Under the directorship of Mark D. Hagen (MAg), HARI continues as a world leader in psittacine aviculture. From the humble beginnings in a warehouse operation with imported parrot species to the state of the art psittacine aviculture facility located on a mountain side in Rigaud, the HARI Team has learned and shared a great deal in the way of companion bird keeping. While some things in aviculture have changed, some things remain the same such as experiencing the passion of parrots.

What’s changed?

First of all, the vast variety of parrot species that make up the HARI Flock.

At one time the HARI flock consisted of quite a variety of parrot species to include many cockatoo species as well as smaller South American species. Currently, the HARI flock consists of ten main core species that excel as companion pets in today’s society. This is especially beneficial with the HARI developed technique of raising companion birds – the 6 stages of Early Parrot Education. We have touched on some of the stages in previous blog posts, with lessons in towel cradling, flight harness training, bathing, preening as well as nutrition. These lessons are critical in weaning parrot chicks so that they are prepared for their life as a companion pet.

The many faces of the Avian Community reflected in Parrot Life Magazine- the official publication of HARI. Unlike many other companion animal segments, the Parrot community is so varied with interests in companion, aviculture, medical, and especially a topic dear to the hearts of the HARI Team, conservation. While the publication is limited in print, we do invite readers to get the complete volume set in PDF form at the HARI web site. And, not to worry, there will be more!

What’s the same?

Aside from the many challenges the day to day facility brings, it is the passion of parrots that keeps HARI running! As anyone who cares for animals can attest, the caretaker’s day is not always smooth. HARI has experienced aviculture diseases such as Pacheco’s Virus, PDD, as well as everyday diseases that have resulted in depth research investigation in natural therapies. Mark Hagen and members of the HARI Staff have shared their experience and have spoken at Avicultural conferences all over the world. Work in the areas of disease continues as the HARI staff members collaborate with top avian veterinarians and veterinarian techs throughout the year.

HARI continues to serve as the testing facility for HARI Approved products such as Tropican, Tropimix, Prime and Living World products such as foraging and enrichment Natures Treasures Toys and new Clay-Cal.

The HARI Team wishes to say thank you to all that have supported our work and especially to those in the Avian community. IT is truly a shared Parrot Passion that will keep us going for the next 25 years!

Well, not really, if we’re talking about a HARI Fledgling! One of the most chronic ailments in many companion birds is dealing with overweight condition as a result from lack of exercise.  Birds have wings and they’re designed to fly. But, we must be responsible with companion birds and their flying exercise regiments.  And, a quality made flight harness is just the tool required for responsible flying.

The least stressful way of adapting a bird to a flight harness is to start them out as babies.  At HARI, we introduce the flight harness at a very young age-before the chicks even have feathers. This desensitizes the chick to a foreign item. Simultaneously, we continue offer towel cradling, nutritional support, as well as nurturing. This all reassures our chicks that it’s ok!

As the fledgling advances with further lessons in his weaning stages, he will have mastered the idea of ‘getting dressed’ for his flying exercise. Once his wings are grown and he has graduated to advanced levels, HARI staff members spend time with supervised flying regimens.

With proper instructions and guidance, quality flight harnesses are an amazing tool that benefits a companion bird’s physiological and psychological well being.  The mere act of flying burns off extra calories and keep the bird in top physical shape.  There are many other simultaneous brain functions that occur in flying birds that help in behavior situations as well-especially aggression. For further information on the studies of how flying benefits companion birds, we do invite you to download Parrot Life Magazine #5 and read the article “Thinking on the Wing”, by Steve Hartman of The Parrot University at Hartman Aviary.

In addition to learning to eat a nutritious diet, further lessons include towel training, basic commands such as “step up and step down”-particularly useful in daily weighing on scales adapted with perches. Quaker fledglings learn to enjoy daily misting, flight harness introduction, independent foraging and more.

Why? The moment to offer guidance to these Quaker chicks begins with the pre-fledgling stage and the Nursery caretaker must take advantage of this limited to time span as the chick grows physically and mentally. If baby parrots are started on these life skills at an early age, they will transition into companion lifestyle with greater success.  This is good for the future human companion and excellent for the Quaker!

Let’s start with the Towel Training:

Towel training is simply getting the Quaker accustomed to the touch of a towel-which perpetuates into further life lessons.   The towel is introduced at an early stage for HARI Quaker chicks, usually at the Early Pin Feather Stage.  A warm wet towel can be applied to a pre-fledgling during the emergence of back and wing feathers.  This exercise in desensitizing the chick with the touch of the towel softens the feather shaft to soften the emerging feathers and promote easier preening, a skill that is traditionally taught by the parent bird. This soothing ritual will gradually be replaced with a dry towel as the chick ages. This can also be viewed upon as towel cradling.

At this same stage in weaning, Quakers chicks are introduced to the flight harness. Daily inspection of the chick’s body and preening session can be combined with the placement of the harness despite the fact it serves no purpose at this age as the chicks are not yet flighted.

Nutritional guidance coincides with each life lesson as the nursery caretaker nurtures the pre-fledgling with soft praises and simultaneously offers Tropican High Performance to the chicks while introducing new skills.

Let’s look in depth at the various quarters mentioned in the HARI & Parrot Life series Versatile Living Quarters and Lifestyle for Your Parrot, a study of how this can benefit a long lasting relationship with your avian companion.

The Weaning-fledgling cage

This cage should be used for the fledgling-weaning age till the juvenile age and can then be converted to a sleeping-retreat and boarding cage. The size of the cage should be relatively small. If you can envision the full size of the bird with full wing- span and multiply this by two-three you should have a reasonable space. Once perched, the tail feathers should not touch the bottom of the cage.

Although you will be tempted to buy a larger “starter cage”, remember that at weaning age the chick can be intimidated by a spacious environment, and so favoring this small , secure and comforting cage size  will prove beneficial to the young fledglings first steps.

Considerations for the installation of the weaning fledgling “starter” cage

This cage should integrate comfortable perches such as rope perches initially installed at lower heights adjusting daily to the fledglings grip, agility & confidence. Simple (straight not twisted) natural branches (of maple or apple) can also be installed in the weaning cage when the chick is more agile. HARI does not recommend a self-grooming perch for the weaning cage. Fledglings have delicate and sensitive feet and exposing them to a grooming perch could cause the early onset of podo-dermatitis (bumblefoot). It is unfortunate that the most favored perch for a young parrot often has non-slipper properties. Initiating your young fledgling to having their nails groomed slightly by a rotary tool is definitely less damaging than having to use a grooming perch for this purpose in the future.

Toys should not be integrated within this cage. Focus will be on weaning and sleeping thus there is no place for toys, with the exception of an acrylic foraging toy perhaps!

Several food bowls are positioned to be easily accessible for the fledgling, as it must learn to wean from what is found within the cage. A full spectrum light can be placed near the weaning cage and exposed a few hours per day.

A snuggly fit cage cover should be used to shelter the young fledgling periodically during the day. Initially, 3 sides of the cage and top should be covered during the gradual stages of adaptation to a new environment. The fledgling cage should be placed in a retreated space in your home ensuring a quite, non-distracting, non-invasive environment.

White or recycled newspaper should be used to liner the cage bottom .This will allow visual monitoring of the droppings, essential when ensuring healthy weaning supervision & assessment of what is truly consumed by the chick.

At this weaning age we recommend the chicks be supplementary fed within the cage and not removed to a counter to be fed. Exaggerated and prolonged begging for supplemental feedings can trigger the onset of screaming and restlessness if the chick associates the feeding with the caretaker and retrieval from the cage. An optimum diet such as Tropican High Performance Weaning Granules should be offered in this cage along with a stainless steel or ceramic water dish.

Considerations for the installation Juvenile-maturity sleeping cage

As your chick matures to a separate day and night cage, the weaning cage will be perfectly suited for a sleeping cage. Undesirable behaviors can be quickly managed, and ultimately modified when a comfortable and secure retreat is offered that promotes undisrupted sleep. The sleeping-retreat cage should not encourage playing activities, as this is a place to relax and wind down. Birds may accidentally get caught up in toys during the night and have less chance of being rescued since they are not under supervision.

Grooming perches are usually favored as a sleeping perch by older birds, yet this type of abrasive perch should not be used for night perching. Rope or a natural perch should be offered in the sleeping cage. Offering strictly an optimum diet such as Tropican within the sleeping cage will again favor the ingestion of the healthiest food early in the morning, no fruits or veggies should be offered in the sleeping cage for risk of spoiling overnight. The cage liner should be white paper changed daily, facilitating visual inspection of the droppings each morning for health monitoring. A cage cover (without holes as birds can get entangled in these during the night!) should be fitted to the sleeping cage. A night lamp can be placed in the room near the sleeping cage to prevent night freights and trashing.

The sleeping cage is usually favored as a boarding age, or weekend escape to the cottage cage! Choosing a cage model that is suitable for your bird and fits easily in your car is ideal!

Spacious day cage

This cage should be 3-4 times the size of the sleeping cage. This one will most probably never fit inside your car! Realistically, a suitable quality day cage can easily cost more than the purchase of the parrot itself and so allowing monthly financing for this purchase while the parrot is still at its fledgling age can help disperse the cost over a longer period of time,  ensuring optimum living quarters for its lifetime. Catalogue selection of the desired model can prevent storage challenges for the stores.

The placement of the day cage should be in a well lighted, enriching part of the house.  Television, radio, aquarium, mirrors, windows, visual interaction with other pets (compatible with your parrot of course!) can contribute to enriching the day cage’s environment. A full spectrum light should be installed in close proximity to optimize its’ beneficial properties.

Foraging activities, destructible and indestructible toys should be offered in the day cage, foot toys in a toy basket along with a foraging box. Perches of various textures and diameters can be placed within and around the cage. A stainless steel or ceramic water bowl, a water bottle as well as different feed bowls can be adapted to the cage. This cage should be functional, esthetic, easy to clean & of safe design and construction as you will be seeing this one everyday in your living space!

A reliable avian flight harness to promote controlled and supervised flight training such as the Aviator harness manufactured by the Parrot University should be one of the first investments made when adopting your bird. Hopefully the aviculturist had the opportunity to harness train your chick as a fledgling!

An avian transporter is recommended and should be used periodically to accustom the bird to the safe environment it offers and prevent stress when traveling to and from the clinic for routine or emergency visits. Socially well adjusted parrots travel, and the more functional the transport cage is the more likely you will be to travel with your bird! The size for the transport cage should be suitable for the size of the particular species. A perch, water & food bowl, special toy and easily cleaned liner or substrate should also be adapted for longer travels. The transporter should not be left on the top shelve of the backyard shed! It should be clean, adapted for emergency transport, accessible and visible by all, ideally placed near the day cage. A transport cage should be available for every bird in your home in case of an emergency evacuation.

Note: it is favorable to have your companion comfortable within the transport cage but caution must be taken to prevent a parrot from accessing his transport cage by itself too often, taking refuge in it as it would at a nesting cavity.

A training stand is primordial to encourage and reinforce education. The dark ages when birds were displayed on training stands with wire domes are far behind us, we hope!  This is the equivalent of the pupil’s school desk, and should not be misconceived as an activity center. This stand should provide a comfortable and stable perch mounted below eye level. Training sessions are most successful when positioned in a neutral zone, sheltered from distraction.  Various models offer a collection tray underneath, two bowls ideally for water as training sessions can use food rewards, offered as positive reinforcements by the trainer.

Exercise activity centre

Parrot caretakers must be creative and intuitive by offering enriching environmental stimuli while providing gratifying and challenging occupational activities. Such activities may include foraging, stimulating exercise, daily misting to promote preening. With a little creativity these activities can all be possible at the exercise activity centre. A Christmas tree stand to support a natural tree trunk with numerous branches (java, manzanita, apple or maple) can be the foundation for the creative activity centre. Vinyl tiles or acrylic floor panels are recommended to allow the possibility of misting and facilitate cleaning, as this is the place to encourage shredding, chewing & foraging activities. Rope nets can also be used as a foundation to hang an activity center from the ceiling.

A reliable scale and adapted scale perch for routine weight monitoring is also part of a versatile lifestyle, your companion should be comfortable and rewarded to visit the scale perch daily!

Outdoor flight or cage

Combining ingenuity, creativity, and the availability of safer materials for flight construction, outdoor living quarters should be an essential habitat provided for all companion parrots if possible. It is recommended to have a double wire protection built around the outdoor flight to prevent the intrusion of predators and prevent our cherished feathered companions from escaping or having their feed contaminated with small mammal excrements. Various adaptations to the cage should include the construction of a sun barrier and rain barrier as excessive exposure to direct sun and severe rain can be a health hazard.

In part 1 and part 2, we discussed some of the concerns about sharing a life with a parrot and questioned some of the mistakes parrot caretakers have possibly made that have contributed to behavior problems-especially those that stimulate  hormonal overdrive. In part three of this series, HARI staff presents a list of items that should be considered necessities for companion parrots.

Versatile Living Quarters and Lifestyle for your Parrot – Josee Bermingham, HARI Manager and Parrot Life Magazine Editor

Ultimately caregivers should thrive to offer a versatility of living quarters for their juvenile or mature feathered companion. The list below might seem exhaustive although it is quite realistic in numerous homes provided future caretakers are well informed prior to purchasing their initial cage and accessories.

• Weaning-fledgling cage - later used as the sleeping, boarding & weekend getaway cage
• 1 transport cage
• 1 Day cage (for Juvenile age to -maturity)
• 1 Sleeping cage( for Juvenile age to -maturity)
• Outdoor cage or outdoor flight
• 1 Flight Harness
• 1 scale with adapted perch
• 1 Play gym that stimulates exercise , activity & discovery
• 1 foraging environment integrated within the daytime living quarters
• 1 training stand ideally placed in a neutral area of the home
• 1 shower perch or quarters facilitating daily  misting

Recommendations made for parrot caregivers to accommodate their parrot with a  sleeping cage has been in vogue for numerous years, although in the past the explanation favoring the retrieval to a safe, quite and undisrupted sleeping quarter was primordial to promote desirable behaviors and optimal health.

Additional to this undisputable justification, I believe that a rigid, inflexible routine must be avoided from the young juvenile age. As independence is gained (at roughly 6-9 months of age for a medium to large parrot) a single cage dwelling must not be encouraged. Therefore I firmly believe that the day cage must not simply be retreated to a quite location in the home for the nighttime, there must be a distinctly different cage for this purpose, to prevent cage bonding, provide versatility and eliminate the possibility the single cage is associated with a breeding site as the chick matures.

Note: A room devoted to a flock of companion birds usually achieves to promote exercise, stimulate a versatile and enriching environment through the possibilities of adapting various occupational and exercise components. The social interaction with the flock will usually provide a healthier relationship with the caretaker as this lifestyle is less likely to promote hormonal stimuli. It is nonetheless advisable to cover the individual cages throughout the night when the birds have retreated to their sleeping quarters.

Come back for in-depth explanations of our  list of recommendations for Versatile Living Quarters!