IT’S FALL EVERYBIRDIE  

FALL BRINGS DRAFTS AND FURNACES:

 For those birdies who live in 4 seasons Country, fall brings with it some dangers for our birdie fildren:

1. 1.    Opening and closing doors bring breezy blasts of chilly air.  If you can stand in front of your birds set up/house and play area and feel that breeze, your bird could get sick.  The same applies for opening windows with fall breeze blowing in on the birds.  Fall is a time for rearranging the room and giving your precious fid a new inside wall (if possible) place to live and play. 
2. 2.    Do you have a Carbon Monoxide Detector???  Fall brings closed doors and the revving up of heat sources fueled by oil; kerosene and propane do give off tiny amounts of carbon monoxide which normally dissipate without harmful results.  However; the worst can happen and an undetectable malfunction can release massive amounts of carbon monoxide into your home.  It is odorless, colorless and deadly.  Please insure that your smoke alarms are equipped with Carbon Monoxide Detectors, or add a stand-alone Carbon Monoxide Detector to your home.  Often times, fire and rescue departments furnish these at little or no charge to the citizenry of their towns.  Don’t let your fids be the canary in a coalmine, because carbon monoxide kills animals and people alike – it does not discriminate and no one is immune to its deadly affects.
3. 3.    Unwanted visitors:  Summer isn’t the only time that unwanted vermin find their way into your home.  Fall is prime time for mice and other little critters to chew a hole or sneak in an existing hole, like cracks in Bilco cellar or basement doors allow snakes and mice to creep in.  None of these are welcome and some are hard to catch.  You can usually keep snakes out by sealing off cracks and holes that they can slither into but; if you live in an area where snakes are common, be vigilant that their next meal is not one of your precious fids.  Call animal control if you find one in your home. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, USE MOTHBALLS TO WARD THEM OFF!!  MOTHBALL FUMES KILL BIRDS and they don’t do much for people either.  Mice, voles and other furry critters are another story.  The get into places that we can hardly see and before you know it, they are dining on bird food and human cupboard items.  Rodent droppings, hair and saliva on half-eaten bits of food carry serious disease with them.  When setting snap-traps, please put them where your fids and furds can’t get caught in them. Rodent sized Have-A-Heart Traps are available and effective. Please DO NOT EVER use sticky paper traps, they are worse than cruel and do not use DeCon and other kibble type bait, because the rodent does not die instantly and could carry it into a bird cage long before the effects of the poison take effect.  Even mice have cheek pouches and pouched bait can be left behind while gathering bird food.  Your bird will be over the Rainbow Bridge and you will not know what happened.
4. 4.    Are little drafts sneaking in beneath an outside door or even an inside door to an unheated room?  You can either order the decorative type draft stop rolls on Ebay, Collections etc., and other companies that sell inexpensive household items.  I have seen them in the dollar store.  An older but still colorful terry cloth bath towel, rolled tightly and either stitched or pinned to hold its shape works well too. (jan)

LEGISLATIVE NEWS:

There doesn’t seem to be any major stirrings in this arena, so far this month.  I will keep you posted when and if anything surfaces that affect our fids. (Jan)

THE SENEGAL PARROT IS OUR BIRD OF THE MONTH:

Senegal Parrots give you the best of all worlds in a companion bird.  They are independent, a tad persnickety at times, but; not big biters, they talk and whistle well, with training, even though they have a raspier voice than most parrots.  They love, love, love to chew, so make sure they have plenty of wood toys to destroy.  There cage size should be about 36” x 36” x 48” High with bar spacing no more than ½ inch.  They require lots of exercise so supervised out of cage time is extremely important.  We have told you about the Quaker Parrot Personality and this little bird is the watered down version of that.  They grow to about 9 ½ - 10 inches long and a good weight range is 130 to 150 grams with males being generally heavier than males. Their life span in a home is averaged to be about 50 years, so make sure you have an agreed upon designated home for them, should they outlive you. (Necessary for all pets, no matter the average life span).  The ONLY definitive way to tell male from female is DNA sexing, contrary to other forms of identification like head shape, size, etc. that are only accurate 50% of the time.  They are not particularly noisy birds, and when they do squawk, it is raspy sounding thus keeping the decibel level down.  The only diseases that they are prone to are Fatty Liver (many birds are) and Iron Retention Disease (again, many birds do not process iron well).  They should have a good pelleted diet supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh distilled or filtered water (as with all birds).  The Senegal is of the Poicephalus family of birds and hails from the Senegal Region of South Africa.  There is 1 main species and 2 subspecies of Senegal, The main race has a Yellow belly and the subspecies have red or orange bellies.  Whether you are planning to add a Senegal to your family or already have a Senegal and are looking for a new house or more toys, contact Kim or Korey at www.birdcagesgalore.com and they will help you select the right items for your fid.

PARROTS-R-4EVER – IS OUR RESCUE OF THE MONTH:

Dave the “Macaw Man” Spurlin and his wife, Vickie own Parrots R 4ever Rescue and Sanctuary.  They have made a real mission of rescuing Quaker Parrots who have accidentally ended up in the Illegal State of Tennessee and other nearby illegal states.  They are a no-kill, resocialize and rehome rescue and do offer forever sanctuary to those who cannot or should not be placed with families.  As I have told you before; I am the volunteer Assistant Chairman for the Quaker Parakeet Society Rescue and Placement Program.  It was in this capacity that I came to “meet Dave Spurlin” and feel the whirlwind caused by his rapid rescue of Raspberry, a Quaker who had been discovered by Fish and Wildlife to be living in a home in Tennessee with a family that did not know that Raspberry was illegal there or that her life was in peril. (Which way did that warp-speed crusader go?)  I was contacted by a QPS RAPP volunteer who had recently adopted an in peril Tennessee Quaker and told of Raspberry’s plight and family’s fright.  I contacted a volunteer from that general area and she put me in touch with Dave.  I called him and he immediately contacted Raspberry’s owner and made arrangements to go pick her up early the next morning.  It was a derned long trip from Alabama to Raspberry’s home in Tennessee, but; Dave got up before the chickens and made the round trip in one day.  He called me and said that Raspberry was safe from harm.  WHEW & WOWEEE, THAT WAS FAST!!!!!!!!  Dave, Vickie and their staff of volunteers do everything they can to save every bird, one bird at a time, but; they are non-profit and rely on the generosity of public support to continue their work.  PLEASE, PLEASE, go to http://www.parrotsr4ever.com/index.aspx  and read all about them, check out their “who we are” page and the Resident’s page, then, even in these troubled times; consider doing what you can to make a donation to their work.  If you live nearby, perhaps there are other things that you can offer to help them do what they do so well.  Contact them and see what they need the most.  Everything will be well used and greatly appreciated.  (Jan)

A PREVIEW OF NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE: 

COMING IN NOVEMBER:  More tips for a happy, healthy parrot; a rescue to review and Joy’s Toys at Wings of Joy Aviary.