By EB Cravens

In my hobby breeding and pet-keeping, I have discovered many items I consider critical to have on hand and use in order to maintain the health, well-being and optimum development of the psittacines. Here are the 12 prime examples:   
                     
1)      Spirulina. This is a favourite nutritional supplement. I have used it for 16 years. It is an excellent source of vitamins and serves to keep feather sheen high. An immune system builder, especially in flocks that do not eat many green veggies. Rumours have said one can feed too much spirulina, but I always use it sparingly like salt, so I have had no problems.
 
2)      Fresh Aloe Vera. This means a plant in the house! Absolutely the best immediate response to a bruised cere, scratch, itchy skin or other topical injury including eyes, beak and feet. Slit the stalk length-ways and rub sticky gel over the hurt. Will stop most bleeding, seals like a spray-on bandage. Use it on yourself too; quickens healing.
 
3)      Vitamin E gel capsules. This is another prime skin healer. But I use Vitamin E oil to help with dry flaky skins, brittle beak flaking, and especially for constricted toe syndrome in dry climes. Absorbs quickly so apply every two hours. Will suffocate scaly mites on cere and has cured fungal skin infections under wings in humid conditions. Excellent oil to use on severely plucked parrots to encourage follicles, and can be fed internally to treat feather brittleness, though for such use I prefer wheat germ oil. Poke gel capsule with pin and squeeze gently.
 
4)      Citris Bioflavanoid (grapefruit seed extract). My number one holistic medicine. Anti-microbial, anti-fungal properties.  I use as an anthelmintic to expel parasites or routine worm my ground species of parakeets. It is the first resort whenever a bird shows fever or infection and can be used in its dilute form to mix baby formula in cases of slow crop or e-coli. Topical steriliser, mouthwash, earbath, and my staple as a syringe and spoon soaker and utensil wash stronger than normal soap/ water. Recommended as a sprouts soak, but I only use if they smell musty or sour. Order through China Prairie Co.
 
5)      15cc Syringes. The small ones with a blunt-clipped nozzle are my favourites for all birds up to eclectus size. They expel baby food slower and safer into the beak rather than forcing it down throat, thus guarding against aspirations and stimulating parrots to swallow and move sooner toward eating with mouth. Takes four loads of food to fill a 50cc crop, but that means babies get fed 'round and round' in series and have time to rest and prepare while sibling is getting squirted. Try 'em!
 
6)       Quinoi. Optimum health food grain with complete protein amino complex. Wonderful regular addition to small passerines birds' diets. Can be ground in blender to powder to give bulk and hull fibre to enhanced baby food once chicks are feathered out. Also will pass through syringe if sprinkled into formula while mixing, giving whole food texture. Sprouts overnight in 12-16 hours. Treat gently to not bruise sprouts. Wonderful grain that tastes nuttier than millet when cooked.
 
7)       Large-handled baskets. Essential to all my birdkeeping. Perfect for raising chicks in cool, chewable, organic, environment. Easy to climb up upon offering bottom, edge and handle as three stages. Invaluable fledging tool as parrots will recognise all large brown baskets when raised in one and choose to fly to them rather than crashing around the room. Perfect table perch for pets, moveable and droppings are caught in bottom on towels. Wash in shower with toilet-style brush. Travelling perches or home-away-from-home for fledglings. I wouldn't raise chicks any other way.
 
8)      Zupreem Monkey Biscuits. Have used this product on and off with birds since 1980.  Never had a sickness due to this primate formulated food, but then I always scald them with poured boiling water to soften, then wait for them to cool. I do not feed them dry. They are used for birds who need extra weight putting on or older babies in a box who eat five times a day and love soft warm additions, and for sick birds who will not eat anything else but love the taste of these. Most large birds like them, but note, I only give this as a special occasion, emergency or special use food.
 
9)      Hollow Logs. Invaluable training and play tool. Teaches timid breeders about darkness in perfect timing before nestbox given. Birds love to chew and such. DO feed it to chicks. Open ends allow conures and other cavity nesters in captivity to sleep protected but not to cycle eggs when box is removed in off season.
 
10)   New Zealand perennial vine spinach. My staple green throughout the year. Parents with young chicks absolutely love the green bud nodules and stems. Give as rich green to veggie eaters and chop up stems in morning foods. Leaves are usually discarded. Grows year round.
 
11)   Baby bird fledging-weaning cage. The discovery of the benefits of this addition to the hobby breeder has changed my life and the lives of my parrots. Chicks are introduced shortly after indoor flying becomes regular. They learn to fly and eat when you come in and syringe feed them at the elevated feeding station where they will also perch. Offspring wean faster and smoother and have more fun in the greenery which they eat and chew. They drop less weight because baby fat turns to muscle, and more. This item I now consider absolutely necessary at any state-of-the-art avicultural facility - and it saves the keeper time and cleaning effort.   
 
12)   Fresh Palm Fruits. This is a recent addition to my essentials list. Obviously I am living where I can find and harvest these, but the way my wild-caught pairs voraciously dove into these oily fruits, and the way other handfeds in my flock followed suit have convinced me that feeding palm fruit has definitely enhanced my nutritional programme. As an aside I do not consider pure palm oil as a suitable substitute for fresh fruit.
 
I hope this list has given you all some ideas
EB.

EB Cravens describes his favourite choices of parrot for introducing as a companion for an existing bird.

One of the difficult points of being a pet psittacine owner is when you decide to purchase or adopt another parrot in hopes of it becoming an acquaintance to your bird.  This can be especially difficult if you own a jealous or possessive type.
If not undertaken carefully, such a move can bring discord into a normally calm avian home.  In addition, there are certain species of psittacine which often may be better accepted as the ‘newcomer’.  Here are my favourites:

Cockatiel - A social flock orientated bird which shows almost no aggression and biting.  Males can be a bit merrier and will sometimes prefer more preening and touch.

Budgerigar - Much the same as the cockatiel but in a smaller package.  They are chatty and mischievous around birds they come to trust.

Princess of Wales Parakeet - A great choice as a buddy for small to mid-sized parrots.  They do not bond tightly so they are seldom jealous themselves.  Males will court members of the opposite gender.  Slightly more savvy than most cockatiels but with the same flock social norms.

Plum-headed Parakeet - Very tolerant and benign when around other species provided they are given enough uncrowded space. Lovely personalities, well-behaved and unlikely to bond tightly to your bird.

Derbyan Parakeet – Another in the Ring-necked genus, in fact many of the Asiatics, except maybe some Moustached Parakeets, fit well as companions for other birds. They are non-preeners, usually non-aggressive if housed near a calm, sedate species, not an Amazon that wants to wrestle, and when brought up right are content to just be there.

Eclectus male - A well-raised Green Eclectus is patient and tolerant of other birds in its space. It will not want to play and allopreen, hence it will keep its human contact and not steal the heart of your psittacine by over-bonding.  If this species has a down side, it is the baby phase, just before weaning, when they can be irascible and slightly territorial.  I prefer getting them younger or older than this.

Peach-faced Lovebird - I have seen some of these little packages social with small Conures and Tiels.  Males especially can be endearing and non-aggressive when they have grown up with another small bird.  They will preen and play, but mating attempts are not usually an issue with totally unrelated genera.

Umbrella Cockatoo - One of the real love sponges among the white parrots.  Babies are mostly gentle and in need of a friend so this is a great possibility if your pet has the open-mindedness to accept a bird of such size and presence.  It is essential to get an Umbrella that has been hand-fed and raised around other species, not just people!

Goffin’s Cockatoo - Another fine choice with the somewhat smaller size range, suitable for larger Conures, Caiques, Mini-Macaws, Timnehs and such.  Goffins are loving, but higher energy than most Umbrellas and thus will spar and roughhouse a bit more. Accordingly, this would be a better choice for an active Amazon than for an Electus.

Quaker Parakeet - A top-notch species of cuddly, loveable psittacine.  As youngsters, these birds are gregarious and flock social, accepting birds of many different types.  As they approach six months, their own possessiveness can kick in, but when handled right , they make reliable companions.  I do not like to put them with say, Conures of a different gender, for fear of over-bonding.  Hen Quakers can be more mellow in this sexual realm.

Rainbow Lorikeet - My favourites are Swainson’s and Edward’s.  I have had more difficulty with Green-naped’s.  These colourful fledglings will bounce and preen and cajole their way into nearly any house parrot’s heart, even more so if the opposite sex.  They take extra care of course, and can bond very tightly if allowed to dominate a living situation with your pet, so keep some space between and maintain control.  But Rainbows absolutely love playing with other birds, any colour and almost any size!

Goldie’s Lorikeet - Another wonderful nectar-eater to befriend small psittacines.  Playful, weak of bite, high energy and tolerant of other parrot’s grumpiness, Goldie’s can spread joy just by being in the same room - especially at bath time!

Blue and Gold Macaw - To my estimation, the most easy going of all the Macaws.  When brought up in an atmosphere of many other psittacine species, these macaws can shine as acquaintances for other large parrots.  The only real danger is the boisterous fledgling males that can inflict unintentional damage with their beak play.  Any time the larger pet parrots are allowed to interact, human supervision is a must.

Okay, that is a basic start.  We could also throw in Bourke’s Parakeet, Patagonian Conure, Timneh African Grey and some individual Blue-headed Pionus.

Now for a few ground rules.  Parrot acquaintances must always be judged as safe and compatible with regard to beak size.  No matter how well you trust your twosomes to get along, a Macaw with a Conure or a Moluccan Cockatoo with a small Amazon is asking for the little guy to get bumped around or worse.  Use common sense as to size, weight, beak strength and rambunctiousness!

Try to arrange the friendships between distantly related species.  Two South Americans like Quaker and Sun or Amazon and Yellow-collared is asking for sexual attitudes once puberty arrives.  Some of our nicest matches were Rose-breasted with Yellow-naped, Timneh with mini-Macaw, Goffin’s with a Caique and a Lovebird with a Conure.  Lorikeets seem to fit with anything.

The best bet is to bring a non-threatening baby or young fledgling to an established household.  Be aware of gender.  A hen red-tailed grey may be a perfect spicy fit for a male Electus.  A male Blue-fronted Amazon will be well aware that his friend is a female Goffin and a boy Eleanora may be the perfect fit for a hen Blue and Gold.

Never choose your bird without knowing precisely how the psittacine was brought up.  There are so many parrots out there that have never experienced the pleasure of being preened by another bird.  They look to humans for 100 per cent of their affection needs.  I have found these to be practically useless as far as a friend for my birds.

Finally, be aware of the critical importance of introduction day.  Here is where experienced counselling will be invaluable.