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Category: The Wonky Flock

Category Archives: The Wonky Flock

The Wonky Flock is a private avian rescue located in the southern UK. It is run by Laura Miles, who is a longtime friend and supporter of Harrison’s Bird Foods. We noted the significant amount of hard work and love she has put into rescuing birds and other animals. She keeps excellent account of her work so we asked her to author her own blog covering this work, which we host on the Harrison’s website. The work is her own. Harrison’s does not take credit for her accomplishments.

The Wonky Flock

HOW TO MAKE A FORAGING STATION

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : June 9, 2022

As a rescuer of Birds with all kinds of different needs, I have to always come up with new ideas for foraging & enrichment that can often encorporate the needs of Birds with a range of abilities. This foraging station is one that I made for my Finch flock, who have special needs ranging from deformity & 1 leg to visual difference & inability to fly. I had to plan the station to include all of their needs so that they all had equal access to the tasty treats, textures & shapes on offer. This station can be adapted for all Bird species & is suitable for Birds of all ages & abilities with little change to the design. I hope that this idea can give you lots of inspiration & help to create fun memories that you & your flock can treasure for a lifetime. Below are the steps to make the station & the materials you will need, most people should have access to the materials, but simple Bird safe adaptions can be made to suit your needs & availability of certain items.

YOU WILL NEED:

A Bird/reptile floor bowl

Some chemical free, un-glazed smooth pebbles (must be a size that the Bird can’t ingest or get stuck in beak)

A cress plant

High quality seeds &/or Harrison’s (size depending on species)

Filtered water.

METHOD:

Buy a high quality cress plant (individual cress sprouts held together as one plant by their root systems) & keep it watered with filtered water. Take the reptile floor bowl & place the cress plant at one end, if your Birds are likely to nibble slowly over several days rather than eat it all at once, add a very tiny amount of water to the bowl to keep the cress fresh. Then, place the pebbles all around the cress plant until the roots are hidden & use the pebbles to fill up the rest of the bowl. Once the pebbles are in place, sprinkle the seeds &/or Harrison’s amongst the pebbles for the Bird(s) to forage for. It’s then ready to go!

Place it on the cage/ aviary floor as part of an activity, or on its own, for lots of foraging fun! Keep in mind that new items may be scary for some Birds & it may take time before they are ready to explore new items or foraging activities. You know your Birds best, what they are comfortable with & how they interact with materials, if you think there is anything that may not be safe for your individual Bird, please swap the item for one that they will be ok with. Once you are used to making this foraging station, you can explore new & interesting Bird safe adaptions to keep your Bird(s) entertained for years to come. I reccomend supervising the activity all the time it’s with your Bird.

The Wonky Flock

FOOT HOLDING SPECIES WITH 1 LEG

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : June 7, 2022

Every type of Bird species can loose a leg or foot due to illness, injury, accident etc, & given the right adaptions, Parrot, Parakeet & Finch species can thrive. It can often feel like there is no hope, but rather than being the end of the journey, it is in fact the start of a whole new one. Generally, the larger the species the harder it is to live with one leg, but these challenges can be overcome & adaptions to their environment can be made.

Some Psittacine species are ‘foot holding species’, they eat by holding the food in their foot & can sometimes hold toys in the same manner during play. Birds in this group who have 1 foot or 1 leg will obviously find this either challenging or impossible depending on the level of loss experienced & how the individual Bird learns to adapt.

FOOD ADAPTION

Some foot holding species can manage big pieces of food perfectly well without holding the food providing they have a large easy access bowl to eat from, but others may need help. It is very simple to adapt food if they struggle with full sized food items- simply chop it to a manageable size for them. Try providing (without overcrowding) platforms &/or flat perches near their food bowl that offer a sturdy surface that they can balance easily upon whilst concentrating on feeding. Hanging food on Bird safe skewers above a platform may be a favored way to eat fresh foods.

PLAY ADAPTIONS

Normal safe Parrot toys (avoiding rope, fuzzy material, brittle plastic & rubber) can still be used & can offer Birds encouragement to climb. Exercise is still important & as caregivers, we need to avoid the urge of over-babying them by making everything easier than they need. Amputee Birds are often placed in enclosures greatly smaller in size & everything is put on 1 level, many are discouraged from moving. Amputee Birds aren’t made of glass & the need for space, challenge, mental stimulation & exercise are still ignited in their soul. Most leg or foot amputees can still fly with ease & enjoy safe fly time. The largest platform in their enclosure can be turned into a ‘toy station’ by placing a few Bird safe textures &/or foot toys for them to play with without having to pick it up. The Bird skewers mentioned above can also have Bird safe wooden blocks sold as Parrot toy making parts placed on them either with or in place of food to keep things exciting, stimulating & fun.

PERCH ADAPTION

Whilst platforms (non-abrasive) & flat perches (wood only) offer a great place to rest their leg & foot that takes extra weight, many amputee Birds also like 1 or 2 natural (safe branches complete with bark) to stand on too. Offering both allows them to learn when they need a rest & when they can perch for a while, this autonomy also gives them a sense of being in control of their own life after an altering situation that is becoming an amputee. Dowell (smooth), abrasive, calcium, concrete, sand covered perches & platforms should be avoided as this greatly increases the risk of foot health issues of all Birds, especially amputees who have extra pressure & a potential stump. Perches don’t generally need to be wrapped, natural wood perches of the right width & well set up platforms are usually enough to avoid pressure sores (consult your avian vet with your Bird’s individual case if you become concerned). Platforms should be disinfected every day with F10 wipes to remove any droppings.

The Wonky Flock

FOOT HOLDING SPECIES WITH 1 LEG

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : May 24, 2022

Every type of Bird species can loose a leg or foot due to illness, injury, accident etc, & given the right adaptions, Parrot, Parakeet & Finch species can thrive. It can often feel like there is no hope, but rather than being the end of the journey, it is in fact the start of a whole new one. Generally, the larger the species the harder it is to live with one leg, but these challenges can be overcome & adaptions to their environment can be made.

Some Psittacine species are ‘foot holding species’, they eat by holding the food in their foot & can sometimes hold toys in the same manner during play. Birds in this group who have 1 foot or 1 leg will obviously find this either challenging or impossible depending on the level of loss experienced & how the individual Bird learns to adapt.

FOOD ADAPTION

Some foot holding species can manage big pieces of food perfectly well without holding the food providing they have a large easy access bowl to eat from, but others may need help. It is very simple to adapt food if they struggle with full sized food items- simply chop it to a manageable size for them. Try providing (without overcrowding) platforms &/or flat perches near their food bowl that offer a sturdy surface that they can balance easily upon whilst concentrating on feeding. Hanging food on Bird safe skewers above a platform may be a favoured way to eat fresh foods.

PLAY ADAPTIONS

Normal safe Parrot toys (avoiding rope, fuzzy material, brittle plastic & rubber) can still be used & can offer Birds encouragement to climb. Exercise is still important & as caregivers, we need to avoid the urge of over-babying them by making everything easier than they need. Amputee Birds are often placed in enclosures greatly smaller in size & everything is put on 1 level, many are discouraged from moving. Amputee Birds aren’t made of glass & the need for space, challenge, mental stimulation & exercise are still ignited in their soul. Most leg or foot amputees can still fly with ease & enjoy safe fly time. The largest platform in their enclosure can be turned into a ‘toy station’ by placing a few Bird safe textures &/or foot toys for them to play with without having to pick it up. The Bird skewers mentioned above can also have Bird safe wooden blocks sold as Parrot toy making parts placed on them either with or in place of food to keep things exciting, stimulating & fun.

PERCH ADAPTION

Whilst platforms (non-abrasive) & flat perches (wood only) offer a great place to rest their leg & foot that takes extra weight, many amputee Birds also like 1 or 2 natural (safe branches complete with bark) to stand on too. Offering both allows them to learn when they need a rest & when they can perch for a while, this autonomy also gives them a sense of being in control of their own life after an altering situation that is becoming an amputee. Dowell (smooth), abrasive, calcium, concrete, sand covered perches & platforms should be avoided as this greatly increases the risk of foot health issues of all Birds, especially amputees who have extra pressure & a potential stump. Perches don’t generally need to be wrapped, natural wood perches of the right width & well set up platforms are usually enough to avoid pressure sores (consult your avian vet with your Bird’s individual case if you become concerned). Platforms should be disinfected every day with F10 wipes to remove any droppings.

The Wonky Flock

WHY WON’T THAT BIRD STOP PINGING!?!

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : May 17, 2022

MAUD’S STORY

Ping… ping… ping- this was the soundtrack to spending any time in Maud’s company. Maud is a 2 year old Budgie & she was also an obsessive bar pinger. Bar pinging like this has no goal or function, it’s a deeply ingrained form of stereotypic behaviour that comes about due to a lack of chewing opportunity. There are areas of cage bars that are entirely stripped of paint due to her obsession with stripping them.

MYTHS- There are so many myths surrounding this kind of behaviour & it only makes the situation worse for the Bird. Below are just a few myths, which I will correct.

1 IT’S CHEWING OUT OF IT’S PRISON BECAUSE IT WANTS TO BE FREE!- No, this could not be any further from the truth or the thought processes of a Bird who is domestic & comes from a long line of domestic Birds. They don’t know about living in the wild & they are unable to survive in the wild. To Maud, that cage is not a prison, it’s a safe haven. It has been the armor between her & the unpredictable people who scared her so much & it is the only constant through a tornado of unsettling change. The prospect of flying in a safe & secure room with the people she loves is too terrifying, the outside world would destroy her. She couldn’t cope & that should count more than a person’s ego & the views they force onto pet Birds.

2. SHE WANTS TO COME OUT FOR A BIT- This deep rooted behaviour goes far beyond this. It’s an obsessive behaviour that is carried out for significant time during the day & night too. Maud has never been out to fly before & her severe health issues mean that, right now, it isn’t possible either.

3. IT IS DELIBERATELY TRYING TO WIND YOU UP!- The behaviour carried out by ‘problem Birds’ who are trying to wind up their caregivers are never what they seem & there is ALWAYS a deeper reason that they are desperately trying to get you to understand. Maud only sees the world from Maud’s point of view, she isn’t even aware of what I may be thinking in response to her desperate attempt to cope. People so often come down far too harshly on a Bird & convince themselves that the Bird is spiteful or out to get them, it just isn’t so- they need love, help & understanding.

So, what IS going on there?- Chewing & stripping bark from natural wood is a natural instinct that has remained throughout the generations of domestic Budgies. With little exception, chewing & stripping is a deeply rooted natural instinct & is vital to maintain muscle tone & keep their continually growing beaks warn down. The environment we provide domestic Birds is almost always severely lacking in chewing opportunity. Maud was in a cage with a hard & smooth dowell perch with no bark to chew & 3 solid plastic toys. The floor was covered in tough & sharp abrasive sheets. There was NOTHING to chew.

Her instinct was telling her to chew something & the instinct to strip & peel bark was driving her to act. Then one day, in frustration, she bit the bar & a small fleck of paint came off. That peel & strip instinct was fulfilled more than ever before & she felt great! So, she did it more. The more she did it the better she felt & slowly, when nothing else filled her days, it became an unshakable obsession. This is the same situation when that ‘damn Bird’ chews & strips your furniture, door frames or wallpaper. People punish them, but it’s our fault because what we provide isn’t fulfilling that innate primal need that is driving their behaviour.

After introducing natural toys like this, natural wood perches & the platform you can see behind the toy, which is edged with natural bark, Maud & her sister Hedwig, have spent all day stripping bark excitedly from every surface, no bar chewing, no frustration. They were singing, flapping & bouncing their heads with uncontrollable excitement as their deepest soul felt fulfilled at last. They are heard. Felt. Understood. Forever.

And it was that moment they noticed- they are finally home.

The Wonky Flock

Lets talk Rickets!

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : May 12, 2022

Before we start, I just want to point out that I am not an avian vet, this is just relevant information & includes my experiences with helping residents with rickets. Some rickets symptoms are also seen in other conditions, if you are at all concerned, please seek advice from your avian vet. As you may know, my new residents Maud & Hedwig have rickets, Hedwig is pictured here & will be the focus of this article as it impacts her more severely.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS- These can vary from Bird to Bird & between different species, however the most common ones are: reduction in weight, soft bones, perching squatted down (resting tummy on perch constantly instead of being ‘up on their legs’), lameness, slow or poor growth if the Bird is a baby & the beak can sometimes be soft too. Hedwig’s leg bones are extremely soft & she really struggles with moving. Take a look at her picture below, can you see her odd posture & how she is leaning to one side? This is because, although both her legs are affected, the leg that appears lower down is far softer & struggles to support her weight. This results in the odd leaning posture you can see here. It’s hard to believe she is 2 years old.

POTENTIAL CAUSES- A deficiency of calcium or vitamin- D are obvious causes, but solving which came first can be a puzzle. Because they are supporting nutrients (they need each other to help the body work) a deficiency in one can lead to a deficiency in another because without the first nutrient, the other struggles to be absorbed. At first, supplementation of calcium & vitamin- D can help both levels, but in the long term we need to know which they were not accessing enough of in their daily life so we can correct that & they have access naturally. Sometimes it can also be down to issues with the oil gland. Some Bird species have a gland at the base of the tail that produces preen oil. This preen oil helps to condition & waterproof the feathers, but also contains the precursor of vitamin-D. After preening the oil onto their feathers, it is exposed to UVB light. When they preen again, they ingest the UVB exposed oil, which is now pre-Vitamin-D & it becomes converted into vitamin-D3 by the Bird’s liver. If their oil gland is blocked, or not producing oil, this process of course doesn’t work & they will become deficient in vitamin- D no matter how much sunlight or Bird UV lamp exposure they get.

FORTIFIED PRODUCTS- It is important to remember than any human supplement or human food fortified with Vitamin-D is in completely the wrong level for a Bird & should be avoided entirely. Some Bird seed mixes have ‘fortified with vitamin-D’ proudly emblazoned all over the packaging, but which part is fortified? The husk, which they take off & leave in the bowl! Maud & Hedwig were on such a seed mix but still ended up with severe rickets. They are to help owners part with their money rather than help the Bird sadly.

TREATMENT- This is an area I am not comfortable to go into detail with as it can vary significantly from case to case. Calcium & vitamin-D supplementation may be required, but shouldn’t replace avian vet input. Increase in calcium rich foods (dairy is not suitable & doesn’t fix calcium deficiency in most Birds. dairy is harmful to Birds because they are not mammals!) like leafy greens, broccoli, seseme seeds, pulses etc &/or the addition of more sunlight access or an avian UV lamp may be suggested. Other things must be ruled out & severity determined, so if you recognise any issues raised here, please see your vet as soon as you can.

PREVENTION- People may be surprised, but rickets is not rare in pet Birds. I have had many residents with it before & all have been in severe stages as previous owners didn’t notice the signs. There are certain things we can do as owners that will help prevent the development of rickets in our precious Birds.

EXPOSURE TO UVB- access to natural sunlight (not through a window) is the best source of vitamin-D, as nature intended. Supervised outside time with the Bird safe in a travel cage on a regular basis will offer plenty of UVB. If this isn’t possible, avian specific UV lamps that stand near or clip to the cage are available from avian specialist shops & online stores.

GOOD NUTRITION- a healthy diet free of human/junk/table food & drinks is the most important thing to maintain good health in our Birds. Healthy food is not depriving them of fun, it is sparing them from disease. Good nutrition can be fun, exciting, enriching & brimming with delicious flavours, colours & textures. Variety is important, but variety of the right kinds of food. Plant sources of calcium are what a Bird’s body recognises & absorbs best, that is how they evolved to eat. Resist the urge to give dairy, it is the wrong food entirely for their digestive system. One of my African greys came to me because his calcium levels were so severely low that he had seizures & was a severe plucker, the previous owner didn’t know why because he had dairy every day. After a week eating dark leafy greens, his fits stopped!

REGULAR HEALTH CHECKS- Learn how to health check your Bird & ensure that their oil gland (if present in that species) is working well & any other important health signs. If even the tiniest thing concerns you, your avian vet is there to guide you with what to do next. Rickets impacts the lives of a surprising amount of pet Birds & a lot more awareness is needed. Did you find this article helpful? If so, please consider sharing it & help spread the word. Thank you.

The Wonky Flock

Nurturing the self

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : May 11, 2022

Sometimes when we have pets, it can be hard to realise just what we can deny them. Birds are highly complex exotic animals who can have the intelligence levels & often lifespan of a human. Cognitive ornithology is starting to uncover the true magic of a Bird’s complexity of thought & many owners are now aware that their Birds actually have the ability to know themselves. In this article, we will ponder possible ways that we, as owners, can nurture a Bird’s sense of self, introduce the concept of choice to our precious flock & encourage healthy boundries. A lot of people believe that when we train or handle our Birds it must be done with total dominance & often a little force too. It will rarely cross the mind of some owners that their Bird actually has thoughts, feelings, opinions & boundries that may be breached in the process. Because many of my flock members come to me with a traumatic back story, I have had to completely re-think the entire daily life my Birds live & this has made everybody better off. I had to start noticing when a Bird doesn’t want to do something & see the signs of their personal boundries being breached so that I can step back & show them the respect & dignity they so deserve. I began to ask if they wanted a tickle or to step up & wait for the signs that told me yes or no. When offering treats I started to offer more than one & let them choose which treat they would like. Every time I noticed what their body language was trying to tell me, or every time I respected boundries, every time they were given choice, it’s like they came alive a little bit more. I now do this with every one of my flock members reguardless of background & the results are not what many expect. When I tell people about these methods of recognising their sense of self & handing them back some autonomy, they often picture out of control Birds with major behaviour issues who get away with doing nothing they are told. What actually happens may surprise you…

My flock are incredibly laid back & happy, there is always somebody singing or chatting away with us. I never actually have to tell them off because they don’t do anything wrong. Sometimes they will scream, but it’s never long lived as the inherant need behind the screaming is swiftly met & the Bird is happy again. They don’t often chew things that they are not supposed to as they always have access to things that they can chew. When I need to tell them to do something, it is with the knowledge of their boundries & what they are comfortable with strongly in mind & they don’t even put up a fight. When there is no confrontation a Bird rarely feels the need to be angry in return because they feed off our mood & behaviour. Biting is often seen as a given when you have a Parrot in your home, but since nurturing & recognising their sense of self I have only been bitten once in 4 years & I could see it coming. My Meyers Parrot Tommy wanted to play with his new toy, so I hung it up for him & swiftly noticed a peice of packaging that was still on it & this packaging could have hurt him. I had no choice but to grab hold of the toy, which Tommy believed I was stealing away, to make it safe. I know that grabbing toys of his is something very unsettling after living for years in a barren cage & I could see all of the subtle body language changes that told me it was coming. No Bird ever bites ‘out of nowhere’ they don’t ‘launch viciously’, they bite when we fail to notice all of their warning signs & they are frightened or angry & reach the last resort. Another common thing we do when stepping up a Bird is to push our finger or hand into their chest, this is a deeply unpleasant experience & they only grab us because we force them off ballence. Any of my Birds who have been stepped up in this way for years by previous owners don’t hesitate to step up for me when I simply offer a hand in front of them & allow them to step up on their own. My special needs Cockatiel Diddy came to me as a baby & she learned to step up instantly with no contact on her chest at all. I just offer a finger & say “do steps diddy” & she will step straight up. I taught her this & had her recall trained without using any force & by always giving her the choice to engage in training or do her own thing. It didn’t happen any slower, she was just happier because I recognise her boundries.

All of my Birds are completely relaxed because they feel heard, this includes Birds who would scream with terror & flap around if a human was even in the same room. When we get rid of the idea that they are there for us & see that they are our equals, Birds relax & feel at peace when we sometimes never realised they were stressed at all. So, how can we nurture their sense of self?

BOUNDRIES- Do you have boundries? If you were not in the mood to be social one day or if you asked somebody not to touch you, would you expect those personal boundries to be met? Your Birds are no different. All Birds will have times (some all the time) when they don’t want to be touched, a great way to nurture their sense of self is to recognise this & allow them that personal space. Some people worry that their Bird won’t feel a close bond with them if they do this, but think about it. If you met 2 new people- 1 respects your personal space & boundries & 2 constantly invades your space & is in your face constantly reguardless of what you say or do, which one would you choose to maintain a friendship with? Which one would cause you anxiety?

CHOICE- Imagine living a life that was entirely controlled by others. Every posession you had, everything you ate, everywhere you went, what freedom you had, who you could see & if you got to feel the sunlight on your face or a breath of fresh air was entirely down to somebody else & you had no say. Worse, they didn’t even care what your say would be. That is how most Birds feel. All the time. For Birds to truly thrive in our care & be happy as pets, we MUST give them their autonomy back. Wherever & whenever you can, give your Bird safe & healthy choices. Learn your Bird’s body language & the way they communicate their answer, then give them a choice & let them decide a little something. It could be 2 new toys & they get to choose which one they have now & which one goes in the toy box for later, do you want it in your cage or on a playstand? or perhaps the choice between 2 healthy treat items. Introducing elements of choice allows the Birds to feel more in control of their own lives & helps them have a better sense of who they are & what they think rather than just being an observer of their own life, they actually start to be heard & feel respected.

What can you do today to nurture your Bird’s sense of self?

THE BUDGIE WHO LEARNED HOW TO HOP

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : May 10, 2022 / Category : The Wonky Flock

This is the story of a baby Budgie who overcame all the odds. When Odin hatched in her warm nest box & gazed up lovingly at her mother, egarly crying for the sweet taste of her first feed, nobody could have ever imagined what would occur in just a few weeks. When Odin had grown, the moment came to see her world for the first time, feathers fluffed & anticipation dancing through her young mind, Odin poked her tiny head out into the unknown & squinted at the honey of the sun.

Just then- it happened… the accident. Nobody knew what happened, not even Odin, in a blurr of confusion she hit the aviary floor. Shocked, Odin tried to walk, but she fell onto her tummy. Afraid to look down, Odin peered at her feet… ah. Foot. Her other leg was gone. She laid on the floor & nibbled at the cavity under her wing, her family looking down with worry. Then out came her owner & scooped her up, the singing of her siblings faded to silence.

Odin was now in a tiny cage indoors & the humans were feeding her from a big cold spoon. She was terrified & her cavity was hurting more & more. Nobody seemed concerned about it, but she was. A few days later they said it was time for her to go somewhere else. Now very weak & thin, Odin was too tired for any more changes, any more fear.

But these people seemed different, they noticed her cavity & were very worried, they looked at her just like her mother had done as she lay on the floor. The people said that there were lots of other Birds where she was going & that it would all be okay. Odin felt so different, so alone. What would all of those other Birds think of her with only 1 leg? When they arrived home, she was greeted with an explosion of welcoming songs, the sound was so electrifying!

Then, when her infected cavity was all better, Odin was introduced to a flock of Budgies & 2 Cockatiels. She laid on the floor & a big cockatiel came up to her, his presence looming & scary. But, just as she became scared, Odin noticed something, something different. He had 1 leg! Just like her!

The Cockatiel bent down & kissed her gently on her cheek & Odin let out the sweetest of songs. She then followed him as he showed her how to move. Slowly now…. hop, hop, hop.

& just like that, Odin travelled into her future. It wasn’t the end of the story, but rather the beginning of a whole new one & Odin was going to love it very much.

The Wonky Flock

Why being Autistic makes me a better Bird rescuer

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : May 9, 2022

I don’t really talk about being an Autistic Bird rescuer, not because it is a bad thing, but because I will be judged by others as not being good enough. Today however, I am going to change that, because in certain cases, being Autistic actually gives me a better underatanding of my Birds. I hope that this article will help others understand the Birds going through what I will speak about here- stereotypic behaviour- & perhaps not write off the Birds who engage in it. Stereotypic behaviour (like when a chained Elephant sways) is classified as ‘a repetitive, invariant behaviour pattern with no obvious goal or function.’ Birds who engage in stereotypic behaviour are chronically misunderstood, poorly supported & often not identified at all. Birds who engage in stereotypic behaviour are one of my absolute passions to help, support & love. Why? Because they are just like me.

Some Autistic people (me included) do something we call stimming, which is short for ‘self stimulatory behaviour’. This is also misunderstood & has huge amounts of stigma attatched to it. Scientists call this behaviour (you guessed it) stereotypic behaviour. It is the same thing. Society doesn’t understand it, but I do. There can be good stimming which gives us positive sensory feedback, like when I flick my fingers or tap my face & my Birds jump up & down or spend hours on the swing. There can also be harmful stimming which is a result of living in an environment not built for us, like when I was little & would smash my head against the wall & bite my arms & when Birds pluck or mutilate their skin & rock for hours to scare the darkness away. As an Autistic person who has overcome negative stimming & fully embraced & learned to celebrate positive stimming, I can help my rescue Birds do just this.

A lot of the ‘therapy’ or ‘treatment’ for both Birds & Autistic people in this area is incredibly harmful to us & often involves shaming, depriving, shouting, drugging & manipulating us into no longer being who we are. There is nothing wrong with who we are, just with the way people treat us & the environment we are in. I create therapy programmes for new residents who engage in forms of negative stereotypic behaviour which are tailored to their individual needs. I spend every moment by their side & learn every one of their micro movements which helps me to learn what their triggers are. I fix the environment, not them, because they are NOT broken, just like Autistic people are NOT broken. I set their environments up in a way that allows them to thrive as a whole & unique being. I treat every Bird as an individual species in their own right. If you have met one Autistic person then you have met ONE Autistic person & if you have met one stereotypic Bird, then you have met ONE stereotypic Bird, for we are all individuals even if we share some charicteristics.

Rather than shaming them, screaming at them or giving them an aversive & frightening sensory experience (all recommended ‘treatments’ for a stereotypic Bird) I work on building a strong bond. When we bond & they let me into their innermost soul, we can then work as a team to help them shine, not by turning them into somebody else, but by celebrating & nurturing who they truly are. I transform their environment, help them through their trauma, remove or limit their triggers & shamelessly champion who they truly are. This is the case for both Autistic people & stereotypic Birds- we are not broken, out of our minds or in our own worlds, we are whole, who we are meant to be & waiting to be loved & respected- we are waiting to be seen, appreciated & heard. Incredible things can happen if you realise we are your equals. We are not in our own worlds, we just experience this one differently.

Timmy & Alice, a love story

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : April 28, 2022 / Category : The Wonky Flock

Timmy was purchased by a family as a baby, they forced & forced their hand at him & got increasingly nasty when he didn’t want to be tame. When they were fed up, & had done serious damage to his mental & physical health, he was given away (thankfully to me!) Timmy was so traumatized by people that if somebody was in the same room he would puff with stress, scream & flap around, or would sit on the perch & constantly flick his front toes forward with anxiety. This all changed when a local pet shop phoned to ask if we could take in a Budgie. Alice was abandoned at the pet shop because she would sing (yes, really!)

Alice is elderly & years of bad care had caused her deformed leg to develop a sore & her claws were so overgrown that they actually grew into her leg skin. Alice was very depressed & not interested in life, until she met Timmy!

There is a huge age gap, but these 2 angels have come together through the most awful of circumstances & have united as their souls began to shine. Under the magic of the stars they have fallen in love & learned how to be who they truly are, together.

Every kiss they share helps their precious eyes to shimmer as they always should have done. They are one, they are magical, they are Timmy & Alice, just who they were always meant to be.

The Wonky Flock

5 things rescue Birds want you to know

Posted by : James Hanson / Posted on : April 25, 2022

1- THEY ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR- Many rescue Birds, especially those with special needs or cruel pasts need lots of help to reach their full potential. It is wrong to say caring for them is easy, but it worth every moment in order to give them the lives that they so deserve. These angels will show you more love than you could ever imagine if you dare to believe in their remarkable souls.

2- THEY ARE NOT BLANK- Birds who have previously been abused may be incredibly angry & inflict serious bites or be frightened & panic when you are near. Another rarely discussed reaction to abuse is a Bird who hardly moves or interacts & appears completely blank. They may ignore all attempts of play & fun or simply be baffled at how they are supposed to react. They may not appear scared, but inside they are petrified. All attempts to show their feelings & trust people have been met with ignorance, shouting & abuse, so they have stopped trying. These Birds are incredibly hard to connect with because they try everything to shut you out, convinced that you will abuse them too & their trust will be shattered again. It is common for uneducated people to take them on & then give up on them because “they are boring, they don’t do anything!” Not realising that this is a trauma response. These are one of the most rewarding Birds to love as they have so much hidden inside. The biggest thing these Birds want you to know is that although they appear blank, that is far from the truth they guard so strongly inside.

3- DIET MATTERS- The most important thing you can do for a Bird is feed them the correct diet. If you take in a rescue Bird & feed them meat, dairy, human food/drink, junk food etc, then they have not been rescued at all. Even the most occasional bit of junk food causes diet related disease & health problems you wouldn’t cope with witnessing. It can take years before the signs are visible, but every bite is doing harm. People who are passionate about healthy & species specific diets for Birds are not being control freaks, picking on you or believing they are better than you, we just know the importance of proper nutrition. All of my angels are fed a nutrient rich diet with no junk food or bites of our meals & the transformation in their health, energy levels, feather condition & behaviour when converted to the correct diet can be astounding.

4- THEY ARE NOT PAST IT- Birds with disabilities, or who are elderly, often get written off as damaged, broken or past it. Elderly & disabled Birds are my absolute passion & I can never begin to tell you of the wonders they hold inside. For Birds to have a quality of life, we must first GIVE them a quality of life, every Bird deserves to live, be loved & thrive. We may need to adapt their environment, diet or enrichment activities slightly, but they can have the most remarkable lives which are fun, loving, enriching & as far away from a tragedy as it is possible to go. I have rescued both elderly & disabled Birds who could do nothing but lay on the floor & clumsily eat or drink from floor bowls, being told that they will be dead in a few days, sometimes even by the time we are home. When they are surrounded by love, given unique therapy programmes & are fed nutritious food, some are still here more than 5 years later. They are completely unrecognisable & no longer lay helplessly on the floor with sunken eyes, no Bird is past the gift of love.

5- LOVE THEM AS THEY ARE- Some rescue Birds will be just like non- rescues, but many are different & will always have threads of their past woven into their identity. Some rescues will always be scared of certain people or objects, some will always have special needs & some will never be tame or utter a word. The most important thing for a rescue Bird’s happiness & sense of belonging is for you to love them EXACTLY as they are. Few things are as healing to these precious angels as radical & unquestioned love & acceptance. Many of them have been through enough & don’t need the constant pressure of living with a family who always wants more or is always questioning why they are not like the one on the viral video. So many rescue Birds have had a lifetime of people wanting them to be more, of people saying “I would love you, I would keep you if only you weren’t you” They need to come home, where they belong. They need to be told how amazing they are & how much you love them for exactly who they are, how you treasure them & wouldn’t change them for the world. Rescue Birds are so worthy of love, could you be the one to change the world for a Bird? & last, but by no means least, treat your Bird

as though they understand every word you say- because they do.

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