QuakerQueen

Hey everyone! I'm from Guelph and I just brought home my first bird ever — a caique named Zazu. I'm equal parts excited and terrified. Been reading everything I can find online but there's so much conflicting info. Any beginner tips from experienced owners would be amazing! Looking forward to being part of this community.

One thing that really helped was switching to stainless steel water bowls and changing water twice daily. Give it a try — can't hurt!

I could have written this post a year ago. Same situation, same frustration. Here's what I wish someone had told me: adding a full-spectrum Arcadia UV light near the cage. Would have saved me weeks of stress.

I could have written this post a year ago. Same situation, same frustration. Here's what I wish someone had told me: playing music during the day — my bird loves calm acoustic guitar. Would have saved me weeks of stress.

Totally agree with this! My Eclectus is exactly the same way.

Great question! So in my experience with parrotlet, this usually comes down to a few things. First, adding a full-spectrum Arcadia UV light near the cage. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to a dietary deficiency, especially calcium or vitamin A because that was a huge factor for my Pistachio. Hope that helps!

I've tried a bunch of brands and Roudybush is hands down the best value. My Basil devours it.

Welcome to the forum! Great to have another bird lover from the GTA. Your Amazon parrot sounds adorable — what's their personality like?

Every training guide says use treats as rewards. Problem: my Eclectus could not care less about treats. Pickle will literally throw a sunflower seed at me and walk away. They're more motivated by head scratches. Has anyone successfully trained a non-food-motivated bird?

My zebra finch has been sneezing a few times a day for the past week. No discharge, still eating and playing normally. Could it be the dry winter air from heating? Or should I book a vet visit?

Let's see those tricks! My Eclectus Clover can: wave, turn around, ring a bell, and play dead (their favorite because they get an almond). What tricks has your bird learned? Bonus points for unusual ones. I need new ideas!

Every single around 8 AM, my zebra finch goes absolutely nuts screaming. I live in a condo in the Danforth and my neighbours are starting to complain. Any advice on reducing the volume without punishing them?

I struggled with this too until I started removing mirrors from the cage — can cause hormonal or aggressive behavior. Now it's like a completely different bird.

I've had birds for 15 years and I've seen this many times. In my experience it usually comes down to the cage being in a high-traffic or drafty location.

Just wanted to come back and say the advice in this thread WORKED. My zebra finch finally stopped refusing to go back in the cage after I tried clicker training for 10-15 minutes a day.

I've done a ton of research on this because my Hahn's macaw had the same issue. Here's what I learned: the most common cause is jealousy of a new person, pet, or even object in the home. What worked for us was using a shower perch so they can bathe with warm mist. I also started switching to a natural cleaning spray like F10 and noticed improvement within a week. It's a process but it gets better.

Welcome to the club! My African Grey trained ME in the first week. They're way smarter than they let on.

I just snorted coffee out of my nose reading this. My Senegal parrot is looking at me like I've lost it.

Following up on my earlier comment — I tried what you suggested and it actually worked! My Hahn's macaw is doing so much better. Thank you!

Have you tried spending at minimum 2 hours of supervised out-of-cage time daily? That's what solved this issue for us. Game changer honestly.