We are a group of parrot owners who meet each month to
discuss our unique pets and learn how to be better parrot owners. We also attend community events and visit schools, daycares and senior centres to educate the general public about the needs of these wonderful creatures. At our meetings we sometimes view educational videos, listen to speakers, have toy-making workshops, take part in lively discussions and come up with ways to earn money for avian causes, both for parrots in our homes and in the wild.
We offer members:
a lending library of books and videos
a monthly newsletter with club news and parrot info
discounts at certain pet stores
access to avian experts and professionals
access to those trained to clip your bird's wings and nails
raffles full of great stuff - avian and otherwise
the opportunity to learn from others living with parrots
a great time with people who, like you, love birds!
- to educate parrot owners about caring properly for their feathered companions.
- to educate the general public about the pros and cons of parrot ownership, thereby avoiding rehomed birds
- to support avian research, care facilities and conservation in the wild through education and fundraising
We'd Love To Have You!
We meet on the 3rd Monday of every month in the basement of St. Mary's Catholic Church, 95 Marlborough St. N., Blenheim, Ontario at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30.
If you'd just like to check us out you may attend one meeting free of charge. A year's membership is just $25. and includes any family members that may attend with you.
Parrots are also welcome but we ask that they be healthy and clipped, harnessed or in a cage.
Phone 519-674-0523 or e-mail ckparrotclub_hotmail.com for more information.
Monday January 17th 2011: It was good to see everyone again in the new year! We "resolved" to try to raise as much as possible for "Pennies for Parrots" before the next Canadian Parrot Conference. After the business portion of the meeting we talked about behaviour issues and had a lively discussion on feather plucking issues.
Monday, February 21, 2011: Our first "Parrot Trivia Night" was a lot of fun for those attending. Pat and Betty went home with prizes for their knowledge! The winner of the "Name the Newsletter" contest was announced. Thanks to Phil, our monthly publication is called "Facts 'n Feathers". Congratulations Phil! We hope Dilaw enjoys her new toy!
Saturday, March 19, 2011: Our club once again attended Guelph University, Ridgetown Campus' Spring Expo. We were out in record numbers, with 14 parrots, from Linneolated Parakeet to Green-wing Macaw. Many of our birds won prizes in their pet contests, which are always a lot of fun. If you check the Ridgetown paper on Wednesday, March 30, we expect a group shot of our members with their birds. Thanks so much to the vet tech students who organize this event each year.
Monday, March 21, 2011: Besides our normal business, we brain-stormed for ideas to get us more publicity in Chatham. We would like to pull more members from that community. Vickie showed slides and some short videos from the Ridgetown Pet Review. We also discussed the problems parrot owners have during the "hormonal season" and how to cope with our feathered friends until it passes.
Monday, April 18: We continued our discussion on hormonal issues in parrots, made some more money for Pennies 4 Parrots with another raffle and planned upcoming events in Chatham. Vickie gave out flyers and pamphlets to be distributed around various communities in hopes of attracting new members.
Monday, May 16: This was our 6th anniversary meeting and elections. Since there were no nominees for office the executive remains the same until next May. Vickie distributed hand-outs on Spring cleaning within a parrot household and we discussed tips for keeping things tidy.The meeting wrapped up with our anniversary "Macaw" cake.
Saturday, May 28: Our club attended Chatham Retrofest for the first time, as guests of the Chatham Kinsmen Club. People were very interested in our birds, we were able to do some educating and we helped "kick off" the upcoming Kinsmen Fair. Thanks to the Kinsmen for letting us share their booth!
Friday - Sunday, June 10 - 12: Thanks so much again to the Kinsmen for inviting us to the Chatham Kinsmen Fair! Dale, Lillian, Charlotte, Pat, myself and our parrots had a great time visiting with people and answering questions about our avian companions. This is the 2nd time we have attended this event and we really enjoy it! And a huge thank-you to the Kinsmen for their generous donation to our club!
Monday, June 20: We watched part of the video "Caring for Parrots" by Dr. Jan Hooimeijer and discussed his 5 step protocol for interacting with parrots. We also planned our visit to the upcoming Blenheim Cherry Fest.
Saturday, July 16: For the sixth time our club attended Blenheim's Cherry Fest. As always, it was a wonderful time! Thanks to our feathered members; Gabby, Sookie, Angel, Charlie, Dilaw, Abby and Coco, everyone who visited us went away smiling.
Monday, July18: Instead of our usual meeting this is the club's annual Pot-luck barbecue. This summer it is at Vickie's.
Monday, August 15: We took some pictures for our upcoming calendar. Parrots; Taylor, Dilaw, Coco and Charlie were in attendance. We also earned more money for Pennies 4 Parrots with another raffle. After event planning we discussed how to introduce a shy parrot to a new, larger cage.
Saturday, September 10: Members and birds had a great time at A&M Garden Centre in Lambeth for their Harvest Fest Celebration. We talked to many visitors and also sold some of our 2012 calendars.
Monday, September 19: This meeting was focused on parrot nutrition. After much discussion, members went home with hand-outs on the subject and a couple of birdie recipes!
Sunday, September 25: One of our favourite events, the E/K Cage Bird Society's annual show, took place this weekend. We were there on the Sunday to visit with people and take part in their "Just for fun" companion parrot contests.
Monday, October 17: This was a "Halloween meeting". Members were asked to dress in the colours of their parrots and we played some parrot related Halloween games. We enjoyed Halloween cookies with our lunch and some of us even took home prizes for our birds!
OUR BEAUTIFUL 2012 PARROT CALENDARS ARE READY! ANYONE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING ONE FOR $20. PLEASE E-MAIL ckparrotclub_hotmail.com. PROFITS GO TO PARROT CONSERVATION.
Add pages to your website.
1. Manage using the page manager on the right
duplicate, hide, rename, password protect & more
2. Resize pages by dragging at the edges
3. Drag & drop content in. Be sure to keep inside the page boundary
4. Add Menu from the bottom to add navigation
1. ACQUIRING A COMPANION PARROT
There are three recommended sources from which to find your new companion: an accredited breeder, a reputable pet store specializing in parrots or a re-homing situation (bringing home a bird who can no longer be cared for properly where he is).
A parrot should not be an impulse purchase! Make sure that you research the different species of parrots before deciding on the right one for your personality and life style. Parrots are not for everyone. They are demanding, messy and noisy. Some species are much louder than others but ALL parrots will make noise. If getting a baby, it is also a very good idea to visit someone who has an adult parrot of the same species that you want. All babies are cute and sweet, but you need to know how he will behave as an adult.
2. BRINGING HOME BABY
Before bringing your new friend home, you should have his cage set up and ready, including food, water and toys. This way baby won'’t have to wait in an unfamiliar situation while you attempt to assemble a cage, etc. If you can include a favourite toy from his previous home, that will help him to adjust more easily.
If you have another bird already at home it is advisable to quarantine the newcomer for at least a month, to avoid your existing flock catching any hidden illness that the new bird may be harbouring.(you should take your new parrot to the vet either before you bring him home or immediately after) Even though it is impossible for most of us, you should have the newbie in an area with a separate ventilation system, thereby avoiding the transmission of any airborne viruses. When feeding and cleaning cages always service your existing parrots first.To properly socialize baby, you need to interact with him often, even though he is in a different part of the house from your other parrots.
This is an ideal time to start training your baby, while you have him away from the other birds and/or household distractions.
3. YOUR PARROT'’S DIET
With the possible exception of budgies and cockatiels, parrots should be on a pellet based diet, supplemented with fruits, vegetables, whole wheat bread, rice and pasta, nuts and some seed as a treat. Pellets as the main diet may be too high in protein for budgies and ‘tiels, therefore they can have more seed than other parrots, but should also be consuming the aforementioned foods.
Some species of parrots have special dietary requirements so please consult your avian vet on this subject.
4. CAGE REQUIREMENTS
Buy the largest cage that you can afford for your parrot, being careful that the bar spacing is neither too small (toes could get caught) nor too big (heads could get stuck or bird could escape). At the very least, the width of the cage should be large enough for 2x your parrot’'s unclipped wing span. There should also be room for 3 perches of different sizes and materials and 2 or 3 toys, which should be rotated weekly, to prevent boredom. You also need two food dishes and one for water.
5. KEEPING POLLY AND HER ENVIRONMENT CLEAN
Just as you wouldn'’t want to live in a filthy house, neither does your parrot. Each day the cage bars, grate, perches and toys should be scraped or washed free of fecies and dried food. Cage paper should be changed as well. Paper makes the best cover for the cage bottom since it allows you to see the droppings clearly and thereby monitor the bird'’s health. Food and water dishes should be replaced with clean ones. About monthly, depending on how “messy” your parrot is, the whole cage should be washed and disinfected.
Your parrot needs a bath or shower several times a week -– every day if you can.
6. ENRICHMENT
Parrots are very intelligent creatures and need activities to pass the time. They should have 3 kinds of toys: destructible (they must chew!), manipulative and banging, swinging toys. They will also benefit greatly from foraging activities, since they are programmed to find food in the wild –- not receive it in a bowl!
7. PART OF THE FAMILY
Polly is a very social creature and loves to be with the family. When you are home, your parrot can be near you on a play stand. When you are busy she will be happy to be in the same room, amusing herself with toys or just watching what is going on.
Parrots need, at the very least, an hour of one on one time with their people. This means that you are interacting with only her. This could be play time, a training session or sitting together watching TV.
Above all, give your companion lots of love!
Stay featured or remove this badge.
![bird show september 011[1].JPG](http://static.wix.com/media/31c94a_a5c7c25395266060273aad191b1a6f43.jpg_128)
