A Plethora of Bird Toys

Dr.Carpino & her dog Katie Important Dates:		Animal & Bird Medical Center of Temple Dr. Mary Carpino "Where we treat your pet like our own" (254) 899-8800 Animal & Bird Medical Center will be Closing as of March 16, 2011 We have enjoyed taking care of your pets these past 13 years. However, the physical demands of the job are significant, and the time is right for me to take a position that is less physically challenging. I am a "big dog" person at heart, but when our many 130 lb patients seem to weigh 180 and our one 227 lb patient seems to weight 400 lbs, it is time to make an adjustment. I will be moving out of the area, but will continue to be accessible at katie@animalandbird.com. We will be taking care of records after March 10, 2011 and will let you know the details of that as the week progresses. Please be sure we have your email. If you are not sure we have it - please send it to katie@animalandbird.com Please be patient with us as we close the clinic.	NOTE: All equipment, fixtures and supplies must go. Equipment and fixtures are being auctioned online at www.shattuck.com Click on Online Auctions and then on Veterinary Hospital - Temple Check daily as we add more items. Inspection of items will be Fri & Sat 3/11-3/12 from 10 am to 12 noon The auction ends 3/14/11. Pickup of auction items will be 3/18 & 3/19 from 10am to 5pm
Last appointment date:	3/10/11
Last day to order prescription food:	3/9/11
Last day to order prescription medicine:	3/12/11
Last day to pick up pre-ordered food or medicine:	3/16/11
Large Reductions in all non-prescription items:	3/7-3/16/11
Big "Garage/Lobby/Yard Sale" - Yes - this is a Sunday 8am-5pm.	3/20/11

A Plethora of Bird Toys.

Why do we carry bird toys?

Behavioral stresses and associated feather picking and self-mutilation is one of the most common and devastating diseases we see in pet birds. Birds can literally bleed to death from a mutilation injury. Treatment is lengthy and expensive and usually requires a hospital stay for pickers to adjust to collars and medicines and a rather lengthy stay for mutilators (1 month or more) for multiple bandage changes and medication until the plumage is completely back to normal. Even the "easier" feather pickers may take a year or more to get back to normal (if ever back to completely normal).

So we stress the ongoing need to keep birds occupied, self-entertained, and happy.

SELF-ENTERTAINMENT is the key. Every bird is different. Some birds will occupy themselves for hours upon hours with plastic chains. Others never put down that pacifier. Others rock their hanging marble/tube toys back and forth in a never ending manner. Some birds hang precariously from their toys by a toe or two defying common sense and gravity. Some birds love all toys. Some birds are afraid of new toys (all the more reason to start introducing them till you find what your birds will gravitate to).

Wooden toys are ideal - but a macaw and some amazons, cockatoos & greys may devour them inside of 25 minutes. The acrylic toys (especially those that have what amounts to replaceable components) at least have the advantage of a longer lifespan. They can also be more challenging. How to get that popsicle stick out of the tube....How to get that Marble around to the outside of the toy, etc.

If your bird does not "play with toys" keep searching till you find what WILL keep your bird occupied. Sometimes it is location of the toy within the cage. Sometime different colors or texures will entice the bird.