If you have a parrot that is plucking its feathers due to skin irritation, it is essential that it be offered a good quality mixed diet with plenty of vitamin A-rich foods. But, it is also vital to offer warm and soothing showers daily too - which is beneficial to all parrots - to help relieve the bird of the constant irritation. Some parrots happily take to misting sessions, but there are many that don't. If you have a bird that shies away as soon as you get the mister out, it may not be the shower he dislikes, but the mister!
Not all misters are the same, and using the right one can be the difference between success and failure. Tina Waters explains how she got over the problem, and stopped her Grey from plucking its feathers, in our Living with three African Greys and a Galah in the January issue of Parrots...

It has been an interesting year for Parrots magazine, as we have seen the number of our Facebook fans now topping 3000 and many new subscribers coming on board. It is gratifying to see so many parrot owners are providing the best care for their birds.

We have covered some amazing stories demonstrating the sheer dedication of owners and the amazing tasks they have undertaken.  Social media has played a significant role in helping owners to communicate with each other, which has led to a lot of information and advice being shared.

Our new show next year - Think Parrots 2012 - has already brought together some amazing 'parrot' people and I hope it will also provide much enjoyment and interest on the day (20th May).

So with Christmas Day not that many hours away, I would like to wish all our readers, Facebook fans and contributors, a really great Christmas and many more happy years to enjoy with our birds.

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