Bird-Proofing Your House

Birds are similar to toddlers; getting into trouble around the house before you have time to think. If you've recently acquired a bird, you'll need to bird-proof your house. Not only will it minimize your bird getting into trouble and making a mess, but also give you piece of mind knowing you've done your part to keep them safe. Let's talk about bird-proofing.

If you can believe it, bird-proofing is much more complicated than for a child or puppy. Birds are very curious, and will get into almost anything. Plus, they can fly. Basically your bird is a two-year-old toddler that can fly. They are also very sensitive to odors and chemicals, and explore things with their mouths–meaning they put everything in their mouths. The most important rule to bird safety is knowing where your bird is at ALL TIMES. If you are unable to watch your bird out of its cage, the best thing to do is keep it in the cage.

Below are some safety tips to help keep your bird safe:

Fans


Ceiling fans can be a major hazard to your bird. The blades can cut its toes, give it a concussion, or trap its wings. The best thing to do is turn off all ceiling fans when your bird is out of its cage.

Windows

Birds don't understand the concept of glass and will fly through it, just like wild birds flying outside do. To protect your bird, cover your windows by drapes or blinds.

Electrical Cords

It's okay to have electrical cords, but be aware that your bird could chew on them. If it does, they could cause burns, electrocution, or oral and GI tract injury or obstruction. Just make sure to keep an eye on your bird, and hide the cords as best as possible.

The Kitchen

The kitchen houses a lot of bird hazards. Don't allow your bird into the kitchen if you are cooking or have recently cooked. Also, don't keep its enclosure in the kitchen. The kitchen can be a danger zone for your bird. It can get burned on a hot stove or eat something toxic (chocolate, avocado, onion/garlic, fruit pits and apple seeds, salt, and more). Don't use Teflon or other non-stick materials if you have a bird. They give off fumes that are toxic to birds.

Bathrooms

The bathroom can be a dangerous spot for your bird if it's not bird proofed. Make sure all sources of water are drained or covered so you're bird doesn't drown. Close the lid to the toilet and drain your tub. Store all medications in a safe spot so your bird doesn't accidently open the bottles and ingest the pills. Hide all toxic items including cleaning supplies, aerosol containers, make-up, and make-up removers.

The Laundry Room

The laundry room can have several hazards. Your bird can fly into the washer or drier and get trapped. Check both the washer and drier before putting anything inside. Keep detergents, bleach,  and fabric softeners in a cupboard and out of the reach of your bird. They are very toxic! Also, be careful when ironing, as your bird can get burned from the iron

Heat Sources, Smokes, and Fumes

Birds can easily get burned from burning candles, fireplaces, space heaters, and uncovered light bulbs. Your bird shouldn't be in the same room as these heat sources. Also, toxic fumes and smoke can negatively affect your bird's respiratory system. Be mindful when using products/substances that have strong odors, such as bleach, glues, hairspray, potpourri, gasoline, and paint.

Heavy Metals

Household items such as jewelry, nails, staples, clasps, and zippers can be a hazard to your bird if they get it in their system and cause lead poisoning. Keep anything that has a trace of metal our of the reach of your bird.

House Plants

Be careful with plants in your house when your bird is around. Many household plants are toxic and can be harmful to your bird when ingested. Some common plants include black locust, coffee beans, daffodils, elephant's ear, holly, honeysuckle, ivy, jasmine, lilies, mistletoe, morning glory, parsley, philodendron, poinsettia, potatoes, rhododendron, tobacco, and tomato.

This is a lot of information to digest, but keeping your bird safe is a priority. Just remember, if you are unable to keep an eye on your bird, put them in their cage.

Birds and bloodwork

Why does my bird need to have bloodwork? This is a question we often encounter from some of our clients when we suggest a blood screening, and it is a reasonable question.

Birds are unique animals. They require a lot of care and attention both at home and in a veterinary clinic. When a bird is in the wild, it hides signs of illness for as long as possible to protect against predators and also to blend in with its flock. Birds in captivity have similar behavior. If your pet bird is sick, he or she has probably been sick for a while. Routine blood screening allows us to detect diseases early on before your bird starts showing symptoms. And the sooner we are able to identify an illness through blood testing, the sooner we can control or cure it. Don't wait until it's too late!

What's included in annual bloodwork?

Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC)
Chemistry Panel
Triglycerides

CBC
We learn information about your bird by monitoring the red and white cells, and platelets. By doing this, we are able to detect signs of infection, cancer, anemia, and much more.

Chemistry Panel
This helps us get an idea of how the organs are functioning inside your bird. Although an organ appears healthy on an x-ray, this doesn't always mean it is functioning normally. This is why we recommend pairing bloodwork with x-rays to get the best results and confidence that your bird is indeed healthy.

Triglycerides
This is a type of fat found in the body and when elevated, it could indicate dietary imbalances, liver disease or even reproductive problems. Most issues in birds are a result of poor diet, which usually consists of fatty foods.

X-rays+3 types of bloodwork=confidence in your bird's health

Our Avian veterinarians are trained to draw blood from all types and sizes of birds, and our technicians are skilled in bird handling. Be assured that your bird is in safe hands.

Make a resolution this year to give the best care possible to your little feathered friend!

Feeding Your Bird

Making the decision to adopt or purchase a bird can be an overwhelming and exciting decision. And one of the first things you should consider is what to feed your bird.

As a veterinary practice, we witness many health problems in birds that could be avoided if they only had a proper diet. In fact, malnutrition is one of the most common problems we witness in birds. We educate our clients on a daily basis about the importance of a proper diet. Your bird may enjoy table food, and you may get satisfaction from this, but in the long run you are creating future health issues for your feathered friend.

Birds in the wild eat a high caloric diet that includes food such as fruit, nuts and seeds, but they also burn thousands of calories a day flying. On the other hand, birds in captivity spend a majority of their time in their cages and rarely fly. They require a diet that is lower in fat and gives the proper amount of calories.  Additionally, it is nearly impossible to mimic the native diet using the foods available to us.

Birds don't instinctively know what to eat in order to have good nutrition. Most birds, given the choice will not pick a good diet. They usually eat what tastes best, which typically ends up being something high in fat and bad for their health. They're similar to humans; we often will choose a donut over carrots to get immediate satisfaction. You must train your bird to eat a healthful diet.

We witness many clients with new birds that are on a strictly seed diet. This is something we discourage. We highly recommend feeding birds a diet that consists of mainly pellets, and then a smaller percentage of grains, fruits, and veggies.

Here is a breakdown:

Smaller birds--cockatiels, love birds, parrotlets, parakeets, budgies, etc.
50% of diet should be pellets
30-40% of diet should be grains
10% of diet should be fruits and veggies

Larger birds--macaws, cockatoos, amazons, etc.
50-75% of diet should be pellets
10-20% of diet should be grains
20-30% of diet should be fruits and veggies

Dr. Folland's Double yellow-headed Amazon eats a diet of Lafeber Nutri-Berries and Harrison's bird pellets.

Good foods for birds:

Grains--spelt, oat groats, barley, steel cut oats, wheatberry, buckwheat, millet, flax seed, chia seed, hemp seed

Veggies--jalepeno peppers, bell peppers, banana peppers, Serrano peppers, yams, sweet potatoes, broccoli, squash, zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, bean sprouts, snow peas, snap peas, kale, collard or mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, endive, dill parsley, basil, chives, cilantro.

Fruits--blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, figs, kiwi, pomegranate, persimmons, mango, lychee, cactus fruit, passion fruit

Foods NOT recommended for birds:

• Flour based foods (bread, tortillas, cookies, crackers, etc.)
• Fried foods, animal meats, chicken bones, dairy products
• Foods sweetened with natural or artificial sweeteners
• Dried fruits, fruit juice, grapes, bananas, citrus fruits
• Nuts, raw beans, and any type of spinach

Foraging is very important for a bird's behavioral and physical health. Whenever possible, find creative ways to help your bird forage. There are foraging kits available to aid in hiding food from your bird.

Tips for switching from seeds to pellets (and other healthful foods)

*We recommend when changing your bird's diet that you consult with one of our avian veterinarians prior to making the change. An abrupt change in diet can lead to emaciation in death in some birds. Be sure to monitor droppings and weigh your bird frequently.*

• Eat healthful foods in front of your bird and then offer the food as you eat. Start adding new foods to the old diet
• Diminish old diet by giving 50% old diet and 50% new diet; then reduce
• Use hunt and peck method by placing new food on a hard surface and picking it up and dropping it, so that your bird will start investigating
• Use bounce, hunt, and peck method by placing food on a hard surface and tap the surface so that food bounces up and down. The "peck drive" helps them try out the new food. 

We want both you and your bird to be happy and healthy! And a good diet is the perfect place to start. Feeding your bird the best diet possible is what we strive for!

For more extensive information about your bird's well-being and diet, schedule a visit with one of our avian veterinarians.
   

It's National Love Your Pet Day! Spread the Love!

In honor of "Love Your Pet Day," Parrish Creek wants to share with you why we love our pets. Animals are our passion both at work and home. Most of us began caring for our own pets before we realized we wanted to make it into a career. Dr. Folland knew he wanted to be a veterinarian after nurturing his first pet--a Dalmatian named Duke. Our office manager, Debbie, bred birds for years and developed an intense love for the Avian species.

In our own words, here's why we love our pets:

Dr. Folland

"This was my first dog, Duke.  He was a handsome Dalmatian who received comments everywhere he went.  When he was one-year-old, he stepped on a piece of glass and severely cut the tendons in his paw.  After two surgeries and numerous visits to the veterinarian, he healed completely.  On our final visit to the vet, Dr. Coulter offered me a job to work at his office.  I consider that opportunity my 'start' in veterinary medicine, which 45 years later, I have found to be a most interesting and rewarding career."

Dr. Stearns

"There were so many reasons to love my wonderful dog, Guy, but I think my favorite trait of all was his unabashed love of people. He never met a person he didn’t immediately love and want to snuggle with. If you let him, he’d try to fit his whole 90 pound body in your lap, otherwise he’d settle for just laying his head in your lap & taking whatever attention you’d be willing to send his way. He’d greet whoever came to the door – not always politely but always with the best of intentions.  His smile was readily available to brighten your day, and his fur was thick enough to absorb any number of tears. I will miss you always, my handsome man!"

Debbie

Zippy

"Zippy is an 18-year-old female yellow-naped Amazon.  She is the first yellow-naped baby I raised from Zachary and Sunny.  She is very social and loves to play little vocal games with people when they come to visit.  She is a very fluent talker like her father, but has a terrible singing voice.  She was learning to sing opera from my sweet little Scooter, but unfortunately Scooter passed away over two years ago.  It's obvious her lessons were cut short since she sings completely off key.  In fact listening to her sing can be quite a painful experience to one's ears.  Nevertheless, she is quite entertaining as has a sweet disposition like her mama.  I love her very much!"

Christine

"I love all of my animals in their own way. My love for each of them are all different and unique. From the love, affection and comfort my cat, Bonita, shows me; to the excitement my chinchilla, Mort; chameleon, Petrie; and sand boa, Krillin, show when I approach their cages. My tarantulas Katara and Nefertiti, and my fresh water fish don't show the same affection, but they are all my children and I can't see myself without each of them."

Jenny

"Apache is a 10-year-old Pomeranian. She's my spunky little girl, runs the household, and gives the best cuddles." 

"Feda is a 2-year-old German Shepherd. She is the worst guard dog ever, a sweet girl, full of energy, and probably the world's pickiest eater."

Audrey

"All of my ferrets were special and unique.  They provided my husband, Andy, and me more love and joy in the short time they were with us than most people have all their lives.  Every day I think of them and remember the cute little quirks they had.  I miss all of them with all my heart."

In loving memory of Satchmo, Casey, Roscoe, Isabella, Ben, Matilda, Stanley, Edgar, Abner and Ralphie.

Ashlee

"This is Burley and Dakota. Burley is a 3-year-old Pomeranian that I rescued from a puppy mill at 5 weeks, and Dakota is a 1-year-old Border Collie mix that came to us from the Human Society. They do everything together, go outside, eat, sleep, and play--you will rarely find them apart. They both have their own fun personalities and that's what makes them so loveable! I don't' know what my family would do if we didn't get to come home to their sweet faces every night!"

Dean

"Tiki, our Yorkie, came to us through a friend four years ago, with an unknown history and a lot of issues.  She immediately bonded with my wife, Debbie, and the two are still inseparable.  We're probably Tiki's third or fourth home, but she's happily settled into her forever family!"

Tiki



"Tinkerbell was Parrish Creek's clinic cat when I started working here 12 years ago, and she and I hit it off from day one.  I adopted her and she immediately took over the house, and has even managed to convert more than one self-proclaimed 'cat hater'!"

Tinkerbell

WE LOVE OUR PETS!!