Some Hints on Parrot-Keeping.



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well to shut it at night, anyhow during the winter ; otherwise the

seed attracts enormous quantities of mice, which in turn attract the

Owls,—and then good-bye to your smaller Parrakeets 1


I need hardly say that the Parrots themselves should never

be caught on the trap except in case of illness or other urgent

necessity. Not only does it make them exceedingly shy of returning

to feed, but there is always a slight risk of their being struck and

injured by the falling sides.


Lastly, it is, as I have already pointed out, absolutely neces¬

sary to familiarise them thoroughly with the appearance of the tray

before they receive their liberty. As a general rule, the larger the

bird the longer it will take to learn to recognise a trap-tray,

wherever encountered, as the “ fons et origo ” of a good square meal.


The ailments of parrots are many and various, and of all

birds they make the worst patients, since owing to the peculiar

formation and immense power of the mandibles it is almost

impossible to forcibly administer in effective quantities either food

or medicine, which, when really sick, they usually refuse to touch

voluntarily. In most cases there is only one remedy to be tried,

viz., heat, and it must be real heat,—a temperature of 85°—90°

evenly maintained night and day, and not merely the comfortable

warmth of a living room at 60° (which probably drops to 45° during

the course of the night). The effect ef great heat on a sick Parrot

is often little short of marvellous, and I would strongly recommend

everyone who owns a valuable collection of tropical or semi-tropical

birds to have a small room specially fitted up as a “baking”

hospital. Like the tiger recommended in the Bad Child’s Book of

Beasts to overburdened parents, “ it well repays the trouble and

expense,” and time and time again it will save a rare treasure which

otherwise would inevitably be lost.


I will now deal briefly with some of the commoner Parrot

ailments, their symptoms, and what I have found from my own

experience to be the best treatment :—


ENTERITIS. —One of the most frequent and fatal of bird diseases.

With Parrots, generally due to chill, but sometimes caused

by the presence of some irritant or poison in the bowels.

The affected bird puffs its feathers, shivers, and often sits with



