Hobart Companion Parrot Workshop

WOW!!! - What a small but super bird nerd crew we had down there in Hobart, Tasmania this past weekend for a full day of learning about the behaviour, enrichment and training of parrots! I'd like to wholeheartedly thank Lisa Kearney for organising this event - her commitment to providing these opportunities for delivering education on the keeping of parrots to the community is stellar! Thanks also to Lisa's partner Jim (good name that ☺) who was our dedicated `chauffeur' for the weekend and made sure that I got to where I needed to be to teach and have some fun with Hobart's most dedicated parrot keepers - Lisa, Cheryl-Lee, Mark, Michelle, Jill, Joseph, Katherine, Brett & Theresa. Thanks for being such a fantastic and enthusiastic group of students and hanging in there for 7 hours of learning, chatting, networking and fun ☺

Cheryl-Lee and Mark were able to bring 3 of their flock to the workshop for me to do some demonstration work with. `T-Bird' the Blue & Gold Macaw, `Tonka' the Alexandrine, and their newest addition - a gorgeous little Green-cheeked Conure (whose name escapes me - sorry guys!). Some pics of these birds can be seen below this post.

Folks - if you want to experience this day and take your understanding of parrots as companion animals to the next level then please join us at our next workshop event - this time in Melbourne, Victoria! To access details and to register (be quick because we do cap numbers), just get in touch with Lisa Kearney via owner@friendlybirdinn.com.au or drop me an e-mail at jim@pbec.com.au and we'll hopefully see you there. The date set is Saturday April 10th - 9:30am to ~4:00pm. This is the most thorough and comprehensive workshop experience of its kind anywhere in Australia and perhaps the only real `professional development' experience available for parrot owners to enhance their level of knowledge about parrot enrichment and behaviour management.

The very cool `T-Bird' owned by Cheryl-Lee and Mark...

Working with T-Bird on stepping up and down without him using his `beak'...

A very chilled out bird indeed - Tonka the Alexandrine...

Our dedicated workshop participants - hopefully they're all awake in this photo ☺

Designing & Building Enrichment Aviaries

At the forthcoming Parrots 2010 Convention in Brisbane (July 2nd to 4th) I will be giving a presentation on designing and building enrichment enclosures for parrots. The key focus will be on creating safe and enriching outdoor flight enclosures for pet birds. Over the next couple of months I thought I would share some snippets of what will be featured in that presentation via my Blog. What I will be aiming to do is to post progress photos to show the construction of a set of three flights that I am currently building. The first couple of images below show two different angles looking at the front of the complex. The complex will be composed of three flights, each measuring 3.6m long x 1.8m wide x 2.1m high. They will be configured with a central walkway to service all three flights. The birds that will be housed in these enclosures will be various Lory species but the design could accommodate any small to medium parrot, up to the size of an Amazon. I would love for this next set of Blog entries to be interactive so if you have any questions about aviary design or construction then please contact my via e-mail at jim@pbec.com.au I won't be able to personally reply via e-mail but what I will hopefully be able to do is to share your question and suggest an answer via these Blog posts.

So far we have welded the frames for the three enclosures and the additional walkway. To do this we used 25mm square RHS box galvanised tubing. Always use galvanised tubing for aviary frames to minimise rust corrosion and always use spray gal on the welded corners after smoothing out the welding with an angle grinder. Leaving bare tubing exposed to the elements without some form of galvanising protection will result in rust forming within weeks.

Now that the welding stage is complete, we have started to wire up the frames. We were lucky in being able to buy enough Waratah WeldMesh to complete this project before BHP/BlueScope Steel stopped production. This is the safest and absolutely the best weldmesh for aviary use and I'm very concerned about the future of obtaining decent quality wire now that Waratah Mesh will be unavailable. I have heard that a few aviculturists around Australia stockpiled it before it ran out. Wish I did the same to be honest. We now have to try and source good quality, safe wire from China. I've heard that some decent quality stuff is coming out but nothing that compares to Waratah. A huge BOOOOO!!! to BHP for leaving aviculturists in the lurch by no longer providing us with the best wire in the world for parrot enclosures.

Our preference for wire is 12.5mm square mesh size We used to use 25mm x 12.5mm square mesh but given that we live in a fairly high snake density area and have had problems with snakes in the past we don't use it anymore. You would be amazed at the size of carpet python that will squeeze through inch by half inch mesh!!! Touch wood, we're yet to have a snake make it through the 12.5mm square wire and we know they try because I've relocated 4 off the aviary roofs in the last two years. Better on the roof than under it me thinks :-). We use ~1.3mm gauge thickness as it is easier to manage and in my experience, we never have problems with birds `working' it and damaging it. You do have to be careful with perching and use some common sense when securing perches to 1.3mm gauge wire as it can tear if too much strain is placed on it. In the next post I will talk about securing wire to the frame and give some tips on that.

Endangered Parrots to Possibly be Destroyed in Victoria

OK - I usually stay well away from the political side of birdkeeping here in Australia but this one is just too big an issue to ignore. Please be aware that any views or opinions expressed on this post are mine and should not be considered the views or opinions held by any other person.

Here's the lowdown...

A recent court ruling on the seizure of a substantial collection of exotic parrots in Victoria has resulted in the option of some, if not all, of the birds in question being destroyed. These are not eggs, nor to my knowledge young birds recently smuggled into Australia, but older birds under the suspicion of having been originally smuggled, or the progeny of illegally held birds, or birds whose origin cannot be verified.

At present, there is an appeals timeframe that must pass before action is taken as per the court ruling. There are a range of options that may be taken and, as per the Government's current guidelines for managing such situations the following information has been released in regards to this matter...

Why do forfeited birds have to be euthanased?

· Our department has a policy in place relating to the handling of live animals that have been seized. It outlines three alternatives, firstly to house the animals within approved Australian institutions, secondly to export them to appropriate facilities outside of Australia and thirdly the euthanasia of the specimen.

· Rehousing is done in line with this handling policy which has strict requirements for the types of facilities that can take on the birds.

· There are limited quarantine facilities and these have limited capacity to hold forfeited specimens which on occasions makes euthanasing them only viable option.

· The re-exporting of specimens overseas has limited conservation values and most illegally obtained specimens have unknown genetic and disease background and are therefore unlikely to be accepted into conservation breeding programs.

· It’s not a pleasant decision to have to make but it’s an unfortunate consequence of the criminal trade.

Why can't you send them back to the country they came from?

· If a specimens are seized at the border by Australia Customs and Border Protection agency and they’re CITES Appendix 1 listed, in some circumstances these have been successfully exported back to the country of origin.

· If a specimen has been come into Australia illegal, its origin often can not be traced, and other countries are unwilling to take these species.

Why can't other birdkeepers or aviaries take the birds?

· By allowing individuals or facilities that don’t meet departmental requirements to take on the illegal birds, there’s a risk that we’re supporting wildlife trade crime – basically, we’re allowing laundering to take place.

· There are also difficulties in ensuring quarantine and disease concerns are addressed. One of the reasons the trade of these birds is illegal is the risk of disease spreading to our native wildlife.

· Some approved facilities are not always willing to take illegal birds because of the disease risk they pose to the existing collection.

· Approved facilities are those that meet the requirements of the department’s handling policy.

· If they go into a department approved facility, they undergo a thorough quarantine screening process.

What are the diseases and what risk are they to native wildlife?

· Some of the diseases birds can carry are avian influenza, Pacheco’s disease, Amazon tracheitis, poxvirus, internal papillomatous disease and psittacine proventricular dilation syndrome.

Is there really a disease risk?

Yes, In light of incomplete knowledge on certain diseases of psittacine birds, and with a lack of definitive methods for testing imported birds for the presence of these diseases, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) suspended the importation of live psittacine birds in 1995. The decision was generally supported by veterinary respondents and the Bureau of Rural Sciences.

Regards,

Anastasia Stomo | Public Affairs Officer

Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts | GPO Box 787 CANBERRA, ACT 2601

p) 02 6275 9243 | f) 02 6274 1094 e) anastasia.stomo@environment.gov.au

So - what's my viewpoint here???

Firstly, I am hopeful that a proper and thorough assessment, evaluation, and testing procedure is carried out by avian veterinarians with extensive experience in parrot health so that the determination of disease risk potential of these birds is conducted using the testing technologies we have available today, not when the above guidelines were formulated. I also do not want to see any of the above birds unfairly euthanized if they are assessed with minor, treatable illness.

Secondly, I want to be confident that a thorough effort is made by the DEWHA to provide all registered Zoo and Aquarium Association institutions throughout Australia with the opportunity to apply for the rehousing of healthy birds and that there is transparency in this process.

There are many, many sides of the debate that this issue will raise - above is essentially the policy that the authorities will be guided by. At this stage however, just consider the following list of birds facing euthanasia. The number in brackets represents the number of each species that are under seizure and will be evaluated - 173 in total.

• Blue headed macaw (5)
• Blue headed pionus (1)
• Bronze wing pionus (3)
• Buffons macaw (5)
• Crimson bellied conure (16)
• Cuban amazon (18)
• Illegers macaw (8)
• Hawk headed parrot (5)
• Hyacinth macaw (6)
• Moluccan cockatoo (8)
• Patagonian parrot (6)
• Red browed amazon (3)
• Red fronted macaw (16)
• Rose crown conure (33)
• Severe macaw (4)
• Tucumans amazon (6)
• Umbrella cockatoo (8)
• White fronted amazon (17)
• Yellow naped amazon (5)

Perhaps you can voice your opinion directly to the DEWHA Public Affairs Officer above to ensure that they are aware that the Australian birdkeeping community does not want to see these birds destroyed if they are assessed as clear of exotic disease and pose no risk to bird collections in Australia.

Next ABK Issue – it’s on `target’ for a great read ☺

I hope that some of you bought the latest ABK Magazine and had a chance to read about my experiences with Lola, my Yellow-crowned Amazon parrot. I think it’s a good little story and one that shares the simple fact that it doesn’t matter how experienced you are, or how much you think you’re prepared, life with parrots is always full of new challenges and reminders that you’ve still got a whole darn lot more to learn. If you didn’t get the mag, and therefore didn’t read my article, well, ah, may your parrot poop on your best shirt tomorrow! Anyway – I’ve just sent off the Pet Parrot Pointers column for the Dec/Jan issue, which will be out in the second week of December. I thought about doing some kind of daggy `What to buy your parrot for Christmas’ thing but I just couldn’t. Read `Bird Talk’ for that – guaranteed to have a parrot somewhere in an issue at that time of year wearing a Santa hat or some other barf inducing prop (God I hope they Photoshop those images). Nope – I thought I’d give the gift that keeps on giving and write up an article on Target Training J Hey, maybe that’s what you can buy your parrot for Christmas – a Target Training stick! One of those super-dooper telescopic ones that extend out like a TV antenna (for those of you who are pre-plasma generation and actually know what an antenna is). Actually those target sticks are pretty neat – I have one and love it. You can pick them up from http://www.myparrotshop.com if you’re in Australia. Either that or just nick a chop-stick next time you’re out feasting on a Sweet ‘n Sour dish at your local greasy spoon.

One of the applications of stationing a parrot to touch a target that I’ve been applying is with Lola – the aforementioned Amazon Parrot. She’s never been keen on tactile handling, always been a little on the averse side to hands, and not been one for a good old ruffle of the nape feathers. With a little use of the target and pairing some approximations of reduced proximity of my fingers towards her head, then a touch, then increasing touch duration, she’s come around and is now a bit of a glutton for a good old preen and cranial massage J Nice work Jimbo – and thanks for the patience Lola! The other pic is PJ, my Caique. He used to go into pet packs no problemo, but I’ve been slack in keeping this up. A good reminder about training some of these behaviours – use it or lose it! Anyway, I’m back to working with him and getting him re-acquainted with the scary plastic box again. The target helps and hopefully this time we’ll keep it up. Read more in the ABK Dec/Jan issue. Available at newsstands absolutely everywhere on Earth from mid-December J

Top 5 Reasons Why I Do What I Do... Number 1

So here we are – `Numero Uno’ reason for being a parrot behaviour and enrichment consultant eh? Hmmm. You know, any of the previous reasons I shared in earlier posts is enough to keep me motivated to do what I do. But there is one reason that really out-does the others. I want you to take a good look at the image above. It’s a nice little head study of an African Grey parrot. Neat looking bird huh? The thing about African Greys is that when you look into their eyes, I mean really look, you can’t help but be a little overawed with the realisation that there is some serious neuron firing going on inside that head of theirs. Any of you who have been up close and personal with a Grey will know what I mean. It’s different. I mean, these guys really do look back at you as if to say - `Yeah - I breathe, I think, I make decisions, I’m a complex, sensitive creature – what are you gonna do to keep me occupied today?’ Obviously I have no real idea what that Grey, or any other parrot for that matter, is `really’ thinking – but that doesn’t stop me from making a double take every time I look at one of these guys and just wonder – just wonder.

Anyway, thinking that Greys are pretty darn neat isn’t what I’m on about here for my `Number 1’. The thing about that headshot above is that it’s actually a close-up of the bird below. My bird. Not someone asking for my help for his or her feather plucked parrot, my bird. You see, the number one reason why I do what I do is because I’ve actually lived through the problems, the traumas, the heartaches, the frustrations, the sense of despair, and the self-evaluation as a parrot owner that often leaves you asking... `Why?’

When I’m supporting a client, it’s not just with a few snippets of advice I gleaned from an Internet chat board, or read in a magazine, or heard about from Barry the breeder down the road, or just made up because I have no `real’ reference point to work from but it sounds good in theory. More often than not, I’ve lived it. I’ve walked in your shoes. I understand the sadness, the relationship strains, and the confusion that often envelops your life when things go bad with a parrot that you brought into your home. The flipside is that I also know what it takes to get to the other side – to get that parrot trusting me again, to get its feathers back, to communicate with me in a way other than screaming its lungs out. That’s because I haven’t just lived through the problems, I’ve taken the weeks, months, and sometimes years, to live through the solutions.

That African Grey in the picture? His name is Cheeky. He came to us 5 years ago at the age of 25, in the same state he is in today. He’s probably plucked himself like that for a good 27 or 28 of those 30 years and unfortunately, it’s unlikely he’ll ever experience the sensation of lift beneath his wings. He has some of the most intensely stereotypical picking behaviour I’ve seen in a parrot. It doesn’t make me feel any better knowing that he’s always been that bad though. When I go around to my birds each day, I stop and have a chat with Cheek, look at him in the eye, and get reminded of a simple goal – Don’t give up, keep doing what you do, keep trying to make a difference. So, when Cheeky looks at me as if to say, `What are you gonna do for me today?’ – the answer is try – just keep on trying. In the process, the knowledge I gain will inevitably help someone else, and the ripple effect flows on from there. That little bald guy is the most important parrot in my aviaries, my inspiration, and my reminder that I owe it to them to do what I do – bigtime. Number one reason why I do what I do as a matter of fact J

Top 5 Reasons Why I Do What I Do... Number 2

One of the most satisfying experiences working as a parrot behaviour and enrichment consultant is when your clients achieve success with a behaviour management issue that you have been working with them on. It’s particularly pleasing when the result is the repairing of a relationship with the bird when the owner had taken a few too many hits, or `bites’ to probably be more accurate ☺ It’s not just the trust rebuilding that brings the reward for all concerned, but the richness of the learning journey when you and your client investment in the time, commitment to the goal, and show the perseverance you sometimes need to stay on the pathway to success. It can be really challenging when you take a few backward steps when managing parrot behaviour, or working towards a training goal. But it’s exactly those moments that really bring out some of the most enriching and special learning experiences for me as a consultant, and hopefully likewise for the client.

Sometimes just getting a pet parrot to step back up onto the hand of an owner it has lost trust in is a monumental achievement and worthy of celebration. What most parrot owners consider the `simplest’ of behaviours that their parrot will present for them is also, in my opinion, one of the most important foundations of their relationship, and undoubtedly the best example of how good learning and relationship building is achieved through small, positively reinforced approximations.

Success in supporting a client to achieve a goal with their parrots, whether it be behavioural or environmental, is absolutely one of the top 5 reasons why I do what do ☺

Check out the neat little sequence below as an example of the approximations that were reinforced to achieve the final goal of this Quaker stepping onto the hand of a client I was working with – without the bite!

Fun with Animoto

I'm teaching my students how to use a very cool web application called `Animoto' to create visual slideshows. I thought that I would do up an example for them and take the opportunity to do some promotion for the World Parrot Trust at the same time. Hope you like it...