What size cage is best for my bird?

I often get asked about the correct size of cages for parrots, and other small birds, for breeding.

Many years ago, when parrots weren’t hand reared in such great numbers, it was said that the biggest cage you could get would be the best thing for the parrot. If you have a very tame hand reared parrot, in many households they spent a lot of time outside of the cage in the house – and they also tend to get very tired as well. Therefore the parrot being in the largest cage possible is not so important anymore. If the parrot is being naughty, it can be put away, but many customers I speak to say that their parrots spend up to eight hours a day outside of their cage and will only sleep inside the cage because they are not very active at night.

I also get asked about cages for breeding, and this is a vast subject. Most parrots, when it comes to breeding, want a large area, but that’s being very general. Species like African Grey parrots actually breed better in small areas. In my previous role as a travelling Avian Consultant, I once came across a large number of breeding pairs of African Greys that had a large inside area, and a large outside area – however after two years, only a very small number had actually bred. I designed some much smaller enclosures and in a very short space of time a large number of pairs were breeding. This is the exception to the rule for breeding birds, and I’m happy to answer any questions that you may have about this topic.

When it comes to breeding smaller species of birds such as finches and canaries, often a large cage is better, but birds do all have slightly different requirements and many will breed in smaller cages too.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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Pest control at this time of year

At this time of year I often get questions about pest control, not just mites and ticks, but the other things that affect birds too.

With outside aviaries, you can get a sudden build up of rats or mice, and rats can actually kill your birds, let alone bring in disease. This is the time of year to do something about it – as the nights start getting colder, it’s a good idea to start putting out poison (of course in the correct way that the manufacturer suggests) for rats and mice. These pests will tend to come in to warmer areas during the months leading up to winter. Although you may have no rodent problems outside at the moment, if you have an aviary with food outside, you may start to attract them. I can remember many years ago my Father telling me that if you see one rat during the day, it probably means you’ve got 30, so this is the time of year to keep on top of any rodent problems that you may have.

With ticks it can also be a problem, especially with parrots, and I have come across several situations where a tick – the same kind that you may get on your cat or dog – has got on to a parrot. If you get one on the head area, the tick can cause the parrot to die as a result of blood clots, inflammation and disease. This is not a very common problem, but I would suggest that if you are worried about mites and ticks, the best thing to do is remove your bird from the room, get a product like Ardrap, spray round the skirting board and around the window, and once the smell has gone it is safe to reintroduce your birds to the room. This type of product will last for six weeks, killing any pest that is crawling around the room.

In an aviary situation as well, if you have mites, we would recommend that you use Mite Predator, so there’s no chemicals at all if you can’t remove all your birds.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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Putting your parrot outside

I’m often asked at this time of year about putting birds outside, for example if someone has a parrot in the house whether they can put the bird outside, and they imagine there won’t be any problems at all. With taking some care, there shouldn’t be.

The bird might be used to being inside, in a nice constant temperature of 20 degrees centigrade, and not being in a draft or in the sun. This bird could have been inside for many years, and to suddenly take that bird and put it outside we have to consider several things.

First of all, make sure the bird is not in full sunlight, if it’s not used to it. The bird may be a species that lives in the tropical rainforest or places that are used to sun, but it won’t have had sun for a long time and a sudden change in environment can be very dangerous.

Also, they’re not used to drafts and the weather outside, if there’s constant breeze from one direction they can catch a chill and do themselves some harm. Make sure the aviary is partly covered from the breeze and make sure half of the roof is covered as well, as a sudden downpour from a storm of something like that can actually kill a bird even in warm weather. The wind and the rain tends to cause so much more damage to a bird than just having a low temperature.

The other thing to keep in mind is cats, dogs and foxes. You might think they won’t get problems during the day, but this isn’t the case because foxes, for example, are now out during the day and don’t actually have to get hold of your bird to kill it – and cats can be even worse. They only have to run round the aviary, or climb over the top of it, and this can be enough to scare your bird to death.

Please don’t think I’m trying to put you off putting your bird outside, but it is far better to tell you about all the problems you can have, so that when you do move your bird outside you are aware of these so nothing goes wrong. In the next few months, we will have some very strong aviaries designed by Rob Harvey Specialist Feeds available to buy, which will be perfect for outdoor use, and they also come with a cover – watch this space for further details!

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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Should I spray my parrot with water?

A recent question, and a very common question I get asked is how often should I spray my parrot, or should I spray my parrot with water?

This is something that I wouldn’t really recommend at all, but it seems to be common knowledge on the internet that it’s good for parrots. After travelling around the world as an avian consultant and visiting many of the largest parrot collections, of birds that are in perfect condition, with a lot of these collections the birds are never sprayed at all. Also some parrots, if they suddenly get sprayed get very scared indeed, especially nervous parrot species like African Greys. If African Greys, and some of the Cockatoo species get suddenly shocked by being sprayed by water, this can cause feather problems. Many times at Bird World we had African Greys come in, and other parrots, and the cause of their feather problems was because they got scared by someone suddenly spraying them two or three times a week, because they’d heard that it was a good thing for their parrot.

If you spray your parrot now, and it’s enjoying it and loving it, there is no need to stop. But, your parrots don’t need to be sprayed with water, so don’t start suddenly doing it and scaring them, because rather than making their plumage better (which is maybe what you were hoping to do), you can stress them so much that they start losing some of their feathers.

If you think your parrot would like a bath, by all means put a large bowl of water in the cage, and if they need to preen or soak themselves with water they will probably make an awful mess and thoroughly enjoy it.  If you can cope with that, that won’t do them any harm at all.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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What can you do if you have a noisy parrot at home?

A question we get commonly asked by people is what they can do if they have a noisy parrot at home, and it’s nearly always for the same reason.

It can be a new parrot, or a parrot that someone has had for years and their behaviour seems to have changed. These are very intelligent birds and often it starts by accident. We’ll get phone calls where the bird is screaming, talking, shouting a lot, various things going on when the owner isn’t in the room. Now what’s happening with this situation is quite simple – the parrot wants attention, having similar intelligence to that of a young child. At some point the parrot realises that when the owner leaves the room, and it is by itself, if they start screeching and making as much noise as they can, then the owner comes back into the room to see what’s wrong with the parrot – and this can be the start of the problem.

As soon as the bird clicks, and with their intelligence it’s very quickly, that they can do this and the owner comes back in the room, they’ve got the attention that they were looking for – and then this happens all the time. Unfortunately the only thing you can do about it is try to retrain your parrot. So the first part of it is to completely ignore your bird when they’re screaming and shouting, until the point that they give up. When they stop screaming, and it all goes quiet, it can be time to walk back into the room perhaps – just to say hello to your bird and give them a treat. This retraining programme can take a very, very long time – so be warned that if your bird suddenly starts to make a noise, it’s not always a good idea to go and see if their ok as it could be the start of a very long and noisy process.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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Why do breeding birds kill their young?

It’s the time of year when I get phone calls from people where their breeding birds have killed their young chicks, and people commonly ask why it has happened.

It can be different in every single case but often one of the common mistakes that people make is changing things. When birds decide to breed, normally it means they are being fed properly, they’re happy and they want to breed. And what will make birds kill, leave or not feed their chicks is if they are disturbed in any way. In a nature situation this is exactly what happens – if they get disturbed or if they think something is going to attack them, they will leave the chick so they survive, and this is the same thing that can happen in the bird room. If you suddenly change something when they’ve got chicks that you think will help them, sometimes this can disturb them. So often the first time when they have got chicks, make sure they have got plenty of food, but don’t suddenly change your daily routine and don’t start looking at the chicks three or four times a day.  If birds feel disturbed in any way, or you have changed their normal routine, something as simple as this can make them leave their chicks.

Obviously in an outside situation, if it is happening quite regularly, there could be something else which can mean they get disturbed at night by a fox or a cat running across the roof, something happening which you may not be aware of.

Occasionally it happens and there are no answers, but it is best to keep things the same as it has been before your birds started to breed, just with the extra food – but don’t change any routines or disturb them in any way, and that’s about the best that you can do in that situation.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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What is the best age to buy a hand reared parrot?

A very common question I get asked by someone who is interested in having a parrot as a pet, and is going to buy a hand reared bird, is where to get it from and what age they should be bought from.

If you can buy the bird direct from a breeder, that is the best thing to do, but there are many pet shops in the UK that actually breed their own birds and sell them, and they can make wonderful pets.

The most important thing is getting the age right – the bird must have finished being hand reared. You do not want to buy a bird which is eight or ten weeks old and still being hand reared, but instead you should buy a bird that has finished being hand reared and is at least 12 weeks old. At the age of 12 to 15 weeks old, the birds are very happy to be moved to new premises, they’re very young and they seem to enjoy it. Up to 20 weeks old may not be a problem, but you need to be careful, because the more time the bird spends where it was hand reared, the more settled it becomes there and the more difficult it is to then move the bird and settle it down.

However saying this, there are birds that are 1 or 2 years old and are completely tame, and are moved with no problem, but if you have a choice try and get one that is between 12 and 15 years old as that is the best time to buy a parrot and move them to new premises. Always make sure that the bird is absolutely, completely tame, otherwise when you move it, moving will stress them out slightly and when you get it home you could have problems.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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Dried fruit or fresh fruit – which is best for your birds?

I am commonly asked whether people can feed dried fruit  to soft bills and parrots instead of fresh fruit – read on to find out the answer in my latest blog post.

Why choose dried fruit?

Many zoos and bird parks feed their birds dried fruit on a very large scale and often it’s much easier to do.

Dried fruit is almost as good as fresh fruit, and it can be bought in bulk, which is a very useful tool if you’re busy and want to give your birds something different to eat. Some people feed both as some dried fruit not easily available. The most common dried fruit to feed to birds would be raisins, which can be fed as they are to parrot species, or soaked overnight before being fed to soft bills.

The main benefit of feeding your birds dried fruit is that it can give variety. In my days at Bird World, I found that variety in the diet is what birds prefer – it keeps them happy, and the more variety they have, the more likely they are to breed during breeding season.

Which option is best?

With all of that said, if you have the choice and money’s not an option, fresh fruit is always best when fed on a daily basis in my opinion, but dried fruit provides a good alternative to add variety.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Rob Harvey using the details below:

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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Alan Jones Bird Vet on Mite Predator

Alan Jones Bird Vet and Avian Veterinarian has welcomed this product as an effective solution to an age-old and vexing problem to all bird keepers. Rob Harvey

Rob Harvey Specialist Feeds have been working on this exciting non chemical product to bring to the market new way of eradicating Red and Northern Mites and therefore paving the way in sourcing and supplying products perfect for the welfare and care of birds.

Mite Predator

 

Mite Predator is biological control method to control mite population on your birds. At last a solution to eradicate Red and Northern Mites and nature has given us the answer! Mite predators are mites which survive by eating other mites, their larvae and eggs as well. This is their only purpose and they have no interest at all in birds themselves, but will eat red and northern mite they find on poultry, racing pigeons, babies and exotic birds finches and canaries. They will travel over a meter from where you place them to find food and will breed while they are finding mites to eat. When there are no more mites to eat they will die. Mite Predators are a live product and they come in a media which will keep them active for up to 10 days until you release the into your bird room, but as soon as you receive the predators they should be used straight away for maximum effect. These are live mites and chemicals used to kill mites will kill them too. Your bird room should be FREE from chemicals for these to be effective. If you have treated your bird room, PIGEON LOFT or CHICKEN COOP but you have mites in your nests then simply add a teaspoon of the predators to the nests and they will immediately start eating all mites, pupae and mite eggs. Once the nests have been cleared predators will continue their travels looking for more mites to eat.

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Feeding Fruit and Vegetables

I get a lot of phone calls from people who want to feed fruit to their birds, especially parrots, but who are having a lot of problem in getting them to eat the fruit and vegetables.

Obviously it’s very important for parrots to have a good balanced diet and the main reason for not eating fruit and vegetables is simply because they have too much food in front of them. It’s the same as getting your children to eat fruit and vegetables. It’s very good for them but when there are other things on offer, crisps or chocolates you name it. children will not eat fruit and vegetables.

With most species of birds but especially parrot species the key to this is to make sure they have a variety of different foods in front of them but not too much of it.

There are so many good foods on the market these days that is very easy to think that you are doing best thing for your parrot by buying them all these wonderful foods, especially when you have natural foods like palm nuts to feed them and all sorts of dry fruits. What we need to consider is how much food a parrot actually needs to eat during the day and also keep in mind how many tit bits you give your bird as well.

As an example of how much a parrot can eat: if we look at a parrot of size of an African Grey – many years ago I had 53 pairs of African Greys and I was amazed how little they actually eat in 24 hour period. Over a 10 year period I use to monitor birds, manage their weight to make sure they were not getting too fat or too thin and the average amount of food a pair of birds ate was half a mug of good quality seed mixture to this I added a teaspoon of nature harvest soak mixture, to give some variation and fruit and vegetables and one palm nut a day. This was for two birds as you can see that’s not a lot of food at all.

With this food I always gave them fruit and vegetables. It depended on various things whether they would eat it, therefore limiting their food so they ran out of seed half way through the afternoon then would be hungry and be much more tempted to eat some fruit and vegetables. Some parrots like African Greys may be the worst ones in the world to try to get to eat fruit and vegetables, but it should always be there for them.

You need to keep in mind if it’s a pet parrot, what do you feed them? Do you leave the food bowl full all daylong? This is a mistake because they will not eat anything else than what tit bits you give them during the day. Giving tit bits to them is a very good idea to keep them tame but if you giving a lot of nuts with a lot of fat in they will not need a lot more food.

So think about a 24-hour period or write down exactly what you feed and then look at the quantity of food in one go. Compare that to what I was feeding breeding birds: half a mug of seed per pair of birds per day and you will probably find out you are giving bird too much food.

As soon as you are feeding a bird too much they will pick and choose what they want and they will throw everything else out. Think like a child, on table you offer healthy meal – meat, vegetables and at the same time there are chocolates and crisps on table and they have a choice it is certain that child will go for all the bad things and all good things will be left.

So, you must be cruel to be kind!? But to get your bird to eat fruit vegetables limit the seed and other food you give them so that they do not have much during the 24 hour period which will guarantee that they will eat the fruit.

There is also an interesting note. At certain times of the year my breeding birds did eat more fruit if they were about to breed or lay an egg. Often they would suddenly eat some of the vegetables and at other times of the year when they were not of breeding sometimes they ate fruit at other times they never touched it at all, so in the year period their likes and dislikes for fruit and vegetables even when not getting fed too much seed does vary a lot. Any problems or questions please contact Rob Harvey.

+44 1252 342533

rob@robharvey.com

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