Rose Reptile Rehabilitation & Rescue

09/24/2026

FLOCK FACT

Parrots can move their upper beak!

Unlike our upper jaw, which is fixed to the skull, a parrot’s upper beak can move independently. Their skull contains specialized joints and muscles that allow the upper beak to lift and shift while the lower beak moves at the same time.

This unique movement gives parrots impressive control, strength, and precision. They use their beaks to:

• Crack hard nuts and seeds
• Peel and manipulate food
• Climb and balance
• Explore objects
• Preen delicate feathers
• Build and reshape nesting material

A parrot’s beak works almost like a third hand. It can gently remove a tiny seed from its shell one moment, then split a hard nut or damage wood the next.

That incredible face can-opener is powerful, precise, and far more complex than it looks.

No Bird Left Behind.

09/24/2026

09/24/2026

09/24/2026

This is the month you'll find one the size of a quarter, stranded on the sidewalk with nowhere obvious to go.

It hatched underground in a nest you never saw, dug itself out this fall, and is now walking — on instinct alone — toward water it has never laid eyes on.

It doesn't need rescuing. It needs the same thing every hatchling before it needed: to be left pointed the right way.

🐾 If you find one
- Note the direction it's already heading and keep it going that way — it's aiming for water on its own.
- Only pick it up if it's in real danger: a road, a mower's path, heavy foot traffic.
- Lift it low to the ground, cupped in both hands, and set it down on the far side, still facing forward.
- Never take it home. A bucket or a tank ends the only journey it knows how to make.

You're not saving it. You're clearing the one obstacle it couldn't cross alone.

06/15/2026

At 9 weeks old, Mango's beak just got its first touch of orange. See that little speck?! 🥭🧡

06/15/2026

A long read, but a vital read.

We all too often hear heartbreaking stories of a bird who has either been bred with intent,or who has been adopted and continues to egg lay resulting in egg binding.
Each bird has passed but not before suffering immensely.

Please, we cannot stress this enough-do not breed your birds.
If that’s not your intention,and your female begins laying eggs remove anything from their housing that could replicate a nest.

Amazon sells many sizes of “dummy” eggs that can be put in place to cease egg laying as the female believes to have a clutch to incubate.

Things you can do to ensure the safety, and the premature death of your girls👇🏼

🚨The importance of Calcium
Calcium is one of the most important minerals in a bird’s body. It plays a vital role in keeping your bird healthy, active, and strong throughout its life.

Benefits of Proper Calcium Levels:

*Strong Bones and Beak

*Calcium helps build and maintain strong bones.
*It supports healthy beak growth and strength.

*Prevents Egg Binding in Females

*Female birds need extra calcium when producing eggs.
* Low calcium levels can lead to egg binding, a life-threatening condition where an egg becomes stuck and cannot be laid.

*Supports Muscle Function

*Calcium helps muscles contract properly.
*Deficiencies can cause weakness, tremors, or difficulty perching.

*Essential for Heart Health

*The heart is a muscle, and calcium helps it beat normally and efficiently.

*Aids Blood Clotting

*Calcium plays a key role in normal blood clotting and healing.

*Supports the Nervous System

*Healthy calcium levels help nerves communicate properly throughout the body.

Signs of Calcium Deficiency:
Watch for:

* Weakness or lethargy
* Poor balance or difficulty perching
* Tremors or seizures
* Soft or brittle beaks
* Thin-shelled eggs
* Chronic egg laying problems
* Egg binding in females

Important Notes About Supplementation👇🏼

*Not every bird needs a calcium supplement every day.
*Too much calcium can also cause health problems.
*The best source of calcium depends on the species, diet, age, and whether the bird is breeding or laying eggs.
*Birds also need adequate Vitamin D3 (or safe access to unfiltered natural sunlight)to absorb calcium properly.

Good Sources of Calcium:

*High-quality formulated pellets
*Cuttlebone
*Mineral blocks
*Dark leafy greens (kale, collard greens, mustard greens)
*Broccoli
*Calcium supplements recommended by an avian veterinarian

⭐️A Rescue Reminder⭐️

Many birds arrive in rescue on seed-heavy diets, which are often deficient in calcium and other essential nutrients. Providing a balanced diet with appropriate calcium sources can help prevent serious health problems and improve their overall the quality of life.

05/29/2026

Not every bird at the feeder wants sunflower seeds. The feeder you bought, the seed you filled it with, and the height you hung it at determine which species show up — and which ones fly past.

The titmouse takes one seed, flies to a branch, holds it with her feet, and hammers it open. The chickadee caches seeds in bark crevices and retrieves them weeks later. The blue jay buries acorns — and the ones he forgets become oak trees.

🌿 The birds most feeders miss:

Mourning doves and juncos feed on the ground. A tube feeder means nothing to them. Scatter millet below the feeder and they appear.

The goldfinch wants nyjer seed in a tube with small ports — not the sunflower hopper the cardinal uses.

The hummingbird wants sugar water at a 4-to-1 ratio. No red dye. Changed every two to three days.

Match the food to the bird. The species list changes overnight 🐾

05/29/2026

STRESS. Please note that stress is a major cause of illness and death in eclectus parrots. Often parrot owners do not recognize stress in their eclectus parrot because eclectus parrots do not show stress like most other parrots. Eclectus are very quiet and still, not moving or vocalizing when stressed, so an owner may not realize their eclectus is stressed.

Stress can be caused by many different things, such as including major changes in the environment, such as introduction of a noisy barking dog that yaps at the bird in his cage. Or moving the cage so it is fully in front of a window where the bird then feels exposed to potential predators. Or hanging a photo of a hawk or eagle in the room...this actually happened! A bird owner acquired a fine large photo of an eagle and hung the photo on the wall in the room where the parrot was located. This caused ongoing stress and upset by the bird until the photo was removed!

A major cause of severe stress can be so serious that death is the result. This has happened too many times when bird owners did not understand the danger. When a pet eclectus parrot is taken to the vet for an exam or tests, and the vet insists that the bird be taken into a back room without the owner present, then the stress that bird experiences is greatly increased as the bird is handled by the vet and a vet tech, perhaps toenails trimmed, perhaps blood taken, and the eclectus DIES right in the hands of the vet or tech. This has happened far too often to healthy eclectus parrots.

There is NO good reason for an avian veterinarian to take a bird into a back room without the owner.

Over the years I have been present in the room when my vet has done all procedures, including surgery, and none of my eclectus have died during these veterinary procedures. When your bird can see you, your bird feels far less stress. Please stay with your bird.

05/29/2026

5 Caterpillars You May Want to Keep in Your Garden

Some caterpillars look like trouble at first glance. They chew leaves, gather in groups, or appear on plants we care about.

But many are not just “pests.” They are young butterflies and moths, and some also help feed birds and support a healthier garden.

Before removing one, identify it first.

1️⃣ Tomato hornworm

This large green caterpillar becomes the five-spotted hawk moth, a big night-flying nectar feeder often mistaken for a hummingbird. If you see tiny white cocoons on its back, do not remove it. Those are braconid wasp cocoons, and the wasps help reduce future hornworm populations.

2️⃣ Parsley worm

The green, black, and yellow caterpillar on parsley, dill, fennel, or carrot tops becomes an eastern black swallowtail butterfly. It may nibble your herbs, but planting a little extra gives both you and the butterflies enough to enjoy.

3️⃣ Eastern tent caterpillar

The silk tents in cherry, apple, and related trees can look messy. Still, these native caterpillars provide early food for many birds raising young. Healthy trees often recover after feeding ends, though young or stressed trees may need protection.

4️⃣ Gulf fritillary caterpillar

Bright orange with black spines, this caterpillar looks intimidating but does not sting. It feeds on passionflower vines and may chew them heavily. In return, you get the brilliant orange Gulf fritillary butterfly.

5️⃣ Woolly bear

This fuzzy fall caterpillar becomes the Isabella tiger moth. It feeds on many low-growing plants, including grasses, weeds, and wild plants. It is not a major threat to most garden crops, and it survives winter with remarkable cold tolerance.

A chewed leaf is not always a loss.
Sometimes, it is the beginning of a butterfly.

05/29/2026

BUILDING TRUST, CALM, AND A LASTING BOND

https://www.pdsnonprofit.org/2026/03/how-to-connect-with-your-pet-bird.html
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