Screaming behavior in parrots

  This article is borrowed from Barbara Heidenreich with the owner’s permission. Wow. That Bird Sure Can Scream! By Barbara Heidenreich www.GoodBirdInc.com “Screaming. Somebody reinforced the heck out of that behavior.” I said to myself. Misty, a double yellow headed Amazon… Read more

Renal Tumor in a Budgie

Among the hundreds of parrot species kept as pets, budgies (also known as budgerigars or parakeets) have a reputation for being extremely prone to cancer. It’s a very sad and unfortunate fact, and due to the perception that they’re not as valuable as some other species, research as to why… Read more

Egg binding in a cockatiel

Some female cockatiels can be very “hormonal” and lay eggs even when there is no male bird around. This happened recently to a cockatiel who came to Olathe Animal Hospital on emergency because she was trying to lay an egg but she became egg-bound. This means she was unable to pass the egg. This… Read more

Wing Fracture Repair in an Amazon Parrot

Things weren’t looking good for this Double-yellow headed Amazon parrot–she was 40 years old, had eaten seeds (sunflower seeds are her favorite!) her whole life, and she had just broken her wing (complete fracture of the right radius and ulna) after falling off her perch. The fact that she has… Read more

Wing Trims

Not all bird owners want their birds’ wings trimmed, and that’s perfectly okay! In some situations, we feels it’s best to NOT trim the wings. However, when it is time to trim your birds wings, keep in mind the following points: Trim both wings equally. Trim each feather individually (ie don’t… Read more

Hypocalcemia in an African Grey Parrot

Congo is a wild-caught African Grey Parrot, presumably about 25 years old, who came to us late on a Thursday night because he’d stopped eating. We sent him home after gavaging him (administering formula directly into crop with a tube) and drawing some blood. Due to the time of day, we couldn’t get… Read more