DVD Review —
Expert Companion Bird Care Series: Volume I
By M S Echols and B L Speer
2010. Avian Studios, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Price US$24.95. Order online at: https://avianstudios.com
This DVD is the first in a series on bird care aimed
at the serious bird owner. It brings together practical
and current information on the housing and
feeding of pet parrots, as well as information on
recognizing signs of illness in pet birds, and
discusses common household toxins. These topics
are discussed in 15-minute segments, and cover a
great deal information, which is well illustrated.
For example, the section on housing discusses
appropriate cage sizes, layout, positioning, perch
choice and techniques that can be used to provide
environmental enrichment. These sections are
very good, and would be of use to the pet owner
as well as generalist veterinarian who want to
improve the level of care they provide to their
avian patients. There is also a section on parrot
identification that, in the author’s opinion, is too
general to be of much practical use. However,
owing to the scope of this project the information
is of necessity general in nature, and owners of
more unusual species will have to do further
research after viewing the DVD. For display in the
waiting room, for educating clients, and for a
review of basic psittacine husbandry, this series
promises to become an indispensable addition to
the library of veterinarians seeing pet birds.
W van Wyk
E-mail: jwvanwyk@op.up.ac.za
Jl S.Afr.vet.Ass. (2011) 82(1): 8–17
