Last Months Meeting Pics, Cage Mix and Flu

Hello All!

Last months meeting was extremely enjoyable and I think we all learned a little more about foraging, diet and got some great ideas for foraging toys... the best part was we got to make some toys to take home for our birds!

The foraging toy workshop was so successful and so many people asked to do it again, that I thought we might make it a quarterly event.
I encourage folks to get creative and next time bring some examples of toys you came up with so we can share design ideas!

I took some photos of the group and am posting them here for all to enjoy...

Emily Strong of From Beaks to Barks Pet Sitting gave a presentation on making your own foraging toys


Emily shows some of the foraging toys she has created


Making foraging toys is a great way to have family members of all ages get involved in parrot care



One of the best parts of the meeting was the sharing of information between members


Part of making foraging toys successful is making the food you put in them enriching to your birds.
I personally have tried a variety of "cage mixes" for foraging toys, but none have been quite what I wanted. I have been looking for a 100% certified organic, allergen free mix with a nice balance of grains, fruits, veggies, nuts and herbs/spices for quite some time to no avail.

Wings of Love Bird Haven has decided to help fill this need by developing it's own mix which it is going to sell at cost to a small number of interested bird owners. They have kindly extended this offer to the members of the Austin Parrot Society.

One of the great things about this mix is not only is it made from 100% certified ingredients, but it contains no common allergens (that means no soy, peanuts, corn, wheat etc), it is also low in protein which makes it a great part of the diet for Eclectus and other birds with protein sensitivities. We often give our birds too much protein when you add up pellets, cage mix, training treats and foraging treats.
Cost per pound will be $10, which is not bad when you consider that the closest thing to this on the market at the moment is $8.25 per pound and is not made from 100% certified organic ingredients and contains some allergens.. and then there is shipping costs on top of that.
I will be sending out an email to the group with an ingredients list and further details on ordering.

Finally a note on next months meeting.
At the moment, this meeting is still on. But whether or not it goes on as planned depends a lot on how the H1N1 flu progresses in the state.
As parrot owners we not only have concern for the humans who may catch this, but must consider our birds as well. This new strain has an avian component to it's make up and I do not believe it is known yet whether there is the possibility for our birds to get it.
I urge every one to take care, follow CDC guidelines to prevent transmission and hope we all stay healthy!