Kookaburra Bird Shop’s Blog

Bubba - Adopted from Kookaburra 1985

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 15:23:06 -0600

I did purchase Bubba at Kookaburra in 1985. I had just moved to the Dallas area and came into the store to buy a parakeet. I really never did look at the parakeets after seeing Bubba. Gloria let me hold Bubba and the rest is history.
When I brought her home about the only thing she wanted to eat was sunflower seeds, with hamburger and fries thrown in! Someone else had raised her before she came to live with me. She now loves veggies, some fruit and eating a pellet diet. This was a long time coming as I discovered that cockatoo's have a very strong will!!
Her vocabulary has gown and she has a list of tricks that she has learned to do.
She is very loving and has accepted all the grand babies as they came along. The oldest is definitely her favorite.
Bottom line, she is wonderful even after all these years! I'm sending a picture of her taken about a year ago.

Penny

Elmo- Adopted from Kookaburra September 12, 1988

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:20:55 -0600

Elmo came to live with us on September 12, 1988 when he was 4 months old. Our son wanted an exotic parrot for his 18th birthday so he and his dad visited Kookaburra to find the right one for us.

Terrie spent a great deal of time telling them about the characteristics of each species and educating them on the care of birds. They selected this little black-headed Caique, who we named Elmo. Although our son liked to play with the little guy, the initial daily care and feeding of Elmo was performed by me and guess what…Elmo never left for college. In fact, he is still with me and while he’s only 9” from the top of his head to the end of his tail feathers, he thinks he’s in charge and is a little green person. What a personality he has!

Being the “monkey bird” that he is, he loves to play and mimic sounds such as my laugh, running water and anything else he hears that tickles his fancy. He seems to know when my husband says something funny as he laughs at the right time almost every time.

In the spring, he enjoys sitting in his cage on the patio visiting with the mockingbirds. While they mock each other back and forth, the mockingbird tries to speak louder but Elmo will not be outdone by the different sounds or the loudness. He loves to go outside and will wolf whistle at the ladies in the neighborhood. Once I was told by a neighbor that she hadn’t been whistled at like that in over 40 years!

Another favorite past time of his is watching Sunrise Earth on the Discovery channel in the morning. I roll his cage in front of the 65” HDTV and he will actually watch the show and imitate the sounds he hears. I know when the show is over and it’s time to change the channel because he starts calling for me – “Di, Di…” Then it’s time for him to watch cartoons.

I never knew having a parrot could be this much fun while being a lot of work to care for him; it’s been a joy watching his personality develop and change. And it’s all worth it when I cover his cage to get him ready for “night, night” and I hear him whisper (in his own way) I love you.

Diane Lewis

Capri - adopted from Kookaburra December 2001

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:44:36 -0600

Stephen and I want to thank you for offering the very best parrots available. We had purchased Capri, our Blue & Gold Macaw from you in December 2001 and she is one of the best additions to our family. She loves to cuddle (at least with me) and has a fairly large vocabulary. We visited your store on November 22nd to purchase toys for her during your 25% off sale.

While we were shopping all of the birds out on perches were chattering away. Three of them were Double Yellow Headed Amazons. One in particular drew my attention, and I couldn't leave him alone. We spent a long time going back and forth among the three Amazon siblings that were there, never entering my mind that we would purchase one of them that day. I had no intention of having a second bird to add to our little zoo. I figured two Shetland Sheepdogs, one young cat, and a Macaw were enough for us.

I forgot to mention that the 25% off sale, happened to be a 29th Anniversary Sale with 29% off everything in stock for that day. We found a couple of toys for Capri and before I knew it we were picking out a cage and accessories for an Amazon. We chose the boy that was sitting on the same perch as Capri had been when we first saw her. Since we didn't have a carrier with us (we had only gone to buy toys) we packed up the cage and other purchases into the Tahoe and went home. After setting everything up at home, we hurried back to Kookaburra to bring our baby home.

Since it was a Saturday, we were unable to get him into the vet until Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Our Avian vet, Dr. Lass in Allen, was so excited to see him. When she looked at the band and found him to be a "Becker" bird she told us we had gotten the best Amazon we ever could have found and "Becker" birds are known to be great talkers. His plumage and coloring, beak and eyes were all excellent. The tests, including CBC, psittacosis, and all of the others came back excellent. Dr. Lass said that when she's ready to acquire another parrot she hopes to get a "Becker" bird.

It took us a few days to choose a name for our new addition but eventually we feel we found the perfect one - Rocco. Hopefully it will be easy enough that both Capri and Rocco will be able to say it.

Next time we are in, we will give you a copy of the certificate from Dr. Lass for your files. Again, thank you for having only the healthiest and best parrots for us to choose from.

Debbie & Stephen Steiniger
Parents of Capri & Rocco

29 Years and Counting!

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:29:01 -0600

As Kookaburra Bird Shop, LLC approaches it’s 30th year of business. I have spent the day reflecting how this business has inspired me throughout my life. My mother, Terrie Beckley, opened the shop 29 years ago during the week of my 10th birthday. Her goal was always the same throughout the years. Sell only tame well adjusted birds to the best of her ability. In the early days, I can’t count how many parrots were calmly tamed in our small 4 bedroom home.

We have seen many changes throughout the years. Some of which were drastic and others that were much more subtle. One of the drastic changes was the 1992 ban on wild caught birds in the United States and the gradual captive breeding programs that became the supply of pet bird market. The world has been very slow to outlaw the importation of vast numbers of wild birds, but that chapter is closing. This has been a good change for birds in general.

Nutrition has always played an important role at Kookaburra Bird Shop. We have kept up with all the latest research through out the years. Many of the same principles that applied 29 years ago apply today. Birds are scavengers and we must cater to that need to keep them as pets. Diet has become much easier with the advent of manufactured diets, but as research suggests it is not the be all end all that originally it was touted.

There is exciting research being conducted in the wild and there have been many surprises. In the South American jungles researchers have found that macaws must remember when trees fruit. To the amazement of the scientists this is not every year and yet the birds know when the fruit will be available. In Australia, the cockatoos have been studied at length. Galahs have “nanny” birds which teach the juveniles the ways of the world.

Education is the key to keeping birds their entire lives. These wonderful creatures teach me on a daily basis. Our goal has always been “for the birds.” Helping people with their pet birds is a daily challenge that I love to grapple with every day. You are always welcome to come into the shop for a one on one session to help you with your bird’s needs.

As I look through almost 29 years of receipts, I wonder where all these birds have gone. The earliest receipts I have are for the birds sold in 1981. I am guessing that the evolution of the written receipt took a couple years to get started. I will have to ask Mom for more information on that. The first evidence of a written health guarantee shows up on receipts in 1986. At that time, the only vet work that was being done was cultures and swabs. Vet medicine has come a long way since 1979.

In looking ahead to 2009 and our 30th year, I am starting a search for the oldest living bird with it’s original owner sold from Kookaburra. If you purchased your bird in 1979 or 1980, you will have to provide the original receipt. We do not have those. If you purchased your bird in 1981, or later we can look up those receipts. Obviously it will be easier for us if you have the receipt.

Here are the simple rules:
Any bird purchased from Kookaburra Bird Shop is welcome to submit their story via any method excluding carrier pigeon.
We will verify the owner and bird via our receipts. There must be written documentation for verification.
Your stories will be published on our website
The winner will receive a $500 credit to be used on anything in the shop.
We will end the search on November 12, 2009 and announce the winner no later then December 12, 2009

Share this blog with your bird loving friends. Help us find the story of the bird who has been with one owner for 30 years!

Pumpkin & Greens Birdie Cake

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:19:35 -0500

1 lb. can    Pumpkin or Squash
1/2 cup    Canola Oil
1/2 cup      Honey
2          Bananas
2          Eggs (with shell)
3/4 cup      Wheat Germ
1 cup        Wheat Bran
1 tsp.        Baking Soda
1 cup        Corn Meal
4 oz        Dried Greens
2 cups        Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups        White Flour

Add ingredients one at a time into a mixing bowl with mixer running on low. Spray 2 bread pans with cooking spray and pour mixture evenly into both pans. Place in pre-heated 400 F oven and cook for 1 hour. Cool on rack for about 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely before serving in 1 to 2 inch squares.