Bird Cage Cleaning Tips

Everyday cleaning tips: Wipe down your bird’s cage, perches, and playgym with a bird-safe cleaner, wipe or brush at end of the day. Use a handheld vacuum to suck up seeds, dander, feather, and dust, and/or keep a dust pan nearby to sweep up debris. Speed-cleaning products… Read more

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

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

Medicating Exotic Pets

You may find yourself wondering, “How do I give my _______ (parrot, hamster, guinea pig, rabbit, hedgehog, etc.) medication?” Because we see so many exotics at Olathe Animal Hospital, we are faced with this question a lot. The answer lies in compounding! Compounding is the process of taking the… 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