February 14, 2008

When Animals "Go Bad"

Is it possible for wild animals out of their habitat to "go insane"? How much responsibility to do we hold in the way animals behave in a zoo setting and in our homes? Is some of it just "being an animal"?

Janice Williams asks some interesting questions in her blog post examining the story of one famously bad polar bear.

Think parrots and zoo animals are like comparing apples and oranges? Think again. Unlike dogs and cats, our parrots are not domestic. They are only a few generations removed from the wild. They are in fact, much more comparable to animals who live their lives in a zoo than a dog in our backyard. Something to think about...

Posted by roconnor at 9:03 AM, February 14
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South Bay Bird Society

I had a great time Monday night presenting a talk in Torrance to the South Bay Bird Society. What a wonderful, welcoming group of people who are thoroughly focused on finding better ways to care for their parrots.

If you have a parrot, think about joining a club in your area. The benefits of presentations and sharing knowledge are tremendous. Behavior challenges with parrots can be frustrating, but it's great to know that we are not alone in our challenges.

Posted by roconnor at 8:52 AM, February 14
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February 11, 2008

Hello Local Pet Lovers

This is either a horribly foolish time to start blogging or it's very clever. I haven't quite decided.

I just brought home a Brittany spaniel puppy a week ago and my house is in an uproar. (In a good way, of course!) My rescued Britt is thrilled to have a new friend and the ruckus is nearly nonstop. The parrots are also thrilled to have a new dog to boss around and I've already heard my African grey calling "Tempe" the new puppy by her name. Or rather, demanding, "Tempe, go kennel up." She doesn't know what that means yet, so it didn't get the grey parrot anywhere.

So we'll be chatting about bird behavior and training, but expect to have some puppy thrown in the mix as well.

A rare moment of peace.

Posted by roconnor at 9:28 AM, February 11
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