Dear Parrots magazine,
Good alternative to Teflon
I have found a really good alternative to Teflon-coated cookware. I bought a ceramic Ceracraft frying pan – red with a white lining - at our local Homebase for about £30 and it’s fantastic! It cooks well, it is very non-stick and above all, being Teflon-free, it’s parrot safe!
I also have a little tongue-in-cheek response to one of the parrot queries in the August 2013 (187) issue. The reader wants to offer their African Grey treats from the hand. Bob Mann has made some interesting observations but as a keeper of indoor pet parrots, including two African Greys, I would say there is another answer. Simply eat, or pretend to eat, from a human plate, whatever it is you want to treat your African Grey to.
Many of our indoor birds like to play "Whatever you’ve got, I want!" and eating in front of them soon tempts them to take treats from the hand. Palm nuts, shelled walnuts, fruit, Kaytee sugar cane sticks (available from most on-line parrot shops), Tidymix rice crackers and pieces of toast sprinkled with their daily vitamins, are all popular with our birds.
Karen Chudley, by email.