You are here: Home / Archives for Birds


Everything You Need to Know about Parrot Insurance

June 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

Of late, pet insurance is becoming more and more a facet of pet ownership. When you take into account the costs of veterinary bills, it becomes a wise solution. Surprisingly enough, it has recently become possible to obtain exotic bird insurance, and even more specifically, parrot insurance. For parrot owners, this new development is sure to be of great interest.

Parrots are reasonably expensive to begin with, like every other rare and exotic animal, and like every other unique and pricey possession, they should definitely be insured. And most conveniently, now there are tailored insurance policies that provide insurance cover just for parrots.  There is a huge demand for parrots on the black market, since people are quite willing to part with hefty sums of money in exchange for one and they are hard to come by since there are so many regulations governing the importation and sale of exotic animals. As such, parrot owners are at risk of theft. Parrot owners should make sure their parrot is insured against being stolen, to avoid having to cope with the double strike of emotional and financial damage.

The present high cost of veterinary bills is another factor that should be considered. A parrot is such an uncommon pet, that it requires highly specialized veterinary care, so the bills are sure to be astronomical. It follows that special measures should be taken to prepare for any likelihood of illness or injury, much as we hate to think about it happening. Insurance is the most logical option in this case, and parrot insurance is specifically tailored to cover any occurrence of your parrot falling ill, incurring an injury or getting stolen.

Like every other insurance policy, there are hundreds of companies that offer parrot insurance, and different policies include different clauses. You must shop for a policy that suits you and your parrot perfectly. This includes doing your research thoroughly. You must make sure you compare the deductibles, co-pays and caps, that limit the payouts, should the worst happen. The wisest thing would be to approach a niche, or specialized insurance company, that deals specifically with the insurance of exotic and rare animals.

Some parrot insurance policies offer discounts for the insurance of multiple parrots, and apart from theft, injury or illness, also cover public liability, which factors in damage or injury caused by your parrot. For those who own many parrots, there are insurance policies that cover equipment and aviaries as well. Parrot insurance has grown in popularity, and as such has become quite affordable. Paying just a few dollars a month will ensure you peace of mind and protection, should anything happen to your parrot.

It is normal to be skeptical about pet insurance, and parrot insurance in particular, but as we all know, you can never be too careful in life, and many times  things do not go according to plan.  In order to safeguard against the suffering or loss of your pet, not to mention the financial repercussions, parrot insurance is quite a viable option.

 

Filed Under: Birds


Why is the Cassowary the Deadliest Bird?

January 8, 2011 Leave a Comment

The large flightless Cassowary looks like a turkey that has stepped out of the days of the Saber-Toothed Tiger. This bird looks harmless as it eats fruits and berries  Yet the Cassowary is by far the deadliest and most aggressive bird on the planet earth.

You may be scratching your head wondering why. It looks like it couldn’t hurt a flea. There must be dozens on deadlier birds than this. Look at eagles, hawks and owls. They are carnivores and have sharp talons and hooked beaks. They should be at the number one spot to win the deadliest birds.

Hawks, eagles and owls, though not the deadliest birds, are nothing to mess with. They dive at people to run them off from their nest. They haven’t killed anyone, though they could with those wicked talons. Raptors aren’t interested in killing people, though if they were, they’d be a menace. You have more to worry about with an angry father swan defending his nest than raptors.

Vultures would be another one of the deadliest birds on the planet with those claws and beaks. Yet they would rather wait until their meal is dead before attacking it. They have been known to attack people but that’s rare.

What makes the Cassowary the deadliest bird?

This bird is very aggressive when defending its nest. The female mates with the male, lays her eggs and leaves when that task is done. She goes off to mate with another male. He’s left with the care of the eggs. He keeps them warm, tends to the nest and then when they hatch, he protects them and shows them what to eat. He’s a caring parent.

Tending the nest, laying on the eggs and rearing the chicks makes him aggressive. He will fight to protect them – from anything.

This is why he will race up to danger, leap in the air and slash out with his claws. He can kill a man. They’ve been known to kill humans that invade their territory. Once the danger is gone, off he goes about protecting his chicks.

The Cassowary is related to Ostriches and Emus.

Filed Under: Birds Tagged With: ,


New Bird Toys to Climb and Chew

November 24, 2010 Leave a Comment

Bird toys are not just a mirror with bells or a plastic ladder anymore, but are assemblies of string, plastic beads, wooden shapes and bells to keep your bird happy for hours. Some are large enough to climb or swing on if hung appropriately. The cotton or nylon rope can be shredded or the beads on the string manipulated by your bird. Wooden shapes, dyed using safe food colors, can be chewed or played with like beads on a string. All the time your bird is ding this, he is not pecking any other bird within reach and not pulling his own feathers out, a good thing.

The new pet bird toys are made in different sizes for different size birds. Thus, unless you bird likes to climb, a small bird gets a small toy. There is still plenty of stuff to play with, move and chew, but the size of the assemblage is suitable to the bird and the bird cage. Larger birds get larger bird toys, in that more rope and wood shapes are included in a toy that is longer from top to bottom. The individual components may not be any bigger, there are just more of them. If you have a small bird in a large cage, the larger toys may be appropriate, and delay having to get a new pet bird toy.

Once you see these new bird toys, at a store or online, not only will you want to get one or two for your bird, you may be inspired to get the bird toys supplies and build your own toys. Once you establish which parts your bird likes best, you can build custom birds toys. You may find that your bird does not play with the wooden shapes, and does not chew them. When you make your own bird toy, you can leave those out. Use them in a bird toy to give to someone else with a bird, and see if their bird likes the wood shapes.

Check out the new bird toys and see if you bird likes them. I bet he will. I do.

Filed Under: Birds Tagged With: , , , ,