Eb Cravens has long counselled prospective psittacine buyers to not become overly attached to the kind of parrot pet they decide to buy. Do your homework, but remain unbiased he says. Some things are just meant to unfold naturally, and love comes in all shapes and sizes.

It was when someone called him looking to find a source for a Military Macaw baby. They talked about breeders in the area no longer producing many large macaws, they discussed adopting a military from the nearby rescue facility, and evaluated personalities and comparisons among several types of macaws. They even approached the topic of a Catalina or Milli-gold - a hybrid something Eb was not at all comfortable with. It came out that much of this man’s affection for Military Macaws had grown out of conversations with a breeder of, you guessed it, Military Macaws. What is important is that you achieve the perfect fit and not what you have preconceptions for.

Farming of parrots will no doubt conjure up all sorts of horrors, but a new research project carried out by two highly respected avian experts poses a question – can parrot farming actually help threatened wild species. They have carried out a great deal of research and arrived at some interesting questions considering the pros and cons. The views of Neil D’Cruze and Rowan O. Martin will now produce some very interesting conversations that might prevent the decimation of African Grey wild populations with large numbers being exported at alarming rates from South Africa.

• Animal training – key tool for welfare, husbandry and reintroduction projects
• Watch out for xylitol
• Old problems haunt new owners
• Your Perfect Pet Species – May Not Be What You Think
• Polly’s Christmas Foraging Wreath – Recipe
• Australia’s largest night parrot population
• Does Parrot Farming Protect Wild Species?

Subscribe