Cats and dogs kill many companion parrots every year.  You should never, ever leave your parrot unattended with a cat or dog.  Parrots are prey, cats and dogs are predators. Even the most docile dog can kill a parrot.  Never assume that “My dog is OK” because chances are, your dog is not OK and the parrot pays for this with its life.

All cats carry a bacteria in their mouth called Pasteurella. These bacteria are usually deadly to parrots.   Even a small nick from a tooth or a claw can cause death.  The bird will  preen it’s feathers and ingest the bacteria from the cat saliva on it’s feathers. The bird will now die a painful death several days later.

Every year we are overwhelmed with calls for help for birds that have escaped outside. While we have no hard statistics, it’s a guess that less than 20% of escaped birds find their way back home.

Clipped birds can and do fly!

They do so very well in fact!  It’s a common thought that a clipped bird is safe outside. This is absolutely not the case!

If you are opening windows or doors in the warm weather, make sure your bird is either in its cage or you have screens on all windows.

If you want to take your bird outside, do so only in a travel carrier or cage. Harness training your bird is a fantastic way to provide outdoor fun and safety.  Harnessed birds can go almost anywhere that you can.

Lead, Zinc and Copper are toxic to parrots.  They are often undiagnosed causes of illness and death.  Metals are everywhere in our environments and are an often overlooked source of toxicity in pet birds. Metals can be found in paint, linoleum, soldering, wire, zippers, twist ties and many other objects on which birds love to chew. Even some older bird toys, especially the clappers on metal bells, have been found to contain lead. Birds who may chip away over time at a lead-painted windowsill, lick a metal bell toy, nibble on the soldering of a stained glass Tiffany lamp or chew on a metal zipper are constantly ingesting heavy metals and can potentially become intoxicated.

When ingested in large enough quantities, these metals can damage nerves and cause vomiting, maldigestion, neurologic signs, such as imbalance and clenched toes and even seizures. Most cases of heavy metal toxicity in birds are treatable if they are diagnosed early enough before permanent nerve damage has occurred. However, these metals are not routinely tested for in birds unless the owner indicates that his or her bird has been exposed. So, if you think your bird may have ingested any of these substances, speak up to your veterinarian immediately, as it could be the difference between life and death.