Parrot Ps and Qs

09/02/2026

Do you have an “old” parrot? Do you know how old IS old? Do you know signs of aging!

Check out this class!

https://phoenixlanding.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TFaAG5l5SrG6SBY3X25JQQ

09/02/2026

Sometimes it’s challenging to find hopeful news to share.

Thanks to The Gabriel Foundation for sharing this, and for all you do for parrots!

💚 Some genuinely hopeful news for one of the world’s rarest parrots!

New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō has just had a record breeding season, with 90 chicks officially joining the population! That brings the total number of known kākāpō to 325 - the first time their population is believed to have exceeded 300 in roughly 75 years!

Kākāpō are remarkable birds: they are the world’s heaviest parrots, the only flightless parrots, and are nocturnal…🦇 Once widespread throughout New Zealand, their numbers collapsed after introduced predators such as cats and stoats arrived. When the formal recovery program began in 1995, only 51 birds remained…

Their recovery is particularly slow because kākāpō don’t breed every year. Breeding usually happens only every two to four years when native rimu trees produce especially heavy crops of fruit. After a four-year gap, this year’s abundant rimu fruit helped trigger an extraordinary breeding season.

There are still major challenges ahead, including limited genetic diversity, infertility and low hatch rates. But going from 51 birds to 325 is an extraordinary reminder of what decades of dedicated conservation work can accomplish…

For a species once pushed frighteningly close to extinction, 90 new kākāpō is something worth celebrating. 💚🦜

Read more via link in comments.

09/01/2026

Education Day: The Power of Good Information

This event will be here before we know it! I'm telling you, this is the BEST DEAL in town! We worked really hard at picking dynamic speakers and timely, important topics. AND we kept the price so low anyone can afford it!

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/45XD7PAF7XF46
Education Day: The Power of Good Information!

November 14th, 9:00 - 4:30

Spend the day with us learning about nutrition, behavior, training, enrichment, and a growing medical challenge - metal toxicities. Join anytime throughout the day for some or all of your favorite topics and teachers. Our goal? To promote The Power of Good Information! These Zoom sessions will not be recorded for future viewing, so don't miss this chance to join us live.

Speakers and topics include:

Dr. Jason Crean: Avian Nutrition, Why Diversity Matters
Co-Director SXU’s Animal Nutrition Laboratory
Cassie Malina: CPBT-KA, CPBC: Reaching and Helping the Biting Bird - A Practical Overview Awesome Animal Solutions
Robin Shewokis Sullivan: Enhancing Animal Welfare with Choice Leather Elves
Lara Joseph, Building Trust Before Touch: Giving Parrots Choice, Confidence, and Consent Through Training The Animal Behavior Center
Robin Horemans, CPBC, CPBT-KA, KPA-CTP: Parrot Body Language Unlocked Parrot SOS
Scott Echols, DVM, AVBP (Avian): Metal Toxicities Avian Studios

Six sessions throughout the day on November 14th, 2026. The donations raised for this informative event will be divided between Companion Parrots Rehomed, the Rhode Island Parrot Rescue, and The Phoenix Landing Foundation.

09/01/2026

Sharing!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19JQs1f4MU/?mibextid=wwXIfr

It’s TAKEOVER TUESDAY with Parrot Ps and Qs!

Our birds have different types of vocalizations, just as they would in the wild.

Contact calls are a way to touch base with the flock, including those human minions who provide all their needs and wishes. I’m sure you do that, right??? These calls are a way of staying in touch.

Flock alarm calls are very different. The purpose is to alert the flock to danger. It’s loud and brief.

Have you heard both of these? Can you tell the difference between the two? What are the conditions that surround them when they happen?

I didn’t get any responses to my challenge last week, but I’m trying again! Can you describe what these sound like in your bird, tell us what kind of bird, and how you respond ?

Parrot food for thought!

.

08/30/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Dqhf3zaYn/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/25/2026

It’s Tuesday!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1BUvwrFR9F/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/23/2026

Dr Mayer's target audience include pet bird owners (parrots, cockat...

08/19/2026

Oops! Forgot all about this yesterday!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1G4fcJgBd1/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Oops! Parrot Ps and Qs got the calendar mixed up and forgot Takeover Tuesday!

What shall we talk about for Wednesday Wandering and Wondering?

I just took Buddy to his new vet last week. After being with the same vet in the same place for well over 20 years I can imagine this must have been a bit more strange and stressful than usual.

How can we make a wellness visit less stressful?

By training behaviors ahead of time!

Here’s a partial list of very useful behaviors that will more than likely be needed at vet:

1. Going into a carrier voluntarily
2. Stepping onto a scale and standing still briefly so that the staff can get the weight
3. Being restrained in a towel for an exam and blood draw
4. Being “comfortable” around a light and stethoscope 🩺

The first two are relatively easy to train, as long as we know the principles of training and reinforcement.

The third is probably a bit of a challenge to many people. If we break that down into bite-sized steps and don’t rush the process, we can do it!

How would we describe “comfortable” around a light and stethoscope? Once we say what that looks like, we can move forward with our training.

My question for you is…what DOES “comfortable” like?

Parrot food for thought!