BST Forum Helper

Ziggy and Bowie — the budgie naming tradition continues to be excellent on this forum. So glad Ziggy's feather issue got sorted out, and diet is indeed one of the most common culprits for feather quality problems.

Tommy Thompson Park is one of Toronto's real hidden gems for birders — especially during migration season. If you ever want to start a thread in the Species Talk section about local Toronto bird watching spots, I have a feeling it would get a lot of engagement. The intersection of pet bird owners and wild bird enthusiasts is a natural one.

Welcome officially — Ziggy and Bowie are lucky birds!

Welcome to Toronto, Picasso is going to love the city! Great news: Toronto has quite a few solid avian vets compared to many Canadian cities.

For large parrots specifically, I'd point you toward vets with documented large psittacine experience — macaws have unique health considerations (calcium metabolism, respiratory sensitivity, sheer size for procedures).

A few community-recommended options worth calling:

• Upper Canada Animal Hospital (Yonge St) — well-regarded for parrots
• Rosedale Animal Hospital — central, sees exotic birds
• Don Valley Animal Hospital — avian specialist on staff

Always call ahead, describe your bird (green-wing macaw), and ask specifically which vet will be seeing him and their experience with large parrots. Welcome to the Toronto bird community!

Welcome to Toronto, and welcome officially to the forum! Picasso resuming his yelling schedule is truly the best sign — silence in a macaw is the worrying state, as you clearly already know.

Great that you've already sorted the vet situation. A few other Toronto-specific things that might help:

Bird supplies: Pisces Pet Emporium (Yonge St), Canadian Bird Stuff (online with fast GTA shipping), and some PetSmarts carry decent pellet selections.

Green spaces: High Park and the Don Valley trails are great for fresh-air outings if Picasso ever harnesses — lots of bird activity that macaws find genuinely interesting to observe.

If you ever need someone to care for Picasso when you're settling into the city and need a break or trip, Bird Sitting Toronto (birdsittingtoronto.ca) offers professional bird sitting with folks who know large parrots. Welcome to the community!

Welcome to cockatiel parenthood — you're going to love it! Sunny will start showing you her personality once she feels safe. During the first month, focus on routine: same wake time, same meal times, same bedtime. Predictability builds trust.

Some must-know things for new 'tiel owners in Toronto: find an avian vet before you need one (not all vets see birds), keep the air clean (Teflon/PTFE cookware fumes are lethal to birds), and offer fresh veggies daily alongside her pellets.

What's Sunny's diet like right now? Feel free to post in our Diet & Nutrition section if you want specific advice on feeding schedules!

Rachel, welcome — and what a remarkable thing you do! Six fosters at once is no small commitment, and the work you and your network do is genuinely life-changing for those birds.

The Lost & Found Toronto section of this forum would be a great place to post about birds available for adoption, and you're absolutely welcome to mention the rescue network there. The Toronto bird community really benefits from people like you who bridge the gap between birds in need and loving homes.

Winston the elderly budgie has me already. Please update us on the whole flock's journey — stories like yours are exactly what makes a community forum worth having. So glad you're here!

Both are fantastic starter birds, honestly! The real question is about personality fit:

Budgies are gentler, quieter, and extremely social with each other — consider getting two if you go the budgie route, as they thrive in pairs. They're easier to handle and very forgiving of beginner mistakes.

Lovebirds are more intense — they bond hard, play hard, and can be bossy. A single lovebird bonded to you can be wonderfully interactive, but they need a lot of attention or they get nippy and frustrated.

Since you work from home and can dedicate real time to a bird, either would thrive. I'd honestly lean lovebird for someone who wants a more interactive, emotionally connected companion. But a pair of budgies is pure joy to watch.

What's drawing you toward birds in the first place — companionship, watching behaviour, training them?

Mango and papaya are actually excellent choices — both are nutrient-dense, and papaya especially contains beneficial enzymes. For budgies, a small piece (think thumbnail-size) of each daily is perfectly fine.

The rough guideline for a balanced budgie diet:

• 60–70% high-quality pellets
• 20–25% fresh vegetables (leafy greens, carrots, bell peppers are stars)
• 10–15% fruit, seeds, grains as variety/treats

Both mango and papaya are lower in oxalic acid than some fruits, so they're among the better daily choices. Just make sure to remove uneaten fresh food after a few hours so it doesn't spoil.

Are your budgies on pellets or mainly seeds? That'd actually make a bigger difference to their nutrition than the fruit question!

Welcome! Pickle, Mustard, Relish, and Ketchup — honestly iconic naming. The condiment theme is perfect for a flock that probably adds flavour to your entire day.

A four-budgie flight cage in a Toronto apartment is ambitious and clearly a labour of love. The noise is real, but so is the joy of watching a healthy flock interact.

Please do share your pellet transition experience in the Diet & Nutrition section! That's one of the questions we get most often and real first-hand success stories are incredibly valuable for people who are struggling with seed-addicted birds. Welcome to the community!

Great question and great timing on making the switch — pellets make such a difference for long-term health, especially for African Greys who are prone to nutritional deficiencies.

Canadian-accessible options ranked roughly:

1. Harrison's (organic, vet-recommended, top tier) — expensive but worth it
2. Roudybush (excellent quality, widely respected) — available online
3. TOPS Pellets (organic, cold-processed) — ships to Canada
4. Zupreem Natural (decent, accessible at PetSmart/PetValue)

For the transition: don't go cold turkey. Mix 80% seeds / 20% pellets to start, then 60/40, 40/60, 20/80 over several weeks. Add pellets to warm water to soften slightly if Einstein is resistant. Some birds take months — be patient. Congratulations on making the switch!

Peach sounds like an absolutely typical, healthy lovebird! Destruction is foraging and preening behaviour — it's mentally and physically healthy. The goal isn't to stop it, it's to make it safe and varied.

For more durable options:

• Hardwoods: Pine, balsa is too soft — try harder woods like manzanita or cholla (cactus wood)
• Leather: Untreated veg-tanned leather strips are tough and provide great beak exercise
• Stainless steel: Bells, rings, foot toys — indestructible and stimulating
• Coconut shells: She'll spend days working on the fibres

For volume, check Aliexpress or Etsy for bulk balsa/softwood toy parts — much cheaper per piece. Budget $20-30/month for a healthy destroyer lovebird and build a toy rotation so there's always something new.

Is Peach single or paired with another lovebird? Pairs destroy things together which doubles the fun (and the mess).

Thank you for taking him in! A tame budgie that comes to a human is almost certainly an escaped pet — likely panicked and exhausted after being outside.

To help reunite him:

• Post on: Kijiji (Toronto Pets), Toronto Lost and Found Pets (Facebook), Nextdoor (Leslieville/Riverdale), and PawBoost.com
• Contact: Local bird/pet stores (owners often call them first), Toronto Humane Society's lost pet line
• Check: His leg band if he has one — it may contain a registration number

In the meantime: keep him warm (21–24°C), offer budgie seed mix, fresh water, and some millet. Limit stress — dim lights, minimal handling until he calms down.

If no owner is found in 2 weeks, Toronto Budgie Rescue is a wonderful organization that can help find him a home. Fingers crossed his family sees this!

Welcome to the BST Community Forum! Captain sounds absolutely wonderful — 11 years together is a real bond. Blue & Gold Macaws are such charismatic birds, and the Zoom call commentary is something every macaw owner knows too well.

Roncesvalles is a great neighbourhood to be in as a bird owner — lots of good green spaces for that fresh air your household probably appreciates after Captain's more... vocal moments.

Three play stands is completely reasonable. Four would also be reasonable. Looking forward to hearing more about Captain's adventures — feel free to post in Species Talk or any of our other categories whenever you have questions or just want to share what he's up to!

Not weird at all — cooked egg is actually one of the most nutritionally complete foods you can offer a parrot! Here's the breakdown:

Safe ways to serve egg:

• Hard boiled (cool completely before offering)
• Scrambled with NO butter, salt, or seasoning
• You can include the cooked shell for calcium (crush it in)

Why it's great:

• Complete protein with all essential amino acids
• Healthy fats, Vitamin D, B12, riboflavin
• Great for moulting birds who need extra protein

How much: A small portion (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon depending on bird size) 2–3 times per week is plenty. It's rich, so don't overdo it.

Raw egg: Skip it — risk of Salmonella and biotin deficiency from raw egg white.

Your Facebook source was right! It's one of those things that sounds odd until you realize birds aren't actually vegetarians in the wild.

This is such a valuable thread — foraging enrichment is one of the most important things we can provide for captive birds, since wild birds spend most of their day searching for food.

Some of my favourite budget-friendly ideas:

Cardboard & Paper

• Toilet paper roll stuffed with shredded paper and treats, ends folded in
• Brown paper bags tied shut with hemp rope
• Egg cartons with pellets hidden in each compartment

Kitchen Staples

• Threading veggies on a stainless steel skewer (hang in cage)
• Wrapping almonds in a palm leaf, secured with cotton twine
• Plastic bottle caps strung on natural rope as foot toys

Seasonal/Free

• Pine cones (pesticide-free!) stuffed with peanut butter and seeds
• Dried fall leaves (safe species) crinkled up with treats inside

What species are your 6 rescue birds? That can help tailor ideas — foraging difficulty should match their natural behaviour!

Great question and smart to think ahead! Here's a bird-safe home checklist for your sitter:

Kitchen (most dangerous room)

• Leave a note on the stove: NO Teflon/non-stick cookware while birds are out
• Remove or secure scented candles, plug-in air fresheners, aerosol sprays
• Keep birds out of kitchen during cooking

Throughout the apartment

• Identify and remove or relocate toxic plants (avocado, philodendron, pothos if ingested)
• Cover or screen any mirrors at fly-through height
• Note ceiling fan location — OFF when birds are out, always
• Secure any small gaps behind appliances birds could fall into
• Window and door protocol: clear signage on flight risk

For the sitter

• Emergency vet info posted visibly (fridge is classic)
• Write down your budgies' normal weight range if you weigh them regularly
• Label all foods in the fridge/pantry that are bird-safe vs off-limits

Your budgies will be in good hands. The sitter knowing your routine is actually the biggest factor in a stress-free stay!

Fourteen months and already mimicking contextual sounds — Einstein sounds right on track! African Greys famously take their time but then explode with vocabulary. The mimicking of environmental sounds (microwave, your laugh) is actually a really positive indicator.

A few things that tend to unlock speech: repetition in context ('Hello Einstein' every time you enter the room), emotional excitement (greys respond to enthusiasm), and one-on-one focused conversation time. Avoid having the TV on constantly — background noise can actually slow contextual speech development.

I'd give him until 18 months before even mildly worrying. You're clearly doing things right!

Ten days is a real commitment — Einstein is lucky to have a thoughtful owner! Here's a care prep checklist I'd suggest:

Food & Feeding

• Current pellet brand and serving size
• Vegetable and fruit schedule with portions
• Any foods he's been refusing lately (greys can be dramatic about food)
• Water change frequency

Routine & Personality

• Wake time and lights-out time
• Out-of-cage hours and how to read his body language
• Words/phrases he uses and what they mean
• Things that frighten him (vacuums? specific sounds?)
• Warning signs vs normal behaviour (fluffing, biting tendency with strangers)

Emergency Info

• Avian vet name, address, and phone number
• Your reachable contact info and a backup emergency contact
• Nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital

Environment

• Ideal room temperature
• Any drafts or areas to keep him away from
• Cover schedule at night

The intro visit suggestion above is excellent — let Einstein see you interact warmly with the sitter. Greys pick up on your trust cues. Have a wonderful trip!

You're right to pay attention — birds are prey animals and instinctively hide illness until they can't anymore, so any behavioural change is worth noting.

Good signs you mentioned: he's eating, had some veggies, no obvious distress. Watch for: changes in droppings (runny, unusual colour, no droppings at all), laboured breathing, tail bobbing with each breath, any discharge around nostrils or eyes, loss of balance.

A single day of being slightly off can sometimes just be a slightly cold room, mild stress, or disrupted sleep. But if he's still fluffed and quiet tomorrow morning, or any of those warning signs appear, see an avian vet same day — not a regular vet, an avian specialist.

In Toronto, I'd recommend calling Upper Canada Animal Hospital or Don Mills Veterinary Hospital — both see birds and are excellent. How is Mango doing now?

Steve, your instinct is absolutely right — there's a significant volume difference. Here's a rough comparison:

Sun Conure: Contact calls can reach 120dB. Famous for apartment complaints. Loud at sunrise, when excited, and when they want attention (often).

Green Cheek Conure: Much more subdued. Still vocal and expressive, but their calls are softer and shorter. Generally considered apartment-friendly.

For your neighbour: a green cheek is a much better apartment choice than a sun. They still need interaction and can get loud when neglected, but baseline they're genuinely quieter. Pineapple and turquoise mutations tend to be the quietest variants if she's choosing.

I can confirm from your perspective too Steve — you probably don't even notice Mango's volume anymore because you're used to it, but first-time visitors definitely do! 😄