That’s Comical
By Laura Doering, Editor of BIRD TALK and BirdChannel.com
Join in on Laura's fun and experiences of bird ownership, and share in her adventures as the editor of BIRD TALK in Wayward Feathers.
I don’t typically read the comics, however, I came across not one, but two bird-themed cartoons in today’s paper. I love the pizza delivery one because it really hits home just how taxing raising a chick can be. I suppose the equivalent of “momma bird getting the night off” would be someone pulling the chick for hand-feeding or that person “co-parenting” (supplementing the chick with hand-feeding). If you think about it, our adult pet birds are in the same situation as chicks, regardless of who was raising them: their meals are delivered to them. Now I’m sure my conure, Ollie, would open the fridge and help himself to a bit of yogurt or heat up some pasta if he only had opposable thumbs. Ollie’s best bet is to jump down on the perch near his food bowl and make his “Wickey, wickey” sound; his way of communicating a menu order.
When I “fledged,” (headed off to college) I really missed the days when I could just sit down at the table and dinner was served (thanks Mom!). OK, I still do miss being spoiled that way, however, unlike my bird, I can always rummage through the fridge or pantry, or make a trip to the drive-thru depending on what I’m craving.
Back to the serving our birds part … since our birds rely on us for every meal, we should shop for their meals the same way we shop for ours. Instead of single items, think in terms of meals. For breakfast, perhaps a little scrambled egg and some broccoli. For an afternoon snack, perhaps a few blueberries. And for dinner, pasta (easy on the sauce) topped with some pine nuts might just hit the spot. And that’s just Monday. There are six more days of the week to expand your bird’s menu – and yours, since you and your bird can share most healthy foods.
This morning we (BirdChannel.com editors) filmed an upcoming web exclusive on making edible bird toys. I especially enjoyed the Mr. Apple Head, an apple complete with paisley hair, a carrot nose, blueberry eyes and dried corn for teeth. Mr. Apple Head started to look like Wilson from “Castaway” after Woody, the Meyer’s parrot, pulled off his nose, eyes and expanded his eye sockets with some precision chomping on the apple. When it comes to what we serve our birds, there are no rules on how you serve it, so if Mr. Apple Head is the only way to entice your bird to eating fruit or veggies, I suggest you find a good pairing knife.
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That’s Comical
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