DVD REVIEW DVD RESENSIE

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: http://www.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