard boxes with interior honeycomb insert. Boxes and honeycomb inserts are made from USDA approved chipboard an eco-friendly, biodegradable material. All boxes are free of glue and / or any toxins that might be harmful to a pet bird. The box is heavy enough to maintain its configuration but must be torn apart to gain access to the entire content. Parrots chew into the box to find food, having discovered the food source they continue chewing thru the honeycomb to access additional food. Boxes are housed in a high impact resistant, clear polycarbonate holding device. Box holders are available in either a vertical or horizontal configuration. A mounting bracket attaches the holding device to any cage with bar spacing of 3/8 to 11/4 Once the mounting bracket is installed you simply unsnap the box holder, remove and replace the used box with a refill. Increase foraging opportunities by using multiple forage feeding boxes installed in different locations, position devices so that some are more difficult than others to access and change locations frequently. These boxes may be filled with your choice of food products pellets, dried fruit, shelled nuts, sliced vegetables or etc. Starter Kits are available in two different sizes, and include a number of free refill boxes. Hexagonal hanging Treat Boxes made of the same materials also incorporates the honeycomb insert, small and large boxes are available in multi packs which can be filled with your choice of foods (These are coming soon to the PRC!). The treat box is an easy way to introduce parrots to concept of working for food. Do not be surprised if the birds first reaction is to destroy the box. Parrots learn to forage by observing the behavior of their parents and / or other members of their flock; this option is obviously not available to pet birds. Patience may be required, by tearing a bit of the chipboard away the parrot will be able to identify the box as a food source.
  Starter Kit includes: Large Vertical Holder or Small Vertical Holder and 10 multi compartment foraging boxes (10 day supply)
  Refills are under Toy Parts for the Holders.
• More Large Foraging systems will be in stock in December we are currently waiting on stock.

• Coming in December to the PRC Shop "Parrot Mugs" These will be a great Christmas present for your parrot loving friends at christmas.
• Mugs have some spectacular art work on them by Kasey Taylor who is a well known wild life artist.
• You can purchase a set of four mugs or buy them singly. The set of four mugs can be a mixed arrangement or all the same.
• Designs available will be Macaws, Cockatiels, Cockatoos and Eclectus parrots more will be introduced if requested.
• Below is the sample of the Great Cockatoo and Eclectus mug artwork.

Dear Jim, I want to hand or stick train an aviary bird. I have taken in a pair of Orange-winged Amazons (Amazona amazonica) aged five - captive bred previously kept in 9-foot aviary and never handled.

I have put them in a 15-foot flight. After 16 days the male will hop or fly onto a broad stick for a nut. I do this 3 times a day. I feed them on pellets and fruit twice a day. Nuts and seeds are for treats. The female remains shy, although will sometimes take a nut and run off.

Any tips on moving the training of Basil forward and desensitising him to my hand? He will fly to the stick a short distance but at the sight of my hand, he backs up.

Thanks,
Dorothy

G’day Dorothy,

Thanks for your e-mail and request for advice on the training and relationship building process with your Orange-winged Amazons. I have also recently acquired a 5-year-old Amazon parrot (a Yellow-naped – Amazona auropalliata) that has been an aviary bird for that time and I am embarking on a similar relationship-building journey. What a privilege it is to be working with such a remarkable genus as the Amazona!

The advice that I would impart here represents a few key training and relationship building principles for you to reflect on. I am confident that you can work from there to set some new goals that will hopefully provide the momentum you are seeking in developing your relationship and trust account with your Amazons.

*Goal-setting: Be clear about exactly what behavioural goal you want to set and be conscious of setting goals for each individual bird, as it is obvious from your e-mail that each of your Amazons is at a different level of trust in working with you. Keep in mind that your major goal of having the birds step on to your hand is really only achieved after having reached minor goals that are essential in an effective training and relationship building continuum. That leads into thinking about the next critical part of the picture...

*Map out your Approximations: Once you have established a clear behavioural goal you can work out the approximations you need to be conscious of for reinforcing and shaping the behaviours required for achieving those goals. Perhaps the most common mistake made at this level is by setting up an approximation schedule that makes it too difficult for the parrot to achieve quick and effective learning, or possibly even offering a reinforcement schedule that inadvertently reduces motivation for the parrot to progress further. This requires reflection on the next critical concept for improving training success...

*Criteria Setting for Success: When we reach a point in our relationship building or behaviour-training process where progress is not being achieved its time to consider what our criteria for success has been. In some situations it may help to take a step back in our approximation schedule and lower the criteria for success. However, if you are finding yourself offering reinforcement continually for behaviours you have already captured, you may be inadvertently minimising the motivation for your parrot to progress further in your approximation schedule. In such a situation you may be able to kick-start some forward momentum by actually raising your criteria for success before further reinforcement is offered.

*Size of Reinforcement: One goal you seem to have set is having your Amazons stay in closer proximity to you for longer periods of time. Rearranging your environment will help the shaping of that behaviour. Think about how you might be able to deliver reinforcement treats in contexts that increase the duration of stay near you. One suggestion here is re-think your use of a whole nut and instead place nut fragments in a bowl that you can position where you observe the birds to be secure and confident in their behaviour. Are there possibly other reinforcement treats that you can utilise? You then need to consider your proximity to that bowl as a separate set of approximations to work through. Your daily schedule of feeding and working with the birds can lead you to consider the final training suggestion that I would like to make...

*Maximising Motivation: You should be able to use your feeding schedule to your advantage by ensuring that are attempting to interact with the Amazons at times when their motivation to receive the treats you have on offer is maximised. Combine this strategy with careful arrangement of the environment, consideration of your approximations of proximity of the feeders to you, and consideration of the size of reinforcement treats in the feeders. You can then quickly develop a context whereby you are enhancing the level of desensitisation to you simply through the delivery of their daily feeds. I implement this process daily with my own breeding pair of Galahs to maintain my trust account with a pair of birds who may otherwise have little need for a `human’ in their social spectrum.

Expanding on all of the above, – I would recommend having a good read of the following articles from the World Parrot Trust Reference Library...

1. `Does your parrot have a trust account?’ – Steve Martin
2. `Empowering Parrots’ – Susan Friedman PhD
3. `Step-up – Command or Request?’ – Barbara Heidenreich
4. `Shaping new behaviours’ – Susan Friedman PhD

These are all freely downloadable from: http://www.parrots.org/index.php/referencelibrary/behaviourandenviroenrich/

Good luck Dorothy!

Kind Regards, Jim McKendry
Parrot Behaviour & Enrichment Consultation

Jim proudly supports the PRC by purchasing Parrot Toys and Accessories from the PRC Shop, Answering any of your FAQ and continually referring clients to the PRC Services and Programs. We greatly appreciate Jim's support. Please show your thanks by showing your support of Jim's initiatives.

For more information about Jim McKendry please visit:

www.pbec.com.au

The Parrot Rescue Centre spends a lot of time and resources in doing what is best for the parrots in its care by ensuring the birds are regularly vet checked, given fresh food, enrichment, clean aviaries and cages, providing natural habitats and by building larger enclosures.

The PRC is not a large organisation, it is privately owned and managed by Zarita, volunteers and Family. To help fund the PRC Zarita has created the PRC Parrot Shop, Bird Boarding services and the Sanctuary Program and also relies on the generosity of the public. The PRC does not receive any financial assistance from the government or other large organisations.

We need your help and support to continue to provide a high standard of care to the PRC parrots and also to continue to provide the Website, Newsletter and other services such as Sanctuary, Rescue, Rehabilitation, Adoption and Placement programs.

Thankyou for your kindness.

Yours truly,

Zarita Garozzo

Thankyou for your support.

Story of the month of November - CHARLIE! by Kym Addison

Hi Zarita

We can't believe that it is Charlie's 1st birthday with us next week.  You have no idea how much fun you have bought into our house allowing us to adopt her.  We thought we laughed enough with just one short bill in the house, but to have a short bill and a long bill together just makes for almost constant hilarity. 
Dougal could care less if she didn't live here - they have never become the best of friends but they do give each other kisses every now and again (usually only when they think we aren't watching).  They still live in separate cages - Charlie tends to run around all of her bowls, throw everything out onto the floor to see if there's anything better in the bottom of the bowl and then go down to the floor later to retrieve stuff, while Dougal prefers to eat his way through everything in his bowl and rarely gets anything off the floor (unless its hidden in other toys).  When we did put them in together, we found that Dougal wasn't getting enough to eat. 

Charlie has not learned to say anything other than Hello or Hello Charlie which are the words she arrived with and sometimes she forgets how to get out of her cage in the morning and just sits on her perch looking at us as if to say "I'm stuck".  But she is smart in other ways.  We have a baby's wooden stacking toy that she loves to unstack.  Just lately she has surprised us by trying to restack the toy - something which Dougal has never attempted.  His whole approach is chew, break, destroy.    She also has her bucket of toys which she loves to empty and have repacked so she can empty it again.  And we know that she tries to work things out in her own little way.  When I had problems with her biting me early on in her adoption, we started playing a game where she would look up my sleeve for the fingers that were hidden there and when she found them she would give me a little nip and we would laugh.  We had to stop that game when one day I didn't laugh and she started biting me harder and harder to make me laugh !!  I can tell Dougal 'no, that hurts' and he'll stop whatever he is doing, but Charlie doesn't get that message. 

She shows absolutely no desire to fly - it is one of Dougal's favourite things to do and I thought she might have tried to copy him but the few times she has flown after a fright have not been very successful and I think she might have chalked flying up as something she can do without.

Favourite foods continue to be porridge, mashed potato, egg and ice cubes but she is getting better with her other vegies but won't touch fruit unless it is chopped up and put into a cardboard box that she can open herself.  Small boxes of mixed fruit or fruit/nuts are a huge hit as is dried apple in little packets but she won't touch a fresh apple or orange and she treats a strawberry as a personal insult.  She would kill for a chop bone and sits and chews them for hours.  She doesn't have as much of a sweet tooth as Dougal but is quite partial to a bit of cake or biscuit if Lindsay is eating it.

Anyway, enough of all this.  As I say, it is her birthday next week and she will get a nice surprise of her favourite trees as everything is just starting to blossom down here.    So I thought I'd drop you a line and just let you know that she is doing well and we couldn't be happier with her.  I have attached some photos - I'm not sure if I've already sent you some of these.  I know I have a heap more somewhere but Lindsay's filing system means they could be under something like Z 'cos we bought her from you - who knows. 

Thanks again - speak to you soon

Kym Addison

How to enter the monthly draw to win a PRC recommended parrot toy and have your birdies picture and story part of the PRC Newsletter.

· Fill out the Parrot Rescue Centre Membership Form
· Write a story about your feathered friends, whether emotional, funny or silly
· Send it to zarita@parrotrescuecentre.com
· Include a photo of your bird as an attachment on the email.

It’s that easy! We look forward to hearing your stories!

It can be easily damaged.  As the new feather grows, it is protected by the older, stiffer feathers on either side of it. A new feather grows like a furled umbrella. It is “wrapped up” in its own cuticular casing. As the feather matures and grows to its full length, the blood supply dries up and the quill becomes hard and transparent. When birds groom, they remove the cuticular covering of the newly grown feather with their beaks. When birds moult, they do not drop all of their feathers at the same time.  If this happened, they would be bald and couldn’t fly or insulate themselves. Therefore birds moult symmetrically , the same feather on each wing will moult at the same time to keep the bird balanced for flying.

If a bird has had a very short wing clip (eg. All of the flight feathers cut up to the coverts), there will be no older, stiffer feathers to protect the newly growing blood feathers.  If this occurs, the birds will often break the newly emerging feather when the flap their wings. Continual damage to newly growing blood feathers will cause pain and blood loss. This problem needs veterinary intervention. The broken blood feathers need to be plucked and the cut feathers need to be lengthened by feather extensions or “imping”, to protect the emerging blood feather and to prevent a recurrence of the broken blood feather syndrome.

Smaller, growing feathers also have a blood supply.  However, it is not as noticeable in the small feathers as it is in the large blood filled quills of the flight or tail feathers. These smaller feathers also have a cuticular covering to protect them when they are growing.  These newly growing, small feathers are called pin feathers. When a bird is moulting, these pin feathers are evident around its head and neck. In a flock situation, birds preen each others’ head and neck feathers.  When we have a single, pet bird at home, owners can preen out these pin feathers.  This is an important way of bonding with your bird, as well as helping to keep feathers in good shape. When birds or owners groom out the pin feathers, the broken covering of the feathers falls away like white dandruff from the bird.

Moulting and growing new feathers places extra stress on the birds’ metabolism.  If pet birds are not fed a healthy and balanced diet, their immune system can become compromised and they become susceptible to secondary infections during moulting.  Birds with a diet high in unhealthy fats and deficient in essential vitamins and minerals often don’t have the capacity to cope with the stresses of moulting and growing new feathers.    Birds that are kept up late at night and don’t have a normal “photo-period” (eg. Natural periods of dark and light) also experience difficulty at moulting times.  Sometimes these birds can become “stuck” in a moult. If your bird experiences any of these problems, you need to seek veterinary advice and help.

Understanding the process of moulting and new feather growth of your birds helps you to keep them healthy, happy and to avoid potential problems.

Written by Peter Wilson
BVSc MACVSc
Avian and Reptile Practitioner

To contact Peter Wilson Click Here

This article will be published in Paws and Claws Journal

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