Basel Labs

Did you know that arthritis affects one in five dogs over the age of seven? It is a painful condition that affects the joints and can occur in your pet’s neck, hips, shoulders, elbows and back. However, there are many simple solutions that you can provide at home that will relieve the aches and pains in your dog’s joints.

Change Your Dog’s Diet

Easy enough and it worked for my dog. Be sure you are providing a high-quality dog food with no added preservatives, food colorings, wheat, corn or soy products. It would be preferable to get a dog food that is low fat AND has low carbohydrates, but unfortunately there is no such thing as a low-carb dog food. Just be aware that grains (which make up a large component of dry dog food) tend to increase inflammation and aggravate arthritis. A better alternative would be to switch to home-prepared meals with either cooked or raw meats and vegetables.

However, if you don’t want to prepare meals for your pet, then cut back on the dry food and start adding a cup of fresh veggie “salad” every day. Celery is excellent for the joints. I often chop up lettuce, celery, cucumber, some carrot, and any other fresh vegetables I have on hand. Just make sure to cut all vegetables into very small pieces for easy digestion (a food processor is perfect for this) and don’t use onions or mushrooms as they may be toxic to your dog.

Provide Supplements That Reduce Arthritic Swelling and Pain

Give your dog a glucosamine tablet. Glucosamine helps the body manufacture glycosaminoglycans, which is designed to maintain cartilage structure. The recommended dosage is mg of a 500mg tablet per 10 pounds of body weight once a day. Preferably use a glucosamine tablet that also contains Chondroitin Sulfate. This supplement helps to attract water into the cartilage for added nutrition and lubrication. It also seems to inhibit excessive cartilage destroying enzymes.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a naturally occurring organic dietary sulphur that has been shown in studies to relieve arthritic pain, slow joint deterioration and reduce inflammation with no negative side effects.

Dogs don’t usually get enough Omega 3 fatty acids in their diets. Omega 3 helps to regulate pressure in the joints, among many other things. A good source for this is fish oil capsules. Additional vitamin E will also be needed since adding more oil to the body increases the need for this vitamin.

Reduce Excess Weight

Extra weight on a dog puts extra pressure on the joints and causes more pain and swelling. Begin by reducing the amount of treats given, cut back a bit on food, and provide a lower fat diet for your dog. Exercising is also important. If possible, take your dog out for several shorter 10 to 15 minute walks each day rather than going for one long walk. Another great strategy is to take your dog swimming. They’ll get the exercise without stressing the joints. A bathtub works well for very small dogs. However, if your dog is a landlubber and hates water don’t push the issue.

Keep Your Dog Warm and Cozy on Cold, Damp Days

Set up a soft bed or some layers of fleece in the area where your dog normally sleeps. If your dog usually stays outside, then provide an insulated dog house with soft bedding on the floor. Be sure the doorway is somewhat sheltered and facing away from the wind. Better yet, bring them inside when it’s cold and/or wet.

Apply Moist Heat

Apply a hot water bottle with warm water or use a towel soaked in warm water that’s been wrung out to your dog’s aching joints. Moist heat penetrates deeply and provides welcomed relief. Do not use a heating pad as it may get too hot for the dog and burn them especially if your dog has limited mobility - they may not be able to get up and move away from a pad that is too hot.

Raise Your Dog’s Food and Water Dish

If your pet has arthritis in their neck or shoulders, consider raising their food and water bowls so they don’t have to bend their head down to eat.

Give Your Pet a Massage

Don’t we all love to have sore muscles rubbed? Gently rub around the affected joint and massage the surrounding muscles. This gentle kneading and the heat from your hands should ease some of the pain.

Use a Ramp For The Stairs

If your dog has a hard time going up and down stairs, think about buying or making a ramp that can be laid over the stairs so your dog can more easily maneuver them. This is especially useful for when they need to go outside to “do their thing” or are required to jump into a truck for a trip to the vet.

Additional alternatives include herbal and homeopathic products, acupressure, acupuncture, and chiropractic care. Safer and often just as effective, these are just some of the things that you can do at home for your dog to give them relief from arthritic pain.

Is your dog sick and getting sicker by the day? Are you searching for answers and alternative solutions to your dog’s health care problems? Visit Caring for Canines, a web site that focuses on holistic approaches to dog health issues => http://www.caringforcanines.com

(c)2005, Rose Smith. All rights reserved.

Marketing Articles: Promoting Your Site Twice!
By: Martin Lemieux (Smartads - President)
I recently became aware that promoting your web site in Search Engines can instantly be double within Google! That’s right, you can instantly promote your site 2 times at once!

So how do you Market Your Site twice?

Simple…

Most of us typically promote www.yoursite.com. But what you
need to realize is that most sites can be found on search
engines simply by entering… http://yoursite.com - without
the www.

Try it for a second, lets go to google and type in your
url with the www. and then without the www.

So for me it would be:

1) www.smartads.info
2) http://smartads.info

The same will apply for sub-domains as well. A sub-domain is
a section of your site dedicated to something you create but
instead of residing within your normal directory, it resides
within it’s own directory,like I’ve illustrated below…

Normal:
www.yoursite.com

Sub-Domain:
www.sub-domain.yoursite.com

And with that again, you can promote your sub-domain twice
in Search Engines like so…

1) www.sub-domain.yoursite.com
2) http://sub-domain.yousite.com

So in turn, I’ve just showed you how you can promote 4 sites
with all the same goal in mind, yours of course!

How to utilize your new found knowledge:

Hopefully, you are all aware of how important it is to create
a link exchange program for your business? Well, what you
simply want to do is to mix up your links when submitting to
other companies for a listing within their site.

In other words…

Lets say I just found 4 sites that I want to exchange links
with, I would do something like this…

Site #1: I would submit (www.yoursite.com)
Site #2: I would submit (http://yoursite.com)
Site #3: I would submit (www.sub-domain.yoursite.com)
Site #4: I would submit (http://sub-domain.yoursite.com)

Now I’m promoting my site with 4 times the power than before!

But don’t stop there…

Do you write articles? How about committing 2 of your links
to every article. Change them up with each article.

Ex:

Article #1 (How to Submit Your Site to Search Engines)

Try adding
www.yoursite.com
www.sub-domain.yoursite.com

Article #2 (How to Market Your Site Twice)

Try adding
http://yoursite.com &
http://sub-domain.yoursite.com

I hope this small timbit of knowledge gives you the edge you
need to put your business ahead of the game!

Best of luck to you!

Martin Lemieux
Smartads - President

http://www.smartads.info
Affordable web site design

http://smartads.info
Marketing Articles & Web Site Marketing Tactics

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Martin Lemieux
Smartads - President
http://www.smartads.info
Affordable web site design
http://smartads.info
Marketing Articles & Web Site Marketing Tactics

It’s important to have the right pet supplies and knowledge for proper puppy care and kitty care. Just as a child’s body is different from an adult’s, a dog’s or cat’s body is very different when it’s young. A young pet has special nutritional, physical and even mental needs, so a responsible owner must have the pet supplies needed before the little one joins the family.

During their first year, the most important pet supply to have on hand is food. It’s well known that puppies and kittens burn calories and protein at a much higher rate than adults because of their accelerated growth. The reason why they have this accelerated growth is because it served their ancestors well in the wild. Back then, a young pup or cub would be easy prey, so they had to mature quickly and have offspring of their own to propagate the species. Make sure to buy from a reputable quality pet supply store and get the food that’s made specifically for puppies and kittens.

Aside from food, the other pet supplies that are a necessity are dog toys and cat toys. In addition to physical growth, puppies and kittens learn things during their first year that stay with them for life.
The first year is crucial in molding a cat’s or dog’s behavior, so it’s important to interact with them. One of the best ways to interact with them is through playtime. Playing is good exercise for them (and you), and it teaches them that humans are friends and companions. Sadly, those pets abused during this time are often scarred for life, and have serious trust issues. Whatever pet toy you get, make sure it’s not too small so that they won’t swallow it. For puppies, a Kong dog toy is a good investment because it’s durable and won’t mess up your house. Playing “tug-o-war” with a rope puppy toy is a good way to build their strength and confidence, too. For kittens, try a cat toy with bright colors. It’s important to get cat toys that will safely satisfy their natural curiosity.

Since house breaking and litter box training are essential, the proper pet supplies for this need to be on hand from day one. Get a small dog crate and hold your puppy in it overnight and for periods when you can’t watch them. They instinctively don’t want to go in their own area, so you can use that to your advantage. Take them straight from the dog crate to outside, and they’ll eventually get the idea. For cats, be sure to get a quality litter box and give your cat their own space. Cats naturally want to dig when they eliminate, so just keep showing them the litter box after they eat. It might be a good idea to get a small pet crate for your cat as well if you plan on traveling with him or her. An extra safety tip for cat owners is to keep cats away from the dryer machine. Cats like being in cozy, closed off places, and they will jump in the dryer when your not looking, which can lead to disaster. With these pet supplies and the proper care, any puppy or kitten will grow to be a happy and healthy pet.

Grant Carroll proud father of three dogs and co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedpets.com with Dog Clothes and Small Dog Sweaters.
Also visit Little Pampered Babies where you can find Unique Baby Clothes and Toddler Clothing.

Until he has been weaned, a puppy plays with his littermates and playthings aren’t necessary. They are even uninteresting and possibly dangerous. From the age of 6 to 8 weeks, he starts to take an interest in toys. Almost anything will do, as long as it cannot be swallowed, or cause injury. Puppies enjoy pulling things, shaking things, carrying things around in their mouths, and as soon as they are able to run without tripping, they enjoy chasing things. This is the moment to buy you pet a rubber ball.

Not just any kind of a ball, and certainly not the soft foam rubber type, (which can be chewed to bits and swallowed), not the inflatable children’s ball that can puncture with his sharp baby teeth. Buy him a hard rubber ball that is too large to be swallowed but small enough for him to hold comfortably in his mouth. Buy it, like all his toys in a pet store, not a toy store, there is a difference in the types of materials used.

A larger dog can be given a used tennis ball, but never give any dog a golf ball. Golf balls can be swallowed by some of the larger breeds, and they all contain a poisonous liquid core. Never give a puppy a stuffed animal, or an object of painted wood or flimsy plastic. Avoid toys resembling actual household objects like gloves or slippers, unless you are prepared to face the consequences of him going after the real thing. While children can be warned against putting harmful objects in their mouth, dogs are obliged to pick up everything with their mouth.

When a puppy is separated from his littermates, he misses them intensely at first. The best substitutes for his playmates are a few toys, (one is not enough), with which he can play alone, with children, or with you.

Try to schedule a regular daily playtime. Never right after a meal, because he needs quiet for proper digestion, and never after a long period of confinement, because the excitement of play will make him want to urinate. Before mealtimes is good, as well as before bed time too, but only if he is given an opportunity to empty his bladder before retiring for the night. Whatever the time, the 10 or 15 minutes you devote to playing with your puppy will be the high spot of his day.

During the puppy’s teething period, (from 3 to 7 months, more or less), you should provide him with chewing toys of digestible rawhide or, even better, a harmless nylon bone of suitable size. They will keep him occupied for hours on end. They will also prevent a lot of destruction. When you spot him gnawing on a chair or table leg, it is much more effective to say “NO” and immediately offer him the alternative of a chewable bone or ball.

Biting and chewing are perfectly natural and instinctive traits of all dogs. Trying to suppress this activity by scolding and not offering an alternative is useless. At teething time, it is not only obsessive but also very practical in dislodging baby teeth to make way for permanent ones. Like a child, your puppy will become attached to his old toys to those, at least that he hasn’t destroyed or lost. But as he grows bigger, you should think of replacing them with other more suitable to his size and strength.

Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed Joncopets.com. On the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest designer pet carriers, dog accessories, dog harnesses , and more for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at http://www.joncopets.com

How could 1 dog ever be enough for a dog lover? Before you decide to add another dog to the family, there are some important concerns about your current dog you should consider.

Matching Personalities

Your current canine companion loves you, but how will it feel about sharing you? If it is sweet, servile and submissive, a new dog could bully your first dog into a life of fear and despair. With a submissive dog, never accept a puppy that won’t let you cradle it upside down in your arms. A puppy that will let you hold it as you would an infant is willing to be submissive.

If your dog is a bit of a bully with other dogs and the new dog shares the same trait, beware! There are major battles on the horizon, until they sort out who is the alpha dog. Sometimes, with equally dominant personalities, the battles never end. After a few skirmishes and trips to the vet, you’ll be regretting the new addition to your family.

Your best chance for adding a new dog to the mix are with a balanced and confident current pet. Dogs that are neither overly dominant, nor submissive, are more likely to accept and survive the addition of another dog in the household.

Size Matters

Your next consideration is the size of your dog. If you have a little terrier, you should avoid a Great Dane pup. A large, energetic puppy can accidentally injure a small dog repeatedly before it’s aware of its strength. On the other hand, if you currently own a full-grown Golden Retriever, which undoubtedly has a terrific temperament, you may be able to bring a small-breed puppy into the family.

You should watch the dogs closely in the early days when they’re together. More than 1 German Shepard has become the devoted protector of an iddy-biddy lap dog.

Fussy Females

If your dog is an unaltered female, she may become very unhappy if another female dog enters her domain. She may need to be altered before she will accept a second female in the pack. She could still show some aggression even after being spayed. A male puppy might be a wiser choice. Besides, unless you’re prepared to suddenly be the proud owner of a half-dozen more dogs, you’ll have to alter at least 1 of them.

Old Folks

If your dog is older, you may want to reconsider buying a puppy. Older dogs often have aches and pains, and are more impatient than when they were younger. Instead, think about getting a mature dog. It will be an easier adjustment for your older dog.

Mix And Match

Toy lap-dog breeds tend to be spoiled by their owners and are jealous of other dogs. Getting a new puppy with child-like demands on your time is not going to bring out the best from the dog that has grown to expect your undivided attention. A pampered pooch can be a challenge. The more aggressive breeds, such as Rottweilers and Pit Bulls, are also likely to have problems. Some dogs simply don’t adjust well to competition — ever.

In the final analysis, all dogs are individuals with independent personalities. You should know best whether a new puppy will be welcomed.

About the Author: Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.new-pup.com to learn more about this subject.
Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

Source: www.isnare.com

Pugs are small, adorable dogs, popularly kept as house pets all over the world. At first sight, a Pug might resemble a small bulldog or a miniature mastiff. However, this breed is totally unique, with its heavily wrinkled, flat, round face.

Pugs originated in China in about 700 BC and as trade routes grew, the breed spread across to Europe and America. The dog is characterized by a big, round head, short, stocky body and a tail that is curled tightly over the hip. The Pug is a very sociable dog, but can be stubborn at times. They tend to shed a lot more than other dogs in the same category and also have a tendency to snore. They are also susceptible to several diseases, including an inflammation of the brain, a disease unfortunately specific to the breed.

Despite their loving disposition and cute appearance, Pugs are abandoned across the US every day. The reasons for these are many. In some cases, the owner might find the dog a burden as it might require more attention and time than the person is willing to give. Some Pugs are abandoned because they develop some disease or illness at an early stage. It is a sad sight to see these poor helpless animals suffer. However, all hope is not lost as several non-profit organizations look after such homeless dogs.

Pug rescue takes place on a large scale in all US states, with each having several organizations dedicated to this cause. These organizations locate homeless and neglected Pugs and Pug crossbreeds. They work towards finding them better homes where they will be well cared and protected. These Pug rescue organizations take care of vaccinations and also treat the animal for any diseases and ailments. The organizations also provide foster homes for the animals until they find a loving family.

Several Pug rescue missions run adoption centers. All applications that come in for Pug adoption are carefully screened before giving away the dog. These organizations, along with their caring volunteers, help give these innocent creatures a new life.

A survey published by Mintel recently revealed that 1 in 3 pets
need an unplanned visit to the vet every year. So the odds that
you’ll be making a claim on your pet insurance are higher than
the chances of you claiming on your home & contents policy or
your motor insurance.

The word “unplanned” is key here. We don’t mean routine
treatments such as vaccinations or worming, you won’t find a pet
insurance policy that covers preventative treatments. Nor you
will you able to get cover for ‘elective treatments’, like
neutering for example. Basically, the common reasons for
visiting the vet cannot be insured against.

As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s the unplanned visits that are the
expensive ones! Animal care has progressed a lot in recent
years, and all kinds of maladies can be treated, at a horrendous
cost. Emergency care is always expensive, and if your cat gets
run over, you could be looking at a bill of £700 or more. A
series of X-rays could cost £400, and you don’t want to know how
much a MRI scan could set you back - oh go on then - £1,000! If
Dickens the Daschund breaks a leg then it can be treated - but
how much will it cost? It could be close to £1,500 - that’s a
lot of money!

Now we’ve established that most reasons for a visit to the vet
cannot be covered by insurance, so what is included?

Well, pet insurance plans come in 3 main guises:

The value of the claim for each condition or event is capped;

The total annual payout cannot exceed a set amount;

The payout per condition is limited and ceases to cover your pet
after twelve months of treatment. This is the cheapest option.

Virtually all pet insurance policies will pay out if your pet
dies. As with other types of insurance, you will have to pay an
excess if you make a claim, usually £50 -£100.

The cost of the policy depends on which type of policy you want,
how much excess you are prepared to pay, the kind of pet you
have, its breed (rare breeds are more expensive), its age and
even your post-code can make a difference to the premium (vets
cost more in Chelsea). It’s difficult to estimate because of all
the variables, but an industry estimate suggests premiums from
£30 - £200 per year for a cat and £50 - £500 for a dog.

The cheapest insurance is directed at young pets, and seeing as
most pets can be insured from 8 weeks old and you can then
continue insurance for its lifespan, that’s the best way to go.
If your pet is already 8 or 9 years old when you decide to get
it insured, it may be difficult to get worthwhile cover. This is
mainly because the exclusions will list existing health
conditions, and at that age, it is likely that your pet will
have some known conditions. In any case, at that age a new
policy will be more costly.

There are a few ways to lower the premiums - some insurers will
discount insurance if your pet has an identity chip, and if you
are insuring more than one pet, you will be able to get a
quantity discount. These are widely available for your second
and subsequent insured pets.

To get the cheapest premiums, browse the Internet for deals. The
Internet is a great place for cheap insurance of all kinds -
your home, your car or pet, your holiday - all just a click
away.

In February of 2005 my girlfriend and I rescued a Great Dane from the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. She was six months old, severely malnourished and cute as can be. We already had 2 rescue dogs (Henry and Morgan) so we had some experience with the behavior, diet and socialization anomalies that adopted dogs can bring with them. The night we picked her up, the foster family told us how she spent her first six months of life. She and her two sisters had been found in a garden shed in Nebraska. They were all scared and emaciated but completely adorable. Our baby, LuLu, was the worst of the three. She was afraid of every noise, walked with a tucked tail, never barked or whimpered and didn’t know how to play. She didn’t understand typical canine social cues: Week two in our house when she approached Henry while he was eating a bone, he gave her a warning growl. She didn’t have any idea what it meant. She didn’t recognize play behavior and didn’t understand why Morgan’s tail was always wagging. The rescue advised us to get her some formal socialization. Since LuLu was our baby (still is, really), we wanted to find a worthy dog daycare and kennel to take her one or two days a week to help her understand the fundamentals. Thus we embarked on a thorough search of the Denver dog daycare market.

We used the typical search tools to identify our prospects (yellow pages, Google, Yahoo, etc). Dog daycare isn’t a new concept in Denver - there are several establishments operating all over the metro area. We identified the ones closest to us, asked everyone we knew for ones we may have missed and visited each one asking the most detailed questions possible. We may have spent more time interviewing these places than some people do looking for child care.

We asked about outdoor terrain, playgroup segregation, permissible toys, dog to staff ratio, operating hours, incident handling procedures, feeding and medication procedures, nap time requirements, water intake monitoring, staff education and cleaning habits. We weren’t surprised to find that many places have similar setups. There were a couple of great places that we loved but they were either too far or booked out three weeks in advance. We just weren’t satisfied with the level of care provided in the places closest to us that had immediate availability. Thus, we decided to start our own establishment.

My girlfriend and I approached a fellow dog lover (she too has two rescue dogs) with our idea to start a dog daycare and kennel. We all three volunteer with rescues and other dog organizations, have a passion for animal care, donate to several animal causes and want our babies to be spoiled at all times. These philosophies created a strong foundation for Mile High Canine Club.

The three of us spent weeks searching for the perfect facility. We wanted something with a large outdoor and indoor area. We wanted something close and convenient but far enough from a major intersection (just in case a dog got off leash during drop off or pick up). We wanted something with multiple outdoor access points (to allow playgroups to go out different doors). After 2 months of searching, we found the perfect place. It was zoned correctly, the landlord welcomed our application (many others denied us based on the animal aspect), and the indoor area was huge (4,800 sq ft) with multiple access points to the 7,500 sq ft outside space (already enclosed by a 6 foot cedar fence!). We immediately signed a lease and hired a contractor to begin building our dream canine palace at 1346 W. Cedar Avenue.

We hired a designer to do our space planning and building layout. She measured the place, designed a beautiful lobby with lots of windows (so owners could view the playgroups), and created four distinct play areas that could be collapsed into two (in case we had larger playgroups). She designed the entrance door on one end and the exit on the other to eliminate the congestion of dogs in one opening. She picked great colors, great materials and the build out began.

During the construction phase, we joined a few email group lists for dog daycare and kennel owners. This provided valuable information and lessons learned from around the nation. One of the advantages to working in the dog care field is the willingness of others to share information. After all, we do have the same goal in mind: canine care. Through these email discussions we learned best practices for interviewing dogs, feeding restrictions, effective operating procedures and much more.

We used all of our research and past experience volunteering with rescues and humane societies to create our own operating procedures to support our philosophy. We are differentiating ourselves by spoiling our members the way we spoil our own dogs. We do this by providing more amenities like purified water and filtered air, dog beds, lots of toys, healthy treats, plenty of playtime and cuddle time, a trained and educated staff, an onsite manager with Veterinarian Assistant training, partnering with a knowledgeable vet, an outdoor area without pea gravel (to minimize irritated paws) and calling customers to provide updates on their dog while they are out of town. Our web cams provide customers with the ability to view their dogs while they are away. We ask owners to provide food to mitigate unnecessary gastrointestinal disruption. We administer medications and don’t charge a premium to do so. Our kennel rates are the same 365 days a year; we don’t charge more for holiday stays. Our goal is to make the dog and owner happy. We believe that a well socialized and loved dog is a happier dog. We created an environment that allowed our LuLu, to gain confidence and make friends (she actually wags her tail, fetches and barks now!). We would like to share that environment with your babies.

In addition to providing exceptional canine care to our customers, we also continue to assist the rescue organizations. It is our mission to partner with area rescues and assist in facilitating fundraising events as often as possible. In our first month of business we hosted a dog wash to benefit the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. We charged $10/wash and 95% of the money was given to the rescue. In November 2005 we are hosting the Good Samaritan Pet Adoption Center Holiday Open House. We are allowing them to use our facility free of charge. We have also contacted other local rescues and humane societies offering our facility and time. Promoting these worthwhile organizations is important to us. After all, they started this mission by bringing LuLu into our family.

If you are in need of dog daycare and/or kenneling, give us a call. We would be happy to provide your dog’s first day free of charge, after they pass the initial behavioral interview, that is. Come in today to see what a day does for your dog!

Mile High Canine Club
1346 W. Cedar Ave
Denver, CO 80223
303-722-2011

info@milehighcanineclub.com

http://www.milehighcanineclub.com/

Interested in parrots? Welcome to the world of the flying feathers. All types of parrots are brightly colored with a few exceptions. Some types of parrots are small, cuddly and cute. Others are bigger and grander than their smaller relations. The most common types of parrots are green in color and make wonderful pets. They are usually small in size and have amazing talking abilities.

There are some types of parrots that are multi-colored. They come in bright blue, yellow, green, white and mixtures of two or more of these colors. They are often nicknamed winged rainbows. Some of these types of parrots are wild while some are docile in nature. Some make wonderful pets while some are too independent to be bound down by humans. Some types of parrots are as dependent on us as our children would be. They love company and love to mimic human voices.

Almost all types of parrots eat fruits, vegetables, chicken and a lot of seeds. Most types of parrots tend to become moody and begin to pluck their feathers if they are not in the right state of mind or if they are unhealthy. There are many species of parrots available. The most common types of parrots can be grouped under the following heads:

PARROTS: Parrots are a very popular group of birds. Parrots are intelligent animals that depend on some degree of socialization and will not be good pets unless they are taught and patterned to be good pets.

MACAWS: Macaws are flamboyant, colorful, intelligent and captivating birds. However, like ill-trained children, macaws can be a major embarrassment if they are not well trained.

CONURES: In the wild conures are friendly, peaceful birds and seldom fight with each other. Conures are known for their sweet dispositions and playfulness. They definitely have a mind of their own.

COCKATOOS: Cockatoos make wonderful pets because of their sweet nature. Cockatoos love to be cuddled and bond very easily with their human owners.

PARAKEETS: Parakeets have as many variations of their breed as there are varieties of their color. ‘Parakeets’ actually means “small parrots”.

COCKATIELS: Cockatiels are ideal for the first time pet owner. They are characteristically happy and cheerful birds, never moody or demanding.

BUDGIES: The word “budgie” is short for budgerigar which is a native green and yellow bird in Australia. They make wonderful pets because of their relatively gentle, gregarious and entertaining personalities.

About the Author

The author is a parrot lover for the last 12 years and is the owner of the website http://www.pet-parrots.com