Does falconry still have a place in the modern world? It’s an old heritage sport, and there are a lot of misconceptions about what it entails. In this episode, Hillary uses her experience and insights as a licensed American falconer to discuss what the commitments...
Getting a new baby parrot is a wonderful thing. Some babies, like macaws, are particularly smooshy and lend themselves well to gentle puppy-like play, head and tummy rubs, and even idle snuggles while we watch the tube or work at our desks. Indeed, this seems...
Target training is referred to often as a basic behavior, the first one we teach when we are working with an animal. It can be particularly helpful when working with animals that are particularly sensitive, reticent to engage, shy about taking food from us, or...
by Katie Pnewski Fly season is upon us, which our mini donkey’s aren’t a huge fan of, more specifically Louise. Louise is allergic to flies but she is also reactive towards fly spray. This is very common among equine species like horses and donkeys. The familiar...
Reprinted from our sister site, The Avian Behavior Lab If you have ever seen a bird of prey hooded sitting calmly, you might have wondered how a falconry hood works. Is the raptor calm because he is hooded or is he petrified in fear? Does it...
A human shoulder is a naturally wonderful place for a parrot to perch. She has everything she needs right there. A good view, good company, and the opportunity to go wherever her flock goes and see what her flock sees. For many parrot owners, shoulder...
As we progress in our animal training technology, there are many practices that we are re-evaluating and refining, and with good reason. As we have discussed in our blog, podcasts, and from Day One of our online membership, the extensive and pervasive use of weight...
If you have ever brought a new parrot home and asked the social media hive mind how to get your nervous new friend used to you, chances are good that someone has told you to pull up a chair and calmly talk, sing, or a...
Abbi is a thirty year old blue and gold macaw that has one eye and a fused wing after being attacked by a pitbull and never having proper veterinary care. He also did not like women and clearly had a preference for men. When the...
As our understanding of how to keep our companion parrots healthy physiologically and behaviorally evolves with updated veterinary and field research, many companion parrot owners are asking for fully flighted parrots as youngsters or allowing their adult parrots’ wings to grow out. That said, many...