August - RAAVE

Reno Area Avian Enthusiasts
May 2014
August
Volume 22, Issue 8
Inside this issue:
President’s Perch
2
Bird Obesity Facts
3
RAAVE Flyer
4
Celebrating the Life of 5
Presley
Keep Pests Out of
Your Birds Cage
6
Birds Needing New
Homes
7
Spix’s Macaw Quiz
8
Next Months Meeting:
Workshops and
More
When: Saturday,
September 21st
Where:
Sun Valley Landowners
Association
Details:
Details to follow in
next Cageliner issue
Cageliner
Exotic Birds & Parrots on Parade
On Saturday, August 16
from 11am to 3pm, our
club will be presenting our
birds to the public with
our first "bird show". We
will have our birds at our
meeting place along with
their owners to let the
public see them, talk to us
about our birds, what it's
like to have birds as pets.
This will be a RAAVE
fundraiser with a small
admission fee, and raffles,
and vendors. We are excited about this event and
hope everyone will spread
the word to friends to
come to the show. The
vendors are a varied
group, so there will be
something to see for all!
If you have a bird or birds
that you would like to
have at this event, please
contact any board member to get information
about participating. It will
be a fun and informal way
to show off your birds!
We have a number of
birds already signed up,
but the more the merrier!
We also need people to
help with the door for
admission, sell raffle tickets, and help in other du-
ties. This will be a fun event
and we hope to see you
there! We are
setting up at the meeting
place starting at 9 am to be
ready by 11am when
we open to the public. Again
contact any board member if
you are able to
participate with or without a
bird… We need you!
RAAVE had a fabulous garage sale at the zoo last
month! We had many people going to the zoo come by
and buy lots of stuff. Thanks
to all the RAAVE members
that helped make this event
a great success! And thanks
to all of you that donated
items! We could not have
done so well without the
help and participation of
RAAVE members. Thanks to
Sierra Safari Zoo for giving us
the space to hold the event.
If you have time to help
with the sale, we would be
most grateful!
We hope to see you at this
August meeting! We have
so much going on and hope
that many of you will participate to help make this a
successful event! If you
can't help, show up to see
what's going on and cheer
us on! Moral support is just
as important! Thanks to all
of you for supporting our
club and being members!
--Rose Mueller,
Vice President
What to know for this
months meeting:



We had so many items
donated that we will have
another small garage sale in
the parking lot of the meeting place during the bird
show. Since these two
events are our fundraisers,
we also need help to manage
this garage sale. If you have
items to donate, bring them.


Saturday, August 16,
from 11am to 3pm
At the Sun Valley Landowners Association.
5360 Sun Valley Blvd.
RAAVE will be hosting
a second smaller yard
sale at the parade
Win raffle prizes
Visit the vendors
booths
Page 2
The Cageliner
President’s Perch
We had a Great turn out at the Annual Garage Sale at the SAFARI ZOO!
I wish to express my many thanks to the seventeen club members and
friends that helped setup and tear down the event. I would also like to
thank everyone who generously made donations!
August
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer’s reports are published
2 months in arrears.
No report submitted.
— Sandy Griffiths, Treasurer
I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the August, Exotic Birds &
Parrots on Parade.
— Jim Palmer, President
Safari Zoo Garage Sale Fundraiser Pictures
.
The Cageliner
August
Bird Obesity Facts
prone to obesity than other birds,
according to Burkett.
Birds Can Develop Weight
Problems Too
In contrast, the same species’ wild
counterparts normally weigh much
less. “In the wild, many species of
parrots would eat a large quantity of
low-fat fruits and vegetables, and
very little seed or nuts,” noted Missouri veterinarian Julie Burge, DVM.
“Birds that survive mostly on seeds,
such as cockatiels and budgies, would
fly miles a day to burn off the calories
from the fat. Some species, such as
macaws, may eat a lot of nuts, but
they also would fly and use the extra
calories.”
Most pet birds have life pretty easy.
They sit on their perch, get a few bites
to eat, snooze a little, chew on a
wooden toy for a bit, snack some
more and rest some more. Probably
the vast majority of a parrot’s day is
spent in a cage no more than three
times its wingspan, without a lot of
space for flapping its wings or crawling
around. A lot of times its cage is overloaded with treats, and it may be given
fattening human snacks like chips,
french fries and buttery popcorn as
well. Before you know it, Polly’s become one plump pet.
Big Weight, Big Problem
“Birds develop weight problems for
the same reason people do — too
many calories and too little exercise,”
said Larry Nemetz, DVM, an avian-only
veterinarian in California. “Most pet
birds have food available all the time,
so they don’t have to work for their
dinner. And because they don’t have a
lot of other things to do, they just sit
around and rest.”
As a result, most veterinarians cite
obesity as the No. 1 health problem in
pet birds. Gregory Burkett, DVM, for
one, who has a private practice in
North Carolina, said approximately 50
percent of his avian patients are overweight — meaning they are 5 to 20
percent above their ideal body weight.
He is seeing an increased number of
birds that are obese as well — meaning they are more than 20 percent
above their ideal body weight.
Any pet bird can become fat, but certain species are more prone to weight
problems than others. Amazon parrots, rose-breasted cockatoos, cockatiels, canaries, quaker parrots and
budgerigars appear to be much more
One way to control your pet bird’s
weight is through a regular exercise
program. “The more active your bird
is, the more calories he’s going to
burn and the better shape he’s going
to be in,” said Florida bird behavior
consultant Kim Bear. Granted, you’re
probably not going to be able take
Tweety with you on a jog around the
block like you could with your dog.
You can, however, get your bird up
and moving with some fun, interactive games.
How much exercise does your bird
need? If your bird is healthy, Bear
recommends you play with it three
times a day, with each play session
lasting about five to 10 minutes. You
might have one play session before
you go to work in the morning and
then another when you get home in
the evening. If possible, come home
at lunch and have another play session in the middle of the day.
Let’s Get A Physical
Of course before you put your bird on
an exercise program, take it to the
veterinary clinic for a physical examination including bloodwork. This is
especially important if your bird has
been a “perch potato” its whole life.
“You want to know if you have a
healthy parrot, and to make sure any
kind of extra
physical activity is not
going to be
harmful,”
Burge said.
She suggests
you start off
your exercise
regimen
slowly.
Page 3
Certain bird species
“If your bird (Amazon parrots) are
is overweight more prone to obesity
or has health than others.
problems,
you may only be able to do one or
two sessions a day that are only five
seconds each,” cautioned Michelle
Karras, a bird behavior consultant in
Illinois. After your bird is OK with fivesecond exercise sessions, you can extend it to 10-second exercise periods.
“As your parrot’s physical condition
continues to strengthen, you can
gradually help him build up to doing
longer and longer exercise sessions,”
Karras said. If your bird is breathing
heavily or panting at any point, it is
time to stop.
If your bird is overweight, your veterinarian will be able to give you some
guidelines for a how much exercise
your bird needs and can handle. Your
veterinarian will also want to make
some dietary changes as well.
“If you are serious about helping your
bird lose weight, you really need to
have a two-pronged approach,”
Nemetz said. “You need to restrict
your bird’s caloric intake in addition
to increasing physical activity.” For
most psittacine species, that means
getting it on a formulated diet (which
is lower in fat than most seed diets)
and limiting seed treats, fruit and high
-fat people foods.
To find out more on bird health and
avian obesity visit:
www. birdchannel.com
The Cageliner
August
Page 4
Page 5
The Cageliner
August
Celebrating The Life of Presley
Presley, the Spix’s Macaw that
inspired the animated film “Rio,”
Has passed
Muck needed to see for herself. Upon
seeing Presley, Muck had her proof.
He was indeed a Spix’s macaw.
Last month, we lost one of the most
well-known birds in the world.
Presley, one of the last remaining
wild-born Spix’s macaws, has died.
He was believed to be the inspiration
for the animated film "Rio,” and a
bird helping to rescue his species
from extinction.
Presley’s owner, who stated she didn’t
know he was a rare bird, was also unaware of the proper care Presley
needed. His perches were too wide,
resulting in weak legs and poor balance
and his diet lacked the richness he
needed.
The Presley
His life – what we know of it – seems
to be a series of chance encounters.
Taken from his native Brazil at a
young age, he somehow ended up as
a pet to a woman living in a Denver,
Colorado suburb. That was the late
1970s. The woman’s name was never
released, as it is believed she is "a
step or two removed from the smuggler,” according to a 2002 article in
The Orlando Sentinel.
Rumors in the bird and veterinary
communities swirled of a Spix’s macaw living in the vicinity; however,
the rumors were dismissed. Until a
phone call was made to a local avian
veterinary practice. Mischelle Muck
was on the receiving end. A parrot
enthusiast, she was skeptical when
the woman asked for advice on taking care of her Spix’s macaw. Knowing that there were less than 100 in
captivity and none left in the wild
since 2000, Muck couldn’t help thinking it was a crazy claim or that the
woman was mistaken.
Something told her not to dismiss the
claim, and she forwarded contact
information for the World Parrot
Trust to Presley’s owner. Dr. James
Gilardi, the executive director of the
organization,
urged
for
the
repatriation of Presley to Brazil. Still,
Presley was soon under Muck’s care,
leaving the home he’d known for the
majority of his life. She cared for
Presley, providing him a proper diet,
toys, a large cage with appropriatelysized perches and exercise. She even
recorded his cries and played them
back for him, much to his excitement.
However, she took great pains to not
allow Presley to become dependent on
her. Muck’s was a temporary home. He
would soon return to his birthplace.
Presley Goes to Brizil
Presley’s return to Brazil brought with
it hope for his species. There were no
longer any Spix’s macaws in the wild.
According to Daily Kos, "efforts to expand the Spix’s population faced particularly daunting challenges.” Private
owners and governments didn’t cooperate. Very few of the wild birds that
were caught survived, due to permanent kidney damage from severe dehydration. Unfortunately, the species also
suffered from inbreeding, resulting in
harmful genes, unbalanced gender
ratios and difficulty breeding fertile
birds. Presley was thought to be the
genetic gem the Spix’s macaws needed
to
carry
on
their
species.
Presley resided at the Lymington
Foundation in São Paulo, Brazil. Bill and
Linda Wittkoff were his caretakers,
observing the touching connection he
had with Flor, his mate. The hopes of
Spix’s macaws can be found at the Al Wabra
Wildlife Preservation in Qatar..
the species repopulating were great.
Sadly, the eggs Presley produced with
Flor
were
infertile.
The rest of Presley’s life was spent at the
foundation. He was a cheerful bird. Bill
Wittkoff told National Geographic, "He
was very affectionate — just a very
congenial bird, very chirpy, very
talkative.
He loved
visitors.”
Steve Milpacher, Director of Operations
at the World Parrot Trust (WPT), told
BirdChannel.com, "At the WPT we are
proud to have played a leading role in
helping Presley return home to his native Brazil. After he was discovered in
Colorado, it was through the concerted
efforts of a number of dedicated individuals, compassionate NGOs, and understanding government officials that
allowed Presley to fly home and to be
provided with the important opportunity
to contribute to the efforts to save the
s
p
e
c
i
e
s
.
”
Presley died in late June. He was thought
to be around 40. His death is heartbreaking, not only for the Spix’s macaw population, but for those who hoped he was
the answer. He left no offspring to carry
on his legacy. There is only "Rio,” the
memory of Presley and those who will
do anything in their power to save the
Spix’s macaws from total extinction.
The Cageliner
August
Page 6
Caring for Your Bird
Keep Pests Out Of Your
Bird’s Cage
There are a few pests that plague
birds and pet bird owners. Some are
just annoying, and some can be
deadly for birds. Here’s a rundown:
Mites: There are several types of
mites that occur on or around companion birds. One common mite is
the “scaly face mite,” which causes a
crusty, scaly appearance on the face
and legs, usually in budgies and canaries. These mites are dealt with
using medication obtained from your
avian vet. “Red mites” occur mainly
in outdoor aviaries and unclean
cages, and they feed on the bird at
night, causing restlessness and itching, and then the mites hide during
the day, so they aren’t easy to spot.
They can be eliminated over time by
using a safe insecticide (get recom-
mendations from your avian vet)
and by keeping the bird’s area very
clean. Airs-ac mites are found usually in canaries and some finches,
and live in the bird’s respiratory system. If the mite population is very
high, it will prevent the bird from
breathing. If you hear a clicking
noise when your bird breathes and
you notice him coughing a lot, he
might have air-sac mites. Infection
from these mites requires immediate veterinary attention.
Fruit Flies: These pesky little flies
don’t harm anything, they are just
annoying, and they can multiply into
dizzying flocks if you don’t take
measures to get rid of them. First,
eliminate fruit and sweet vegetables
from your bird’s diet until you see
the last of the flies. Second, fill up a
long-necked bottle, like a wine bottle, with about an inch of orange
juice. The flies will go in and drown
because they can’t get out.
Seed Moths: Again, these pests
aren’t harmful, just annoying. They
feed on your bird’s seed and make it
“webby,” a good indication that you
have them. They lay their eggs in
the seed and then the larvae grows
in it; these are the little “worms”
you may see in your seed. Then, the
larvae turn into moths, which can
take over your whole home! There’s
an easy way to get rid of them;
freeze all of your bird seed for at
least a couple of days. This kills the
larvae. Place all bird seed in sealtight containers so that the adult
moths can’t get into it. Keep your
bird’s cage very clean, and remove
seed at night. There are hormone
traps made to catch these moths,
but those don’t work as well as a
vacuum cleaner.
Mary Rose Rows For Birds
An accountant rows from
Santa Barbara to San Diego
for bird conservation
Update: August 1, 2014
Mary Rose is a firm believer that
Extinction is OptionalTM. With so
many bird species on the path to
extinction, Rose decided to row
across the Pacific Ocean to raise
awareness. The more people who
donate and fight for the Hawaiian
Crows (less than 150 remain) or the
Mangrove Finches (less than 100 are
left) or the various other birds near
extinction, the more likely her belief
becomes a reality.
Her determination to save the
species at risk of extinction led her
to row a boat from Santa Barbara
to San Diego – a distance of 163
n a u t i c a l
m i l e s .
Conditions vary with that much distance, and according to San Diego
6, "strong winds nearly pushed her
into break walls in Long Beach.” She
was also visited by several sea creatures, including dolphins and
w
h
a
l
e
s
.
Rose has taken on a trying task especially given that she had never
rowed prior to this mission. For a
month she lived and worked on her
row boat, going into shore every
once in a while to rest and to visit
locals, boat police, harbor
police
and lifeguards. In those visits she
spread the word on bird conservation, raising awareness on the iss
u
e
.
So far, her mission has raised almost
$13,000 in donations, but the hope
is to raise $1,000,000 for bird conservation and awareness. To help
save our world’s birds, visit Rose’s
website.
Watch Video now on San Diego’s
Channel 6 News:http://
www.sandiego6.com/news/local/AnAccountant-rows-along-California-coast
-269163131.html?m=y&smobile=y
The Cageliner
August
Page 7
Birds Needing a New Home
Zebra Finches

2 Females
They were dropped off by a neighbor who is not able
to take care of them any longer.
Contact: Chelsea Telecky
P: (775) 636-4638
E: [email protected]
ForgetMeNot Parrot Sanctuary Adoptions



Patagonian Conure: “Daisy”
BareEyed Cockatoo: “Paloma”
Lilac Crown Conure: “Cleo”
Board of Directors
President
James Palmer
(775) 384-6979
[email protected]
Vice President
Rose Muller
(775)721-0119
[email protected]
Secretary
Louise Walter
(775) 787-3171
[email protected]
Treasurer
Sandy Griffiths
(775) 358-7222
[email protected]
Board Members at Large
Karen Daly
(775) 882-6273
[email protected]
Norm Huckle
(775) 747-7589
[email protected]
Patricia Palmer
(775) 384-6979
[email protected]
Robyn O’Grady
Karol Kelley
(775) 843 - 7252
(775) 747-4284
[email protected]
(775) 741-2280
[email protected]
Committee Chairs
AFA Club Delegates
Rose Mueller
(775) 721-0119
[email protected]
BeeGee Bunch
[email protected]
Activity Donations
Beverly Muncy
(209) 481-6456
[email protected]
Cageliner Editor
Katie Hamilton
(530) 394-0998
[email protected]
Hospitality
Patricia Palmer
(775) 972-7076
[email protected]
Education Visitations, School
Visits & Children’s Programs
Earlene Douglas
(775) 772-1811
[email protected]
Legislative Committee
Karen Daly
(775) 882-6273
[email protected]
RAAVE Store
Rose Mueller
(775) 721-0119
[email protected]
Membership
Louise Walter
(775) 787-3171
[email protected]
Reno Area Avian Enthusiasts
P.O. Box 10393
Reno, NV 89610-0393
The Cageliner Newsletter
E-mail: [email protected]
Webpage: www.raave.com
August 2014
Volume 22, Issue 8
WWW.RAAVE.COM
Your membership expiration date is:
Reno’s only Exotic Bird Club
___/___/______
Spix’s Macaw Quiz
1. Which of these other types of macaws is closest in size to the Spix’s Macaw?
a. Hahn’s macaw
b. Severe macaw
c. Scarlet macaw
d. Hyacinth macaw
Upcoming Meetings
2014
August 16
Exotic Birds & Parrots on Parade
Sun Valley Landowners Association
2. Which is not a reason the Spix’s Macaw is extinct in the wild?
a. Hunting and trapping
b. Habitat destruction
c. The introduction of the Africanized bee
d. Disease epidemic
*Garage Sale Fundraiser is continuing on
during this event.
September 21
Workshop And More
3. Where do most of the world’s Spix’s macaws currently live?
a. A zoo in the Canary Islands
b. A wildlife preserve in Germany
c. A wildlife preserve in Qatar
d. A zoo in Brazil
October 18
Alycia Antheunisse:
AFA Regional Director
4. How many Spix’s macaws currently live in the wild?
a. None
b. Two pairs
c. About 80
d. About 1000
November 15
Madeleine Franco
December 6
1) b, 2) d, 3) c, 4) a
Annual Holiday Party