nickie_p asked:


Are they too skiddish, or will they scare too easily? Just wondering.

Bradley

Hi asked:


Do you feel it should be illigal to adopt pet birds. I have been feeling really guilty, should I adopt one or not?
Spinderella: I live in the UK in London. I don’t know. I was told to adopt from a breeder and not buy them from a pet store. Is this seen as the same thing? I know of no shelters around here so don’t know what I can do. Most shelters I found on the site don’t have birds

Julio

Makenzie T asked:


NOT a parrot or big bird. I want a small bird. I have narrowed it down to a rainbow budgie and a latino lovebird. If you have any suggestions post em up.

Joseph

Jenna asked:


The company we have hired states that we don’t need to move the birds upstairs or out of the house. That would be great but we want to make sure that this product can be used safely.

Tonya

ANTHONY M asked:


We have 2 cockatiels, male and female, as well as a small dog. I heard birds don’t travel well, but with an RV as a bigger space than a car, am wondering how this would go? Love to hear similiar experience on traveling with pets. Thanks in advance.

Francisco

Stacy Richford asked:


Many birds become very unhappy rather quickly due to the boredom of sitting in an empty cage. Birds have very active minds and strong beaks they need to work out in order to help keep them occupied and happy. Boredom is one of the reasons why many birds become pluckers and pull out their own feathers. This is why it is important to choose the right toys for your new pet bird.

When choosing a toy for your pet bird it is important to make sure that you choose a toy that is the right size. Some toys are specifically designed for smaller birds and are not always safe if you have a large pet bird. Larger birds have much stronger beaks and can easily break apart toys that were designed for smaller birds. This can be a potential choking hazard.

An extremely popular toy for many smaller birds are swing sets and Olympic rings. Many birds get so much enjoyment out of these two types of toys that they will in fact try to swing on both of them at the same time. Some larger birds also enjoy playing on swing sets, but the majority of bigger birds are not as fond of them as their smaller brethren. Toy ladders are a favorite of birds of all sizes but you have to make sure that you have adequate room in your pet bird’s cage.

If you have a bird that has tendencies to pluck a lot, it would be in you and your birds best interest to buy toys which can be preened. Keeping your little buddy busy preening their toys means they are much less likely to spend time pulling out their own feathers. If you purchase a toy that has been made with cotton preening strips you need to pay close attention for any threads that begin to fray. A loose thread could easily tangle around your bird’s neck or foot. Preening toys composed of feathers are significantly safer since you do not have the dangers of any loose threads.

Toy play gyms for pet birds are a lot like the gyms in which children play, and many birds get almost the same amount of enjoyment from their play gyms as children do theres. Most bird play gyms include climbing ropes, perches, ladders, seesaws as well as swings and a small bowl for treats.

There are certain toys you should think twice about giving your pet bird. Any toy that has a mirror or highly reflective surface may cause your bird to become bonded with its own reflection. Also toys with flimsy parts with tiny attachments that are not securely fastened such a small bells can also be a bad idea. If your bird manages to pull off any tiny part from one of its toys it may end up swallowing it, and the results could be fatal.

Lastly worth pointing out is the fact that many birds, just like children are quite happy playing with simple objects rather than expensive toys. For example, a paper towel tube or something like a wooden tongue depressor can be quite a joy for many birds. As always be sure to supervise and watch your pet bird closely to make sure they do not injure themselves with whatever it is that they are playing with.



Elizabeth

Sally G asked:


my dad is making me an aviry for my birthday wich is in like 9 days. and i need to put some birds in my cage… i was thinking more medium sized birds but a bit bigger than a cockateel.
please help ……

Clara

Jim Brown asked:


Birds kept as pets should have the proper treatment for it to live healthy. Lots of things are to be considered upon deciding to have birds as pets. Choosing the right type of bird for you is crucial and the type of environment you ought to build for the animal is also important. Pet birds are almost always kept in cages. The owner must make sure that the cage is not too small for the bird/s and accessories must be present for feeding and recreational purposes.

The first thing to consider about caring for birds would be its proper nutrition. In the wild, birds feed on nectar, insects, leaves and other available food that is fit for their kind. Birds in cages should be fed with a balance of commercial and natural diet. Bird seeds are most ideal for supplement and intake. Water is also important.

Bird cages should be placed in areas where the distribution of sunlight, fresh air and humidity is equal. An owner must also make sure that there is enough shade for the bird to rest. Sudden change of temperature may harm the bird since it needs to adapt before it can be considered to be ready for transfer.

It is recommended that the largest cage that can be accommodated by the house should be chosen. The cage must be durable enough to tolerate damage which will be done by the bird. It should not have toxic components because the bird will be sure to gnaw on the rails. The cage, if possible should be wider than higher to promote wing stretching.

Perches should also be pesticide free. Commercial perches made of wood are ideal. A perch’s main function is to keep the bird away from their droppings, their tails from the water and other hygiene related issues to keep the bird healthy.

Food bowls should be wide and shallow rather than the deep and small cups. This type of food container makes the bird see what it will be eating and there are greater chances of it being attracted to the sight of food which may be beneficial to its health.

Newspapers, paper towels and plain cage liners should be used rather than wood chips or sand so that the droppings will be seen for monitoring and health purposes. A screen should separate the bird from the liners to prevent it from contamination. Daily cleaning routine of the bird cage and its accessories should be done to avoid food spoilage and disease.

Birds are intelligent animals. Their psychology needs an active attention. Therefore it would be advisable for the cage to be placed near family activity areas. Toys are also encouraged to promote play. One thing to be cautious about selecting bird toys is that the materials should be chewable to avoid choking.



Zachary

Grace asked:


I don’t have a pet bird but i have seen them do this and was curious.

Roberta

Ellen Kramer asked:


Influenza, Bird Flu and homeopathy – can it provide a different perspective?

Off course putting 160000 turkeys in a shed is a healthy, pleasant experience for them particularly as we provide all their medication in their food – and anyone who thinks differently is obviously not scientifically trained – it must be the wild birds causing the epidemic as they come into all sorts of unnatural substances like fresh air and sunlight! And we should all dip into our pockets and reimburse Bernard for his terrible loss of profits and his altruistic willingness to kill all his pet birds (sorry cull – I think it means they send them to a farm for a holiday!).

If you agree with all of the above do not bother to read on but just send donations to the ‘Seroxat is good for young people’ fund. However if you are concerned we might be being told a tiny white lie then read on.

Why do we suffer from Influenza and cold viruses?

Without breathable air, we cannot survive for more than a few minutes. Air enters through the nose and mouth, throat and bronchials and into the lungs. The upper respiratory system warms, humidifies and to some extent purifies the air entering the body (e.g. by removing dust particles with nasal hairs). This system can be damaged by pollution and invaded by bacteria and viruses, which stimulate the moist membranes to produce extra mucus as protection. This mucus can quickly develop into catarrh. Colds coughs and sinusitis show varying degrees of discharge that can affect the ear, nose and throat in acute situations and these can develop into chronic conditions (especially with suppressive treatment).

Influenza (flu)

Influenza and cold viruses are actually different but people often confuse them as most of the symptoms are similar. There is generally an infection of the lungs and airways, causing a fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle aches, and a general feeling of illness. There are two types of influenza virus, type A and type B, and many different strains within each type. The illnesses produced by the different types and strains are similar. The strain of influenza virus causing outbreaks is always changing, so every year the influenza virus is a little different from the previous years.

The key difference is that Influenza is caused by a different virus and produces symptoms that are more severe. Also, influenza affects cells much deeper down in the respiratory tract. Influenza virus is spread by inh aling droplets that have been coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or by having direct contact with an infected person’s secretions.

Every year, throughout the world, widespread outbreaks of influenza occur during late autumn or early winter. Influenza occurs in epidemics, in which many people get sick all at once. In each epidemic, usually only one strain of influenza virus is responsible for the disease. Strains are often named after the first location (for example, Hong Kong flu) or animal (for example, swine flu) in which it was found. The current panic is Bird Flu.

Like humans and other species, birds are susceptible to flu. There are many types of bird, or avian, flu. The most contagious strains, which are usually fatal in birds, are H5 and H7. There are nine different types of H5. The nine all take different forms – some are highly pathogenic, while some are pretty harmless. The type currently causing concern is the “highly pathogenic” Asian strain of the H5N1 virus. Scientists have discovered four different subtypes of H5N1, and there could well be more. However, all are deadly to birds, and can cause disease – and death – in humans.

However, it is important to stress that H5N1 is overwhelmingly a disease that affects birds – and not humans. It is true that humans have been infected, but almost all have been poultry workers who have come into intimate contact with birds. H5N1 cannot pass easily from human to human.

Allopaths generally assume that people who have respiratory disorders are suffering from infections which are caused by viruses, bacteria or they may be suffering from external irritants such as dust or fumes that inflame the mucus membranes of the respiratory system. They tend not to take into consideration the patient’s emotional state, diet or levels of toxicity nor look at hereditary influences.

The treatment given is firstly suppressive in nature (using anti biotic, anti virals, anti inflammatory, decongestants) or secondly through surgery (e.g. tonsillectomy) to remove the inflamed part. (Unless you are one the bootiful birds from Norfolk in which case they remove the head – oops – sorry I meant perform a culling operation)

Standard medical Treatment: There is no allopathic treatment for influenza so treatment is based on prevention in the form of the influenza vaccination which contains inactivated (killed) influenza virus or pieces of the virus.

Modern vaccines are designed to protect against three different strains of influenza virus. Different vaccines may be given every year to keep up with changes in the virus. Allopaths try to predict the strain of virus that will attack each year based on the strain of virus that predominated during the previous flu season and the strain causing disease in other parts of the world. They will also use several antiviral drugs to prevent infection with influenza virus. They may prescribe these drugs when a person has had recent exposure to someone with influenza. In addition, these drugs are used during epidemics of influenza to protect unvaccinated people who are at high risk of complications of influenza (older people and people with chronic illnesses).

The current allopathic advice on vaccinations (which is promoted by most governments) ignores the dangers of vaccinations, avoids mentioning any long term side effects and is basically an extremely one sided and distorted approach to the whole debate on prevention. The virus itself changes enough that vaccines are quite ineffective (but extremely profitable for the drug companies).

There is some evidence that the prevention programmes are creating the very problem they are designed to stop – there is obviously an economic incentive for the pharmaceutical companies to promote both panic and therefore pressure on governments. Unfortunately these suppressive acts often merely add to the problems the patient may already have. So is there an alternative?

Migratory wildfowl, notably wild ducks, are natural carriers of the viruses, but are unlikely to actually develop an infection. (There might be a message here – we all come into contact with bacteria and viruses all the time but only a small proportion are susceptible to them as our natural body defences protect us if we are basically healthy.

Thinking the unthinkable – is it completey bonkers to suspect that

a) as virus are found in birds (and us) all the time

b) that they continually mutate

c) stress lowers the immune system which protects us

we could conclude that Bird flu is a product of factory farming rather than an external foreign threat that attacks our luverly cuddly bootiful turkeys?

Can homeopathy provide a different perspective?

Homeopathy is an energetic medicine that comes from a completely different perspective to the so called ’scientific’ medical based one.

From an energetic perspective dysfunction of the lung energy can lead to upper respiratory disorders such as:

· Common Cold/ coughs/ sore throat/ fullness in the chest/ Influenza

· Nose disorders/Rhinitis/ Sinusitis/Nasal Polyps

· Coryza /Catarrh

· Adenoid glands

· Tonsillitis

· Epiglottises

· Laryngitis

· Pharyngitis

· Croup

· Skin disorders (associated with weak lungs)

Homeopaths see all of these during their practice. They are able to distinguish clearly between ‘acute’ cases caused by flu and common colds, through to more chronic symptoms leading all the way up to potential life threatening situations.

The energetic view of disorders of the lungs (Upper & Lower respiratory disorders) is that they manifest on the external surfaces of the body. The symptoms will vary according to the depth to which they descend. From this perspective the causative factors are not organisms (microbes, viruses), but changes in the energetic balance, usually as a result of climatic factors, emotional states and dietary indiscretions, pollutants or hereditary influences etc. Lung disorders are seen as emotionally linked to grief/sadness at one end of the spectrum and courage/righteousness at the other.

(Off course Bernard’s turkeys are all happy little turkeys so none of this applies to them – anyway whoever heard of an animal having feelings – what scientific nonsense – humans are completely and utterly different from animals and birds aren’t we?)

Homeopaths place the emphasis on:

· the climatic factors

· susceptibility from a miasmatic perspective

· toxicity

· Emotional factors.

People with acute upper respiratory tract infections that have their symptoms suppressed by drug therapy or who have such conditions as part of their general state of health (e.g. chronic bronchitis from smoking) may develop lower respiratory disorders. In practice you will see many people who have developed lower respiratory tract disease following suppressive treatment of upper respiratory tract disease. If the patient’s constitutional energy is strong, the problem is held in the superficial levels of the upper respiratory tract, the bowels or the skin and should not descend into the lower respiratory system.



Amy