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Examples of the colors I produce.

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All images are Copyright © 2019 by Karen Trinkaus and may not be used without permission.

Cockatiel Colors Examples of the colors I produce. All images are Copyright © 2019 by Karen Trinkaus and may not be used without permission.

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8 Bird Carriers Rated

How to pick the right carrier for your bird.

There are lots of reasons you might need to move your bird: vet visits, coming home for the first time, emergency evacuation. Carriers are essential to have around. My clients arrive for pick up with all kinds of carriers, so I’ve had a chance to see many of these in action. First I’ll go over what makes a good carrier, then I’ll grade some of the carriers I’ve seen.

There are four things you…

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Waitlist FAQ

How do I get added to your waitlist?

The best way to reach me is through Facebook. You can also email me, but my response will be a lot slower. Just let me know what species and if you’re looking for something in particular.

How long is your list?

Never ask me this. 🙂

It’s long. What happens is that I get a lot of people messaging me at the end of the breeding season, after everything has already…

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Sex Linked Genes

"How do you know the sex of that chick?" Sex-linked genes!

“How do you know the sex of that chick?”

I post a lot of chick pics and videos on my Facebook page. Many times I will identify a chick as male or female, sometimes as soon as it has hatched, and I inevitably receive this question. The answer is sex-linked genes.

I strongly recommend checking out my more in-depth article on bird genetics before delving in here. This article is a more cursory look…

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What is enrichment? 

Enrichment is an animal welfare principle that aims to increase a captive animal’s quality of life by going above and beyond the bare necessities (food, water, shelter). In particular, it strives to address the mental health of the animal as much as the physical.

Some common methods of enrichment:

providing toys/manipulatives

changing how food is offered

providing a more natural enclosure

training

opportunities to socialize

A tiger plays tug of war with guests.

Techniques are going to vary depending on what species you are working with, and why the animal is being kept. You would not enrich a parrot’s life the same way you would an elephant or a snake. Some methods of enrichment can satisfy multiple drives for an animal, such as this vinyl ball for a giraffe. It encourages the giraffe to stretch its neck and simulates wild foraging behavior. It also provides something novel to explore.

In pet birds, enrichment often takes the form of toys.

Foraging has gained popularity in recent years, and not just with birds. The concept of foraging is that it makes the animal work to get its food, as it would have to do in nature. One of my veterinarian professors fed his dogs out of a tool box filled with rocks. They had to shift rocks around and to get every bit of kibble, rather than wolfing everything down in seconds.

Many foraging toys are available on the market. The options below are designed for repeated use, but it’s important to have destructible toys as this better mimics how parrots forage in nature.

Most psittacines have a desire to chew. Their beaks are specially designed to eat fruit/seeds in their green state. This gives them a competitive edge against other species that have to wait for food to ripen. Offering destructible items, be they wood or paper or food, can fulfill this need to chew.

With the wide variety of toys available to pet owners, it can be easy to associate enrichment with toys alone. This narrow view of enrichment has resulted in many laypeople criticizing breeding enclosures based on their distinct lack of toys. There are several problems with this.

Toys are dangerous. 

Safety is a huge problem with toys. Although things have gotten much better in recent years, the fact remains that birds, like children, are great at finding ways to injure themselves. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen birds hung up on toys, either by their band or a toe or a foot. Yes, they can get hung up without a band. Leave the band alone and check the cage and toys for hazards instead.

This is especially dangerous for breeder birds, who are generally not tame and may panic if approached, injuring themselves further.

As fun as toys may be for pet birds, they are still an unnatural element designed by humans and there are risks of injury, toxicity, and death. I’m not saying toys are bad, I’m saying breeders often employ safer enrichment options.

Nesting birds often ignore toys. 

Pairs that are actively nesting are generally too preoccupied with the business of raising the next generation to be bothered with toys. An incubating hen isn’t going to be playing with toys, but what about the male? Males will usually sit on guard duty outside the nestbox when they are not feeding. Play is not a concern for them at that time- safety and security of the nest site is. As soon as chicks are pulled for handfeeding, pairs will go back to playing with toys.

Safer, Alternative Methods of Enrichment

Tony Silva gives several ideas here. I’m a big fan of food enrichment. Psittacines are naturally destructive and offering whole food items is a great substitute for manufactured toys.

This is a Brussels sprout stalk. I tie a rope around it and hang it in the cage. The right image is what it looks like after my ringnecks have been at it for a week. They LOVE edible toys.

Here Loki is destroying half a pumpkin.

For smaller species, leafy greens work well. Skewers are also a favorite. I can throw several whole carrots in with my ringnecks and they will have great fun destroying them. It’s safer and gets birds to try a wide variety of foods. Chop is nice, but my birds have much more fun with whole items.

Planted aviaries are very difficult to do with psittacines. I tried putting a ficus tree with my kakarikis once and it didn’t go well for the tree. Tree clippings are a more realistic option. We have numerous citrus trees around our property and they give us plenty of fresh branches for play. Just make sure your clippings are from nontoxic species and haven’t been sprayed or collected next to a road (exhaust builds up on the plants).

Social Interaction

Flocking is another method of enrichment. Pet birds are often kept isolated in small cages. Their owner may be their only source of social interaction. If the species is naturally very gregarious, this can lead to stress if, like most humans, their owner has a job away from home. This is why I recommend having at least two birds.

Many parrot species live together in large groups and break off into pairs for breeding. This can be mimicked by housing birds in smaller cages for breeding and then flocking them together during the off season. It gives them a chance to socialize, but also exercise.

Which brings me to another source of enrichment…

Aviaries

My first batch of show cockatiels came from a breeder whose husband developed Bird Keeper’s Lung. She already sold most of her stock by the time I got to her, and was considering taking the leftovers to a bird mart. But then she lamented that pet owners might buy them and keep them in tiny cages. After living the good life in an aviary, fully flighted with an actual flock, being stuck indoors in a pet cage seems a cruel fate.

I want to be clear–there’s nothing wrong with keeping birds indoors, in pet cages, or clipping wings. My own personal pets are kept that way. BUT, nothing beats an aviary for enrichment. Nothing. They can fly–not in a house, where there are lots of hidden dangers–but in a space designed for birds. They can feel the sunshine and fresh air. They can feel the seasons change (yes, even winter). It’s a whole different level of care, and if you have the ability to build an aviary, even just for nice summer days, I highly recommend it.

© 2020 by Karen Trinkaus. May not be reprinted or used in any way without the author’s permission.

How enrichment differs between aviculturists and pet owners What is enrichment?  Enrichment is an animal welfare principle that aims to increase a captive animal's quality of life by going above and beyond the bare necessities (food, water, shelter).

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Green Cheek Colors

These are some of the colors we produce. All of these are babies from previous seasons.

These are some of the colors we produce. All of these are babies from previous seasons. We do not get all of these colors every year. Normal, yellow-sided, and yellow-sided dilutes are our most common colors. Please check here for availability.

normal

yellow-sided

dilute

cinnamon

pineapple (cinnamon yellow-sided)

yellow-sided dilute

From left to right: yellow-sided, yellow-sided turquoise,…

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Indian Ringneck Colors

These are some of the colors we produce.

These are some of the colors we produce. All of these are babies from previous seasons. Ringnecks are seasonal breeders, so we have a limited quantity each year. In 2020 we should be able to get cinnamon, green, lutino, and albino as well. Please check here for availability.

Blue (left) and violet (right)

blue pallid (white head with sky blue wash)

grey turquoise

grey

turquoise

violet pallid…

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Available Indian Ringnecks

RINGNECKS ARE NOT LIKE MOST PARROTS

Please read the care sheet before contacting me about purchasing a ringneck. They are intelligent, INDEPENDENT birds. They are NOT CUDDLY. If you want a cuddly bird, please look at my green cheek conures.

Breeding season for ringnecks is Dec-Mar. I set my pairs up in Feb or March, once it starts warming up. I have a limited number of babies every year as…

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Available Green Cheek Conures

Available Green Cheek Conures

If you are looking for breeders, please let me know. Most of my birds have a variety of splits.

Last updated: 6/25/2019

#24, Dilute yellow-sided. Male. $400

#27, Dilute yellow-sided. Female. $400

#29 Normal. Sex pending. $250

#31 Normal. Sex pending. $250

#32 Normal. Sex pending. $250

#33 Normal. Sex pending. $250

#34 Normal. Sex pending. $250

#35 Turquoise male. $350

#38 Normal. Sex pending. $250

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Available Cockatiels

I am located near Sacramento, CA. Facebook is my preferred method of communication. To reserve a baby, please message me there with the bird’s band # (located in the picture caption). You can email me but my response will not be as fast.

A non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a bird until it’s finished weaning. The deposit for cockatiels is $50 though PayPal. The balance is due at pick…

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How (Not to) Sex Cockatiels

Cockatiels are dimorphic, which means males and females look different. They're pretty easy to sex IF you know what to look for. Unfortunately, there's a plethora of misinformation online.

Cockatiels are dimorphic, which means males and females look different. They’re pretty easy to sex IF you know what to look for. Unfortunately, there’s a plethora of misinformation online. When it comes to sexing cockatiels, mutations matter, and most people simply don’t have the expertise to do it accurately. This is because certain rules of sexing are conditional, and if you don’t know the…

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Starter Pets: What makes a good beginner pet?

Starter Pets: What makes a good beginner pet?

I’m tired of people acting like starter pets aren’t a thing. Cockatiels and budgies do well in just about every household. Cockatoo and lories absolutely do not. Would you recommend a macaw as a first bird? I didn’t think so.

Starter does NOT mean disposable. It means easy to for beginners to keep. Starter pets are your most laid back, your most versatile. They’re the chill animals who go with…

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Green Cheek Conure Growth Guide

Green Cheek Conure Growth Guide

These are several different babies. They don’t magically change color from day to day. Remember when looking at weight that these are averages and that a full/empty crop influences weight.

© 2018 by Karen Trinkaus. May not be reprinted or used in any way without the author’s permission.

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Indian Ringneck Growth Guide

Keep in mind when viewing the weights that sometimes the crop is full and other times it is empty. This can cause the weight to vary.

© 2018 by Karen Trinkaus. May not be reprinted or used in any way without the author’s permission.

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The purpose of this guide is to give beginning breeders and general idea of where their chicks should be at a certain age. It is important to notice stunting early so that it can be rectified before the chick falls too far behind.

All images are © 2004 by Karen Trinkaus unless otherwise noted and may not be reprinted or used in any way without the author’s permission.

The purpose of this guide is to give beginning breeders and general idea of where their chicks should be at a certain age. The purpose of this guide is to give beginning breeders and general idea of where their chicks should be at a certain age.

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Birds are usually housed in group aviaries or flight cages during the off season. California has nice weather which allows us to keep birds outdoors year-round where they get plenty of fresh air and sunshine.

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Cockatiels may be bred in group aviaries or individual cages. Ringneck and conure pairs are set up in separate cages.

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A good diet is fed to maintain fitness and provide enrichment. The base diet is pellets and seed. Fresh foods are provided daily, with extra soft foods available during breeding.

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Chicks are left with their parents for two to three weeks, if possible, before being pulled for handfeeding. If a pair is not taking care of their eggs/chicks, I attempt to foster under another pair first if that is an option. My incubators are an R-com 20 and a styrofoam style which doubles as a day 1-7 brooder. My brooder is a Brinsea TLC-50 Eco.

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Weaning Cages start out with low perches, boxes for hiding, and a flat surface for babies to stand on. Once babies can perch consistently well they are moved to a typical cage set up.

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Babies are socialized in my home.

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For the most up to date pictures of our facility and babies, please follow us on Facebook.

Facility pictures all in one place. Birds are usually housed in group aviaries or flight cages during the off season. California has nice weather which allows us to keep birds outdoors year-round where they get plenty of fresh air and sunshine.

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The Best Enrichment: A Flock

The Best Enrichment: A Flock If you are on the fence about getting a second bird, know that your concern is quite common, but the best thing for birds in the long run is to have access to other feathered friends.

One of the things I typically ask potential customers is “do you have any birds now?” If they do not, I try to convince them to get two. Wild psittacines live together in large flocks or small family groups. They are not mentally designed to live alone and when you have a single bird, even if you spend a lot of time with it, there are going to be times when you’re not around- work, school,…