09/29/2026
Sharing my weekly column for Companion Parrots Re-homed!
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It’s TAKEOVER TUESDAY with Parrot Ps and Qs!
What’s your very favorite guilty pleasure food? A three layer chocolate cake with decadent frosting? A pizza loaded with all your favorite toppings? A big tub of popcorn dripping with butter?
How often do you indulge in those? I’m betting not very often. They’re more appealing to us because they’re rare.
Now let’s look at this from the perspective of training our birds or asking our bird to do something, like going back in the cage.
Think about a food that your bird would sell its tail feathers for. I’m betting it’s something that is a special treat and not likely something that the bird gets abundantly and frequently.
Maybe those are the foods we pick for training! The bird has already shown a strong preference for those items. Now we use them for training instead of just giving them out because the bird is cute (and of course it is!)
Keep in mind that food is not the only possible reinforcer. There are lots more and probably even more than we’re aware of. For example, attention (talking, singing, eye contact), access to a favorite person or toy or activity or place, head skritches. I bet you can think of even more!
Switching gears, a team of two has been hard at work on the 2027 Companion Partots Re-homed calendar. I think the first calendar was in 2011! It’s come a long way since then!
2027 will feature Bosley as the cover girl, since she’s the mascot for CPR. Each month is a different bird - different sizes, colors, species, poses and they’re all birds from CPR. Each page also has a tip on how we can give our birds a better quality of life. The inside cover has a list of ways you can help, because everyone CAN help in some way, whether large or small. And the back cover is devoted to birds who have been or currently are in the adoption program at CPR.
We’re asking for donations to go toward printing costs. No amount is too small and certainly not too large, lol!
If you’re at Parrot University you can make a donation and specify that it’s for the calendar. Or you can call the store at 704-889-2325 and make a donation over the phone. If you’d rather mail a donation, the address is Parrot University, 321 South Polk St., Pineville, NC 28134. Checks should be made payable to Companion Parrots Re-homed. All donations are tax deductible.
And I personally thank you in advance for anything you can contribute!
