When Artha Met Casper
Dot Schwarz explains what happened when Artha met Casper. In town with the two African Greys, Artha and Casper, one on each shoulder, they sit still. They know they are wearing harnesses and don’t try to fly off. When someone asks are they real? I’m tempted to say, ‘No, they’re electric.’ But I don’t. Artha […]
Keeping Your Parrot Safe by Observing the Five Freedoms
Dot Schwarz tells us what the five freedoms mean as a Parrot owner. What’s your priority as a Parrot carer? For most of us it’s not will they talk, love us, be colourful or breed valuable babies – it is to keep them safe. Opinions on the best way to do this are not unanimous; […]
A Christmas Miscellany
Here are some fun Christmas stories for you. Some of the following is true and some isn’t but it will seem familiar to many Parrot carers. How to stuff a Parrot for Christmas lunch Ingredients: Hot coffee, One turkey, green beans, chestnut stuffing, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, hot rolls, mincemeat pie […]
Rosemary Low: Her Influence and Inspiration
Dot Schwarz tells us about Rosemary Low. Rosemary Low Rosemary Low’s main aims are ‘to widely publish information which will lead to a better standard of care for captive birds and to promote and assist with Parrot conservation projects.’ Rosemary, undisputedly one of the world’s leading experts in many fields of Parrot knowledge – be […]
What Does A Parrot Know About PTSD?
Here is what Parrots know about PTSD. By CHARLES SIEBERTJAN. 28, 2016 This article was originally published on the Feathered Angels blog in February 2016. Please click here for Dot Schwarz’s blog relating to this article. Lilly Nearly 30 years ago, Lilly Love lost her way. She had just completed her five-year tour of duty as an Alaska-based Coast Guard […]
The Seminar of the Year? The Parrot Society Celebrates 50 Years at Chester Zoo
Dot Schwarz gives her review of The Parrot Society Seminar at Chester Zoo. There were two aspects of this September meeting at Chester Zoo that were appealing. First there was the sense of celebration that the Parrot Society has continued to flourish for 50 years and secondly there was the serious message that the speakers […]
Labels And Why They Aren’t Useful: Some Thoughts On Training
Dot Schwarz tells us why labels aren’t useful in Parrot training. Here are couple of maxims about labels from two famous trainers. Steve Martin: ‘If you want to be a better trainer, leave out the word ‘don’t’.Dr Susan Friedman: ‘Each bird is the study of one.’ Artha Artha and Casper, both African Greys, come out […]
Psittacosis: What A Companion Parrot Owner Needs To Know
Dot Schwarz explains everything you need to know about psittacosis. Zoonosis is a lovely sounding word with a horrid meaning – an illness transmitted from animals to humans. Parrot fever known as psittacosis is a zoonotic disease that can pass from birds to us. So what is it? Is it serious? How can we prevent […]
Reflections About Free Flight: Benni`s Progress and Mine
Dot Schwarz reflects on Benni’s time with free flight. Benni completed 12 months as a free flight bird and had flown his 500th session in mid March. By July 2016, he‘d flown 565 sessions out of doors. So what have we both learned and how successful has it been? As a learning process – 100% […]
Think Parrots 2016 Review
Here is Dot Schwarz’s review of Think Parrots 2016. Northern Parrots sponsored and Parrots Magazine organized the fifth Think Parrots show. It was held for the third time at Kempton Park on June 19th 2016. What a cracking good day out for Parrot enthusiasts! What a friendly atmosphere! Some of us come just for the shopping […]