How to get a dog to like all family members
Q: We have lots of those green quaker parrots living in our town in this warm weather. Now that the weather is nice, I wonder if I could start to take my baby grey parrot outside to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. However how warm does it need to be? I'm concerned 50 or 60 degree days might be too cold. -- Janet Smith, Westport, CT
A: The quakers have acclimated to the cold weather, so you really cannot compare them with your indoor bred.
However, after Hurricane Sandy hit New York, I was caring for hundreds of displaced birds in my store that had no heat at for eight days. During that time, I learned firsthand that pet parrots can do just fine at 50 and 60 degrees.
So if it is a nice spring day with the sun shining and there is no wind, then it should be fine to take your bird out on a 60 degree day. However, please be sure that the bird's wing feathers have just been trimmed or it is in a secure carrying cage, otherwise your next letter to me will be how to get your grey parrot down from a 100 foot tree.
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Q: There is a male cardinal that keeps trying to come into my living room through the windows and he is there all day pecking at the glass. How can I tell him that doing that to my house is not an option? -- Jay Duffy, Chicago, IL
A: Just put some cardboard on the outside of the windows, from the base of the window and up about 8 inches and he will no longer see his reflection, which is likely why he is pecking at the glass in the first place.
Be sure to place the cardboard on the outside of the glass. If you put it on the inside then he will still see his refection.
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(Marc Morrone has kept almost every kind of animal as a pet for the last half-century and he is happy to share his knowledge with others. Although he cannot answer every question, he will publish many of those that have a general interest. You can contact him at petxperts2@aol.com; please include your name, city and state.)
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