Monthly Archives for June 2012

DIY Willow wreath

I had a bunch of fresh curly willow branches, so I decided to make a fun toy for my two parrots- a simple willow wreath.

You need an even number of twigs, so you can separate them into 2 groups and all you do is twist around each other. When you twist it till the end, form it into a circle, so you get a wreath. After that just keep adding branches until you are completely satisfied with the thickness of your wreath.

A closer look of the wreath

 To make two wreaths it took me 10 minutes all together, so it’s not that difficult- you just twist branches until you’re satisfied how it looks.

My IRN Ringo enjoying hers

Fresh picked from the garden

One of many perks of having a garden is that you’re able to grow what ever you like; from fruits and veggies, to beautiful flowers and trees.

This morning I went down to the garden and I’ve cut a few roses, lilies and willow branches, as well as harvested the last of my strawberries.

When it comes to parrot safe plants, please take into consideration that some of many lily species are not safe, however day-lilies (hemerocalis) are safe for your parrots. Lilies you see in the picture are not safe for parrots!  I’ve cut it, so I could put it in my vase.  Roses, on the other hand, are parrot safe.

Some parrot species, like indian ringneck, in the wild eat flowers as a part of their diet, so if you have a chance, offer parrot safe plants to your pets. If you are not sure if a certain plant is safe for your feathered companion, I found a wonderful list on Kitchen Physician.

Both Lino and Ringo enjoyed strawberries! I’ve placed them in a bowl on my kitchen counter and allowed them to pick what ever they liked. I think this is another very easy form of enrichment and they really liked it.

Strawberry season is coming to an end, so it’s good that everyone made the best out of it! Strawberries are easy to grow in a pot and they produce just as well, so you can plant them on your balcony if you don’t have a garden!

Coconut oil breakfast!

I love coconut, I really do. It is very healthy and has a wonderful taste. You can use it in so many different ways; from cooking, baking to making your own skin care.

Recently I bought a new jar of organic, cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil, both for my self and my parrots. If you’re buying it, try to find extra virgin coconut oil, because it’s a much better quality, nutrient vise. I can’t speak for the price, but here, difference between extra virgin and regular coconut oil (both were organic) was a little less than 3$. Usually, coconut oil is readily available at health food stores.

Today, I made breakfast for my parrots using coconut oil. I used coconut oil, Avian Organics fruit Apple fruit powder, Avian Organics Pear’ngs and come cinnamon. I used a spelt cracker/ toast to place all the ingredients on it. I’m not sure in what category it exactly goes under, but it’s made only out of spelt flower and some water. You can buy them at any health food store. Hopefully, you can tell from the picture.

 I make this for myself, also. If I’m making it for myself, I sprinkle some flax seed on top. This is Lino’s favorite snack and he’ll gobble it down! Ringo isn’t too sure about it, but I keep offering and maybe she’ll start to like it in the end. Coconut oil is sticky, meaning parrots can’t pick out just seeds without some coconut oil and fruit powder getting stuck to them. Pear’ngs is a wonderful blend made of sesame seeds, puffed amaranth, chia, hemp, bee pollen,…

How my parrot friendly garden is coming along

Earlier this spring, I’ve planted a few parrot safe plants, along with some healthy berry fruits. Today was such a lovely, sunny day so I decided to take a few pictures of how my plants are coming along.

Gooseberries

I’ve planted this wonderful berries this spring and they are growing fast! When I planted gooseberries, the plant was small, but it grew very fast! It’s in a semi-shaded spot, with sunlight in the morning and afternoon, after 4, so it’s in shade for the hottest part of the day.  I will be replanting it in the soil in the fall, but for now it will be in the pot, as it’s growing quite nicely. Gooseberries are actually a bush, so if you’re planting one, you should keep that in mind!

Gooseberries are packed with vitamin C and are a significant source of fiber and potassium.

Berries are very similar looking to grapes, but inside gooseberries have a lot of tiny seeds, whereas grapes have one bigger seed.

 Strawberries

Strawberries are the easiest berries to plant! I plant them in pots, because it’s much more easier to manage them. Strawberries tend to grow very fast, so if you purchase a few plants and plant them, next year you’ll have twice more plants.  Because of their fast growth, they use up nutrients in the soil very fast, so by planting them in pots, it’s very easy to change their soil every season. 

Strawberries are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, manganese,… They’ll do wonders for your health; from helping your cardiovascular system, blood sugar and they are also excellent anti-cancer food.

Blackberries and Raspberries 

Blackberries are  truly a super food! They contain enormous amounts of antioxidants, they are also packed with polyphenols, who help preventing cancer and heart disease. They are  high in vitamin C, E, K, manganese and fiber!

I’ve also planted them in a semi-shade like all of my berry plants, so they get sun in the morning and again, after 4 p.m. They, like all berry fruit, need a fair amount of water to be able to grow. Like strawberries, if they like their position, they will grow really fast.

Raspberries are another super easy to grow berries! They are, by far, my favorite fruit,  I think I could eat them all day, every day! They are, too, filled with antioxidants and vitamin C!

New Avian Organics order!

Few days ago, I’ve received my Avian Organics order. I just love how wonderful, healthy and nutritious their products are! Both of my parrots adore everything I ever got from this store and I just love  how easy it is to feed a healthy, balanced and organic diet, which they will actually eat without any fuss what so ever!!

So, here’s what I’ve ordered:

I wanted to try their new Apple Orchard Spice bread for a long time, so this order was the perfect opportunity to do just that. I’ve already baked it (I have pic I have to upload, so I’ll do that during the next couple of days) and my entire kitchen smelled like apples and cinnamon! Yuuuum!!! I have so many ideas for parrot recipes, so I bought apple and blueberry fruit powder for that. Can’t wait to do some cooking with them!

Cazuela is a staple around here, both of them love it and I use it as a foraging food. New things I wanted to try was the Pear’ngs and Pura Vida. Pear’ngs are a wonderful blend of dried pears, coconut, sesame seeds, amaranth, chia seeds, bee pollen and hemphearts. I topped it over their fresh foods this morning and they loved it, even though that wasn’t a surprise at all, as they gobble down everything I give them from Avian Organics.

Jungle Trails is a wonderful nut mix, made of almonds, dried chilies, puffed kamut, coconut, dried bananas and goji berries. When you open the bag, smell of the mix is amazing! Every time I order I pick a different nut mix for them to try out and Jungle Trails is their favorite by far! Mango Ginger Minis are a pellet alternative, perfectly sized for different types of foraging toys.

All of this products, along with some locally bought organic seeds, make their dry mix. I used to mix everything together in one large container, but I won’t be doing that any more, because keeping all the products separate makes it a lot easier for me to fill their toys with different items every time. I believe they get a much more diverse diet!