HolisticBird and HolisticBirds

Recommended Reading

Behavior

Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior
by Mattie Sue Athan
This book offers a wealth of advice on such topics as choosing between a young parrot and an older bird, selecting and training a talking parrot, modifying some of a companion parrot's behavior traits and periodically reinforcing behavior changes, keeping the bird groomed and away from household safety hazards and virtually all other aspects of care. Cost: approx. $10.00 learn more / purchase

cover Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot
by Mattie Sue Athan
Updated explanations of time-tested approaches to common parrot behavior problems such as screaming, biting, and feather chewing. This revised second edition includes appropriate care for the bird who spends the day alone, what to do when your bird flies away, and a new section on disaster preparations. A long-time bestseller, this attractive book also provides instructions for grooming, bathing, communication, toys, and safe interactions with other pets and children. Cost: approx. $10.00 learn more / purchase

cover Companion Parrot Handbook
by Sally Blanchard
The Companion Parrot Handbook is a remarkably complete, up-to-date guide for the parrot owner, including information on everything from the fundamentals of successful parrot keeping to valuable advice on preventing and solving behavioral problems. A sampling of topics covered include choosing a parrot, skills to teach a parrot, converting parrots to a healthier diet, what to do if a parrot flies away, and how to travel with a parrot. Cost: approx. $40.00 learn more / purchase

Environment

cover Parrot-Toys and Play Areas:
How To Put Some Fun Into Your Parrot's Life
by Carol S. D'Arezzo, Lauren Shannon-Nunn
Parrot-Toys and Play Areas covers all aspects of play and encourages owners to "put some fun" into their parrot's life. Whether they choose to purchase or make their own parrot toys or play areas, bird owners will find this book loaded with practical advice, safety tips, and loads of ideas for both toys and play areas. By identifying their parrot's Play Style, an owner can find out what kinds of toys their parrot really likes. The Eleven Parrot Toy Categories then make toy selection fun and easy. In Part 2, play areas become exciting Parrot Adventure Stations with buying guides and building instructions. Cost: approx. $13.00 learn more / purchase

cover Are you Poisoning Your Pets?
by Nina Anderson, Howard Peiper, Richard Vail
An easy reference book that helps you determine the cause of your pet's health symptoms caused by decorating products, indoor air, cleaning products, pesticides and other chemicals we use daily. A listing of symptoms for each hazard is included. A must if you have indoor or outdoor pets. approx $5.00 learn more / purchase

General Avian Care and Information

cover The Complete Bird Owner's Handbook
by Gary A. Gallerstein
User-friendly from cover to cover, The Complete Bird Owner's Handbook provides an index of signs to help in emergencies and a general index to locate any topic in seconds. Many superb photos and drawings lend graphic emphasis to the detailed text. While no book can ever supplant professional veterinary care, The Complete Bird Owner's Handbook will provide you with the insights you need to help your bird's doctor when the need arises. You'll consider The Complete Bird Owner's Handbook the most essential book in your avian library—a constant source of reliable advice, assistance and assurance for your bird's well-being. $28.00 learn more / purchase

cover Parrots of the World
Joseph M Forshaw
This book has been acclaimed as one of the most important ornithological books of the 20th century. All known species and subspecies of parrots, including those now extinct, are listed here. The latest information on distribution, status, habitats, movements, feeding, call-notes and nesting habits are described. approx. $20/00 learn more/ purchase

cover What Your Bird Needs Liz Palika
This book contains comprehensive advice for pet owners written by well-known pet experts. Illustrated with over 75 photographs and charts, What Your Bird Needs details the equipment you need, as well as advice on diet, training and care. Your bird will thrive with this handy guide. learn more / purchase.

Holistic Health

Holistic Care for Birds
David McCluggage and Pamela HigdonBirds are ideal subjects for holistic care. They are especially sensitive to emotional and physical stresses. Based on what we have learned from wild birds and studies completed in the last 10-20 years, this book will help you provide your bird with a longer, healthier life. Each beautifully illustrated chapter is written from two viewpoints, one from the leading holistic avian veterinarian and the other from a bird owner's viewpoint. Holistic care is defined and the value of this type of care in relation to conventional western medicine is discussed. Other interesting topics include the physical bird, the emotional bird, nutrition and special holistic therapies. Cost:
approx. 18.00 learn more / purchase

cover Herbs for Pets
Mary L. Wulff-Tilford, Gregory L. Tilford
The Tilfords' book introduces readers to hundreds of plant medicines that can be used in the daily care of animals. The authors, both herbalists, begin with a chapter on the principles and practices of herbalism, explaining the basics of herbal preparations and what they call the "ethical use of herbs." They discuss the connection between herbs and diet and give guidelines for feeding dogs and cats. The bulk of the book is a 191-page guide to herbs for animals. Each entry includes a description of the plant, its habitat and range, its cycle and bloom season, preparation, common uses, availability, and propagation and harvest techniques. Also included are a warning of its side effects--if any--and a photograph of the plant. approx. $28.00 learn more/ purchase

cover Homeopathic Treatment for Birds
by Beryl M. Chapman.
A growing number of veterinarians are turning to homeopathic veterinary medicine as a safe and effective alternative to conventional veterinary practice. Beryl Chapman shares numerous case studies of healing birds with homeopathic remedies. approx. $12.00 learn more / purchase

cover Natural Health Care for Your Bird
Bernard Dorenkamp
This guide tells you what you need to know about your bird's health. Although the book focuses on natural health care, suggestions are given for both standard and homeopathic medications. Other helpful features include an extensive table of symptoms and diseases, checklist for care and health maintenance, index of recommended home remedies, and a glossary of natural health care terms. Cost: approx $10.00 learn more/ purchase

Bach Flower Remedies for Animals
Helen Graham, Gregory Vlamis
This book offers descriptions of each of the 38 Bach Flower Remedies, and their application to the treatment of a range of domestic animals, including horses. It also describes diagnostic symptoms, animal by animal, together with appropriate treatment regimens, illustrated with case material obtained from veterinarians, animal behavior specialists and health practitioners. Cost: approx $13.00 learn more/ purchase

cover Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable
by Juliette De Bairacli-Levy
Juliette de Bairacli Levy pioneered herbal veterinary medicine. This book, first published in 1952 is now a classic in its field. This fascinating book is a valuable guide for farmers and the general public concerned about the overuse of nonnatural medicine, herbicides, and insecticides in farm management and animal husbandry. The author, Juliette de Baïracli Levy, offers detailed directions for treating all farm animals with natural methods, while stating her evidence that "mechanized" farming methods have led to the demise of domesticated animals' overall health. She asserts that poor and inadequate natural habitat, unnatural feeding practices, and a reliance on medicine to fight individual symptoms of disease without addressing the whole animal have weakened farm animals' innate disease-fighting ability. approx $18.00 learn more / purchase

cover Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine
edited by Allen Schoen and Susan Wynn
Veterinary Institute for Therapeutic Alternatives. Comprehensive text introducing veterinarians to the scientific basis and clinical applications of many of the techniques in CAM (complementary and alternative medicine.) Halftone illustrations. 33 contributors, 24 U.S. This material material helps to build a bridge of understanding between the practioner of traditional medicine and the alternative practice. Cost: approx. $85.00 learn more/ purchase

cover Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care
C.J. Puontinen
This highly comprehensive holistic health encyclopedia for pets includes 500+ pages of info on feeding a raw diet, supplements, aromatherapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, flower essences, hands-on therapies such as acupressure and massage, holistic first aid strategies, cancer treatments, the vaccination controversy, interviews with several holistic vets, and an A-Z guide to ailments and their natural remedies. approx. $23.00 learn more / purchase

Nutrition

cover Guide to a Naturally Healthy Bird
by Alicia McWatters
No human can live on bread and water alone. Birds have similar dietary needs, and this book tells you how you can get optimum bird health using everyday materials from your kitchen. In this book you'll find nutrition info, as well as medicinal info and how common foods can prevent illness and give your bird a happy, healthy life. Cost: Cost: approx. $10.00 learn more / purchase

cover Comparative Avian Nutrion
Kirk C Klasing
Integrates the disciplines of anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, behavior, and ecology into a unifying concept of the interaction between the bird and its food supply. Not only resting on accurate descriptions of molecular details of digestion, metabolism, and excretion, the material quantitatively explores their rates. Eleven chapters discuss: dietary patterns, anatomy and physiology of the digestive system, nutritional strategies and requirements, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, energy, mineral, and vitamins. Cost: approx. $95.00 learn more / purchase

cover Feeding Your Pet Bird
Petra Burgman
This book is great for learning about nutrition, as well as a quick reference. Whether learning about avian nutrition in general or just needing to apply particular supplementation to the avian diet; it's appropriate in every sense. Moreover this book reflects on Human nutrition too. approx. $10.00 learn more / purchase

cover Know your Fats
Mary Enig
Know Your Fats explains the role that dietary fats play in human health and disease. This book provides a comprehensive overview of lipid biology, biochemistry and physiology. The book contains numerous illustrations and tables. Although written for the layman, the book will be of interest to scientists, physicians and health-care workers who seek a contemporary overview of this continually evolving field. Dr. Mary G. Enig is a nutritionist/biochemist of international renown for her research on the nutritional aspects of fats and oils. Cost: approx $30.00 learn more / purchase

cover Nourishing Traditions
Sally Fallon and Mary Enig
This book is about eating healthy traditional foods that have nourished folks all over the world for centuries, combined with wonderful excerpts from a variety of doctors, nutritionists and other observers. The authors present an excellent introduction to the study of food and health. largely based on the work of Weston Price, a dentist who traveled the world 60 years ago studying what people traditionally ate. Dr. Price observed that those people who ate their traditional foods had good health and those that ate more of a "modern" diet, were exhibiting the signs of degenerative disease. The authors of this book then use that information and present wonderful recipes (try, especially, their stock recipes, the flavors they add are great). Do yourself a favor by returning to traditional food. Cost: approx. $20.00 learn more / purchase

Veterinary

cover Avian Medicine: Principles and Application
by Ritchie, Harrison, and Harrison
This book comes in two versions: hardcover and abridged (pictured) The abridged version is designed to be used in conjunction with the large original text, this Abridged Edition makes the details included in the comprehensive book more accessible on a daily quick reference basis. This is especially useful to the busy avian practitioner who wants instant access to familiar passages, tables and charts. The abridged version has 800 pages and lists for Cost: approx $69.00 learn more/ purchase

Hardcover has 1384 pages and is about $230.00 learn more / purchase

cover Manual of Avian Practice
by Agnes Rupley
This is by far the most useful text of its kind. While it is not as comprehensive as Harrison's book on avian medicine, nor as thorough as Altman's, this book is a better deal in terms of accessing practical information and cost. The book's organization puts both Altman's and Harrison's to shame. For the listed price, this little manual packs a lot of useful information. The book is the required text for an Avian Medicine and Surgery Class taught to Cornell University 3rd and 4th year veterinary students. approx. $77.00 learn more / purchase