These Toco Toucans were supposedly wild caught and when the two sets of them came in (two breeding pairs) no one could get near them, they were so afraid.

After working with both aggressive and scared parrots, I prefer scared birds over aggressive. I enjoy helping build a bird’s confidence and skills and watching it overcome its small fears and eventually, large fears. The goal for these wild toucans was to make it so that guests visiting the island could interact with them. Dave and I decided it would be really cool if people could walk inside their aviaries and feed them out of their hand with some fruit. We gave the toucans their normal pellet diet throughout the day, and just used blue berries and papaya (their favorite).

We started by tossing the food to them and letting them catch it, then eventually, feeding it straight from our hands…

With both pairs, one would be braver than the other and so some observational learning took place. Once the other (more timid) toucan saw that his pal was getting all the good stuff and filling up, the other toucan would get more brave.

By the end of 8 days, these wild toucans were feeding GENTLY out of our hands and allowed it from ANYONE! We had the local island trainer try first, her name was Cathy. The toucans did great with her, and so the next day we would put them to the test with the island’s first vistors… two girls by the name of Chloe who had never been around toucans before but were dying to feed them. I knew any slight sign of aggression from the toucans would scare the girls half to death so I counted on our in depth training to come through.

Now the guests didn’t want their pictures taken, but the toucans were as gentle as could be and pulled through. David was happy with the temperment of them enough that it was a job done and a new thing to offer guests on the island.

With two days left on our trip, Dave and I thought, cool, we have two days to ourselves to relax on the island! However, David had other ideas. “How about crate training them for when a hurricane comes?” he said. Dave and I looked at each other… “In two days?” we said, jaws dropped.

Birds squabble, just like humans.  They get on each others nerves and will warn each other, in no uncertain terms, to back off! Even my cockatiels, who cannot bear to be apart from one another, get into it from time to time.  Sometimes a disagreement might escalate to raised wings and flared tails, but it is always peacefully resolved. There are times, however, when a war is waged that is unprecedented and, from our point of view, unprovoked:

A friend has, among many other species of parrots in her home, two amazons: a female aged 45, and a male aged 19. The two have co-existed peacefully for years.  There have been no signs of aggression towards each other or the other birds in the home.  The two were out on their perches this day, playing- sleeping- eating, doing what they had always done.

My friend had been in another part of her house and as she returned to the room, the first thing she noticed was that the female was no longer on her perch, then that the male was no longer on his.  As she turned the corner, she saw the blood and the male on top of the female ripping at her skin and feathers.  Her first thought was that her much older female was dead – she was limp and lifeless.  A closer examination showed her to be barely breathing, and in very bad condition. Both, in fact, were so covered in blood that it was impossible to tell the extent of the injuries.  She was unsure that the female would survive the ride to the vet.

The female spent the next two weeks in an ICU brooder, receiving injections of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and pain medications.  Her broken toe was wrapped.  She needed to be tube fed for several days.  She managed to escape internal injuries, but she is an old bird and it was touch and go for several days. The male fared much better with the major damage confined to his beak and nares.  Much of the blood he was covered in belonged to the female.

The following pictures are very graphic:
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I went to a bird club meeting today where the speaker, a long time vet technician, spoke about emergency critical care.  I wanted to hone my skills. She offered ideas in splinting and portable heat sources that I was not aware of. This topic differs from basic first aid care in that these are instances where it is not a question of if you need to bring your bird to the vet, but how soon can you get there.

Prevention is, of course, the best practice in keeping your parrot safe and healthy.  Weighing your parrot at least monthly is a way to monitor its health.   A gram scale  can be purchased at Office Depot for about $30. Never weigh your parrots in pounds – birds are too light.  You can only accurately monitor weight if it is done in smaller increments of weight like grams. A parrot should never lose more that 10% of its body weight inside of a month, this is a sure sign of illness. Observe the droppings.  While they may change in color and consistency somewhat depending on what your parrot has eaten, they should for the most part remain typical for your parrot. Any droppings that are “off” for more than a few days may signal illness.  Feed a variety of healthy foods and keep its environment clean.  Keep your home bird-proofed to prevent accidents.  And, for when the unthinkable happens, keep your first aid kit well stocked and handy.

NOTE: When you are transporting your bird to the vet in an emergency situation, you will almost always want to wrap it in a towel.  A bird that is in pain will want to thrash around and may further injure itself – this is one way to keep it restrained and hopefully calm.  Another thing you will want to bring is a source of warmth. Since a heating pad will not serve you well in the car, make a “rice-sock” or a “helping hand”.  A rice-sock is quite simply a sock with rice in it, tied off at the end.  Put it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Be careful, because rice heats up quickly and will retain heat for a while. A helping hand is a latex glove filled with water and tied off at the wrist.  When the water is heated in the microwave, it acts as a hot water bottle.  Either can be put together in mere seconds.

Before you leave your house you will want to call your vet and let them know you are coming in and what the nature of the emergency is.  Always have an emergency vet clinic number and address available should your primary avian vet be closed.  The following are injuries that require IMMEDIATE veterinarian attention:

*ANIMAL BITES:

If your parrot is bitten or scratched by ANY animal, get to the vet immediately. Mammals have gram negative bacteria in their saliva.  Birds don’t carry gram negative bacteria in their bodies and are unable to deal with it.  It doesn’t matter whether the bite came from a cat, a dog, or a llama, or whether the bite seems minor – a infected parrot can go septic and die within 12 hours.  Wrap your bird in a towel with a helping hand and leave immediately for the vet. If the bleeding is severe, put a pressure bandage on the wound.  See Bleeding below.

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As most of you know, parrots are usually terrified of the vacuum cleaner. Here’s what I did so that mine is not scared and I can run the vac right next to her sitting in the open and not scare her.

I started with buying a smaller/quieter vacuum cleaner because the big one would probably give the bird a panic attack. I bought this one and highly recommend it for anyone who has a pet (especially a bird).

This mini vac is battery powered, light, and relatively quiet which makes it ideal for cleaning up after your bird. I started to have a routine where I would put my bird into the cage in the evening, serve evening meal, and clean up around the bird area while she ate. I started with the little vac far away while letting her eat and watch and work my way closer in but without making her panic. I avoided making eye contact or looking at the bird and vacuumed very matter of factly so that it did not appear like this vacuuming was to harm her. I made it look like it has absolutely nothing to do with her. And like I said, I started far away and worked my way closer so the sound got only gradually louder. I made a routine of vacuuming feathers and food scattered around the cage while my bird ate so the vacuuming was almost a pleasant sound associated to food rather than terror. Furthermore, I put the battery charger stand for the stick vac right next to the bird cage. This way she can see it from the cage every day and is used to me taking it in and out and vacuuming near her cage. For instance, if I use the stick vac in another room, I will come back with it running up till the stand and then turn it off as I pop it in. This way, every use of it involves the bird and shows it that the vacuum is not dangerous. One more thing I’ve done is let her sit on my shoulder while I vacuum which makes her feel less scared and at a safe enough distance from the vac.

Eventually I could vacuum in any vicinity of the bird and even inside the bird cage with the bird in it without any issue. I think she is still cautious and keeps an eye on it but doesn’t mind. I repeated this same process to get her used to the big noisy full size vacuum by starting far and working my way closer and never making it look like it was aimed at the bird. So start with a smaller/quieter vac and get the bird used to it before moving up to the full sized noisy one. Follow these steps and you won’t have to tiptoe around your bird and worry while cleaning.

Above is a video of how Kili is calm when I am vacuuming in and around her cage.

Dave and I have been in the Bahamas now for 4 days and so far we’ve got both Jersey and Chayko spinning on command and touch training really well. Here on the island, they really want them to be content hanging out on a foraging tree in the beach area so people can enjoy seeing them and hearing them practice talking. And yesterday they stayed there for an hour and a half happily! Above is me working with Cathy Daly, the main person who will be handling the macaws on the island and currently their favorite person… to bite.

We were very proud of their progress – when we first got here, they were biting madly at the people and not staying on the tree. They’ve made lots of progress but there’s always more to make so we are still working away!

We took them to our house here on island for an hour or so and just hung out with them like old times… we had a blast, and I think it’s safe to say they did too!

The next few days we will be focusing on having more crew around the island touch train them as well as teach Cathy so she can teach others, how to handle them properly. No more bloody hand pictures!

I like to think of my bird’s cage as her bedroom – a happy place, with lots of stuff to do, that belongs to her.  I respectfully try keep out, except when it needs cleaning or toy changes.  A cage needs to provide safety, security, and comfort for your bird and peace of mind for you in knowing that she will be okay while you are out of the house.

If you are looking for a new cage, or buying your first, here are some rules of thumb to go by:

BIGGER IS BETTER! Birds are active creatures. Always try to get the largest cage you can that has bar spacing still suitable to your species.  A parrot needs to exercise it’s wings and must have enough unobstructed room to do so.  This means that you should look for a cage that is larger your bird’s wing span with several inches on each side to spare.  This allows for any toys or perches that are in the cage and could injure the bird during vigorous activity.  If you have a long-tailed parrot, remember to plan for room for that too!  Your parrot should be able to turn in any direction without bumping any part of its body, wings or tail against anything.

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