Ask Rio, Parrot tips, Tricks and training. This is my articles page. I stand on my soapbox and HOWL!

This page is dedicated to Rio, my Severe Macaw, and all the other companion parrots who share our lives. I hope to help each and every parrot lover to better understand these incredible birds and improve the relationships we have our parrots.

Parrot Tips will cover general care, feeding, handling, caging and all the stuff to help make our parrot's lives better.

Parrot Tricks will cover such topics as teaching your parrot to play dead, show me, and general FUN stuff for you and your parrot.

Parrot Training will cover topics such as Beak Training, behavior modifications and altering negative behavior.

Ever wonder why you're parrot doesn't talk when your in the room? Ever wonder why your parrot screams or bites? What's the best thing to feed my parrot? Are you a new parrot owner and have lots of questions. These and more will be the topics discussed on this page.

This page will not be Politically Correct. By that, I mean that If I disagree with current popular thinking, I will say so.

These are my opinions. I'm not a parrot expert, I don't profess to being one. I'm not a veterinarian. I'm just a guy who has enjoyed parrots since the age of 14. If you find that what I say makes sense to you, accept and use the information. If it doesn't make sense to you, don't use my suggestions. I don't profess to being a so-called parrot expert. There are enough of those around.

Recently, I had a consultant recommend that I remove all my opinion pages from my site. His reasoning was sound, when you're reading my articles, you're not looking at my stuff, and I make a living by selling my Bottlebrush stuff. Plus, if you disagree with my opinions, that's a reason not to buy my stuff. It actually makes sense.

Let me know what you think of this page, and if you like it, pass it on to a friend.

One last thing. I'm not a sexist, however, for ease of writing, I will refer to all parrots as HE. Hope the ladies out there don't take offense.

Let's set the mood here. Parrots are funny critters. From their wild color schemes, to their hysterical antics, lets face it, we enjoy them because they are wild and crazy. Throw out you inhibitions. If you want to get the most from your parrot, act crazy around them. When you walk over to visit, develop your own funny routine that you and your parrot share. Watch what your parrot does naturally, and incorporate that into your relationship with your parrot.

Chat rooms, blogs, lists, whatever! Many of you enjoy these, but understand this, they aren't your friend. Many seem to foster fear and prey on your desire to do what's right for your bird. Use caution and have an open mind.

Water Bottles. If you have a Hamster, these are great. Life threatening for birds though.

Is your Avian Vet a parrot expert? Some Vets are bird experts, most aren't. Most know how birds work, but not how they think or how to deal with them.

Better safe then sorry, and Agendas. There are a whole group of parrot owners who are afraid of everything, trust nothing, and this fear is preyed upon by people with agendas.

Teflon!! Another of those stupid, hysterical internet rumors that everyone was freaking out about.

6/16/08 update. I got an e-mail from this person demanding I remove her letter from this page, I complied. Basically, she is completely intolerant of anyone who has an opinion different then hers, and told me basically I should shut down my business because she doesn't believe in selling parrots and I shouldn't do business with people who buy/sell parrots. These kinds of people scare me. Where does it end? This kind of intolerance is a cancer on our society and I feel sorry for her and her bird. Now, she's going to deprive her new bird of one of my gyms (her current bird loves his Bottlebrush gym and she wanted to buy another one for her new bird but refuses to buy from my distributor because they sell birds.) Wow, that's really dumb.

As you might know, over the years I've rescued a lot of birds. For me as an experienced bird owner, I was capable of working with these birds and rehabilitating them. However, if an inexperienced bird owner asked my opinion, I would recommend against rescuing a bird and here's why.
The first years of a birds life are critical to what the future holds for that bird. The good birds, well adjusted, loving rarely end up as rescues. Usually, those end up with family members. The birds no-one wants or will even take usually end up with rescues. I realize that's a somewhat broad statement, and also will state that I haven't been involved with any rescue organizations recently so it's possible things have changed. I'm making these observations based on my past experience.

The good mom and pop pet/bird shops I've dealt with over last 16 years have been excellent. These people are in business because they love animals and want to make animals their lives work. In my opinion for what that's worth, your complaint shouldn't be with stores that sell birds like the Golden Cockatoo, it should be with the big chain pet/bird stores and the parrot industry in general.

Your local independent bird/pet store is a valuable asset every parrot owner should take full advantage of. These people are a wealth of experience and in most cases, very willing to share and help. The good ones are dedicated to helping their clients get the right bird, and get off on the right track. And their there if you need them and that's something every parrot owners needs.

And you as a parrot owner need to do business with them and NOT the big chain pet stores. These people are under assault by the big chains, and if they have their way, there won't be any more independent pet/bird stores. Over the last 10 years, more then 50% of my dealers have been put out of business by these giants.

In my opinion, Rachel's complaint shouldn't be with the Golden Cockatoo and independent stores like theirs, it should be with the big chains and the parrot industry in general.

Again, in my opinion, the big chain pet stores are the biggest threat to Rachel's bird and every other parrot out there, and here's why.

In 1992, I built 6 prototype gyms and took them to a local pet store. They bought all 6 on a Friday, and called me on Monday and ordered more, they sold all six that first weekend. Slowly, I began to add dealers and develop my gyms, and in 8 years, had 150 dealers and sold about 6000 gyms. Contrast this to an experience I had a year ago.

I visited a local big chain pet store, one of the big ones, and spoke with the manager. We went out to my van and I showed him what I did. He was very interested and gave me the number to their corporate office. I called and spoke with them and here were their requirements.

First, I had to give them an exclusive. I couldn't sell on my web site, or to my South Florida dealers.
Next, I had to provide financial information that I was a solid capable company because...
I had to provide gyms for 8800 stores.

There were more requirements, but that's as far as it went. My question to him was simple, you didn't start with 8800 stores, so why do I have to. Why can't I add stores like they did as I expand my business. No was their answer, either all or none.

The parrot industry has always been a cottage industry. Moms and pops loving parrots and needing something they couldn't find, so they made it themselves. Then, they made some extra and sold them to friends, then stores. And the stores were local stores who embraced new stuff.

Now, that avenue is gone for the little guy and every parrot owner loses. Sure, you can build a web site and compete for positioning on one the search engines, but again, the big guys hire pros and who can compete with them.

And, unfortunately, the parrot industry itself is going corporate. When you walk in those big stores, I don't know where they get their birds, but it isn't likely their buying from local breeders. We've all heard of Puppy Mills, but never hear about the Parrot Mills, yes, they exist.

Rachel, your problem isn't with the Golden Cockatoo, it's with the parrot industry and the big chains. That's where they sell birds to anyone with the money, and the people working there are there as a job. Even the managers are business people, and selling birds or dog food is nothing more then a way to make money.

I was in a big chain store a couple of years ago and they had a Double Yellow head Amazon in a cage. I got to talking to one of the employees who told me he had worked there for 3 years and that bird was there when he started. This bird has spent his whole life locked in an 18"x18"X18" cage with one Manzanita perch and no toys, nothing. And. they never took him out, never. I went back to my shop and made a couple of Bottlebrush perches and a couple of toys. I went back and spoke with the store manager and asked him if I could give these to the DYH. He told me absolutely not, and I had to leave immediately. I asked him to sell me the bird, and he said sure, $1599.00. Basically we had a confrontation right there in the store and he threatened to call the police on me if I didn't leave. I did leave but told him I would be back. When I went back, the bird was gone. This is the problem, not stores like The Golden Cockatoo. To lump them in with the big chains isn't fair and is only making the big chains more powerful but putting the little guys out of business.

We have to support the independent stores or there won't be any. Rachel, I understand your frustration. For almost 10 years I've been trying to make people realize that the parrot industry is bad for birds. Cages are terrible for birds and no longer necessary. Pellets are terrible for birds but I'm the only one saying it. So, I'm teaming up with the Golden Cockatoo to see if I can reach more people with my stuff. But if you don't buy from us, we wont be here. You said your bird loves his Bottlebrush gym, yet might not buy another one because TGC sells birds. Sad, but everyone loses here except the big chain stores because if we're gone, they'll have less competition.
Wayne

In 1999, when I first built this site, one thing became apparent immediately. It seemed like most of the parrot owners I dealt with and heard from we're extremely nervous about their birds. Many had fallen into the BETTER SAFE THEN SORRY mindset, and lived their lives in fear for the safety of their birds. Unfortunately, these fears we're fostered by people and businesses with agendas, and those agendas we're good for business. As I got more involved with my clients, I came to the realization that stuff they SHOULD worry about they didn't even know about, and that's the purpose of this article. Note. If you look at the other articles on this page, you'll realize I'm not a SKY IS FALLING person. However, these are things you should know about. So, here goes.

Virtually every parrot, right now, has Wing Nuts in his cage. These are used to attach in-cage perches, toys, almost anything to your birds cage. They are easy to install, so you as a parrot owner like them. However, they are dangerous for your bird, here's why.

Being able to easily install them makes them also possible for your bird to remove them, especially medium and large birds. The way there made also makes them interesting for your bird, so they do try to remove them, it's in their nature. Here's the problem with them.

I had a client who found their Yellow on the floor of his cage, deceased, with his swing on top of him. He was playing on top of his cage and loosened the wing nut holding the swing. Apparently, he tried to climb on his swing, and it fell with him underneath it. I also had a client who's bird loosened the wing nut holding an in-cage perch, and lost a toe when it got caught between the perch and cage. These are only 2 examples, I have more, but here's the problem. The solution here is simple, yet the parrot industry refuses to address this issue.

Instead of using Wing Nuts, I use Lock Nuts. Here's how they work. If you look at the pic on the left, you'll notice the nylon ring inside the top of the nut. When tightened with a wrench, that nylon ring grips the stud and your bird can't remove it. It's just that simple. They are more difficult to install for us, but safe for your bird. You can change Wing Nuts to Lock Nuts in a snap. They're available is standard sizes, 3/8", 5/16" and 1/4" are the sizes I use, costs pennies, and are available at most home and hardware store.

You know what these are, you might have your keys on one of these. They're great for Keys, however, here's the problem using these around your bird.

Parrots love to pry open things. So, they pry these open with their beaks, and investigate with their tongues. If it snaps shut with their tongue in it, it could cause serious injury or worse. These and other types of snap rings, key rings, belt hooks, etc, should not be used around parrots. Anything that snaps shut can be dangerous for birds. Use Quik Links, not any kind of snap rings.

Manzanita can cause a serious foot problem called Slippery Foot. It's extremely hard, but isn't actually smooth, it's more like a fine sandpaper. Over time, it actually removes and smoothes the bottom of your birds feet, and they end up like bald tires on your car. Once that happens, perching becomes extremely difficult and uncomfortable. Birds regularly fall off Manzanita perches, especially when sleeping. Sandblasting doesn't matter, this stuff is just too hard, harder then your birds feet. Manzanita should not be used for birds, period.

This stuff is fairly new, and is being distributed by a large cage manufacturer. Java wood is really smooth and slippery. In order for your parrot to perch, the branches need to be fairly thin so your parrot can wrap his feet around it and hold on. That Holding On isn't natural, and causes foot problems, cramping, etc. Climbing and playing isn't comfortable, so birds generally find a spot and sit there, the equivalent to your kids playing video games.

Plastic is plastic, no matter what you do to it, and your bird isn't going to like it because it's slippery and hard to stand on. It'll be attractive to you, easy to clean, cheap, indestructible, but a total waste of money, and bad for your bird.

Pellets are great for the manufacturer, distributor, retailer and owner, bad for your parrot. Here's why.

Today's birds are different then birds 20+ years ago, yet most of you are treating them exactly like we did wild caught parrots in the past. NOTHING is more detrimental to their long term physical and mental health, and your relationship with your parrot then caging them for long periods of time. I know your told it's for THEIR SAFETY but that's garbage. It's for the cage companies benefit, not yours or your birds. Since 1992, I've been building play gyms that your bird would love so much, they stay there because they want to. Most of you will never try them, and that really frustrates me. Getting your bird out of their cage can really improve their lives, but it can't happen if you don't make it happen. All those people telling you it can't work aren't my clients, and people shouldn't talk about things they know nothing about. For more info about cages, read THE TRUTH ABOUT CAGES on this page.

These are slightly better, but in your birds mind, he's in the tree above his nest, guarding his nest. Most are totally boring and not comfortable at all.

Leg Bands. These are used to identify specific birds, hatch dates and other info. However, here's the problem with them.

My recommendation. Find out the local requirements and if possible, remove these leg bands and store them in a safe place. Put it in a plastic bag, date it and include the bird type.

Some people will sell anything to make a buck. Here's the problem with these. Birds are like all other animals. As the weather changes, bodies change to acclimate to the changes in temperature. Dogs put on a winter coat, and birds put on a winter down coat. Heated perches prevent your bird from sensing the upcoming cold weather, and therefore, they don't develop a winter down coat. I live in South Florida. The COLDEST it gets here is the 40s. If I went up north in the winter, it's likely I would get sick because my body isn't adapted to cold weather. If I lived up north, and had time to adapt, it would be much easier. Your bird NEEDS to be allowed to adapt to cold weather, and heated perches prevent that. Consider this, Quaker Parrots live and thrive all over the country because they adapt to cold weather.

If your bird is PROPERLY clipped, they should flutter to the floor. They shouldn't drop like a rock, or glide across the room. Both of these conditions are a result of poor clippings. Clip 8-11 flight feathers, (those are the feathers at the ends of out stretched wings) to the next row of feathers. A properly clipped bird makes harnesses unnecessary. The first "T" stands I bought used to have Leg Chains. I consider Harnesses the 21st century version of leg chains. Most of the Harness talk on the net is coming from the manufacturers by the way.

More to come...This article will always be a work in progress. As new topics come up. I'll address them here.

Hi Wayne,

My 3.5 year old flighted YNA (Yellow Nape Amazon) LOVES your hanging gyms!! I have them in several rooms and she spends many hours/day following me from room to room and playing on them (I work from home). Everything you say about them is true and your bottlebrush products are the best things on the market for parrots. Believe me, I have been ripped off by so much stuff that my parrot does not use or turns out to be cheap and/or dangerous. One great thing about the gyms that is NOT true for any other similar product is that my parrot uses all areas of the gym regularly, including the very bottom branches. Something special about your design encourages the bird to climb all around the gym all the time! Even though LuLu can fly, she still loves exploring all over each gym every day for any new toys I have replaced or a different spot on the gym to nibble on the bark. Her complete contentment on the gyms means she leaves my furniture alone and I can get work done for hours on end!

Attached are some photos of LuLu hanging out on the bottom levels of the gym – you can see how much she loves it!

Trish K in NC

P.S. Will be ordering some stuff from your website soon! BTW I love you new website – for a while I couldn’t find you and had a minor panic attack about where I would get future stands, gyms, and toys, especially since I want to add a bird to my flock one of these days.

There are times when it takes a client to say it all. This letter and pics SAYS IT ALL. First, take a look at how stunningly gorgeous this Yellow Nape is. Perhaps that's the most beautiful Amazon I've ever seen, and I've seen hundreds and had dozens. The sheen to her feathers, and symmetrical body are examples of what Amazons would look like in the wild.

Every day of my life, I'm in the parrot business because I love parrots. And because of my affection for parrots, I have a hard time dealing with what's happening to most of them. There's a saying, you can lead a horse to water but can't make them drink.

Most of you have never tried my stuff. Why, I don't know. Maybe you don't believe me! Maybe you like thinking your bird needs you to give them a life. Maybe you NEVER try new things, and consider my stuff and concepts new ideas. But, after 16 years, 9000+ Play Gyms and Hanging Gyms, and thousands of parrot owners whose birds live like this one, it's no longer new.

Think of the life this bird has! He's a free bird, and lives a life of a free bird. Have you ever seen a more beautiful bird? Not sure I have!

The stuff I build is designed to allow your bird to live like this one. I'm not saying your bird should be free flighted, what I am saying is that your bird doesn't need to be caged all the time. Whether its a Hanging Gym or Stationary Gym, this is what I want for your bird. If you don't, that's your choice. But, ask yourself this, If your bird had a choice, what would he choose?

Recently, I was making a delivery to one of my dealers. Sitting by the front door was a lady and an Umbrella Cockatoo. It was obvious to me that this was a new bird mommy and her new, baby Cockatoo. As I was rolling my gyms in, her Cockatoo was showing distress at the sight of these large, rolling monsters coming towards her. As her owner, there we're a couple of ways to handle this.

This bird mommy held her to her bosom and told her it was ok, I'll protect you. She actually put her arms around her new Cockatoo and whispered words of support. I brought in 8 gyms, and this process was repeated every time. So, what's wrong with this, her bird was scared.

Here's what's wrong with this scenario. At a time when her bird was scared and unsure, the worse thing to do is to foster that insecurity. To protect her from these alleged monsters, is to teach her to be insecure.

This is a baby bird, and as with most babies, they are relatively fearless. They're interested in their new world, and natural instinct would be to investigate.

Here's a better way of handling this situation. When I rolled in the first gym, this bird mommy should have acknowledged the gym, and went to investigate. Instead of cradling and coddling, and fostering insecurity, she could have helped her bird get over her natural fear of new things and help her realize that new things aren't dangerous. And, with this kind of handling, new toys, gyms, food, etc, won't be a source of insecurity, but a source of interest. I hear every day, I have to let her LOOK at the item for a while before I introduce it.

However, this kind of behavior also represents insecurity in the parrot owner.

How many of you are insecure about your bird? You're afraid of new toys, new wood, basically, almost anything new. You actually think it's possible to make a mistake and kill your bird. And, in the same way the bird mommy above fostered insecurity in her bird, the parrot industry fosters this kind of insecurity in you. After all, that's good for business. This is how they get you to buy Pellets, bigger cages, Harnesses and all the other stuff you're told you NEED.

As you look at the articles on this page, you'll see that I have numerous articles related to this topic. This is the biggest issue you as a parrot owner need to realize. Birds are among the hardiest animals in the world bar none. Yet, you're told they're china dolls, and YOU need to protect them from everything. And, detailed in the article below, the most insecure are the most vocal, and insist that everyone follow their rules, and accept their insecurity as fact. These people follow the BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY mindset, and once someone buys into that, it's all a downward spiral. And, birds are the losers.

Actually, this article is related to the article Dirty Laundry, but I want to address the whole chat room issue. Before I start my article, let me clearly state that I've never visited a chat, or posted anything, ever. I have no interest in them, and my past experience has been entirely negative. So, If I don't use the correct terminology or lingo, sorry. I'm going to call all of them CHATS just to keep things simple.

Considering that I've built well over 9100 of my Bottlebrush Play Gyms, and thousands and thousands of Bottlebrush in-cage perches and toys, one might expect a question like the post in the previous article to receive a flood of e-mails from my clients defending me and my company. Well, there's a reason they don't.

People fall into two basic categories, leaders and followers. That applies on the chats as well. The leaders determine the course of the discussion, and the followers make sure they're PC and go along with what the leaders are saying.

On most of the chats that I'm aware of, the general tone is that birds are delicate creatures, and everything possible must be done to protect them from everything. No scented candles, no cleaning supplies of any kind, Pellets only, big cages with birds securely locked up for their safety, etc etc etc. These people live their lives in fear, and look to the leaders and chats to keep their birds safe. The leader says jump, and the followers ask how high, or just start jumping.

Keeping these followers scared is good for business. After all, suppose you miss a day, and the discussion you miss causes you to hurt your bird. So, these people follow the chats as much as possible, it's what they live for and the life of their bird is at stake. By the way, this also applies to parrot magazines as well.

So, along comes someone like me and I say, Parrots aren't delicate creatures. In fact, I say parrots are among the hardiest animals in the world, and relax, your birds are going to be fine. I ask questions like WHY ARE YOU STILL CAGING YOUR BIRD? WHY DO YOU USE PELLETS? And, I offer stuff that's new, and different, and not what parrot owners are used to seeing. I use a different type of wood maybe they haven't ever heard of, or seen, or tried. What I'm offering is different, and many people don't want things to change, they like it the way it is.

My clients are FREETHINKERS. They didn't close their minds to something different, they embraced my ideas, and their common sense told them it felt right and they tried my stuff. And guess what, they found out that it worked. And, as I like to do, as I chatted with my clients, I debunked much of what they heard in the chats, they realized they didn't need the chats, and stopped visiting them.

And, if a client asks my opinion about the chats, I tell them flat out that in my opinion, most are worthless. And, the post above is the reason why. Anyone can post virtually anything. Rumors, untruths, false opinions, it's all fair.

And, here's the real damage. Most of these chats are all about keeping your bird safe. The basic concept is BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY and WHY TAKE A CHANCE. Once someone falls under the spell of this kind of thinking, it's all down hill from there. After all, is anything 100% SAFE. And, if something isn't 100% safe, why take a chance. This kind of thinking is a disease, and once infected with this disease, your birds suffer.

Aside from the issue about, my most recent experience was regarding my use of Copper in my toys. See my article Is copper wire safe? The woman who sent me the e-mail said and I quote, Copper can and will cause a problem for parrots if they nibble on it. I e-mailed her and asked her where she heard that and she didn't know. She just heard it somewhere. So, she goes on a chat, and passes off this info as fact, even though she doesn't know where it came from.

So, now the talk turns to copper being dangerous even though I can find NO source for that opinion. Most people don't say, gee, he's done the research, and put his company and reputation on the line so he could offer my birds some really cool toys and chew stuff, let me give it a try. A few do, my clients, the Freethinkers, but most don't.

And, where did this copper rumor start? I have no idea but I will say this. I have an article on this page called An internet incident, and why it's important to you. In that article, I discuss an acquaintance who used to do what he called ADVERTISING. Here's what he used to do. He had numerous screen names, and would visit a chat and post a question, has anyone ever heard of _________ (his company name). Then, he would post an answer using another screen name, and pose as a happy client, and highly recommend the company in question. People on the chat didn't know he was advertising like this. They thought these we're actual posts from real people, not a company advertising. It gets worse.

A couple of years ago, I saw a segment on MSNBC, I think. It was about a company doing internet advertising. Basically, they had a room full of computers, and they had been hired to promote a movie for kids. So, this company had employees posing as 12, 13 year old kids, chatting about how good this movie was. The kids on the chat rooms didn't know they we're being advertised to, they just HEARD the movie was good and wanted to see it.

And, in the parrot world, how much have you heard about harnesses for birds? Stupid, useless, yes. But, with online chat advertising by the harness makers, and scare tactics about lost birds, well, all of a sudden, we're seeing them in use.

When someone posts, do you really know who they are, and what their agenda is. After all, once a statement is made, and the followers pick it up and run with it, it suddenly becomes fact, or what the followers think is fact.

In my case, all someone has to do is mention hearing something about Bottlebrush being dangerous, Copper being dangerous, Formica being dangerous, Aluminum being dangerous, everything being dangerous, and the followers will never try any of it.

So, this is why my clients don't defend me on the chats because most of my clients don't waste there time on them. And, I'm going to take some credit here.

If you speak with most of my clients, they will tell you that when I accepted their order, I did it over the phone in person. And, they will also tell you that we chatted about lots of parrot related topics. I tell them I know whet they're being told and hearing, and here's another way of having parrots. Here are some of what I tell clients.

When have you heard any of this in the chats? most likely, you haven't. So, when I done chatting with my clients, I've helped them become FREETHINKERS. Don't get me wrong, most we're almost there or they wouldn't have called me. I just give them a little more ammunition so they can go the rest of the way.

So, forget the chats, they aren't worth your time and will do nothing for you or your bird. Relax, let your bird be a bird and enjoy.

Water Bottles.

Again, an E-mail I just received.

Wayne,

I have a sad story to tell. I came home today and found my beloved Col.

Mustard, a yellow-sided conure, dead. After trying to figure out why? My husband determined that apparently something had clogged his water bottle and it was not working properly.

My question is: how long can a conure survive without water?

In my opinion, nothing is more dangerous for birds then Water Bottles. The idea that companies will market these for birds, and so called experts, Veterinarians included, would recommend them to you is just another example of the serious threat the Parrot Industry is to your bird. If I seem pissed here, I am. This was a senseless, needless death, and I hold the water bottle company responsible.

Water Bottles are great for rodents, Hamsters, Mice, Rats, etc, but not birds. Here's why.

First, water is critical for all animals, and especially birds. Birds drink all day. If they are given lots of fruit and vegetables, there is moisture in those so their need for water will diminish. However, if you feed Pellets, as most of the so-called EXPERTS recommend you do, a water bottle is LIFE THREATENING for your bird.

Birds have no Saliva. The only way they can eat dry Pellets is to dunk them in water to moisten them. With a water Bottle, they can't dunk them, so they can't moisten them, and all they can do is grind them up. Try this. Stuff some paper towels in your mouth to absorb all your saliva. Remove the paper towels, and try to eat a cracker. Pretty uncomfortable and almost impossible. That's what your bird experiences with a water bottle.

My birds dunk most everything in their water bowl. It's a learned behavior, and it makes eating much easier. So your asking yourself, why are water bottles recommended?

Simple. Your told your bird needs FRESH, CLEAN water. However, let's look at that.

If your eating, don't read any further until your done. I'll wait for you to finish.

In the wild, your bird is standing on a tree branch, and when he poops, it hits the lower branches or the ground. Plus, the birds standing above him are pooping, plus all the insects climbing all over the tree are pooping all over everything as well. To add more, all the other birds, insects, and animals in the jungle are also pooping all over everything. Now, when it rains, all that poop is washed to the ground where it mixes with all the other poop, and settles in rivers, puddles and streams, and makes what I call POOP SOUP.

Now, in the wild, where does your bird get his water from? That's right, they drink POOP SOUP. Take a look around your home, and ask yourself where those birds flying around your home get THEIR water, that's right, they also drink POOP SOUP. These local birds are also exposed to acid rain, pollution, etc. How do they survive you ask?

Again, Birds are among the hardiest animals on the planet. In the same way that you and I build up natural immunities to things we're exposed to, your bird does the same. Now, this brings me to another issue that relates here too.

How many times have you heard that you have to keep your birds cage clean and disinfected, and again, the parrot industry provides lots of expensive products to do just that. Again though, and I realize this will be controversial, if your bird is in an unnaturally clean and disinfected environment, how is your bird going to build up immunities to things they are exposed to every day. In my experience, the cleaner you keep your birds cage, the sicker your bird will be.

So, am I saying not to clean your bird, NO. What I am saying though is again, your bird is an incredibly hardy, adaptable animal. If allowed, he will build up natural immunities, and won't have problems if he is exposed to an "UNCLEAN ENVIRONMENT."

So, use a water bowl and change the water every morning. If it gets especially yucky, change it. But most of the time, even if there is stuff in the water, it's OK.

In my opinion, this Water Bottle company knew all about what I'm saying, and didn't care. They we're looking to expand market share at the expense of this persons bird. How many other birds are in the same situation, and could end up the same way. These Bottles SHOULD NOT be used for birds.

For those of you who chat, post, whatever. If you want to talk about a real issue that IS a threat to birds, here you go. The bird you save might be yours.

Wayne

Hanging Gym verses Stationary Gym.

As I do with lots of these articles, I use an e-mail as the basis and answer that e-mail for everyone to read. Here's the e-mail.

A member posted a link to your site on quakerparrot.com. I'm so glad they did. We've had our orange winged amazon about 6 months now (we also have a re-homed qp but he's not the one I have concerns about). Buddy's our first larger bird and has been quite an experience! He's about 14 and was, according to his type of band, a wild-caught import. Basically, we bought him from a guy who does rescues. He'd been there about one year. Before that, he spent much of his life in a cage. His owner passed away and he was shuffled between people who didn't want him or know quite what to do with him.

At any rate, I want to get him a play gym and am leaning towards buying the hanging one first (basically due to price as we have a large family and budget carefully). Here's my concern. Maybe because he wasn't allowed to get out and experience much or maybe it's just him but he has TERRIBLE balance. He hates swings and I got him a wacky wood perch which I arranged so it would only move a tiny bit and he refused to step on it after the first little jiggle. So, here's my dilemma. He was very sedentary when we got him. I know the increased exercise involved in the hanging gym would be good for him and he is much more active since we've had him. On the other hand, I don't want to purchase something that will go unused because of his fear. Do you think there's a way to get him used to a hanging gym or should I just wait a bit longer until I have saved enough for the standing gym?

Either way, I have to save the money up but I need your input as you've more experience than I. Thanks in advance for your advice. Sincerely, Chelle
Congrats on your new bird. Orange Wings are very nice birds. Now to answer your second paragraph.

There are two main reason I use Bottlebrush, one is because it's the best wood I've ever used for chewing and gnawing. Gnawing is critical for birds and is how they keep their beaks properly conditioned. Most wood is too hard or two soft. The second reason is what's important to your Orange Wing.
Bottlebrush doesn't require Holding On. Here's what I mean. Most wood used for parrots is extremely hard. Your told this is good so it doesn't get chewed up. However, for your bird, being hard means their feet hurt, the same way our feet hurt if we stand on a hard concrete floor all day and night. However, we can buy and wear high quality shoes, your bird can't. That's bad enough, but it gets worse. Being slippery means your bird has to GRIP his perches. Consider this. In the wild, your bird would be able to choose the trees and perches he spends time in. They would choose those with natural bark, here's why. Your birds feet are designed to grip natural bark perches without holding on. Look at the bottom of your birds feet. Those little bumps are designed to mesh into natural bark. Manzanita, wooden dowels, PVC require Holding On. If your bird has to hold on all the time, their feet take a beating, and hurt. When your feet hurt, you don't feel much like dancing do you?

So, Hanging Gym verses stationary gym.

Hanging Gyms.

For your bird, the freedom of a hanging gym is the closest they will ever get to being a free bird, in a tree. Initially, the movement of a Hanging Gym can be a little scary. So, as with standing Play Gyms, do some training. Initially, hang it next to his cage, and attach the bottom perch to his cage. That will make the HG more stationary. Now, I call these GYMS for a reason. As your bird GETS IN SHAPE, he will begin to climb all over his gym, and perch without gripping. His feet will feel better, he will feel better, and become more and more active. In a week, or two, remove the attachment to his cage. Again, initially, he will be a little nervous, but quickly get the hang of the movement and learn to love the movement.

Once he feels comfortable with the movement of his Hanging gym, your good to go. At this point, you have complete freedom and can move the gym anywhere there is a hook.

Hanging gyms have no tray. That means you need to control the mess. If you visit my Hanging Gyms page, I recommend using a Hot Water Heater Pan. These costs less then $10.00, and available at Home Depot, or better yet, your local Plumbing Supply distributor. Go where the professional plumbers go. These pans go on the floor, and work great. However, if you have dogs or cats, they can be messy for them. I also have clients who hang them above house plants, great fertilizer.

Stationary Gyms.

Stationary gyms are on casters and can also be moved as needed. They don't get the kind of movement a Hanging Gym gets, however, my stationary gyms have some advantages.

First, they are a nice piece of Parrot Furniture that will look nice in your home. Your parrot will have a blast on his gym, and the tray in the middle means he can't climb down. With some Play Gym training, your bird will learn to STAY THERE, and allow you to leave him there for extended periods of time.

The tray will catch about 90% of the mess. I say 90% because a bird on a gym is going to be messy. I could add a foot to the tray size, and your bird can still stand on the Aluminum border and poop on the floor.

So, Hanging verses Stationary gyms? Lets cut to the chase. If your most concerned with mess and appearance, go with a stationary gym. However, if you leave it up to your bird, they will choose a Hanging Gym almost every time. In fact, most of the clients who have both tell me their birds prefer the Hanging Gyms. Amazons, Cockatoos and Macaws go NUTS on Hanging gyms. I have Cockatoo clients tell me their birds get them swinging so high, they almost hit the ceiling. Amazons, by nature think nothing of hanging by one toe nail, upside down, and totally acting crazy. And, we're you to ask my opinion, I would tell you I prefer Hanging Gyms too. And, for the price of a stationary gym, you can buy 2 or even 3 Hanging Gyms, place them around your home, and you'll have one HAPPY bird. That's the idea.

Wayne

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Answer to a recent e-mail about Parrot Handling and behavior.

As I often do, I recently got this letter with a request for help from a family in South Africa. Perhaps my opinions might be useful to other parrot owners, so I will answer them here.

Wayne ,

First off, let me tell you that I have found your article/forum a great source of help! You make sense and have helped me with regards to my Amazon that I have just bought.

I do however need some help on the following-

She is 10 months old and has been in a pet shop that specializes in Parrots and we were told that she prefers males to females, as told by the lady who owns the shop. Anne ( bird ) really took a liking to her son that works in the store who�s name is Steven, the same as me! Now my problem is my wife is struggling with the Anne and Anne is struggling with my wife. Do parrots bond with different sexes? How can I fix this, without upsetting the TWO women in my life?
She is a very tame bird and will go to anybody but she tends to scream when she doesn't get any attention, should I give in all the time and go to her?
I'm in Cape Town , South Africa , how do I go about getting one of your gyms? I have made a gym and Anne sits all day on this, but I think I need something that she will be able to climb up & down on. I realize that I have not made it very well!!
Thank You.

Steve J

Question one. In my experience, parrots can and do prefer one sex over the other. However, I think it has more to do with the way a certain sex handles and relates with the bird then anything else. For example, I have a tendency to handle birds in a somewhat confident manner. If I want to pick up the bird, I do. If I want to scratch his head, I do. Generally, they quickly understand and usually like the way I handle them. So, if a bird is used to being handled like I do, and you attempt to handle him in a less confident manner, the bird will sense this, will sense your lack of confidence, and perhaps exhibit some aggressive behavior towards you. When you respond with even less confidence, in your birds mind, he is winning, and finds it great fun. Let me explain a game I believe parrots play. It's called Lets Scare The Humans.

A couple of years ago, I had a local parrot lover order one of my gyms. I offered to deliver and set it up. When I got there, I asked him to take the bird out of the cage. When he approached his bird, the bird lunged and hissed at him. He told me the bird was REALLY MEAN, and hadn't been out of his cage for 6 months. I spent five minutes or so talking and interacting with his bird. Then, opened the door, took the bird out, and in 10 minutes had him playing dead in my lap. Here's what was happening. This bird learned that if he lunged and hissed, he could scare the human, and the human would go away. That put HIM in charge, which he thought was fun. Now, once he realized that I wasn't buying it, he knew the game was up, and had great fun playing with me. Once his owner realized this was a Hand Fed, hand raised parrot, and wasn't mean or nasty, both of them we're better off.

One more important thing to understand about parrots, especially for the new parrot owners reading this. Try this. The next time to go to step onto an escalator, do so without holding on to the handrail. If you've never done this, take my word for it, it's scary. Now, your bird uses his beak the same way you and I use our hands. When your bird goes to STEP UP, it's common for them to first beak your hand, then step up.

So, lets apply this to Steve's situation. It's highly likely that Steve's wife is somewhat insecure handling their bird. The bird senses this, and lacks confidence in this handling. Basically, the bird is afraid of falling, or being dropped. So, when Steve's wife approaches, the bird acts aggressive, basically saying, leave me alone, you don't know how to handle me properly. I like being handled like Steve does, not the way you do.

I've found this to be a very common problem, and one of the main reasons parrots like one person, or sex over the other. In fact, Rio was owned by a lady for almost 10 years, yet he and I get along great. Here are a couple more considerations.

Glasses, hats, short or long hair are a few of the variables that can cause parrots to prefer one sex, or person over others. Look at all the variables, not just sex.

Question 2. You and I call it screaming, your parrot is actually calling you, using a parrot call. Lets examine what's up here.

Right now, your parrots is confused. He thinks of you and your family as his flock. He's trying to figure out where he fits in the flock. He might think of Steve as the Alpha, and his wife as subservient to his standing in the flock, so he bullies her. His natural instinct is to call his flock, IE scream.

If you respond to his screams or calls, then you've taught him that screaming works, and he will do it to get what he wants. Let me give you an example how how to teach your bird not to scream, but to TALK to you.

When your cooking dinner, your bird smells food, and wants some. If he screams, and you bring him food, you have taught him to scream for food. If, on the other hand, when your cooking, you repeat IS THAT GOOD, or CAN I HAVE A BITE, or whatever you want him to learn to associate with food, you are teaching him how to ask for food in our language. Parrots are very smart. They quickly learn what works, and what doesn't. He will quickly realize that screaming doesn't get him food, and that asking for food, IS THAT GOOD, does. When you bring him food, repeat your phrase, then, when you give him some, teach him to say, UMMM GOOD, or whatever.

Here's what you've done. Your bird is now communication with you in YOUR language, not his. After all, his can be very annoying for US, and it's much more pleasant to hear your bird TALK, then scream.

So Steve, if you respond this his screams, he will scream more. The more you respond, the more he will scream. He doesn't have any other way of communicating with you, so he screams.

So, apply this concept to everything. I have an article further down on this page called ACTION SPECIFIC words. Basically, use ACTION SPECIFIC words for everything, good morning, good night etc.

Unfortunately, shipping my gyms outside the continental US is very expensive, more then the price of the gym. Sorry.

Wayne

You don't know what you don't know.

I tell my kids this every day. So, what's this got to do with you and your birds?

You've all heard this. A bird is a lifetime commitment. Don't buy a bird if you can't give it 3-6 hours of attention a day. Deal with your birds problems, after all, you made a lifetime commitment. I have one thing to say to these statements, BULL.

That's right, I'm saying your not making a lifetime commitment, your buying a pet! OH MY GOD, YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!!!!! Wait till this hits the chats and posts, or whatever people use to discuss stuff on the internet. Well, I'm a big boy, and can take the flak. But this topic needs to be discussed.

Let me be clear, I love parrots. I find them interesting and fascinating and beautiful and fun and I've spent most of my adult life enjoying them. And, since 1992, I've made my living trying to improve their lives. Unfortunately though, you and your parrots are under assault by a parrot industry more interested in your money then your bird. Of course, not all, but most. Sad but true.

So, when you buy a bird, how can you predict the future? How can you predict your life in one year, five years, 10 years, 20 years, etc. Lets face it, you can't.

So, you buy a bird, do the research, read the books, talk to friends, all the things your supposed to do. Things are fine for a while. Your bird is everything you hoped for. Then, things begin to change.

Lets face it, over time, your life changes. Maybe you change jobs, change your marital status, move, have a child, or your children leave home. Suppose you begin to have health problems and don't feel well. There are lots of reasons things can change in your life. Maybe you just lose interest in your bird. After all, birds can be a lot of work, especially if you do all the stuff your told you MUST do if you have a bird.

Your bird is also changing. Remember, when you buy a baby bird, your buying an infant. The bird you have today will be different a year from now. As your bird matures, he changes just like we all do.

So, over time, you and your bird's relationship change. Maybe you don't have as much time for him anymore. Maybe he is becoming aggressive, unruly, noisy, and just isn't that much fun anymore. Unfortunately, it's a downward spiral.

Understand this, the reason I'm in business is to help prevent this from happening, and if it is happening, to try to fix it. But, sometimes, it's too late.

6 months or a year ago, I got an e-mail from a lady with an Umbrella Cockatoo. Her Cockatoo was exhibiting most of the negative behavior all to common with Cockatoos. She loved her bird, and was willing to try anything to help her bird. We discussed her situation, and she stated she was afraid she might need to rehome him. However, my gyms we're designed to help fix these kinds of problems, so she wanted to give it a try. For a while, things we're a little better, but quickly reverted to the negative behavior, the worse being non stop screaming.

So, she called me and told me she was still having problems, and asked for my opinion. As she described what her bird was doing, I commented that this kind of behavior is not only disruptive to your home, but can also be harmful to YOUR health. She FREAKED. It seems that SHE was having health problems. In fact, the week before, she had been at her doctors office, exhibiting symptoms of stress. Her doctor even put a Heart Monitor on her to try to figure out what was happening. Now, I'm embarrassed to say, I told her I wanted to write this article, and she sent me an e-mail describing her symptoms in detail, and I DELETED it by mistake, UUGGHH.

Here's what was happening. Her home life, her sanctuary, the place that's supposed to provide her a respite from the everyday stresses we all deal with was now the MOST stressful place in her life. It was obvious her bird was unhappy, and she could do nothing to rectify the situation. However, it gets worse.

Your average Umbrella Scream is so loud, you really don't hear it, you FEEL it. It penetrates your body, not only your ears. Most of you with parrots have experienced the sudden scream that causes you to cringe. They hit you like a hammer. Once in a while, no problem, but over and over and over can really become a problem to you physically.

As we discussed her situation, it became clear to both of us that her Cockatoo was causing likely her health problems. There was no question in my mind, she needed to find a home for her bird.

I got an updated e-mail several weeks after she rehomed her bird. She was much better. And, her Cockatoo was also doing much better in her new home.

Now to something most of you don't realize or think about. At some point in the future, your bird will sexually mature. Suppose your bird feels the need to breed, and wants to live with other birds. This is more common then you think. So, ask yourself this question. If your bird wants to be with his own, isn't it selfish of YOU to prevent this, or is the best thing you could do for your bird is to allow him to live with his own kind.

One of the best parrots I ever had was a Severe Macaw before Rio. He was fantastic, great talker, and I loved him dearly. An acquaintance also had a Severe, a female. On a fluke, I invited him to bring her over. Immediately, my Severe inflated his crop, and started strutting back and forth on his Play Gym. We brought the female over, and he invited her on his Play Gym. Within 5 minutes, they we're preening each other, it was love at first sight. After a couple of hours, we removed her and they went home. My Severe began to call in a way I had never heard. It was more of a wail, I knew we had a problem. I called my friend, and the first thing he said was that his Severe had ALSO been calling all the way home. Needless to say, these two deserved to be together. My friend lived on an acre, and I gave my Severe to him. He set up an Aviary, and they are a very happy, breeding pair. As of 6 months ago, they we're doing great. It was heartbreaking for me, but the right thing for my bird.

The idea that your going to have your bird for the rest of your life is unrealistic. Enjoy your bird, but realize that things change in your life, and your birds. Contrary to what you hear, these aren't children. We are actually more like a caretaker. We have them for a part of their lives. Regardless of who changes, there comes a point in many relationships, birds and people, where it just isn't working anymore. Maybe it's not working for you, or your bird. But once it isn't working, and you've done your best, you owe it to your self and your bird to do what's necessary to improve the situation.

The secret here is to prevent things from getting to this point. On this page, you will see lots of articles designed to do one thing, help you understand what's up with your bird, and improve his life so you all get along. That's why I'm in business, and do what I do.

So, here's the bottom line. Enjoy your bird, love your bird, and let him be a part of your life. If the relationship works for both of you, enjoy. On the other hand, if your relationship isn't working, and you've done what you can to try to make it work, accept that as a part of life.

I realize some of you are going to find this article beyond belief, but get a life. My experience has been that the most extreme, intolerant people who wake up one morning, and just can't deal with it any more.

Remember, you don't know what you don't know, and that especially applies to parrots.

A letter from a past client.

Hello,
I don't know if you would remember, but I ordered a stand from you 8 years ago for my amazon Girlie (aka GiGi) and it still looks like it did when I unwrapped it. ALL of my bird use it and love it. I have other stands that came with some of the birds I bought (I have 23 birds and only 3 started their lives with me), and those stands are trash compared to yours. I have the PVC stand with the lifetime guarantee to replace perches (my Greenwing chews the perches and spits the pieces out), and I have Manzanita stands with melamine bases. The Manzanita is so slippery that the birds won't use it. If you ever need to refer someone with questions about your stands, I would gladly endorse your product! It is so wonderful that you sign the underside of the tray with your name/date/phone as well. Mine is dated and signed 5/17/98. As soon as I get some $, I will be purchasing more of your stands. Between bird food/toys/care and four dogs, money flows like water!! Michele

Is your Avian Vet a parrot expert?

As I do with many of my articles, the basic concept comes from an e-mail. Same with this one.

The basic gist of the question was about Bottlebrush, and in particular, knots. As with many of you, this person was considering one of my Play Gyms, and thought it necessary to research Bottlebrush. 13 years, 8400+ gyms, tens or hundreds of thousands of in-cage perches and toys later, some people still think Bottlebrush might not be safe, and that some article on the internet will provide more info then my personal experience. Anyway, the last question in this e-mail was this one, Have you discussed this with an avian vet?

Here's my question to you. What makes this person, and maybe you, think your vet knows anything at all about Bottlebrush? Lets go a step further, what makes you think your avian vet knows about most of the parrot issues most of us deal with every day. Lets discuss.

Your avian vet is an expert on how birds work. They are schooled in parrot physiology and disease and can treat parrot health issues. That's what they are experts in. Most however, are NOT experts on parrot behavior issues, training and handling. Now, lets look at where your vet gets their information.

In most cases, if you discuss nutrition with your Avian Vet, they will recommend Pellets. Ever wonder why? 10 years ago, when Pellets we're first introduced to the market, people like me wouldn't buy them. Too expensive, our birds like seed, and we've never had a problem, so why should we spend 5 times more for parrot food. So, here's what happened. An Avain Vet wrote an article about the dangers of seed, fatty liver disease, etc. This article was published in Vet Journals that your Vet read. In your vets mind, this person is an expert, and this is current expert opinion, and wow, I better start telling people to use Pellets. Then, the pellet companies show up at your vets office, and now, your vet is not only recommending them, but has a financial interest in them as well.

Now, unless you've read my article about Pellets, I'm gonna really step on some toes here!! Pellets. you assume your vet knows best. but, does he really. Here's a true life incident I had with a client.

A couple of years ago, I had a client call and order a Play Gym for her Citron Cockatoo. As we chatted, as I love to do, she asked my opinion about Pellets. She told me that her vet had insisted she change her bird over to Pellets. That was 3 days ago, and her bird was just grinding them up, not eating them. I explained that birds have no saliva, and can't eat dry food unless it's moistened, and her bird hasn't discovered how to dip them in her water dish so she could eat them. She then told me her vet had also convinced her to change to a water bottle. So, lets recap.

This Certified Avian Vet convinced my client to not only convert to pellets, but a water bottle as well. So, her bird not only couldn't eat the pellets, but couldn't get water either. I told her to hang up with me, and give her bird food and water immediately. She called me back an hour or so later. First, her bird drank like she had never seen before. Then was working on her second bowl of food.

So, she did exactly what her Avian Vet told her to do, and almost lost her bird. Again, this Vet read an article in a journal about Pellets, and likely water bottles, and recommended THE LATEST INFO. Now, I'm sure this vet realized birds have no saliva, but you and I realize birds dunk most everything in their water, and put two and two together and understand that a birds water is used for more then just drinking. Again, this avian vet is an expert of how birds work, but likely very little experience on practical bird care.

You take your bird to your Avian Vet for Clipping. Again, your vet gets info on clipping from journals written by other vets. If I told you haw many of my clients have had their birds clipped incorrectly, you wouldn't believe it. I had one clients bird clipped so bad, she cracked her beak on the floor when she fell like a rock. A properly clipped bird should flutter to0 the floor. Not drop like a rock, or glide across the room.

Now to the Bottlebrush issue. What makes you think your Vet would know anything about Bottlebrush? Now, I do have lots of Vet clients who use my gyms and Bottlebrush. But most wouldn't know anything about Bottlebrush. The good ones will tell you they know nothing, but many won't. And, many vets are guilty of what I call Better Safe Than Sorry.

I wrote an article on this page called, Better safe then sorry, and Agendas. It's good for your vets business to keep you scared, and concerned. When you take your bird to the vet, and they run $300 or $500 in tests, that's called business. The days of Vets being in the business for their love of animals are gone in most cases.

One last case. In 1999, when I built this site, the hot issue on the internet was the Zinc issue. I was constantly pointed to two articles that stated that only stainless was safe for birds. One was written by an Avian Vet, so that article must be right. I wrote the article, The Zinc Boogie Man. It seems that the two articles we're wrong. They didn't understand hardware like I do.

This Vet wrote an article about something she knew nothing about. She didn't understand the difference between Electroplated and Galvanized, lumped them both together, and wrote an article your vet might have read. So, your vet falls for the whole stainless only thing and that's what you hear. If your vet believes this, give him a copy of The Zinc Boogie Man.

Let your vet do what they know how to do, treat your birds physical problems. Don't expect your vet to help you with behavior, caging, Play Gyms, toys and most of the day to day stuff you and I deal with. Just because your vet knows how birds work doesn't mean they know how birds think. That's where people like me come in. Try this.

Ask your vet what kind of birds they have. If they have lots of birds, you have a good Avian Vet. If your Avian Vet has no birds... Look at it this was.

Suppose I told you I was an expert in childbirth. I read all the books, and studied all about having a baby. Could I REALLY understand childbirth and be an expert if I've never had a baby? Can your vet really give advise about parrot care and training if they've never had birds?

Wayne

The title was I'M A BELIEVER.

Hi Wayne,

Last week, I received the shipment of the perches and toys that I had ordered. Prior to ordering, I had read your site many times. It took me a while to order as I had my doubts if my Greenwing Macaw would even give these toys or perches a try.

He is a rehome, 15 years old. His pictures say he's a Greenwing, but I am positive he's all chicken! I have repeatedly tried to put all kinds of toys and perches in his cage, with the same outcome everytime. He will refuse to go back in his cage until the offensive item is removed. If it's a new perch, he will avoid it at every turn. He will not play or chew on any wood toy or perch that I have given him.

When my order arrived I put the new perches up and a few of the toys in his cage. I sat down to await the protest march to begin. To my surprise and disbelief he jumped up on the perch and made himself quite comfy! OK, I thought, what's this all about, who are you and what did you do with my bird!!! As the days went by he proceeded to chew on the toys, wipe his beak up and down the perches and start chewing them. To say I am amazed, would be an understatement!

I plan to order the branch replacement soon, so we can build him a nice play gym. Thank you so much! If my bird is happy, I'm happy!

Best Regards,
Karen
This is quite an e-mail, but not uncommon. If you visit my Bottlebrush Parrot Play Gym Happy Letters. page, you will literally see hundreds of similar letters.

I also recently wrote an article about a Grey who was a plucker. Plucking, Shredding and self mutilating.

Yet, after all these letters, and articles, most of you have never tried Bottlebrush. Why, I really don't know, but the reasons vary and fall into several categories.

From a business standpoint, having you sitting here reading this page isn't good for business. I realize that if you're like me, you only have so much free time. It would be better for my business if you we're shopping rather then reading. However, I have opinions that you won't read most other places, and you have a right to hear alternative opinions. I also realize some of you don't buy BECAUSE of my opinions. Why do you punish your bird because you disagree with my opinions? I thought alternative opinions we're important to the free exchange of ideas.

Better safe then sorry. This is the most common reason, and in my opinion, the dumbest. I actually wrote an article about this one, Better safe then sorry, and Agendas. Where does it end with this kind of thinking. A friend of a friend heard from someone who had a friend that heard Bottlebrush was something, they couldn't remember what, but... better not try it, just in case. Now, I can't deal with this kind of thinking, there isn't anything I can do to convince these kinds of people. The losers here are their birds.

Your gyms are too expensive. Ever heard of Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish? Here are a couple of sayings I live by.
Good things are rarely cheap, and cheap things are rarely good.
You get what you pay for.
The Bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price.
I build quality in my stuff. My Play Gyms are the best I can make, and will last for years and years. To make things better, the branches are replaceable. So, those of you who buy one of my gyms, first, your getting a piece of parrot furniture that will last. Second, you won't need to buy any more chew toys, period. Consider the branch assembly one big chew toy. After a year, or two, or more of serious chewing and gnawing, you can replace them. Pretty good deal.

You can't leave your bird out, unattended, on a Play Gym! First, you don't have to. Just look at my gyms for the quality, workmanship, and the advantages of Bottlebrush. If that's all you ever use it for, what's wrong with that? However, here's what's going to happen. You get your gym, and introduce it to your bird. Once he is comfortable there, and he likes it there, and it's his favorite place to be, and it doesn't hurt his feet, and isn't boring, he will LIKE it there, and want to be there. Why would he want to be over there, if he likes it here. So, over time, YOU realize and become comfortable with him being out, and YOU realize that being in a tree during the day is what's natural for your bird, not being caged. The reason your bird is caged is not because HE wants to be caged, it's because YOU want him to be caged. If you don't, try one of my gyms, and change all your lives. If you would like more info about Play Gym Training, here's a page to take a look at. Got my Bottlebrush parrot gym.

Your toys are too expensive. I build all this stuff myself. You are buying them from the manufacturer. They are the best toy and in-cage perch value on the market, bar none. To top that, your bird will love them, and be much happier. You will save a small fortune because my toys last. And consider this, how much is it worth to have a happy parrot.

My toys are different, like nothing you've ever seem before. Flexi Toys, Chew Stations, Spinners are just a few of my unique and original design toys. But, many of you don't like new things, and want the same old thing. I do offer traditional toys, but...

Most of you just don't believe what I say. You think I'm overselling, and just don't believe it. You read letters like the one above, and the hundreds on my Happy Letters page, and just don't believe them. I don't know if you think I wrote them myself, or what. However, just suppose I'm on to something with Bottlebrush. Suppose I did invent the better mousetrap, so to speak. Isn't it a least worth a try?

I could go on and on, but here's the bottom line. Right now, If I started using Manzanita, or PVC, or wooden dowels or some other commercially available wood, I could open a factory, and produce 50 or 100 gyms a week. I would then SELL my stuff, and most of you would buy, because you wouldn't know any better. I could retire in 5 years. But, I would know the difference, and your birds would know the difference. Using Bottlebrush is a financial disaster, but so be it.

Bottlebrush is the best wood there is for your bird, bar none. I don't say that because I use it, that's why I use it. It can and will improve your birds life. If it wasn't exceptional, and special, I wouldn't use it.

Most of you talk yourselves OUT of buying my stuff. Unfortunately, your bird doesn't know about Bottlebrush, and has to deal with the same hard, slippery perches, and boring toys he's been dealing with for most of his life. Sure he's unhappy, and his feet are killing him, but...

Parrots and parrot owners fall into two categories. Those that have never tried Bottlebrush, and those lucky ones who won't use anything else.

Wayne

Plucking, Shredding and self mutilating.

In my opinion, about 90% of all parrot behavior problems are directly cage related. If you haven't read my article on this page, The truth about cages, you might want to read that article, then return here. Plucking, shredding and self mutilating can also be cage related. Now, let me be clear here. There are also physical reasons for plucking, and that's where your Avian Vet can help. However, after the tests are done, and nothing is found, in my opinion, it's possibly a cage related problem.

The following is a letter from one of my Play Gym clients. It says it all. 9/29/05.

I just posted 6 pics of Robbie. The first 3 are his old branches, the last three are his new branches. When you look at the old set of branches, I thought some of you say Greys aren't chewers?? I NEVER said that, and my experience has been that they are major chewers if the LIKE what they have to chew.

About four months ago, Robbi came to live with us.

Robbi is a six-year-old female Congo African Grey and

we are her fourth home. I suspect she kept getting

passed along because she is a plucker. Not only is

she a feather plucker, she�s a shredder too.

When I went to meet Robbi, I was immediately struck by

how dark the room was where she was living. And to

add to the darkness, there was a towel draped over her

cage so that only the front was uncovered. The cage

was a good size for a cockatiel, but completely

inadequate for Robbi. In the cage, she had two

macaw-sized wooden dowel perches and two acrylic toys

that were dusty from disuse. Robbi wasn't sure about

stepping up out of her cage for me, but with some

coaxing, she did. Once I had her out, I saw how badly

plucked and dusty she was. The man who had her,

didn't know that parrots need to bathe and she hadn't

even been misted in almost two years. Despite her

living conditions, Robbi was friendly, and seemed glad

to be out of her cage (a rare occurrence for her).

She was very quiet, though, and I was told she wasnt

a good talker and only said a few words.

Before I brought Robbi home, I took her to an avian

vet. All of the tests were run, and while Robbi was

pronounced healthy, she looked anything but. Her feet

were a mess from standing for years on those

over-sized perches. Her chest, legs, back, and the

area beneath her wings were all practically bare, with

just a few down feathers. Her tail was gone

completely. The vet warned us that it was almost

certain that Robbi would always be a plucker, that we

should not expect her feathers to return, and that she

would never fly. Despite the grim prognosis, we

welcomed her anyway and figured we�d do what we could

and hope for the best.

One of the first things we did was order Robbi a

bottlebrush play gym from Waynes Parrot Stuff, as

well as bottlebrush perches for her cage. Our other

birds (an Alexandrine, a lovebird, and a conure) all

have bottlebrush gyms and spend their days on them,

returning to their cages only at night, where they all

have bottlebrush perches. We thought we'd see how

Robbi would adjust to the play gym lifestyle.

While we were waiting for our bottlebrush gym to

arrive, we got out an old wooden dowel gym that was

stored in our garage just in case. We put it next to

Robbi�s cage, and left the door open so that she could

freely travel between the gym and the cage. It took

about a day for her to warm up to the idea and another

day to decide she didn't want to be in her cage much

at all. The gym was too small for her, but we put vet

wrap around the wood to make the perches a little more

comfortable. We also gave her some toys, which she

completely ignored. On day three, we gave her a

shower. And she's had a soaking shower almost every

day since.

About two weeks later, her gym arrived. We set it up

and put her on it. She was cautious at first but

within a few hours, she was picking at the bark.

Within two weeks, the bark was gone and she was

gnawing the wood. She also started playing with her

toys. And she started talking. Although her former

owner told us she didn't talk much, I think she just

didn't want to talk to him. She has learned new words

and phrases very quickly. She knows all of our names,

and mimics any directive aimed at our two children:

�Go brush your teeth. Go wash your hands. Be a good

boy. Be nice.� And on and on. She�s even started

mimicking Spanish too and has a vocabulary of about

100 words and phrases.

But the most remarkable change is in her feathers.

Robbi�s chest and legs are almost fully feathered.

Her back is now covered in pin feathers, and her

beautiful red tail is coming in. Her flight feathers

are also coming in and she flaps her wings a few times

a day to show them off. We credit the bottlebrush gym

with a large part of the change. Now Robbi has

something pick at besides her feather and her urge to

chew and gnaw is satisfied. She chews branches for at

least an hour straight every night. Also, she is no

longer bored, locked away in a cage, and is instead

right in the middle of the action. Robbi practically

jumps out of her cage every morning at 8 a.m. and

returns to it around 11 p.m. every night. Robbi is

also much more agile now. When she first got the gym,

she was a very clumsy climber, now she hangs upside

down and scuttles around it with complete confidence.

Robbi was outside with me yesterday, and we ran into a

neighbor who hadn�t seen her in months. Our neighbor

didn�t think Robbi was the same bird and didn�t

believe me until Robbi said �What are you doing?� in

that unmistakable voice of hers.

I know there are lots of theories about feather

picking and lots of potential solutions. And there are

those birds whose picking has a medical cause. But

there are also those birds whose plucking is caused by

emotional and behavioral issues. For those birds, a

bottlebrush gym can make all the difference in the

world.

It has for Robbi. And I think Robbi sums it up best

with the word she says every morning when I put her on

her gym: �Whoopdeedo!�

Buffy.

First a comment. It's really sad how many people treat their birds exactly like this. Sad but true.

Here's how I found out about this. Buffy called to order a set of replacement branches for her gym. I realized this was a fairly new gym, so I asked why the replacements. That's when I found out about this Grey. This bird was severely Chewing Deficited, to the point of plucking and self mutilating. Once he was away from his cage, found something he loved to chew and gnaw on, he had something to keep him busy and occupied, other then his own feathers.

I actually have lots of these types of stories. Once your bird is away from his cage, and has a great fun place to hang out, and has his own LIFE, you can get yours back, and enjoy the bird you wanted.

Am I saying that one of my Play Gyms, or Bottlebrush toys or In-cage perches will miraculously cure your bird, or fix negative behavior? No, of course not. In most cases, your bird didn't get where he is overnight, and you won't fix him overnight. What I am saying is that the bird you have today is a direct result of his environment. If he is unhappy, and exhibiting that unhappiness by plucking, screaming, or aggressive behavior, in order to fix that, you have to change and improve his environment. If the problems are minor, subtle changes can help. If the problems are serious, you need to make serious changes to fix the problems. This is exactly why I designed my gyms the way I did, and why I use and recommend Bottlebrush.

Suppose, just suppose it really worked. What a difference in your lives.

Wayne

Your bird needs 12 hours of sleep, according to the EXPERTS.

This is a true story. I've changed things slightly to protect this persons confidentiality.

I got a call, and the person said they wanted to order a Play Gym. As we began to chat about how my Play Gyms worked and Play Gym training, this person told me I didn't need to explain because he was a Parrot Expert, and had a book due to be published shortly. The conversation went something like this. My comments are in green, his are in brown.

I congratulated him, and asked what kind of bird he had.
He told me he had a B&G Macaw, and had had him for about 10 months.
So, I asked what other birds he had had, and he said none, this was his first bird. Saying what I think, I asked the pressing question, If you've had one bird, for less than a year, what makes you an expert?
Well, I bought and read every parrot book on the market. I highlighted the important information, and compiled all that information into my book. This was, someone can buy my book, and get all the current, expert opinions.
Needless to say, I was stunned. I sat there for several seconds, and asked him a question, So, How much sleep does a bird need?
12 hours a day, very important.
Let me explain where 12 hours of sleep comes from, in case you don't know. Here's the theory. Most parrots come from tropical or semi tropical environments. Being near the equator, there are an equal number of day, and night hours. Therefore, in order to duplicate the natural sleep patterns of our birds in the wild, we need to assure 12 hours of sleep in our homes. That's the theory. Back to my discussion.
So, I asked him if I could provide an alternative opinion.
In the wild, your bird wakes at sunup, 7AM for example. He unites his flock, and they GO TO WORK, which for them, consists of flying all over the jungle, looking for food, dodging predators, taking a mid morning to mid afternoon siesta, hanging out some more with his flock mates, looking for more food, etc etc etc. They return to the vicinity of the roost, and at sun down, return to roost. They've had a busy, active day, and are tired, and ready to roost. In an hour or two, or more, they fall asleep. Now, I asked him what time he wakes up.
7 AM.
And your bird?
I let him play on top of his cage until about 8.30, when I go to work.
And your bird?
I put him in his cage when I go to work.
What time do you get home?
About 5.30.
And your bird?
I let him out as soon as I get home, and play with him as much as I can.
And what time do you put him to roost?
7PM. We cover him, and go to the other end of the house, because he screams if he hears us.
I sat there, stunned. This was the state of the parrot industry, and this was a so called parrot expert.
So, in the wild, your bird has a busy, interesting and exciting day, with lots of exercise and companionship with his flock mates. Your bird on the other hand is out of his cage for a total of 3 hours in a 24 hour day cycle. To his credit, he was quiet for several seconds, and then said.
Oh my gosh, your right!
By the end of our conversation, I was giving him advise about how to get his bird off the top of his cage.

Let me clearly state my opinion here. In my opinion, NOTHING is more destructive than this stupid, ridiculous 12 hours a night sleep thing. Here's why.

If you work, as most people do, your gone for most of the day. If you do what the parrot industry says you must do, cage your bird, he has no freedom. He can't fly, has no companionship or exercise, nothing. Just sitting there, waiting for you to come home. Sure, they