Just a quickie ;)

I saw this and just HAD to share. <3 

PS- Sorry I have been so busy, more posts will be coming soon!

Worldly Cuisines - African Sunset

I am always looking for different foods to try with my Bitty Birdies. Not only do I think it is important for them to have a quality and varied diet, but I also think it is great as enrichment too! I saw the Worldly Cuisines line by Higgins on My Safe Bird Store and was excited to try one! The Worldly Cuisine line is a cookable line of bird blends that is all natural and additive free (which I love). I chose the African Sunset blend to try first. It was super easy to prepare, just add boiling water and let simmer!
Below is the description and ingredient list.

African Sunset

A taste inspired by the many flavors of Africa including flax, sweet potato, papaya, pineapple, cashews and more all mixed in bed of pre-rinsed quinoa.

Ingredients: Quinoa, Hulled Millet, Cracked Wheat, Pasta, Flaxseed, Chopped Almond, Cashew Pieces, Dehydrated Cranberries, Papaya Granules, Pineapple Granules, Sweet Potato Dices, Cinnamon Powder, Dried Kelp, Tomato, Spinach, Annatto.

While cooking I noticed the blend smelled so good! You can really see and smell the spices! Once cooked, I decided to top it with some crumbled up dry Goldenfeast Hibiscus flowers and some chopped Kale. I offered the Bitty Birdies their dinners and it was a hit!! Opie dove right in! Bonnie & Clyde were a bit more reserved (as usual), but seemed to enjoy it as well! I am very happy with it, and love how easy it was to prepare. I will be trying other blends in the future for sure!

Poor, pathetic, Opie...He just wants friends ;)

Opie is so desperate to make friends with the new Bourkes....they have zero interest in him though...Poor guy. Just had to share ;)

Parrot's Treasure Order!

I just received an order I placed with Parrots Treasure and just had to share! Parrots Treasure toys are pine toys with Pine Nut "treasures" hidden within, making them excellent foraging toys. There are not many size options, so I ordered two small toys for Opie, the "Little Horse", and the "Small Bunny". I LOVE that the "Little Horse" has all of the leather and knots, Opie only really has one other toy with leather on it, so I am excited to see what he thinks of it! Even though I ordered the small toys, I do think they are very big for the littles. They are probably more appropriate for a Conure or up in size, and also since they are all pine, they are nowhere as easy as Opies favorite materials (Balsa and Cork) to chew. Variety is key though to keeping our feathered friends happy so I can't wait to see what he thinks of them!

I also ordered the "Our Pup" for my father's Blue Front Amazon, Azul. They have always had terriers, and it was just too perfect for her! I love the attention to detail on the wood burning, and the little bone that says Bow Wow on it is just too much cuteness for me! The people over at Parrots Treasure were even nice enough to send over 4 foot toys as freebies! Although they are way to big for Opie, I am sure Azul will LOVE them!

If I had a larger bird, I would TOTALLY order their newest design, the Ladybug. It is SOOOO cute! If you have a bigger bird check it out. I will be keeping an eye out to see if they decide to make a smaller or jr version for sure. Also, right now if you spend $50 they are adding the LadyBug free to orders!

Thanks so much Parrots Treasure for the great toys! :)

Introducing Bonnie & Clyde - New Rosy Bourkes!

Well, the inevitable happened and MBS, also known as "multiple bird syndrome" caught up with me. I knew it would happen, but didn't think I would give in quite as quickly as it did! I really loved everything I had read about Bourke parakeets, and when I saw an ad for them semi-locally, I just had to jump on it! So after a drive one state away, I came home with a young unrelated pair of "Rainbow" Rosy Bourkes!

From what I understand, rainbow is just a term for extra colorful Rosy. Mine having a ton of extra yellow, that the typical Rosy would not have. They also both have a 50% chance of carrying fallow, which basically means if in fact they both are carriers, they could produce fallow babies. My pair was parent raised and not hand fed, so they are not tame. I am ok with this though since I am hoping to breed them and hand-feed the babies.

So far my experience with them has been limited since they are new but here are some things I have read which I took into account when setting up their cage (a HQ Flight Cage).

• Bourke Parakeets do not climb like some other parakeets by using their beak. They fly from place to place. This means they should not have a clutered cage, but lots of flying room. An absolute minimum cage should be 30"x18"x18". I decided on much bigger for mine. Their wings should also never be clipped for this reason.
• Bourkes are not heavy chewers, and are not huge on playing with toys. They do however appreciate swings, preening toys, easy to shred toys, and some like bells. Softer materials like paper rope, cork, and smaller pieces of balsa wood may also be appreciated.
• Bourkes are prone to night frights so are more comfortable without a cover, or being partially covered, and provided with a night light. 

Bourkes are Grass Parakeets which means they like to be on the ground for foraging, therefore their wire should either be removed, or covered with paper so that they don't hurt their feet on the cage floor. The paper should also be cleaned daily since they come in direct contact with it.

So far, I have been mainly just been trying to give Bonnie & Clyde their space, and let them settle in. They are very shy and flighty due to being parent raised. They do seem to like when I sit by the cage and talk to them, and have even started to chirp and sing with me in the room. Their voices are soooo sweet and melodic! So much more pleasant in my opinion than Budgies even! I am so glad to have added them to our flock and can't wait to get to know them better! 

PS- Sorry the pictures are not very good. I took them with my cell phone when the room was dimmer so that they wouldn't be too spooked. I will try to get better ones soon! 

I Got A Woody Bird Toy order!!

First off, when I heard the name of this company....I Got A Woody, I knew I would love them! So on to the website I went, and I was sooooo impressed! Their toys are all safe, great materials, and they have such an awesome variety! So of course, as I am a compulsive bird toy shopper, I placed an order!

I know Opie loves balsa wood, but he didn't have any cork toys, and I had a feeling he would like it since it is easy to shred like balsa. He really is a destructive little bugger ;) So I shopped their selection by size and ordered the following:

Sprite - Vine stars and balls, balsa cubes, and beads.
Tiny Tease - Colorful balsa slats, beads, and cork.
Cork Bark and Mahogany Cluster - pretty self explanatory.
Peakaboo Perch - Perch with hole to climb though, ladder, and toy all in one!

Right after placing the order I was notified that the current turnaround time was about three weeks, well two weeks later I got a shipment notification, and just over $10 in credit for shipping since the estimate was higher than the actual cost! The order arrived 2 days later and I am in LOVE! The toys are so awesome, I was gifted two freebie foot toys (thank you IGAW!!), and the Peekaboo Perch is LITERALLY to die for!!! I think I may have to put it on the outside of Opie's cage since he has soooo many toys now, but it will be awesome for out of cage time! All in all I couldn't be happier with my order and will be back for sure!

Oliver's Garden Bird Toys Order Arrived!!!

The wait is over!! My first Oliver's Garden order is in! I ordered the "Baby Anchor" in blue, the "UCrappy Small" in camo,  the "Home Tweet Home", and the "Jimmy Halfa Lobster". The toys are AMAZING, the customer service couldn't be nicer, Susan (the owner) send me some foot toys as a gift, and I will be a repeat customer for sure! I am already planning my next order! Somehow I missed the rope products so I for sure will need some of those!

PS- The lobster is too big for Opie, but I just couldn't resist as a gift for my father's Blue Front Amazon.  My dad is a huge lobster lover and it was just too cute! Who could resist those antennas!!

Sprouts

Since I really want to offer a healthy and varied diet, I decided to try sprouts! They are very similar to what many birds would be foraging for in the wild, and are very healthy for them nutritionally. After shopping around, I ordered a bag of Lil Bird Sprout Mix from Sprout People which is a mix specifically for smaller birds with 27 (YES 27) different varieties of certified organic seeds! 

I have tons of mason jars around here already, so ordered a BPA free sprouting lid off of Amazon (here) to fit a wide mouth jar to be my sprouter. Once everything came in I followed the very detailed instructions from Sprout People which you can read here. The only thing I did a bit differently is add one or two drops of GSE aka Grapefruit Seed Extract to the water for the initial soak. GSE is a natural disinfectant which is bird safe. *Look for a post on GSE soon!

Anyways, everything went perfectly, and in a few days I had some beautiful sprouts! At first Opie wouldn't touch them, but like with all new foods, he was willing to try them IF and only IF I hand fed him. Once he tried them he was hooked though! I have been offering them about every other day, usually as a topping to his chop. I couldn't be happier with the seeds from Sprout People and will surely buy them again when my pound runs out! 

HQ Flight Cage

After a TON of research and reading reviews, I decided on a "big boy" cage for Opie. I chose the HQ Flight Cage in black and ordered it from Amazon.com. The dimensions are 32x21x60" and it cost $134 when I bought it with free shipping! I got the cage in just 3 days and was sooooo excited to open it and put it together!! I was a bit nervous, since I read the instructions were pretty shoddy,  but it really wasn't that bad at all and took about 30 mins total.

I honestly LOVE this cage! It is very sturdy, has a great finish, and is the perfect size IMO. The bar spacing is 1/2 inch (on center) which is perfect for Parrotlets. The cart is very nice, and the cage sits securely in it. The locks are perfect, and so much easier than the drop pin ones. Below are a list of things I love and a few slight things I wish were better about the cage.

Pros:
-Sturdy, great quality, lovely finis.
-Secure and easy to use locks.
-Perfect bar spacing with plenty of room for flying and toys.
-Great price (especially for the quality and size).
-Comes with two wooden dowel style perches, and two plastic trough feeders.
-Pan is plastic, so no rusting.
-Grate is easily removed for cleaning (slides out like pan).

Cons:
-Would prefer one large centrally placed door to two smaller ones.
-Directions for assembly could be clearer.
-I would prefer there be a locking mechanism so the tray & grate couldn't be so easily slid out.
-I personally am not a fan of the plastic feeders that come with (would prefer metal).

Once the cage was all set up, I brought it upstairs and set it next to Opie's cage. I thought I would just leave it there for him to get used to, but he flew right in to inspect it! He seemed to approve, so I started moving his perches and toys in, and he went to town flying around and playing! Since he had been in this cage he is sooooo much more active, and truly uses every inch of the cage! I am so happy with this purchase and highly recommend it for all of the Bitty Birdies out there! :)

First Week with Opie :)

It is crazy how fast a week has flown by! Opie and I have been doing a lot of bonding and have come a long way! "Step Up" is now mastered, and we are getting much better with "Gentle Beak" also! Opie will let me give him scritches in his cage, and will happily come to me and step up in his cage, but as soon as I try to remove him, he gets nervous. He will happily sit on his play stand (if there is millet attached), for about 5-10 mins, then flys back to his cage. He will sit on me for a few minutes at a time, before trying to fly back to his cage.

I was given some great advice a few days ago, which was to work with him in the bathroom. It is a safe room (once the mirror is covered), and there are little places to fly, or distractions. He also can not see his cage, so there is no temptation to fly back to it. We have had two sessions in there and did really well! Opie learned about my shoulder, and really seems to like to snuggle into my neck now :)

Another thing I am happy to report, is that he is doing really well with trying new foods, and eating in general for that matter! He is no longer only munching on millet, but mainly eating his seed (Volkman's Parrotlet Mix), and pellets (Roudybush crumbles) which are mixed in. He is also willing to at least taste any food I offer him as long as I hand feed it to him. He really seems to like his chop, especially the broccoli, carrots, and quinoa. He also LOVES his birdy bread, so that is mainly offered as a treat. He seemed to like the diced apples the best as far as fruit goes, but did also try banana, strawberries, and grapes. I am really hoping he will be a good eater! I offer 3 meals of fresh foods/day and only leave them in the cage for an hour or so each. The seed/pellet mix is available all day, and the millet only when out of the cage as incentive.

All in all I am so happy with the progress we have made! I can't wait to continue to bond and become better friends with my little Bitty Birdy! I will end with a cute picture, because who doesn't like a cute picture! :)

OPIE IS HOME!!!!

Ok sorry this is a few days late, but I was so excited finally bringing Opie home and helping him to settle in, that this post got delayed! I will try to summarize the past few days in one post! Bear with me though the excitement! ;)

Sunday- I went to the breeders to go pick Opie up at 2:00. We hung out and chatted for a while and I finally got to meet Opie! He wasn't so sure of me at first, and was pretty flighty. The breeder had just clipped his wings that morning, so not sure how much of that had to do with it or not. Opie did pretty well for stepping up, but mainly just wanted to sit on his cage. When it was time to go he went right into the carrier I had set up for him. This was the carrier I got him. I swapped out the perch for a natural one (thought it would be easier to grip and the one that came with slid around a bit). I also added a toy, and a spray of millet. He immediately began snacking on the millet, so I knew he wasn't too stressed! In fact, Opie snacked the whole way home in the car! Once we got home, I put him in his new cage, and gave him the afternoon to settle in. Before bed I hand fed Opie some chop (which he ate some of) and a dried raspberry which he loved!

Monday- In the morning I offered Opie some chopped up grapes, sprouts, and topped them with a few pieces of organic bee pollen granules. He would only try what I offered by hand, but did try the grapes, and LOVED the sprouts! I tried to have him step up, but he bit me so we just practiced a technique called "gentle beak" for a while and he calmed right down. I hand fed him a Nutriberry which he loved as a reward.

At lunch time I swapped out his fresh foods, for a new bowl which included some birdy bread, and chop. Still Opie will only eat what I hand feed him. The only thing he has eaten on his own is his millet spray. At this time Opie was more than happy to come out for a few minutes, and even let me give him some scritches!

After dinner, I let Opie out, and he was happy to step up for me. He did fly around the room a bit, but each time he did, once he landed he was more than happy to step up for me. I brought him over to his play stand which he went right on. He hung out on his play sand for quite a while! I just sat next to him and talked to him. Before bed he ate another dried raspberry and let me give him some scritches again!

Today (Tues)- This morning Opie had a breakfast of cooked oatmeal and mashed up bananas which he went crazy for! I had to eat some too, but he was more than willing to try once I had! Even from the bowl this time!! After breakfast we spent a lot of time out. Him on his play stand while I answered emails. After about a hour, he decided he wanted his cage and flew over. He took a nap for a while, then later I let him out again.

This time I just opened the door and he flew over after a while. Not directly to me, but towards my chair (right by his cage). We have now been hanging out the whole time I typed this! He has enjoyed some more scritches and has gotten really vocal for the first time! I love his chatter!

I am already so smitten by this little guy it isn't even funny! I can't wait to continue to bond with him! He is a bit flighty, but with patience (and short training intervals - he will start looking like he is going to take off when he is done), I think we will be great friends!!!

First Chop Done!

I have been reading a lot about fresh foods and "Chop" and decided to give it a try! Chop is basically a large batch of chopped up and mixed fresh foods. The beauty of chop is that it is a way to prepare large batches of fresh food, that can be frozen and then thawed as needed. I decided to do a chop that consisted of the foods below. I used veggies, grains, and beans, thinking I would top with fresh fruit after I thawed it. All ingredients that I used were organic and washed well to be extra safe. If when thawed the consistency is too runny, I will add steel cut oats to soak up some of the extra moisture.

Greens - kale, collard, & mustard greens.
Quinoa - cooked lightly so that it would soak up a bit of the extra juice from the greens.
Whole grain pasta- cooked al dente.
13 Bean Soup - soaked overnight, then cooked.
Carrots - shredded.
Red, yellow & green bell peppers - diced with seeds.
Canned pumpkin - lightly baked.
Broccoli florets.
Yellow squash - diced.
Peas & green beans - diced.
Corn - off the cob.

Here is what the chop looked like once done:

I then divided the chop into these baby food freezing trays which I had left over from making my son home made baby food (I love that they have lids). Once frozen, the cubes can be popped out and put into large ziplock freezer bags for storage with the date made written on the bag in sharpie. Then to use you can just thaw as needed! Perfect portions for Biddy Birdies!! :)

Birdy Bread - First batch!

Yesterday I made my first batch of birdy bread! I am really trying to keep busy waiting for Opie if you couldn't tell ;) Since this was my first time trying to make it, I decided to go with a mix and bought Momma's Bird Bread in Harvest Loaf. The directions were super simple...just mix in 2 Tbsp oil (not olive, I chose coconut), 1 cup of water or chicken stock (I used water), and two eggs with shells. So I mixed it all up and poured it into a silicone mini loaf pan since with such a little bird, smaller servings will be better. Then I followed the baking instructions, and voila! My first batch of birdy bread! I love how much seed and dehydrated fruits and veggies are in it! If it didn't have the crushed up egg shells baked it, I would have tried a slice for sure!

Since Opie will be so small, I decided to cut each mini loaf in half, wrap each half in saran wrap, then put all of the individually wrapped pieces in a large Ziplock bag to freeze. On the bag I wrote the type of bread, the flavor, and the date I made it in Sharpie. Momma's says that the bread will stay frozen for a year, and is good for up to a week in the fridge, so my plan is to thaw just one piece at a time so that it is always fresh for Opie! I have read Parrotlets really love this stuff, so I will let you know how it goes!

Cuddle Hut for Opie! PS- I love Etsy!

Just had to share this as I just got it in the mail yesterday! I ordered this off of Etsy from SewlyInspired, and couldn't be happier!! She makes the cutest personalized Cuddle Huts, and they are so well made! I just had to share since I opened the package and literally shrieked!!

Cuddle huts are awesome for some birds. Mango my Sun Conure LOVED his and slept in it every night. They are cozy, can help keep your Bitty Birdies snuggly and warm, and they also feel very protected in them. However, there are some dangers associated with them with certain birds. Below are some precautions/tips to follow if you decide one may be good for your bird.

1 - Some females may view this as a nest. If so you should discontinue use. Females may become very aggressive or hormonal in guarding their "nest". It can with some birds be so severe that they may begin to lay eggs. I have only provided these for male birds to be safe.

2 - Heavy chewers may want to chew the fabric. If you notice your bird chewing the fabric, remove it immidiatly. Loose threads or fabric not only pose an impaction risk if swallowed, but can also catch parts of your bird leading to injuries, and in worst case death if they become entangled. *This is also true for rope products or even cage covers.

3 - Inspect your cuddle hut often. If there is any damage, discard it. It is not worth the risk.

4 - Research your materials. Make sure the materials are bird safe. Also, if you wash it, use dye and fragrance free detergent, and do not use dryer sheets.

As with all products, use common sense. Cuddle huts are awesome for some birds, but not for every bird. I hope Opie will like his, but if not, or he is a chewer, his safety will always come first! Stay safe and snuggly everyone! :)

Welcome Opie!!!

After deciding that a Pacific Parrotlet was the perfect Bitty Birdie for me, the search was on! I am VERY lucky to have a few really awesome breeders in my area! The first breeder that I contacted did not have any babies available, but her friend had EXACTLY what I was hoping for, a little blue male! He was only just about to be six weeks old, so I would have to wait 2-3 weeks for him to finnish his hand-feeding which was just perfect since this would allow me to get everything ready for him!

I already had an old bird cage that would be a good weaning cage for him. It was just a plain old "parakeet" cage, but it had the proper bar spacing (0.5" on center), and was in great shape, despite being stored for years. So out of storage it came and I have it a thorough scrubbing with a solution of 50% hot water and 50% white vinegar. Then lots of rinsing, and a good drying in the sun finished up the process. I decided to toss the wooden dowel perches that came with it, and ran the food/water cups through the dish washer.

So now the wait begins! To bode the time, I will be getting together lots of birdy recipes, shopping like mad, and impatiently waiting for him to get here! OH and I almost forgot!! His name will be Opie! Here is my future Bitty Birdie (with his green brother)!!!! <3

Welcome to Biddy Birdies! Picking a species for me.

I grew up with all sorts of animals, including parrots. After about 10 years of being "birdless" I decided enough was enough and I needed another feathered friend in my life.  My favorite bird ever was a Sun Conure named Mango. He was a gift for my 10th birthday and it was love at first sight for both of us. I loved him sooooo much, but since my life is very different at this point, I decided I wanted (and needed) a bird that would fit my lifestyle and the wants/needs of our home.

So began the breed research. I wanted something smaller, and quieter, but that still had the big parrot personality. There are so many "Bitty Birdies" (little guys) that are gorgeous and have such amazing traits. Below are a few that I considered...

Rosy Bourkes - Beautiful little pink parakeets. They are very quiet, can be hand tamed, although typically are more of a shoulder/finger bird, and are not known to be biters. They typically do not like to be touched or cuddled though, and do not climb around much preferring to fly. Other than not using their beaks to climb, they are not big on playing with toys or chewing. They are definitely a bird I would LOVE to have in the future, maybe even a little flock in an aviary, but right now I wanted something that would be more playful, and hands on.

Lineolated Parakeets - An adorable little parakeet, more commonly referred to as "Linnies".  They come in a gorgeous array of colors, stay small, and can be very sweet especially if they are hand-fed. Some seem to become hand shy after a certain age, and they also can be a tad bit shy in general which in such a busy house, I feared they may not thrive.  I would however love to have some someday, just maybe not while our home is quite so hectic!

English Budgies - Bigger and "pouffier" than their American counterparts, English Budgies are a very fun little bird. They love to live in little flocks and are very active and amusing. They can be hand tamed, but like the Bourkes, they typically do not enjoy cuddling. They are very vocal, and while not necessarily loud, they do like to chatter all day long, and some can even learn to speak. In my area, they are very hard to find though, especially hand-fed ones.

Cockatiels - Cockatiels were never really a species that caught my attention, but while browsing around the local bird stores, I could not deny that they were very sweet birds! I can totally see why they are such a popular choice. They are not typically bitey, their crests are adorable, and their faces when they puff up are just too cute. For me however the dust they produce was a turn off, and they can also be pretty loud when they want to...especially the males. The females on the other hand, have been known to be very prolific, wanting to lay eggs and the fear of an egg bound hen would scare me.

Lovebirds - While I am very drawn to the look of Lovebirds, they can be quite noisy and shrill. Also, in my area it is very hard to find hand-fed babies. Unfortunately, many of the stores around here still insist Lovebirds must be sold in pairs (although they do not have them DNA sexed), and my search for local breeders was unsuccessful. They do however come in beautiful mutations, and in my opinion, the wild forms are even more beautiful than the mutation colors.

Green-Cheeked Conures - GCCs are a smaller quieter Conure. They come in some beautiful mutations, are known to be very sweet and affectionate. They are not as voracious with chewing as some Conures can be either, and are known to make good apartment birds. These charming little guys definitely made my short list, and in the future I would love to have one (especially a Pineapple)!

AND THE WINNER....

Pacific Parrotlets!!!! Parrotlets are teeny tiny parrots (not parakeets) with a BIG personality! They are just the perfect fit for me. They are coined "Miniature Amazons", and for a good reason. They are super outgoing (even to a fault) and thrive on activity. For such a tiny bird they love a huge cage, with lots of toys, and a lot of attention. They are very quiet, and some can even learn to speak. I have always loved Parrotlets, but was never able to have them in the past in fear of the bigger birds being able to put an end to a pushy little Parrotlet in one crunch of the beak, but now I finally will be able to have one, and THAT is the reason for starting this blog!

So from now on, this blog will be dedicated to the "Bitty Birdies", the adorable little species of parakeets and parrots who steal our hearts. I will be writing about my future bird(s) and life with them. I would also love to share stories of other Bitty Birdies, so please feel free to share about your Bitty Birdies with me!