HBD Blog

I, like an increasing number of Bird owners, provide foraging & enrichment to my Birds. Whilst the word 'enrichment' is becoming familiar to people, the true meaning behind it often remains cloudy. Because enrichment is a hugely complex & in-depth topic,...

Enrichment is an animal husbandry principle that seeks to enhance the quality of life of domestic animals by allowing them to safely use their remaining natural instincts, enhance their environment & increase their wellbeing. Enrichment actually positively alters...

Starting our Birds on an enrichment program can be a daunting task, but it really isn't as tricky as we think it will be. When setting up an activity, we need to think creatively & try to incorporate as many of the 5 key areas of enrichment (dietary, sensory,...

So many Budgies have their light strictly controlled by their owners. This can manifest in 2 ways for pet Budgies, 1. Covering them & leaving them in darkness before dusk or 2. Preventing them from being in darkness by having artificial light after dusk. There may...

Birds are not like any other pet; you can't simply bring them into your family & continue to do everything as you always have done. It can be hard for owners to understand, but the very air they breathe can kill them or make them sick. Many homes have air...

I have spoken before about the psychological nutrition program my Birds are on & why I provide it. It continues to be one of my most responded to articles. One thing that often confuses people is why language is such a central feature to the psychological...

Now, before we start this article, it is essential that I point out that I am not an avian vet. Nor is this article designed to diagnose, treat or manage fatty liver disease in Birds. Some of these things can help, but you should always consult your avian vet about...

A very overlooked part of the cage is the floor. If we include the cage floor in enrichment activities, we open up a whole array of untapped opportunities. A floor covered in clean paper &/or other safe substrate as opposed to an open metal grill allows the Bird...

Rebel is blind & has developmental delays due to a genetic condition. People make assumptions about the understanding & awareness of a Bird with developmental delays, especially when it co-occurs with blindness. In this article I will list everything Rebel has...

With blind Birds, you would think our experience with diet conversion would be difficult & long winded. *Rebel has however mirrored my exact experience with converting every other one of my blind angels to Harrison's- it was instant! Because blind Birds are hyper...

1 - THEY ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR - Many rescue Birds, especially those with special needs or cruel pasts need lots of help to reach their full potential. It is wrong to say caring for them is easy, but it worth every moment in order to give them the lives that they so...

Every type of Bird species can lose a leg or foot due to illness, injury, accident etc., & given the right adaptions, Parrot, Parakeet & Finch species can thrive. It can often feel like there is no hope, but rather than being the end of the journey, it is in...

This is the story of a baby Budgie who overcame all the odds. When Odin hatched in her warm nest box & gazed up lovingly at her mother, eagerly crying for the sweet taste of her first feed, nobody could have ever imagined what would occur in just a few weeks. When...

The approach that I have with my angels is unlike any other rescue I have come across so far. The babies I take in have often been through a lot or have been ‘born’ with disabilities. With these angels it is especially important to let them have autonomy, although I...

Ping... ping... ping- this was the soundtrack to spending any time in Maud's company. Maud is a 2-year-old Budgie & she was also an obsessive bar pinger. Bar pinging like this has no goal or function, it's a deeply ingrained form of stereotypic behavior that comes...

Sometimes when we have pets, it can be hard to realize just what we can deny them. Birds are highly complex exotic animals who can have the intelligence levels & often lifespan of a human. Cognitive ornithology is starting to uncover the true magic of a Bird's...

Eggs are a global symbol of hope & new beginnings, but never has this symbolism been so true. Maud came to me with rickets. Her calcium & Vitamin- D deficiency was so severe that her leg bones were actually soft. As a result, she would spend most of her time...

Before we start, I just want to point out that I am not an avian vet, this is just relevant information & includes my experiences with helping residents with rickets. Some rickets symptoms are also seen in other conditions, if you are at all concerned, please seek...