Introducing Enrichment with Flowers

After putting up a list of edible flowers on Parrot Social forum (a new forum devoted to all species of parrots) I've decided to add some to Digby's dinner plate. I knew he wouldn't be too interested in eating them, but the colours were sure to brighten up his day a bit.

So here is his dinner plate yesterday: nasturtium flowers, calendula flower, nasturtium leaf, mint sprig, raspberries, blackberries, rose hip, yellow crab apple, cosmos flower three types of roses and a rose bud.

I first presented the plate to him with just those goodies so that he could explore, which he readily did.

He then ate the raspberries, blackberry and the crab apple

And afterwards his dinner was served on the same plate. 

Today he has found that big red rose on the sofa and happily shredded it, eating the base of the rose, where the rosehip would form from later on.

The experiment was a success so I will be bringing in more flowers to Digby's plate regularly from now on. 

Phytobalm By Hilton Herbs

I always rave about Hilton Herbs brand and there is a chance that people are bored of it already. But I absolutely love their stuff. One of my most favourite products is Phytobalm 

Phytobalm is a soothing cream made up of entirely natural ingredients, which include: Shea Butter, Calendula oil and plant extract, Myrrh - (Commiphora molmol) essential oil, Propolis, Hypericum (St John’s Wort) oil and tincture. 

It looks like a beige cream, not too greasy and is absorbed quite quickly. It has a nice natural smell of the ingredients used in it.

Right now I am just finishing a small pot of it I was sent when I won a HiltonHerbs quiz (that was fun and I was really pleased to get the goodies). It's well worth subscribing to their newsletter as they sent  these fun quizzes, plenty of useful information on natural healing with herbs and tinctures and an occasional discount code.

Phytobalm contains only natural preservatives and natural ingredients, hence even if an animal consumes a bit of it (licks the surface where it was put on for example) it won't harm him. 

I use it for pretty much any skin problem round here. I used it on my rabbit's feet, on my Digby's feet when he gets little cracks on them, (a legacy his previous owners left me) and on my own skin too. It is amazing at soothing any inflammation, reducing the swelling and helping the healing process. It solved a few of my own problems painlessly and super quickly too. 

The ingredients in it are carefully selected for their healing and anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties. Shea butter is the best hydrating natural ingredient I've tried. I have very dry eczema prone skin and have tried lots of things, shea butter is by far the best hypo allergenic moisturiser. 

Calendula, propolis and st john's wort are great at preventing inflammation, fighting bacteria, fungus and helping skin heal. 

It is a very broad spectrum cream which can be used on any animals from little rats to large horses for any skin related problems, from the simplest to the more difficult long-healing ones.


It would suit perfectly any parrot with skin problems, self-mutilation problems or with any hard to heal wound.


It can be purchased here http://hiltonherbs.co.uk

Our Favourite Toys

There are a few toys which I just keep on buying because the birds never lose interest in them and they are suitable for both Digby and the budgies.

Party Balls by Foragewise

You can get them either individually or in a bunch of three. They come in two sizes - small and large. Both are suitable for a parrot, but the small ones would get destroyed in seconds, and the large ones might be too scary for the small birds like budgies but ideal for parrots.

They are brilliant because they are inexpensive (I buy bunches of three and then split them and give one bal at a time), they can be used as a foraging toy (there is already shredded paper inside but you can add some of your own fillings too) and so great for shredding.

Party Bags by Foragewise

These are very similar to the party balls - just paper bags with tissue paper on which makes them irresistible for Digby and great for stuffing with all sorts of goodies. Very inexpensive but very short-lived.

Bird Kabob Parrot Chips  Pack of 20

These yucca chips are super shreddable and super fun. Budgies spend hours destroying the pieces and Digby loves them too. I either put them on a stainless steel skewer or stuff into foraging toys. Or they can be used as a foot toy. Very versatile stuff.

Birdie Bagels 

These are a favourite of many birds. They are made of parrot safe cardboard and are non-toxic. Again, super versatile toy. I chain them together, put them between the cage bars for the budgies to use as sitting platforms/perches, cut them n half and stuff into foraging toys. They come in a variety of sizes so there is something or any size parrot. 

That is just some of the many shreddable, disposable toys I always have a small supply of. Will post about more permanent "fixtures" later on, like foraging wheel, stainless steel foraging cages, etc. More toys to come. 

In Season: Kale

Winter is a quiet season for fresh produce, but you can still find this lovely leafy green at the farmers' markets - Kale, or its varieties, like Cavolo Nero.
Kale is quite tough when raw so you would normally cook it for yourself but birds, rabbits and other greens eating animals are pretty happy with it raw. The best way to cook Kale and to preserve all its goodness is to steam it for about 5 minutes.


I always make an effort to add it to my Chop and Dudley loves chewing it up as it is, so do the budgies and even Digby doesn't mind a little nibble on the central juicy stalk.

Kale contains plenty of fibre, which keeps the digestive tract happy and healthy, helps to eliminate the toxins and excess cholesterol. Kale contains the compounds, called glucosinolates, which provide extra help in detoxification of the body and even helps to prevent certain types of cancer (a magical vegetable we are dealing with here). It is also rich in flavonoids which help with a lot of health related issues - they are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Kale contains vitamins A, C and K in abundance. Plus it is a good source of such minerals as manganese, calcium, potassium, and magnesium (vital for a relaxed happy mood. Magnesium is considered a nature's anti-depressant). It even contains a small amount of essential fatty acids, for healthy skin, heart and brain.

There is one drawback when it comes to Kale. It is quite high in oxalates, the compounds which can bind calcium forming crystals. Normally they would be excreted from the body via kidneys but sometimes they can accumulate and create kidney stones. So if your parrot (or you) suffer from kidney related disease then it's best to avoid using Kale. Otherwise it is good to remember that everything is good in moderation if you or your parrot are healthy.

Milk Thistle Detox

Right now we are having a little detox in our family. It includes taking milk thistle daily. Those detoxing are the budgies and Digby, and I might join in soon too.
For detox I use Milk Thistle tincture, but it has to be glycerine based and not alcohol based. I get mine from HERE

Milk Thistle is quite a safe herb. It can cause allergic reactions in people with allergies to the flowers of the daisy family but that is about the only warning on it, if used correctly.

Milk Thistle has long been known for its liver healing properties. Silymarin, the active compound of milk thistle, protects liver cells from toxic compounds, thus allowing it to restore itself in the meantime. Milk thistle is also used in treatment of diabetes as it helps to control insulin levels. It's been shown to possess anti-cancer properties too. So all in all it is a great herb for humans and animals alike, with no side effects.

When using remedies meant for humans we usually establish the dose for the animals by extrapolating it from the human dosage. It's suggested to use 3ml per day for humans. Considering an average parrot is about 100 times smaller than an average human the dose for a 500g parrot would be 0.03ml. 1ml is about 25 drops. So if you were to give the tincture directly in the beak you would need to give about 0.7 drops, which is practically impossible. So a reasonable thing to do is to add about 3-4 drops per 200ml bowl of water. For smaller birds, like budgies, who are prone to liver disease, milk thistle will be great too. Mine get 1 drop in a 50ml of water

It's obvious the parrot won't drink the whole bowl of water in a day so no way will overdose and should get just about the right amount to give his liver a little helping hand.

I give milk thistle for 6 days and then give them one day rest. The course will continue for about a month or two.

The liver is a vital organ and the one which often suffers in parrots because they have to deal with a huge amount of toxins on a daily basis which come from their food (in a form of residual fertilisers and pesticides), toys and their paints, etc. Inappropriate diet causes a lot of liver problems too. So supporting liver through this natural and safe therapy sounds like a good idea.

Matzo Crackers

If you are one of those people who finds it hard to resist giving a parrot whatever you are eating and you like your crackers or biscuits, Matzo crackers could be something worth considering for you. They are crackers which are basically made of just flour and water. No salt added, no sugar, yeast, or in fact any other additives. They are pure as pure can get when it comes to crackers.

They are still only good as a rare treat, because they have zero nutrition really, but at least in small quantities they won't harm, like all the salt in regular crackers could.

To make things more fun you can make a cracker sandwich (again, it shouldn't be more than a rare treat).

You will need:
1 Matzo cracker
a tiny blob of unsalted nut butter
a thin slice of cheese (something like edam or emmental is better than cheddar) of the size of 5p coin
a thin slice of apple of the same size as cheese

Break your cracker in two small squares. Spread a bit of nut butter on both of them. Top one with cheese and apple then cover with the other piece of cracker.

Microwave the concoction for 3-5 seconds (it is a tiny piece of cracker, that is why the time is so short). It will melt the cheese and the whole sandwich will easily stick together. You can squeeze it tighter when it is out of the microwave. Cool down. Now it won't fall apart when your parrot is eating it. Serve.

Veggie Wrap

For this simple recipe you will need (per one or two parrots)

About 1/4 of a wholemeal tortilla wrap
1 cherry tomato
a few slices of a red bell pepper
a teaspoon of corn
a small amount of chopped parsley or coriander (I used lamb lettuce as this was the only thing I had on hand, but the herbs would work better)
an absolutely tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, chilli pepper or paprika
a drop of olive oil

Chop up the pepper, tomatoe and herbs. 

Put a drop of oil on the frying pan (it really just needs a tiny bit since the amount of the ingredients is so small). Put your peppers, tomatoe, corn and herbs, sprinkle with the spices and stir for about a minute on medium heat. 

Empty the mix on your tortilla wrap (I cut a small-ish square out of it as it is easier to roll it up like that).

Roll the whole thing up and it is ready to be served. 

To wrap it up I moved the filling to the right, folded the sides in over the topping and then rolled the whole thing up.