Product Spotlight: the California Roll

This week we would like to spotlight one of our favorite products for birds, the California Roll. Unlike its sushi friend this one is far from fishy! This item was designed to be a fantastic toy for pet birds. We have found that it is one of the best foraging toys for birds with little effort for the lazy human!

Simply by inserting dry treat items into the perfectly sized opening in the mat you can create hours of foraging opportunities for your feathered friend. While we may not like to work for our food it has been proven in scientific studies that birds do. The study showed that when offered an open dish of food that the birds in the study preferred to feed from stations where they had to forage.

Foraging can help with behavioral issues such as screaming when you leave the room, feather picking and self mutilation among many other things. Over weight birds and birds that typically don’t play with toys can benefit from working for food as well. Give it a try and share photos of your birds using the California Roll with us!

To learn more about Fauna NYC, visit our website!

Breeding Behavior in Pet Birds

Written by Daniel Kopulos

With the recent passing of Valentine’s Day, one could say that romance is in the air with many of our feathered friends noticing it as well. This is the time of year that we get flooded with phone calls and emails from bird owners regarding the changes in their bird’s behavior.

Budgies nesting

Some of these changes can be very subtle; while others are so drastic that it can feel like you are living with Jekyll & Hyde. Regardless of the level of behavior changes that may occur, it often leaves us feeling confused, helpless and possibly even wondering if the bird would be happier elsewhere. If this is happening to you, rest assured that there is hope. Through modifying our own behaviors along with the bird’s environment we can reduce some of these unwanted behaviors while preventing potential health issues that stem from egg laying in female birds. Yes, your female bird can lay infertile eggs without a male bird present!

The age when these changes start to appear varies greatly from one species to the next. As a general rule, with the smaller species it can begin as early as six months old and the larger species usually start showing signs around two years of age. Most will begin exhibiting some of these behavior changes long before they are sexually mature. Due to the hormonal surges, these changes can be exaggerated during the adolescent years, testing even the most patient of people.

Most of these species we keep as pets have natural breeding seasons in the wild that are triggered by environmental changes. These changes indicate that there will be ample fat & protein rich food availability and that the seasonal weather will be ideal for rearing young. While many of us keep our birds indoors they still sense these changes happening outside. Atmospheric pressure, the sound of rainfall and changes in the length of daylight hours even when seen only through a window are enough. Couple that with the fact that we always feed rich diets to our birds and without realizing it, often add stimulus through seasonal foods we add to their diet. It is common for us to feed more fruits and vegetables to our birds this time of year. The availability in the stores has increased, the produce looks better and all the other factors that encourage us to purchase and consume more of these items for ourselves leads us to sharing more with our birds.

Modifying the environment presents it’s own challenges since we can’t control the sun. We can however, block windows with curtains or shades to decrease the effects of daylight changes. Though this is not a very practical solution for most because let’s face it, if you have a window and it’s nice outside you want to see the light as well! Another and better solution than restricting lighting is the use of artificial lighting, preferably a UVB emitting light, along with a timer so that throughout the year your bird gets the same hours of light regardless of the season.

When it comes to diet I’m never one to say restrict the diet and not offer fresh foods to your birds. Contrary to this I say feed fresh foods in abundance year round. If you only increase your fresh food feeding seasonally as produce becomes more readily available, then you are sending the wrong signals. If they get the same level of fresh foods through the year then there is no indicator that something has changed to trigger the body to cycle. If your bird eats a mix of pelleted food and seed, try to decrease the seed nearing the breeding season so that there are less protein and fat rich foods available. Take note of the foods you are feeding. Greens and certain vegetables are great during the breeding season, but protein rich foods such as beans, eggs, nuts and certain other seeds or grains should be avoided or given in smaller amounts.

It is easy for me to recognize the subtle signs of hormonal behavior. To the average bird owner the minute changes can be much more difficult to point out and may be overlooked or seen as something fun and entertaining initially. Learning to spot some of the more obvious signs can be a great start to preventing potential problems that can coincide with the season.

Some of the most common signs recognized by owners in male birds include:

• Eye pinning
• Tail fanning or other physical displays
• Increased aggression
• Increased vocalizations
• Regurgitation attempts to feed you or other objects
• Masturbation
• Feather picking and or other self mutilation

When you are presented with any of these behaviors try to analyze your responses to them. Pay special attention to your body language because your bird definitely will! He will look for the slightest indicator that you are showing interest. Positive or negative responses all equal a response.

Do you show any excitement about the eye pinning or other physical displays either verbally or physically? Do you respond to the vocalizations verbally or physically? Do you allow your bird to regurgitate to you? Do you even know what the masturbation looks like? You’d be surprised at the number of people that allow their birds to do this particular behavior to them and they have no clue what he’s doing!

If the answer was yes to any of these questions then you are probably encouraging and increasing the risk of unwanted behaviors such as aggression and vocalizations or feather picking and self-mutilation. The easy solution, just don’t engage in any of these activities. Redirect your birds attention with a toy, favorite treat or better yet behavior training. This will release some of the angst and energy in your bird allowing you to make it through the season until things settle back down. Some species such as Amazon males can be especially aggressive during the breeding season. Many are untouchable until it passes and they then return to the normal affectionate birds they once were.

With female birds you may see:

• Eye pinning
• Tail fanning or other physical displays
• Increased aggression especially in Eclectus or any of the Psittacula species
• Increased vocalizations
• Posturing for mating (leaning down with wings trembling)
• Feather picking and or other self mutilation
• Nest building behavior and egg laying

Nest building behaviors are often over-looked by owners and this can be one of the easiest things to prevent unwanted egg laying. Recognizing nesting behaviors can be tricky to the untrained eye, but things to look out for include:

• Seeking dark places
• Sitting on the floor in a corner
• “Playing” in boxes, drawers or closets
• Scratching at the floor or cage bottom
• Chewing paper or wood (lovebird hens will stuff strips of paper in their tail feathers)

Sleeping tents, teepees, and boxes are great to play or hang out inside of, outside of the breeding season for most birds, but can be a trigger for nesting behavior. By preventing access to these items you can often avoid egg laying, which can be very dangerous for your bird. Anything that can be perceived as a nest should be avoided. The average egg of a pet bird weighs about 8% of the bird’s body weight. This is similar to the weight of a human baby compared to an adult. Many of the smaller species can lay up to eight or ten eggs in a clutch. Now imagine yourself giving birth every other day for 16 days. I’ll give you a moment to recover from that thought…

This is expected if you are willing to take this risk as a bird breeder. Responsible breeders will limit the number of times a bird will reproduce over a given time period because of the dangers involved. It drains the female bird of much needed calcium, energy and protein. Egg binding is a very common and often fatal result of low calcium levels and excessive laying.

Countless people consider allowing their birds to lay or to breed “just once because it is natural” or “because the birds really want to”. Trust me, there is no such thing as just once. This is an irresponsible approach to bird keeping. Once a bird begins egg laying they often will repeat it year after year with or without proper nesting materials or arrangements. It is much better to prevent it than to try to stop it once it has begun. Some species such as cockatiels, finches and lovebirds, to name a few, can become chronic egg layers in captivity, laying hundreds of eggs a year.

Our physical contact with our birds can also trigger mating behaviors. I’ve already touched upon male sexual behavior, but with females it can be a bit more challenging to gauge how much is too much. To grasp this we need to understand female posturing and the copulation process. Typically the male would make some measure of display and possibly regurgitate to the female expressing his intentions.

Then he will make his way along side her while she lowers her body so that her back is parallel to the ground while fluttering her wings slightly. This lets the male know that she is ready. He then slowly steps onto her back and will move his tail to one side of hers and copulation begins with slight movements from side to side. Often there is beak clicking during this or soft calling. In some more aggressive species the male may hold the female’s head down against the branch during this process. How this applies to our contact with our female birds is this: touching her back or around her neck may cause stimulation if she is in a hormonal state. If you touch her back and notice that she starts to posture, stop, reassess the situation and try a less hands-on-back approach. Try scratching under the wings or around the cheeks to avoid contact with the trigger locations. This may happen over and over again, but with time of unfulfilled attempts of mating, this should lessen.

The breeding behavior of pet birds is very complex and so varied depending on species that there is no way to cover all of it in one brief article. My attempt was to cover some of the most common issues and triggers that are presented to me during the onset of the breeding season. For more detailed information or to deal with a specific issue please feel free to contact me here at Fauna. Don’t give up hope or lose patience. There are answers for as long as there are listeners who can follow instruction!

Follow The Companion Bird Association of New York City on Facebook to learn more about how to care for your bird(s) and socialize with other bird lovers!

To learn more about Fauna NYC, visit our website!

The Companion Bird Association of New York City

There have been a few bird clubs that have been organized over the last 20 years in New York City. The idea of an organization that would provide a place for bird lovers to come together and learn was popular, and these clubs became successful with many members.

Unfortunately, the environments nurtured a collection of a few people who for various reasons had big bird egos, and there was an overwhelming sense among members of hidden agendas and negative propaganda. There were strong opinions on husbandry and general care, medical issues, and philosophical issues surrounding bird ownership. While good debate is important and varying opinions are vital to learning, these meetings tended to be uncomfortable and awkward for many people, and ultimately the clubs failed.

The Companion Bird Association of New York City was created to attempt to give New York City back a forum where people can get together to teach and learn about companion birds. We are dedicated to maintaining an environment where everyone is there for the same reasons.

Bird Companion Meeting with Daniel Kopulos and Lorelei Tibbetts

At each meeting we will have a professional in an avian related field give a short lecture on a bird related topic, followed by a social time for members to share experiences with each other about their birds to hopefully learn from each other.

Our aim is to have a comfortable environment for people to learn and socialize. It is meant to be fun as well as educational!

There are no hidden agendas, no opinions that override others, and no pushy philosophies. We cultivate a respectful forum for the professionals who teach us, as well as all of the members.

We are committed to maintaining these simple standards, and look forward to giving New York City’s companion bird owners a new and better club to enjoy.

The next meeting of The Companion Bird Association of New York City is Sunday, February, 24, 2013 at 7pm at Fauna. Get the latest meeting news at the The Companion Bird Association of New York City’s Facebook page.

To learn more about Fauna NYC, visit our website!

Starting Your First Coral

Written by Christian Morehouse

Many people that start their first saltwater aquarium, myself included, seem to convince themselves that they would be happy with just fish. “Oh no. I don’t need to do corals. That’s too hard.” After a few months, they reach what seems to be a natural progression to stagnation. Their tanks are fully stocked with fish and they are learning new things every day. With a little experience and confidence under their belt, they decide to venture onto their first coral. That is when people make their way into Fauna and ogle at all the variety, but they have no idea where to start. Some corals are incredibly easy while others are particularly challenging. Different families and genera have different care and compatibility requirements. The types of coral you choose often help dictate the equipment and setup you will need.

This post will be about the four major classifications of corals and the general requirements for each.

Soft corals

Soft corals are often the easiest to keep and a great choice for a first coral and include, leathers, zoanthids, polyps, and mushrooms. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors and many offer a wonderful amount of movement to a tank.

Multi Colored Mushroom (Discosoma sp.)

They are hardy and are not particularly sensitive to less-than-perfect water quality, which allows the new owner a small learning curve.

Xenia (Xenia elongata) is a particularly easy and fast growing coral that can add a lot of movement and coverage to your tank.

Most will also do well with lower levels of light and flow, which makes it an easy choice for someone just starting out who has not yet invested in a high-end light setup. However, they do need adequate amounts of light and should not be placed under standard florescent fixtures if expected to thrive. They also do not absorb high levels of calcium, carbonate, and other minerals, as they do not have a skeleton.

LPS corals

“Large Polyp Scleractinian” corals are a hobbyist’s classification for corals with a skeletal base and one or multiple large fleshy polyps usually ranging in size from about half a centimeter up. These corals are a good next step and often provide more color than a majority of the soft corals. Many also provide a high amount of movement to the tank such as goniopora and frogspawns. They need a higher level of light than most of the soft corals and are more sensitive to issues regarding water quality.

Australian Acan lord (Acanthastrea lordhowensis)

The main difference between keeping LPS corals and soft corals, is LPS will use calcium from the water to make their skeleton as they grow. This depletes the calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium levels of your tank. These three are very important in a reef tank and should be monitored closely with an accurate test kit.  In the early stages, with just a few corals, weekly water changes with a quality salt is usually sufficient to maintain your levels.

A cluster of mainly australian scolymia (Scolymia australis) can be an expensive, but beautiful way to add some color to your sandbed.

As your tank becomes more and more stocked, and starts looking more and more like a reef, you may have to start dosing to maintain these three important levels. But dosing is an entirely different article soon to come. LPS corals can also be particularly aggressive, and can actually sting other individuals if placed too closely. It is a good idea to ask or research a new species before placing it near the other corals in your tank. Different areas in your tank can provide different levels of light, flow, and room to grow.  Proper placement is key.

SPS corals

“Small Polyp Scleractinian” are some of the most sensitive corals. They are hard to the touch and can have different growth structures such as branching, encrusting, or plating. They generally need very high light, strong water flow, and pristine water quality.

ORA Purple Montipora Undata

They include acropora, montipora, seriatopora (birds nests), stylophora, and pocillipora among others. Some species are significantly more tolerant than others and make good “starter sps” when a hobbyist is ready to venture into this category. They give no movement, at least not unless you were to look closely, but they do give an extreme level of color under the right conditions. Under poor conditions, individuals can easily die, “bleach,” meaning they turn white, or “brown out,” meaning that they lose their color from stress.

An ORA Marshal Island Purple and Green Acro.

These corals should only be attempted in a mature reef tank with an experienced hobbyist. If you think you are ready to enter the world of sps, anyone in the store would be happy to chat with you about your system and if it is ready.  If it is, we can recommend a good coral to start with.

Nonphotosynthetic corals

Nonphotosynthetic (NPS) corals are those that do not house the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae in their flesh. This algae is what provides the corals with food and sun protection. Corals that lack this algae often come from deep water or dark crevices where there is a surplus of free-floating food. They need an almost constant food supply while maintaining very clean water.

A nonphotosynthetic gorgonian. A good way to tell if your gorgonian is photosynthetic of not is to look at the polyps. If it is brown, it usually is. If it is brightly colored, it is not.

Examples are carnations, chili corals, sun corals, and many gorgonians. Nonphotosynthetic tanks also include many types of clams, scallops, tunicates, and other non-coral reef life. Different genera often require different food particle sizes, which means these tanks have to be fed heavily. Nonphotosynthetic tanks are usually designed for exactly that. It is not recommended to put most nonphotosynthetic corals in your standard reef tank.

Starting a reef tank, or even transitioning from a fish-only, is a slow but extremely rewarding process. Patience and research are important. Often, deciding the type of corals you want to keep will determine the setup you need. The next time you stop in to Fauna, please feel free to ask an aquarium specialist what the next step would be for you.

To learn more about Fauna NYC, visit our website!

Meet the Staff: Karin Shetler

Karin Shetler

As a child growing up with a biologist father, Karin was exposed to a variety of non-human animal companions ranging from a coatimundi to geckos, monkeys to goldfish. But her fascination has always been with parrots. Kukla and Ollie (blue and gold macaws), Camille (a mollucan cockatoo) were just a few of the extraordinary beings that shared her home growing up, and they instilled a life long love of birds in Karin from a young age. While raising her 2 children Anya (now the Fauna yoga teacher) and Oliver in NYC, a place far removed from nature, Karin wanted them to experience the same awe and respect for animals that she felt. In order to encourage this Karin made sure there were always pets in the house ranging from dogs and rats to parrots and iguanas. Karin has had the privilege to co-exist in her NYC apartment with Apollo the African Grey, Satine the Eclectus and Kiki, one of Daniel’s hand-reared Cape parrots with whom she bonded while hand-feeding.

Although a former actress and school teacher and currently a Pilates instructor and fitness trainer, Karin’s favorite day of the week is one where she gets to work with, sing to, and more importantly play with the birds at Fauna.

Karin Shetler and Daniel Kopulos

Daniel Kopulos, owner of Fauna, has taught and continues to teach her many important things about aviculture.

Karin Shetler and Daniel Kopulos

Last May she had the privilege of accompanying Daniel to the Mayan biosphere where they worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society in their efforts to save the critically endangered Scarlet Macaws and river turtles.

This trip opened her eyes to the issues of human encroachment into natural environments throughout the world and how this effects animal habitats and contributes to species endangerment. This trip solidified her belief in the importance of bringing awareness and education to people in order to save the many beautiful species of wildlife from extinction.

The Guatemala project and many wonderful organizations are making great strides toward making a difference in these challenges. She hopes to continue to work with Daniel in enriching the lives of our feathered friends throughout NYC and to expand her work in the area of parrot conservation.

About The Guatemala Project

The scarlet macaws of the Mayan Biosphere are one of those species that is critically endangered, with just 300 members living in the wild. The WCS project has had some amazing successes – since the project began the estimated macaw population has nearly doubled, and last year a major victory occurred when the station helped produce a large bumper crop of fledglings that have since taken flight.

Work at the project station includes nest protection, artificial nest construction, chick rearing, veterinary monitoring, and education initiatives. All of this work requires skills training, supplies and funding and the battle to save the macaws is far from over. Daniel hopes to return to Guatemala for the hatching season in May to bring some of those supplies and provide some of that training.

How you can help

Come practice yoga at Fauna to help save the scarlet macaws of the Mayan Biosphere!

Fauna Yoga aims to help raise funds for these supplies and to send skilled conservationists (Daniel and an assistant) to the Biosphere to provide up to date education for the WCS local station workers. All proceeds from the yoga classes go directly to funding Fauna’s mission with the WCS. Join us for yoga on Wednesday night at 6:30pm at Fauna.

To learn more about Fauna NYC, visit our website!