Going away and worried about where to leave your birdie when you’re on vacation or a business trip? Do you need us to help you with handrearing a baby parrot for a while?

FeedAPet offers affordable daily boarding rates as an additional service to help our customers. Our parrot boarding facilities are at our home along with our own parrots. This helps boarding parrots to feel safe quicker in an environment where our feathered family members are already calm and comfortable. This will also give your parrot the opportunity to learn from and be entertained by other parrots. Don’t be surprised if they pick up a few new words!

If you have a baby that is still being hand reared we will be happy to care for your little one for you until they are weaned.
Don’t worry if your parrot is cheeky (most parrots are a bit cheeky..LOL!) or even nervous, we have a wealth of experience and know how to handle and care for birds

Full time home care: 

Debbie, who handles our boarding services, works full time from home and will check on your parrot at regular intervals throughout the day, chat to your parrot and make sure your bird  is eating, calm and content. Each birdie gets checked on and ‘tucked in’ at night.

Nutrition:

You can provide your bird’s regular food if you’d like to and we are happy to accommodate any special diet that your bird is used to. If you are happy for us to feed your bird, we feed our boarding birds the same food as our own parrots which can be a mix of any of the following:

• Sprouted sunflower seed (sprouting turns the seed into a vegetable which is far more nutritious for your bird).  Feeding your bird plain sunflower seed unless it’s an occasional treat is not a good idea because essentially, it is like giving your bird only cooking oil and it’s very unhealthy in the longer term!  It can lead to fatty liver disease.
• Chop: Our chop includes a variety of healthy, fresh veggies that we chop up every morning.
• Softened corn, yellow peas and legumes for the added protein content
• Avi Complete Maintenance Protein pellets

FeedAPet also has experience caring for bunnies, leopard geckos and bearded dragons. In such cases you will need to bring their tank or cages as we do not have extra cage facilities for these pets. We have a large home so your pet will be placed in an area in our house.

Should I bring my bird’s own cage?

FeedAPet does have several sizes of cages available for different birds from cages for Budgies to Big Macaws.  If you have a smaller bird like a Budgie, Celestial, Conure, Lovebird, Ringneck and Cockatiels, it’s normally a good idea to bring them in their own cage as they are used to it and will feel more comfortable.

In the case of parrots like Amazons, Jardene’s. African Greys, Ecclectus, Cockatoos and Macaws, it might be a struggle to bring their own cage if it’s quite big. We do have cages that you can use so it’s up to you whether or not you’d like to bring their cage.

We have cage facilities for larger Macaws like Blue and Golds, Scarlets and Catalina’s.

Note: During a very busy holiday season we may fill up our cages in which case it will be necessary to bring your bird’s own cage.

Where will my bird be kept?

Your bird will be kept in a cage in our house. When you bring your bird we will show you where your bird will be kept.

What if my bird get’s sick while it is boarding?

We will call you immediately and will be happy if necessary to take your bird to one of the Avian Veterinarians in the area:  Village Veterinary Clinic – Kloof – Dr Werner Odendaal or Riverside Veterinary Clinic – Dr Kerry Easson recommended depending on where you live.

With our experience we will quickly pick up if something is wrong with your parrot as Debbie checks them regularly throughout the day.  In such cases we will require an upfront deposit as well as a call out fee to pay the veterinarian and will confirm what the amount is on making the appointment with the veterinarian.

My bird can get nervous and tends to stress when I’m away?

If your bird is nervous on arrival we will be able to pick this up immediately.  In such cases we can discuss the use of natural products which include supplements, herbals and feather spray that can help to calm your bird.  Usually we monitor your bird to check if they settle down on the first day and start eating and feeling comfortable.  Usually they start talking or chirping on the second day, which is an indication that they are feeling safe.

Bird’s tend to pick up on the atmosphere in the house, including whether other birds in the house are calm and content which is why we keep our birds in rooms with your bird.

We make a point of asking you what your routine is and are happy to try and stick to the routine that your bird is used to as far as possible which also helps your bird to feel at home.

What about disease seeing as my bird will be kept with other parrots?

As experts in parrot care, it is our priority and passion to make sure that your and our birds are healthy and disease free.  In general parrots do not get sick often.  The most common ailments are diarrhoea and respiratory illness.  If such illnesses are picked up in any of our parrots, which by the way is rare, they will be isolated and treated immediately and given veterinary attention if required.  We see our parrots as our family so you can rest assured that their health is a priority for us.

Do you do long term boarding?

Yes we do. We have taken care of customer birds for over 6 months when they have been overseas.

How much does boarding cost?

Please call Debbie on 084-406-7267 for daily rates.

FeedAPet offers  a full grooming service which includes:

• A calming feather spray (natural essential oils that calm your bird and spruce up their feathers)
• Spot on deworming
• Nail clipping and or filing
• Wing Clipping

PRICE:  Is dependent on what bird you have.  Please call or WhatsApp Oliver on 083-362-6319

This service is available at our home or at our shop in Ashley Pinetown.  Please be sure to call or WhatsApp Oliver on 083-362-6319 to check if he is at the shop and available for grooming your pet.

We also do home visits if you would prefer that in the greater Durban, Durban North, Westville and Pinetown areas.  We can visit areas that are further out such as Phoenix and Chatsworth.  Our normal fees apply depending on the size of your bird and the call out fee will depend on your area.

Does it hurt when my parrots wings are clipped?

No it does not hurt your parrot but the grooming process is stressful for your bird. FeedAPet will handle your bird with care and kindness.

My parrots is a bit aggressive/feisty, will it be a problem?

No, not at all. Oliver and Debbie are used to handling birds and know how to handle the bird so that it cannot bite anyone during the process and if your bird bites one of us by accident don’t stress because we won’t be concerned about it.

If your parrot is aggressive we would also be happy to offer you some advice on how you can help your parrot to be less aggressive. Aggression can result out of fear or previous experiences but with love and knowing the right way to handle this you can help your birdie feel safer and reduce aggression.

How often should my bird be groomed?

Your bird will need to be groomed every 3 – 6 months depending on how quickly their feathers and nails grow. You may need to bring them in sooner for nail clipping if the nails are getting a bit sharp and we can just clip and file the nails for you.

Should I clip my parrots wings, after all birds should be flying?

This is a pet owners personal decision so we can only share our viewpoint on this matter. This is an unfortunately a dilemma that us as parrot owners face because we always want what is best for our pets.

When making an important decision like this one which involves the well being of your pet, it’s important to have the facts to assist you make the right decision for you, your family and your pet.

The facts:

• There is always a risk that your bird may fly away if the wings are not clipped in which case firstly, you are likely to be devastated and will have to face the constant worry for sometime of what has happened to your bird.
• Your bird has been hand reared and therefore was not trained to survive in the wild. Your bird does not know how to or where to forage for food and whilst it has a natural instinct to watch out for predators knowing the best ways to do this have not been instilled in your bird.
• In Kwazulu Natal we have many predator birds. Raptures like eagles, kites and hawks in our province are known to not only take birds but also small cats and dogs as well.
• Your parrot may return, if you are lucky, but their is no guarantee of this and if your parrot does return you will need to catch your bird before he or she fly’s off again which is not always as easy as it sounds.

Given the above facts then the question remains…. Are you willing to take the risk of your pet’s life being in danger and face going through the trauma of not seeing your parrot again and not knowing what happened to your birdie?

FeedAPet’s recommendation is to rather be safe than sorry, however as mentioned this is your personal decision.

Debbie provides Nutritional and Behaviour counselling for parrots. Many parrot behavioural problems can be addressed by the way you and your family interact with your bird once you have a better understanding of the root cause of the problem and what certain behaviours mean.  Debbie will help you to gain an understanding of your bird’s non-verbal signals and provide advice that can make a difference. You can book an appointment with Debbie and fees depend on the case. Your bird’s history will be assessed by asking questions about your bird’s environment, your family interaction with your bird, your bird’s diet etc and you will receive immediate advice that can make a difference.

If you are unable to visit us for your counselling session, we accept EFT payment and Debbie will be happy to arrange an online meeting as well.

Keep in mind that feather plucking can be a major problem in parrots if they have been doing it for a while but we can make some changes so whilst there is no guarantee Debbie can give you advice on options that may reduce the frequency and severity of this habit.

Debbie’s Experience:

10 years in the veterinary health product industry including visiting veterinarians around South Africa – (Please note Debbie is not a veterinarian so if your parrot is sick it is best to take your parrot to an Avian Veterinarian as soon as possible).  Debbie can assist you with advice regarding any health concerns and will advise you to take your parrot to a vet if your parrot is assessed to be ill.

Avian Behaviour Diploma – Ethology Academy
6 years experience with multiple parrot breeds which includes:

• Grooming
• Rescue and rehabilitation
• Debbie and Oliver’s Pets:  African Greys (Congo – Red Tail and Timney – Maroon Tail), Cockatoos (Umbrella and Sulphur Crested), Cockatiel, Conure, Celestial, Budgie, Blue Fronted and Yellow Wing Amazons, Blue and Gold and Scarlet Macaws)