I had my first bird at 6 months old. It was a White Winged Bebe that was as easy to get in the 1950s as a parakeet is today. It was small and sweet and tame and would fly to my high chair and help me finish my breakfast. Of course this is as reported to me by my father who purchased the bird for his first child….me.
Parrots have always been a part of my life and when my family was relocated to Houston by Katrina, one of the first things I needed to do, was find a Bird Store. I searched and found Adventures in Birds. It has become one of my very favorite discoveries about Houston. Over the years I have added to my flock from the birds raised and hand fed at Adventures in Birds. I now have an Alexandrine ( in the photo with me ) named Emmy Lou a Blue Crowned Conure and a Cherry Headed Conure. I also have 2 Shetland Sheep dogs named Harvey and Dori along with my human family consisting of a very sweet husband, Jerry, and 2 adult children, Aaron and Dayna.
I am not a breeder or an avian expert. I am simply a pet person with a tremendous interest in all things birds. I have read and researched and written about birds and along the way asked a ton of questions. I am still asking questions. One question I asked the owner of Adventures in Birds, Jean Jordan, was “ I know hand fed baby birds are all sweet but how do they stay sweet once they are weaned?” She answered, “ They need to be handled and loved on after the weaning. It is very important to the happiness of the bird and their future family that these young birds get a lot of time and attention, but we are a small crew with only 2 hands each to cuddle with. ” And that was how the idea of the Ambassador Program was born. Adventures in Birds needed more hands and I knew there were bird people who would love to play with baby birds. It has become a very successful, fun and educational program for the volunteers and the folks that come in and see us.
The biggest part of my volunteer time (besides cuddling with babies) is trying to answer questions. Everything from “ Which of these birds is real quiet? “ Answer: “None” to “ I had a parakeet when I was young and I used grit paper at the bottom of the cage. Why is it so hard to find now?” Answer: “ Because we now know that they don’t need it and should not eat where they may have pooped”. Plus so many more that I thought a blog dedicated to answering questions of all types would be of help to fellow bird lovers. I will be researching and speaking to experts so don’t worry the answers will be written by me but come from much more knowledgeable folks – Avian Vets, Breeders, Avian Consultants etc. So send in your questions and I will try to post as many answers as I can find.
Sending you a birdie kiss,
Dear Abby Parrot
12 Comments on "Dear Abby Parrot – Lynne Singerman"
I have never really liked birds, the most contact I have had with them was caring for my sister’s cockatiel for 3 years while she was away at college. That was more than 30 years ago and it never occurred to me to take the bird out of the cage. I just had to clean the cage, change the water and feed her bird. Through your articles, Abby Parrot, I new realize that bringing a bird into one’s home can add a dimension to pet ownership that is wonderful. Thanks for the article, the information, and for sharing your love of birds with the rest of us!
Wow, Thank you for starting this. You sound just like me. I love them but I am not a professional so I know I will have lots of questions that will come up. Will this be a blog that will be on going or a once a month deal. I am just curious because I want to be able to follow along. Thanks again!
Which breed are the best for a first time bird owner? Not a parakeet.
Thank you for all the nice comments! Keep them coming
Susan you asked an interesting question that I hope I may have answered
in the Jan/Feb edition of Houston Pet Talk Magazine. This issue is on line on this
site and it is on page 56. Please read this and let me know your response to the questions
and than I can offer a suggestion for a wonderful first bird.
you right very well a very informative article, I don’t think in the lifestyle that I now live, And have Louis that we can fit a bird in our house, congratulations on a well written article, dad
You started all this with little bird for your little girl.
Thank you Dad!!
How did you train your two dogs not to bother your birds? Are they curious about your birds? scared? Are the birds curious about the dogs? What is your experince living with several different species and how they interact with each other.
Hi Julie,
There was no actual training in my case…just luck. I have always had Shelties ( Shetland Sheepdogs )
which is a herding dog. They are not hunters so their only interest is herding any birds that land on the
floor. I have always been able to quickly spot a bird on the floor by the location of my dogs. They just watch from a safe distance till I pick up the bird. They don’t even bark at the birds ( and Shelties are barkers).
They have always been interested in the birds. When my dogs were younger they would get great exercise by jumping straight up in the air ,over and over, to see into the tall cages. Both dogs would silently jump ( without touching the cage ) for up to 15 minutes everyday. Great doggy work out. The birds could of cared less.
Now , as the dogs have gotten older and wiser, the game is to find the best fresh food that the birds have dropped on the floor. I am sure some of this food is dropped intentionally for the birds entertainment. Watching the dogs is their fun. I am very lucky!! We are one furry and feathered happy family
We had Miner birds as a kid, they would ring just like the old telephones – even answer their own call. Enjoyed the read on your post.
Martin
Love Me ? Love Me NOT ? Does your parot LOVE you too much? Does he chase away your kids and husband? Does he bite you when you are talking on the phone? These are indications of over-bonding and though it does mean that he LOVES you it is not a fun way to be loved. Write me with your comments and questions and be on the look out for a article that will give your parrot some better ways to express LOVE.
Mrs. Singerman,
We own 2; 7 month old ciaques that we adore. The problem is they get a lot of attention all day. I am now working out of my house and can’t give them as much attention and they scream all day. I am looking for a birds day out a few days a week . Do you have any suggestions on a good place in Houston. I live by High land village inside the loop and would love to find a place reasonably close by.
Thank you,
Jennifer STClair
Dear Jennifer, I assume you mean a ” Doggie Day Care ” like Urban Tails is for dogs. I have never heard of a ” Birdie Day Out ” but what a cute idea
How do you know they scream all day if you are not at home? You mention having 2 birds and that is great because they do have each other for company ( even if they are in separate cages ). I would try a few ideas that you can do at home – first there is a DVD called the ” Bird Sitter ” that I play for my parrots for their entertainment ( available at Adventures in Birds ). Next I would get a few new favorite toys and a foraging food toy that you put in only when you are going to be gone for the day. I would make happy sounds about the toys and tell them ” I will be back “. In fact tell them I will be back each time you leave the room so they will learn the concept. These two are still very young so the behavior should be easy to adjust however if this does not help ( give all the above ideas at least a 5 day trail ) you can contact an excellent bird consultant – Jamie Whittaker 281-217-0614. I have worked with her and she is positive – natural and practical. Other resources are the bird site http://www.avianavenue.com that has a Q&A for each type of bird and lastly the Houston area is very lucky to have an awesome bird event here each year. The Parrot Fest is on Jan 20 -21-22 2012 and it is a wonderful educational event with lectures and vendors that are all about the best ways to care for our birds. Info at 713-557-BIRD (2473) or http://www.parrotfestival.org. Please write back and let me know what helped and how you and your birds are doing.