The Parrot Hut Episode 0017 online

The last episode of 2010 is now online and includes commentary on the events of the week, music from Dusty and the LoveNotes, and info on poop. You would be surprised how important poop is in caring for your bird. I am looking forward to moving forward with the podcast in 2011. So much is changing for us, and we are excited to see things move forward in everything we are doing. Check out the podcast today, and let us know what you are planning for 2011 by calling our comment line at 206-309-3296.

Scheduling

Well, I was scheduled to be on the 24 Hour Podcast this morning, and it turned out I spent several hours of this morning in the hospital. I had chest pains last night, and had to go into the ER, which was not by my own choice. But I did as I was told, and I know it was right to take the necessary precautions. I got home a few minutes ago and everything checked out alright. But I missed my time on the show. It is frustrating when these things happen, but that is life, I guess. I have a lot of work to catch up on, and am going to try to finish this week’s show later today. Hopefully, there aren’t going to be any further interruptions in the flow. So if you watched the show, and wondered where I was, that is what happened. Just wanted to let you all know.

The host of the Parrot Hut podcast to participate in the 24hour podcast

This weekend starting at eleven in the morning eastern standard time on Saturday, December 18, 2010, Todd Cochrane of Geek News will be conducting a 24 hour podcast available at 24hourpodcast.com. The host of The Parrot Hut Podcast, and writer of this article, will be appearing during the 8am-9am Sunday morning slot to discuss ways to promote podcasts online. The podcast is a charity event and will support The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes. I am excited to be a part of this effort, and am looking forward to it. I hope everyone will listen in and participate in the program.

Click here to learn more

Episode twelve online and more

The final podcast for November was posted to the site last night, and I realized I forgot to make one addition, which was a reminder to vote for The Parrot Hut in the 2010 Podcast Awards. We really need your support, and all it takes is just a little of your time. Be sure to tell all you friends and spread the word. If they haven’t listened to the show, make sure they check it out. This week’s featured musician is Danika Holmes. She has an amazing voice, and I am sure many of our listeners will love the song we picked for this episode. We touched on a variety of topics in the commentary section, as well as went over some basics on picking out a new cage. We are taking next week off for two reasons. They are both wrapped around what this Thursday is to us. First, it is Thanksgiving, and second, it is our wedding anniversary. Melissa and I will have been married for fourteen years on Thursday. I think that Melissa deserves so much more than I am able to do, but in the least I can spend time with her and have a nice dinner and evening focused on nothing but her. She has put up with me for all this time, and is truly a saint in my eyes. She is an amazing woman, and is one of the best friends anyone could be blessed to have in their lives. My words don’t even do her justice.

But I will be back in the first week of December, so hang on and we will be back soon. I hope all of our friends, listeners, readers, and flock mates have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. It is my hope that you all know how much I appreciate you all, and how much I want to make this podcast, and the column on Examiner, the best that they can be. You deserve nothing less than the best, and I am doing everything I can to give you all I can give. I wish I could do more, and I hope someday I will be able to do some of the things I would like to add to the mix. There are so many things we can do that will improve and enhance the lives of Parrot Hut listeners and readers, and I have a plan to get many of them done. It just takes a few things I lack, and I am working to acquire each day. So stick with us, and I think you will like what is coming down the road.

Vote for The Parrot Hut podcast

The 6th annual podcast awards are currently taking nominations for 2010, and we would like to ask everyone to vote for The Parrot Hut under the following categories:

People’s Choice

Best produced

Education

General

We would really like to win, and need everyone to take a few seconds to go to the site, and vote for the show. Just type in The Parrot Hut under the name, and use the site address as http://www.parrothut.com/podcasts/. We appreciate everyone taking the time to do so, and you all can see what the outcome is by watching the link to the awards site from any of the pages of the Parrot Hut site. Thanks for your help, and be sure to listen to the latest episode for more news as well.

We also posted the eleventh episode of The Parrot Hut podcast to the site on Thursday. The format has changed a bit, so I hope you all enjoy the new features. We will be adding more to the show as time progresses, so listen regularly for more updates to the show. We really need everyone to go to the awards site is vote for the show. If you have any comments on the show, be sure to let us know by calling our comment line at 206-309-3296 or e-mail us. Thanks to you all for your help in so many ways. We couldn’t do this show without you, and I hope you all know just how much I appreciate you all.

Episode nine now online

I am proud to say we have made it to the ninth episode of The Parrot Hut podcast, and it is now online. I had some computer problems, and was a little worried that I might not be able to get it on at all. I was right in the middle of editing the podcast, and started having problems. The last time I had problems like this, the power supply died and it took a few days for me to get a new one and swap it out. Fortunately, this time I was able to restart and everything was fine.
This episode includes music from Jordan Reyne, a musician from New Zealand, with a unique sound. I think you will like not only the selection we play on the podcast, but all of the music from her most recent CD. I haven’t heard her other CDs, but if this one is any clue, they are going to be great as well. I am already a big fan, and am looking forward to her next online concert. You can hear her live on several sites, so listen to the podcast for more on that as well.
We also cover handling screaming birds and bad birds. I would say the theme of this episode is emotions and how to deal with them.I am working on ideas for the next episodes, so if you have any thoughts, be sure to let us know. I want to hear your thoughts on the show, and you can call 206-309-3296 and leave a message with your thoughts about the show, and we will play them on an upcoming episode.
Help us spread the word about the podcast by telling any parrot group that you are a member about it. We want to get the word out to as many parrot lovers as we can, and we need help doing that. Listen to this podcast to learn more places to do this.

Episode seven online

After a brief delay, episode seven of the podcast is online and ready for download. This week is our Cockatiel special, but includes topics of interest to all bird owners. Due to a visit with my doctor that took more time than I thought it would, it was delayed by 24 hours, but it is up and ready for listening. I announced the delay in our forum, so if you are not a member if it yet, be sure to sign up to have access to these updates. I think this was a pretty good episode, if I say so myself, but it is up to you to decide if that is actually true. So check it out and tell me what you think.

Handling antisocial birds

Many people have had the joy of bringing home their first Cockatiel deflated a bit, when they find it difficult to have any interaction with the bird. So many Cockatiels sold in pet shops rarely have consistent human contact, which makes it difficult to form a bond when the bird gets a home. There is a silver lining though, if you are dealing with a Cockatiel, or any other parrot that doesn’t have much of a desire for working with you.

First, you have to understand that it is going to take a lot of time and patience on your part, so don’t feel badly when it doesn’t happen right away. You should start by spending as much time as possible, but not so much that you aren’t able to provide the same amount of time each and every day. It is important to keep a steady schedule with your bird, focusing all your attention on the bird at the same time, for the same amount of time, each day. If the bird refuses to come out of the cage, simply sit next to the cage and talk to him in a calm, happy tone. After a few days, start trying to get him to come out on your finger. You may get bitten, but it is important, when he starts to move toward your hand, that you don’t flinch. You need to provide a steady support for the bird to step on, and if you jerk your hand away, he will lose trust for you. It will take even longer if this happens, and most of the time, the bird will touch your hand with his beak to make certain it is steady before stepping out. So there is no way to know his real intent, unless he is growling or hissing, or showing other signs that he is not happy and about to bite. But if he just moves his beak toward you, it is likely that he is just making sure your finger is a safe place to step. This is the first step, and you should work with him like this for a while. I will be covering the next steps in future articles, so stay tuned and be sure to subscribe so you will be notified about future articles.

Cooking for your bird

Many people don’t realize that birds can and will eat many of the foods we enjoy everyday. They enjoy eating meats, such as chicken or most meats that are safe. I would avoid feeding them foods like shellfish, which can contain toxins, which will be even more of a problem for birds. But most foods we consume each day, birds can enjoy without much concern. There are always need to be limits on everything, and you need to make sure that they don’t gain weight to excess.

There are always foods that you can cook specifically for your birds. You will find recipes all over the Internet, and there are several great cookbooks out there with hundreds of recipes for you to follow and create something special for your bird. A variety of tastes and textures makes life more interesting for your bird as well, not to mention being a source of better nutrition for them, if you take proper care in preparing the right foods.

With the holidays approaching, there are many opportunities to include your bird in the festivities, as well as giving them something new to experience. It is important not to let the activities of the holidays take away from the time you spend with your bird. This can have a severe impact on your overall relationship. So if you use the time to create something special for your bird, you will have a happier bird in the end. There are many things we might ordinarily discard, such as the seeds for the pumpkin on Halloween, that can be roasted or dried for a special treat for your bird. Most birds love pumpkin seeds, especially if you incorporate them into a bread or muffin just for your bird.

So try to make some time to focus on creating special treats for your bird during the upcoming holidays. Be sure to check out the latest episode of The Parrot Hut podcast to learn about holiday hazards as well, but don’t miss this opportunity to have some fun with your bird. They will be very happy to have the extra attention, not to mention enjoying their special treat as well. If they don’t like one thing, keep trying until you find something they enjoy. If you have a small bird, remember to cut treats into small pieces to make it easier to eat.

Just my thoughts

Something has been bothering me lately, so I want to go a little off topic for a moment, and talk about something else for a bit. For the last couple of weeks, I have been watching a new sitcom on NBC called “Outsourced”. The premise is about a call center in India for a company that shipped the jobs overseas. I have watched it with one question in mind, and that is, with the economy is such dire straits, and real jobs being shipped to countries like India, is this the time to find humor in a situation that is hurting millions of Americans this very minute? Is NBC so out of touch with the realities in this country, that they think we want to laugh at something that is hurting so many of our fellow Americans? I’m surprised they didn’t release another sitcom about bank executives getting laughs over foreclosing on people’s homes. Maybe there’s something funny about the oil spill or Muslim extremists.

It is hard to believe that any media outlet could be this far out of touch with what is happening in the country. How can they miss what is going on with our nation? While I strongly believe we should laugh at ourselves from time to time, there is a time and place for everything. But when so many people are hurting, fighting to survive, and looking for something to take the stress of life away, they should not have the source of their pain treated as a joke. Maybe a day will come when we look back on these lost jobs and laugh about how tough it was, and how funny those now working our former jobs might be, but today is not that day. While I haven’t had to deal with the heartbreak of losing a job to outsourcing, I can imagine how difficult it must be seeing people treat the whole deal as part of a punchline. I am offended once again by the behavior of NBC, but that being said, I’m not at all surprised that they would do something like this. This is just one more thing that shows us that the mainstream media just doesn’t get what is going on in America today.

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