Monday, November 23, 2009
Thanksgiving
By Linda Costello
Explore the diaries of daily life with large birds.
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The birds get ready for the Thanksgiving feast!
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Boo, a blue-and-gold macaw, poses for a Thanksgiving card.
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Muggsy, an African grey, poses as the Thanksgiving turkey.
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Time to get ready for the Thanksgiving feast!
Is your bird a turkey like mine? My African grey, Muggsy, is a ham ... Err, I mean turkey, who doesn't mind lying on her back.
I have this silly picture I took of some of my parrots on a table set with my special parrot dishes, bought at JC Penney's a few years ago. It makes me laugh but I'm always aware of the dangers that could be lurking in my kitchen when it comes to my parrots. For obvious reasons, I don't let them see the turkey going in or coming out of the oven! After all, the turkey is a bird and when plucked and ready for the oven it does resemble a large parrot!
Seriously though, many dangers lurk in the kitchen area when holidays are near. Top of the list is Teflon or any nonstick pots, pans or appliances.
If you're like me, with guests coming for the feast, you might decide to give your oven an overdue cleaning. Because oven cleaning uses high heat to burn debris they also create toxic fumes in the process that could kill our birds.
I know there are many people who will say they have used their self-cleaning feature with no ill effects but I say these people have been very lucky. It takes only one time for things to go wrong and the damage can never be undone!
Some people like to roast their turkey in those roasting bags that are so popular now. Be sure to read the label beforehand, as a lot of these bags are treated with nonstick coatings. Even the tin foil commonly used to cover the turkey to keep it moist as it roasts can be treated with the deadly nonstick coating.
My birds depend on me to keep them safe and I take that responsibility seriously. Most people know about kitchen dangers, but a gentle reminder never hurts and if it saves the life of just one parrot it is well worth the effort of passing the information along.
Hope everyone has a happy, safe and parrot-safe Thanksgiving. Tell me how your parrots share in your Thanksgiving festivities.
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