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6A Daily News – Saturday, April 21, 2012 healthPetsactivities Small cages cramp parrots' style, health & LOS ANGELES (MCT) — Mira Tweti does plenty of squawking over the size of parrot cages. Animal Island: Pooch can eat salad, del Rey, author and jour- nalist is launching a national campaign to encourage parrot owners to swap their standard- size bird cages for larger ones. Typical bird cages measure 24 inches wide, 16 inches deep and 16 inches high. Parrots need much more than that, Tweti says. "We recommend a minimum of 32 inches in width, 24 inches in depth and 40 inches in height. And the cage should be three feet off the ground," she said. Tweti's nonprofit Par- rot Care Project and Cage xChange Campaign will begin this month at a Santa Monica, Calif., exotic bird shop where free veterinary exams will be available and experts will be on hand to discuss avian nutrition, how to choose the right cage and how to equip it with toys. Tweti said she hopes to extend the program to 50 cities over the next five years. Cages should be outfit- ted with a variety of perches and playthings to stimulate their occupants. Most, she says, are too small for the colorful birds whose charismatic and intelligent natures make them popular pets. That's why the Playa Q: My dachshund thinks she is a rabbit. We have two rabbits that live uncaged in our home, use a litter box and are part of our family. Our dog has bonded with them very nicely. When we give fresh greens and vegetables to our rabbits, the dog partakes in the feast. She does not eat the rabbits' pelleted food or hay — just the vegetables. She will eat a whole carrot at one sitting. Will eating all these vegetables hurt her at all? but hold the onions Newsday (MCT) MCT photo Mira Tweti is photographed at her home in Playa del Rey with Sabu, a Red Lored Amazon Parrot, shown inside his cage that measures 24 inches deep, 36 inches wide and 41 inches high. Parrots lacking such diversions often pluck their feathers, a habit that is usually impossible to reverse, Tweti said. "Parrots don't make good pets," she said. "It's the truth — it's a wild ani- mal kept in a cage. They're never domesticat- ed. The ideal place for them should be in a rain forest." But she acknowledges they make good compan- ions, with their musical warbling and their knack for repeating humans' phrases. That's why there are an estimated 30 mil- lion of them residing in living rooms in the United States. never take their birds out of their cages. Tweti has a photo of one parrot that had grown so large that it would not fit through its cage door. A bird rescue FINAL DAY- SATURDAY! EVERYTHING MUST GO 60%off Retail While supplies last THIS IS THE SALE YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! Savings up to Some parrot owners her first parrot — which greeted her with "Good morning" and "I love you" — in 1994 from a vendor at the Lotus Festival at Echo Park Lake. The bird died in 2006 from a fun- gal infection. group had to cut the enclosure apart to free it. Tweti said she acquired Q: I just got a harness and lead for my cat. I am trying to train her to walk in it so I can let her enjoy the nice weather in my yard without worrying about her wandering off or getting run over by a car. As soon as I put it on her, however, she just lays down flat against the floor and refuses to move. I spoke to a trainer who told me to just leave the harness on her and let her walk around the house with it on until she gets used to it and then start training her with the lead attached. When I do this, she just struggles until she gets her legs all stuck in it and is all in a tizzy. Is there any way to get her to accept it and walk nicely with it? ate carnivore, the process of domestication has turned dogs into omnivores, much like a bear is. Dogs can digest meat as well as grains, fruits and vegetables. There is nothing at all wrong with your dog eating vegetables and fruits as long as they're not more than a third of the dog's daily con- sumption of food. Just keep her away from eating grapes and onions. Although a single grape here and there or a random onion ring will not hurt a dog, they can be an issue if consumed in large amounts, particularly in a toy or small breeds. Overindulgence of grapes and raisins can cause kidney issues in dogs. Onions can cause a type of anemia. How- ever, these are not things normally fed to pet bunnies, any- way, so your dog sharing in their salads is not an issue. ___ A: While the dog's ancestor — the wolf — is an oblig- A: Positive reinforcement works best in these cases. She has to think that when she is wearing the harness, some- thing nice will happen to her. After that, she began hunting for new homes for unwanted parrots. "I've rescued 85 of them, including two from a meth lab in Washington state. They're now in the Bronx Zoo," she said. Bird experts are brac- ing for what Tweti charac- terizes as a "tsunami" of unwanted parrots as baby boomers who may have acquired them 30 years ago downsize to smaller homes or retire and decide to travel. First, get the cat used to eating bits of deli chicken off a plastic fork. When she is doing this eagerly, tape the fork to a long dowel, jab the chicken on the end of the fork, hold it down on the ground in front of you and allow her to grab the chicken that way. Gradually, you hold the fork away from her and per- suade her to follow it around the house as you are walking with her. She will actually be walking at heel with you as a dog does — only indoors and without the harness. Just keep putting bits of chicken at the end of the fork and hold- ing it down and she will follow it anywhere. (Trainers call this a target stick.) Now you put the harness on her and show her the bait- Releasing parrots into the wild is illegal, although flocks of them can be seen in Temple City, Malibu, areas of Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego. won't survive unless they join a flock. But the flocks don't take in just any stray parrot," Tweti said. "Most released parrots large backyard pond. The pond begins with a By Jeff Kahler, D.V.M. McClatchy Newspapers Kevin has a relatively two-tiered waterfall and small stream section that ter- minates into the main pond area, which is 6 feet deep and contains about 12,000 gallons of water. Kevin's pond also contains three tur- tles and 12 large koi carp, which have been in the pond since it was built some 10 years ago. The carp, howev- er, are no longer the finger- lings they used to be. The koi are now 14 to 20 inches long. Over the past ed target stick the moment it is on her. If she is hungry enough, she will forget about the harness and follow the target for the treats. Keep the sessions very short at first — you must end them before she starts to fight the harness. Only give her the chicken treats now when she is wearing the harness, and in no time she will accept it just fine. Then, do the whole process while she is wearing the lead attached, and you will have her walking on the lead in the house. Now, you will have no problem when you take her outdoors — just be sure to use the target stick at first to remind her that all this is a good thing. In time, she will be so happy to go outdoors that you will no longer need to use the target stick to motivate her. This sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't. When you train an animal this way, it is fascinating to watch it learn and get the idea of what you are expecting. It is all about finding a way to properly communicate with the ani- mal. Something's fishy with Kevin's carp three to four weeks, Kevin has noticed his fish acting more lethargic. Normally, when Kevin comes out to the pond in the morning, all 12 koi are waiting at the top of the water with gulping mouths. That has not been the case lately. Kevin now finds all 12 spending most of their time in one area of the pond near the bottom. Kevin has netted a few of research on the Internet but has not reached any conclu- sions. That's why he's asking for help. his fish to get a closer look and has noticed that their fins are showing bright red where they are normally a much more pale color. Other than this change, he notes nothing else physically abnormal. He has done his Red Bluff Garden Club Invites you to attend their 51st 632 MAIN ST., RED BLUFF • (530) 527-5837 Hours: Monday thru Friday 9 am - 5:30 pm • Saturday 9 am - 5 pm • Closed Sunday MATTRESS NORTH VALLEY May 4 & 5, 2012 Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Annual Standard Flower Show "Fun & Flowers from the 50s" Home Arts Bldg., Tehama District Fairgrounds For Information or to enter call 527-9403 Huge Plant Sale Classic Car Show Kid's Flower Planting Activity perceive from some species — dogs, cat, birds and rab- bits — that we can under- stand, such as pain in a par- ticular area or obvious signs like vomiting, diarrhea and coughing. With fish, that is not so much the case. There is one clue we There are signs we can have with Kevin's fish. Their fins are turning red. I would advise Kevin to pick out one fish from his group, prefer- ably the one that appears to be most affected, and bring it to a veterinarian with experience working with fish. Questions can be submitted to The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto CA 95352. ALL NEW FACILITY Your One Stop Convenience Store ONE STOP 714 Walnut St., Red Bluff 5am to 11pm