QC Parrot Society

09/10/2019

I would like to remind people that if you join the QCParrot Society club and show up to meetings you can get discounts on food and free grooming at club meetings.

08/18/2019

When Your Birds Hate Certain Family Members…
By Patty Jourgensen

Without a doubt, this is the most common question we get here: “my bird loves me, hates everyone else” or “my bird loves everyone but me” or “I used to be the favorite, now my bird likes someone else better”.

If you have not yet figured this out, brace yourself, this is going to sting: your bird is self-serving. He thinks HE is the most important cog in the wheel and will do whatever is necessary to promote what is in HIS best interest. He will favor whoever proves to be the most beneficial to him.

From our point of view, it appears that the affection we get from our bird is love or a show of gratitude for the great toys and yummy snacks. However, the reality is that their relationship with us is all about their survival and safety. It always comes back to their needs and we either fit into their plan or we don’t.

Before you go running for the tissues with hurt feelings, consider this: you are just as self-serving. Your bird is in your house today because it was in some way beneficial to you. Either you wanted a bird because you thought it would be a fun addition to the family, or were looking for something to nurture and love, or caring for needy birds fills your cup.

Whatever. In there somewhere is a benefit to you.

Magically, somewhere in the midst of all this selfishness, humans and birds build bonds with the strength of super glue. Just never forget we all have our bottom line – this will help you understand your bird’s behavior.

In almost all cases, a bird will have a favorite person and there is nothing wrong with that. It is NOT acceptable, though, when your bird rejects, or worse, attacks everyone else. Birds select long term mates in the wild and we have seen footage of small birds attacking a predatory bird in defense of its mate or nest. This instinct is what causes our birds to sometimes “defend their territory” when someone comes too close to their chosen person, especially during the breeding season.

Yet birds are also social flock animals. A flock has an unwritten agreement to protect each other. They often all play a role in teaching the young members about foraging and safety matters. Everything about a flock speaks to a bird’s feelings of safety and security.

This problem isn’t just about our feelings of rejection when we are denied a relationship by a bird. Without a flock, a bird feels vulnerable. Having a bird that will not tolerate the entire family, or will not be handled by everyone, affects the emotional well-being of the bird.

Part of our job as a bird owner is to make sure that our birds have a permanent home with us and to prepare them for any unthinkable future events. What will happen to your bird if you die and your bird hates everyone else in the house? How long will you be able to keep your bird if it repeatedly attacks family members?

How to solve the problem
Remember your bird’s bottom line, that self-serving nature. If you want to earn a place in your bird’s world, you have to show him that you, too, have a value from his point of view – not just the chosen person. Training is the fastest and most effective way to demonstrate what you can bring to the table.

While you are establishing your worth, ask yourself why your bird has chosen another person? What do they have or do that you don’t? Was there an event that caused the bird to back away? What is the favorite person doing right that you can utilize? And, this a hard one, is the favorite person working against you without realizing it? Sometimes the chosen person doesn’t want to risk their status as a favorite and will find reasons to keep things as they are. Almost always the person doesn’t realize they are doing this.

If you are the favorite, try to back off a bit to allow a new relationship to blossom with another family member (it’s probably best if that happens one person at a time). Sometimes your presence will hold the bird back rather than make him feel more at ease.

If your bird has switched their allegiance away from you to another person, there is a reason for it and you will have to respect this decision. This happens a lot with people who travel often or are away from home for long stretches. Try to understand and sympathize with your bird’s reasons for moving on to someone who feels more reliable. The bird’s well-being has to be the main consideration and you will be doing your bird a huge service by being magnanimous in this matter.

As always, proceed slowly and let a new relationship grow naturally and comfortably – especially since you are trying to show your bird that you have value and can be trusted as a companion.

You may never be the favorite person, but your bird should respect you enough to interact politely with you at all times.

Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior, and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.

08/15/2019

Bird Safety Corner Indoor Air Pollutants Indoor air pollution is a huge topic, with lots of conflicting information out there about how best to keep the air in your home safe and healthy for you and the humans and non-humans you share your home with.While the health comments in this column are directed towards humans, remember that adverse effects on birds are often even worse. There are three basic control strategies to reduce indoor air pollution. The first, source control,is directed toward eliminating sources of pollution. Heating strategies in the home, a major source of indoor air pollution, are discussed in another column.A number of these columns have already discussed household items that emit fumes and gases. We will also be discussing the ill effects of smoking around birds in another column.The second control strategy is good ventilation, which is pretty obvious and won't be discussed in any detail here. The third strategy is air cleaning, which can be broken up into electronic air cleaners and mechanical air filters. Mechanical air filters, including HEPA filters, are discussed in another column. Note that air cleaning removes particles, but not gases, so air cleaning in and of itself does not ensure clean air in the home.Electronic Air Cleaners Electronic air cleaners include ozone generators,ion generators, and electrostatic precipitates.Ozone generators are sold as air cleaners. Ozone is an oxygen molecule with three oxygens rather than the usual two. Ozone is much more reactive than regular oxygen, and therein lies its danger. Ozone causes respiratory irritation, with symptoms of chest pain, cough, shortness of breath, and throat irritation.It also reacts with other chemicals to produce emissions which are harmful to health. So if ozone is bad, why do we hear about a hole in the ozone being bad? That's because ozone up in the atmosphere protects the earth from damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ozone down on earth, however, is a different story.Manufacturers of ozone purifying systems claim that ozone reacts with harmful chemicals and makes them inactive.This couldn't be further from the truth. When ozone combines with chemicals, it often produces by-products which are more harmful than the original!These by-products are sometimes reactive themselves, causing even more damage. Ozone also does not remove dust or pollen from the air, and does not inactivate bacteria,viruses, or molds.Some manufacturers claim that ozone purifiers remove odors, but this also rarely, if ever, occurs. Ozone itself has a bitter odor that anyone who owned an old fax or printer remembers, since
those devices produced high levels of ozone.So bottom line, ozone purifying systems are not effective and are not safe.If you have any ongoing doubt about the issue, the EPA warns against the use of ozone generators: www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/ozone-generators-are-sold-air-cleaners-assessment-effectiveness-and-health. Case closed!Ion generators, also known as ionizers,have become more popular as ozone generators have fallen out of favor.An ionizer produces positive or negative ions into the air. These ions attach to particles in the air and give them a charge so that they settle out of the air onto walls, furniture, and floors. Since these particles are still present in the environment, they often become re suspended with human activity,such as walking and vacuuming. There is also concern that ionizers cause increased lung irritation since ionized particles are more easily deposited into the lungs than non-ionized particles.Effectiveness also varies widely between machines.Electrostatic precipitates also produce ions, but,in addition,have collector plates which are oppositely charged. Air is drawn through the devices so that ions attached to particles land on the collector plates. This prevents accumulation of particles on surfaces and in the lungs, as with ionizers.The downside to electrostatic precipitates is that they produce ozone, with all the associated negative effects.They do work better at removing particles than ionizers, however, so are preferred over the former. Given the choice, however,mechanical filters are the most effective and safest devices for removing dust (including feather!), to***co smoke, pollen, and fungal spores, so your money is better spent on those devices.HEPA and other mechanical filters are discussed in more detail in another columnAmy Hopkins, The Parrot Club, © 2011, 2016. All rights reserved

Air Cleaners

05/13/2019

05/04/2019

Hey TOOsters..........Interesting chart! ♥

04/08/2019