Did you know that calcium supplements don’t only come in the form of cuttlebone or powdered calcium carbonate? It is very important that birds have access to calcium, especially females, for if they start to develop eggs. Usually the easiest thing we can do is stick a cuttlebone in there for them to chew on whenever they need to boost their system, but in the wild they would never encounter a cuttlefish, so how do they keep their calcium levels up to prevent eggbinding? Calci

Many people are unaware of just how dangerous nicotine and cigarette smoke are for birds, but the truth is that even small amounts of exposure can have serious consequences. Birds have incredibly sensitive respiratory systems that work far more efficiently than those of humans, meaning toxins are absorbed faster and circulate through their bodies more intensely. When smoke is present, nicotine and the other harmful chemicals included in cigarettes can coat a bird’s feathers,

Why it can be problematic to try and teach your bird “naughty” words A common question I get at the store is, “Can any of these birds cuss?” Yes, a few of them do, and while hilarious for the general public, we actively try to discourage them from repeating those words. I often try to discourage people from trying to teach their own bird these words as well on a regular basis. But, they don’t know what it means, right? What’s the problem with teaching them something that we m

Birds are special animals, and unlike dogs and cats, they are tamed, but not domesticated. Domestication is breeding over multiple generations and selecting for characteristics and temperament over the course of many many years in a species to be better suited to living with humans. Taming is working with a single individual and getting them habituated to interaction and conditioning them to interact with humans. This means that birds are still mostly wild animals that allow

We are often met with confusion when we say we don't allow our store pets on shoulders. I think this meme explains our reasoning faster than I ever could. Even for our store birds that we know are typically nice, there's still a risk when allowing a big bird on your shoulder. If they happen to lose their balance, they're going to use their beak to grab onto the closest thing they can reach. Which would happen to be your ear. Or cheek. Or nose. I don't know about you all, but

Fatty liver disease (FLD) is a common, but often missed condition in pet birds, especially parrots. It develops when excess fat accumulates in the liver, interfering with normal liver function. The most common causes include seed-heavy or high-fat diets, too many treats, lack of exercise, obesity, and long-term nutritional imbalance. Symptoms can be subtle at first, but often show up physically. Many birds with FLD develop an overgrown beak or abnormal beak growth, along with

Make your bird chop for the whole week in 30 minutes or less! I have 8 birds at home ranging in size from Cockatiel to Cockatoo, all with a wide range of preferences in food. I like to make my fresh chop mix on Tuesdays, which lasts all 8 birds a full week in the fridge. This round I timed myself to show you it CAN be done quickly and easily! 1. Grocery shopping! I buy a little extra of all the veggies and fruits I plan to eat in my own meals each week. If that doesn’t includ

As bird owners we love to spoil our birds with new toys and cage accessories. There is nothing like adding in some new toys to your bird's cages and watching them light up and have fun destroying their enrichment. What can possibly go wrong? When we are looking at our toys one thing we can forget to check is how we are attaching the toys to the cage. It can be easy to look over how we attach toys to the cage can impact our birds. For smaller species it can be fairly common to

Learn more about all that SBF has to offer!