My bird (Summer)'s water bowl is kind of, well, nasty. It's constantly getting food crumbs and feathers in it and it starts to smell if it goes without rinsing for even a few hours.
So, here's my question: is it safe to wash the bowl with a detergent, like in a dishwasher, or should i just scrub it with plain water every time it gets dirty?

Long time no see,  I'm afraid,
I've had very little internet connection since breaking up with my fiance.
He has been looking after my birds but not very well.
Roselle has been laying on and off for about two months now.
And she has a big problem! She's holding on to her poop and making this nasty stinky splodge explosion about once a day, which looks bigger than she even is!!!
My city doesn't have bird friendly vets, and I'm very low on funds due to having to find a new place to live.
i know holding poops is normal, but is the stinky normal? I'm not quite sure what to do, and I'm still figuring out custody.

heeey! we got a new cockatiel at a pet store :D it's 8 weeks old and we're not really able to tell if it's a boy or girl. we named it oliver though.
but every time i'm laying down and he's close to my face, he puts his beak on my ear or lip, etc. and he does a weird chirp. it kind of sounds like a "bad chirp" but i'm really not sure.
here's a video of him on my brother and he only does the chirp in the first like, 10 seconds:
( videooo )

Want to help Mickaboo, but are unable to foster or adopt?

Mickaboo needs volunteers to walk in a Fourth of July Parade in downtown San Jose (near The Alameda). It's the Rose, White and Blue Parade. Volunteers must arrive before 9:30am, and the parade lasts until noon. We're about halfway through the parade line-up, so we'll probably finish around 11:30, give or take.

Parade participants can park at the Cash & Carry Lot: 1731 W. San Carlos Street.

Let me know if you're able to join us! Right now, we're only going to have a presense of three people in the parade, so bring your friends, bring your S.O., bring your kids... everyone's welcome! We really need all the help we can get. Despite the success of our small birds adoption fair (25 people took the class that day!), we continue to be swamped. The latest emergency involves a large intake of budgies, so we need to get the word out.

Current temperature preditions show that temps should be in the mid to upper 70s for the duration of the parade.

I went to "Everybody's Bird Mart" today at the Pomona Fairplex in S. CA and bought Pidgie some really awesome toys. There was this man there that sold homemade acrylic toys for a steal! His small business is called MAK PLASTIC, he said his web site is not up yet though. :(

Pidgie's new stuff.


( Some close-ups of his really awesome acrylic toys and a Mag Pie! )

Anyone else go? I was wearing a green sun dress with my SO. It was wicked hot today!
>_

Just a reminder, the adoption fair is TODAY, from noon until 4pm at Andy's Pet Shop, in San Jose.

Come and support Mickaboo, and meet some amazing birds!

Peanut and Brittle will be there. Here's a video I just took of Brittle. You can't have my B.B., but Peanut 'n Brittle are up for adoption!

My mum and I were driving down to the service station and on the side of the road we spotted some wild Cockatoos. So we stopped the car and took photos! (Sorry for the quality, they're mobile phone photos.)

( They are SO CUTE <333 )

At the beginning there were just one or two, and then it seemed like the whole flock came to say hi!

Ahh.

So in about a month and 1/2 I will be moving from Florida to Colorado. This brings up several issues in regards to my birds.

About three weeks before I move, I'll be flying out there to do some school stuff. Do you think it would be better for my birds to fly with me then and stay at my sister's house (my sister has NO experience with birds), or for them to spend three days with me in my car as I drive out there for good?
I'm leaning toward the car, because even if the plane ride would be shorter, it seems like there would be more things that could go wrong with that. Also someone I know just flew her conure from here to Jersey and it died after that, so now I'm worried.

Either way, what are some good tips for traveling with them? My biggest worry about road tripping with them is leaving them in the car when I have to make pit stops. Obviously I can eat in the car, but if I have to go to the bathroom or something there's going to be a problem. I suppose I could get a small travel carrier and take them in with me if I had to, but that seems like a huge hassle. Also my birds are fully-flighted.... should I clip their wings for the trip, just in case, even though they'll hate me for a while after that?

The other thing I've been wondering about is what do people do during the winter if the power goes out or something? Obviously I'd need to keep the kids warm somehow. Living in Florida this has never been a problem, but now it's something I'll have to deal with!

Thanks for any advice!

from my journal......

Lily was eating and drinking normally, but spending a lot of time fluffed up. Then she started spending a lot of time at the bottom of the cage. I picked her up Sunday or Monday and her feet were HOT.

Monday night she was having a really hard time. I had told her before that she had to hang in there, because she was one that i had really bonded with. Monday night i told her it was ok to let go, she obviously wasn't having fun anymore and she put up a good fight. I just held her and pet her and talked to her. I put her back in the cage, and in the morning she was gone.

I buried her yesterday... now she, Hootie, and Cindy are all together. I have blisters, ow.

The good news is that Slugger and Maddie are doing well together. Neither have ever given any indication that they weren't feeling well, and got a week of the antibiotics. So hopefully they're fine.

 The cage looks so empty with just 2. :(

 Anyway, i just wanted to update people....