Alyson's Pet Birds Blog

Just about everybody can appreciate a good pet trick, but it's even more fun when your pet is the one who's performing! One of the cutest and easiest tricks to teach your bird is how to dance. If you're interested in helping your feathered friend learn how, then check out my article on Teaching Birds How to Dance. With a little bit of practice, your pet should easily begin to pick up on the concept and develop some moves of his or her own.

Photo (c) 2012 Alyson Kalhagen licensed to About.com, Inc.

The thought of bringing home a new pet bird can be really exciting, but it's important to think realistically about whether or not you are ready to take care of a bird before rushing to add one to your family. Caring for a pet bird is a huge responsibility, and one that shouldn't be taken lightly. If you feel as though you are getting ready to take the plunge into bird ownership, then check out my article on the Signs that You're Ready to Adopt a Bird. It will help you decide if it is in fact the right time for you to adopt a feathered friend.

Is your bird looking a bit on the hefty side as of late? If so, it's not the only one -- obesity in parrots is a growing problem that seems to particularly affect certain species such as Amazons and Cockatoos. Any bird can become overweight, however, so it's important to work closely with your avian vet to make sure that your pet maintains a healthy body structure. If you and your vet have determined that your bird could benefit from a change in diet, then you may want to try a few of these simple and nutritious Healthy Recipes for Overweight Birds. Helping your bird shed some extra weight can be fun and easy when you incorporate some creativity in the kitchen!

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If you own a bird who has the ability to talk, then it's up to you to make sure that your feathered friend learns to say words and phrases that won't start to bother you over time. Because some parrot species can live for so long, you'll want to make sure that the voice you'll be listening to for the foreseeable future is a pleasant one. For some helpful information on building and shaping the vocabularies of birds who are learning how to talk, check out my new article on Choosing Your Parrot's Vocabulary. Putting a little bit of thought into the words and phrases that you'd like your bird to learn can be worth it if your feathered friend turns out to be a real chatterbox!

Most bird experts recommend that you take time to share a meal with your pet bird every now and then. Sharing food is a natural bonding process of birds in the wild, and can help improve your relationship with your feathered friend. However, sharing the wrong types of food with your bird can have devastating health effects for your pet. Make sure that you are playing it safe by taking a look at my new article on Foods You Should Never Share With Your Bird. You might be surprised at how badly some common food items can hurt your feathered friend if they are allowed access to them.

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If you're a bird lover with a busy schedule, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is possible to successfully care for pet birds with minimal free time to spare. The key is in adopting a bird species that is able to do well without an abundance of human interaction -- and there are actually several to choose from! Check out my list of the Best Bird Species for Busy Owners to learn what types of birds fit well with owners who keep tight schedules. Choosing a bird from this list will help you make sure that you are able to be a devoted and caring bird owner without slipping up on your other obligations.

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As a bird owner there's no doubt that you are familiar with the behavior issues that you've dealt with in your own pet, but have you ever wondered what the most commonly reported behavior problems are with pet birds in general? See how your bird compares with "the norm" in my new article on the Top 5 Bird Behavior Problems reported by bird owners. While birds are always creative when coming up with ways to misbehave, there seem to be a few tricks that they all have up their sleeves from time to time. Have you experienced any of these issues in your pet? Comment below to share your story with other readers!

It's not good for any living creature to be entirely sedentary, and that goes double for parrots and other pet birds. In the wild, birds are natural athletes, often traveling hundreds of miles each day in search of food, water, and other needs for survival. This provides them with an extremely strenuous daily workout, keeping their bodies and systems in perfect shape so that they can thrive in their natural environments. As pet bird owners, we need to try to recreate this experience as much as possible so that we can maintain our pets' good health. Check out my new article on Ways to Give Your Bird More Exercise for some helpful tips on how you can help your feathered friend become more healthy and active, starting today!

Are you the owner of an "angry bird?" If so, then you aren't alone! Many pet bird owners, at some point during their birds' lifetimes, have to cope with undesirable behavior in their pet. The good news is that there are several different ways to encourage your bird to have a sweeter disposition, and they really aren't that hard at all. Check out my article on fixing bad bird behaviors for some great new tips for helping your cranky bird be a happier, more agreeable pet.

Photo courtesy of Patricia Lowery

The Spring season is a great time to re-evaluate the quality of your bird's diet and make sure you are offering your pet a variety of nutritious foods to snack on. Like people, parrots and other pet birds are always at their best when they are fed healthy foods, and for many birds, springtime means increased nutritional demands. To give your bird's body a healthy boost, check out my new article on Vitamin-Rich Foods for Pet Birds. Packed with vitamins that offer support for your pet's immune system and other functions, it's a great way to get your bird's season off to a vigorous start!

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