SPRING 2017
Parrot Health & Hygiene Our Locations
QUALITY PARROT BOARDING ON VANCOUVER ISLAND TRAVEL WITH PEACE OF MIND!
Resources
Welcome to 2017!
W
hen I started to write “2017”, I realized that ‘Too Crazy has been in business for three years already! The business name came from my own cockatoos (a nickname used for cockatoos is ‘Toos - the cuddlers of the parrot world). Those first years flew by so quickly. In our second year, we realized that we had to expand in order to fulfull our vision of parrot owners like us being able to “Travel with Peace of Mind”. By year three, we had three solid, professional locations with owners who have the same vision we started with: quality, safety, great nutrition (and cuddles) in a home setting. We experienced our own “life event” in June with Kip having a serious accident. He is recovering but it is a marthon of hope with gains as each week passes. He works hard at recovery. Through those seven weeks in hospital with Kip, I learned that our emergency plan does work. My parrots were safe and so were yours. We had a team around us that stepped up: Doris, Millie & Sherri.
....Diana
Companion birds can sometimes be from different species; like Joey, this African Grey with Freddie, a Love Bird. WWW.TOOCRAZYBIRDYHOTEL.COM
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SPRING 2017
PARROT BOARDING LOCATIONS VICTORIA: small birds, long stays only. WILLOW’S PLACE is a safe haven for cockatiels, budgies, canaries, loves birds, conures and sometimes an African Gray Parrot. Willow started up in August 1st 2016 and looks after little birds that need a home for longer stays. Her location is a “specialty” service for those longer trips, relocations and life changes. Willow provides all the same excellent services of Too Crazy Birdy Hotel but on a smaller scale. We are still hoping to find another Victoria site modelled on our Nanaimo location that will meet the needs of our Victoria customers. Nanaimo can be a long way to come, so we are offering shuttle service options or “meet ups” in Duncan to make us a little closer. NANAIMO: We (Kip & Diana) continue with all the caring service you have come to rely on. Kip is busy giving our feathered guests “lap time”. I am perfecting birdie bread recipes and learning new ones from others in order to maximize good nutrition. A cook book is in the offing! We continue our support of our local FEATHERSinBC bird group with coaching when asked and assistance in the adoption activities of the club. We appreciate all the work of active parrot clubs who are there for assistance to new parrot owners. Our outdoor playhouse is still in use in nice weather in the three seasons but only for our quieter parrots. We don’t want the neighbours to think they are living in a jungle! At our Nanaimo location, I am happy to offer complimentary wing clipping and toe nail trims. COMOX VALLEY: Located in Merville under the leadership of Laurie Ulm, this site is in full swing! Laurie’s expertise with her own parrots and her dedicated volunteer work for years at MARS (Mountain Avian Rescue Society) gives her a unique set of skills. She has helped with rehabilitation of multiple wild species, from hummingbirds, spring chicks to eagles! Laurie has developed keen observation skills as a result which helps her immensely with her parrot “guests”. Laurie is a delight to work with and she enjoys the social aspect of boarding your parrots and her interactions with their owners! She welcomed budgies to Alex the Macaw. Emmett, an African Grey has been a regular at his “home away from home”.
WWW.TOOCRAZYBIRDYHOTEL.COM
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Cuddles beside the Play House
Willie
SPRING 2017
Health & Hygiene for your Parrot at Too Crazy Birdy Hotel We take the health and the care of your parrot seriously. To ensure that all our locations follow the same feeding, watering and observation protocols, we have rigid guidelines for all locations. Health checks for our guests. We ask our customers to complete a questionnaire on the health of their bird prior to boarding. In some cases, we will ask for a vet check for their bird. In 2016 when World Parrot Refuge closed their doors and the resulting adoptions by new parrot owners, we had to look again at our protocols regarding transferrable diseases. We have been diligent and consulted with our own Avian Vet, Dr. Myriam El Mouldi on our protocols on health and cage cleaning. Dr. Myriam El Mouldi, Verternarian, Qualicum
What happens after you pick up your parrot and go Beach with Avian Specialist Dr. Marie Rush home? We go into high gear at all our locations to be from Alabama, USA at our Nanaimo Location conducting our Healthy Bird Day. ready for our next guest! We remove all the perches, bowls, clean the entire cage with “Frogwash”, a bird-safe cleaner. All boxes, porous toys and soft ropes are removed Bonnie Blue & Georgie Girl and given to the owner to take home as they cannot be used again for another bird. The comfort huts and cage covers are put into the laundry with a bleach solution. The cage is sanitized with a spray of Peroxigard disinfectant which cleans all potential bacteria, fungus, etc. This process takes time but peace of mind comes at a cost and it is well worth it!
Water dishes are removed daily, washed in a dishwasher and immediately replaced with fresh water in clean bowls. (For ‘food dunkers” water bowls are cleaned and disinfectAnother emphasis for us is supervised played a few times a day.) Our fresh food menu varies with a time & hanging out on top of their cage rotation of nuts, fresh fruit, vegetable chop and made in our kitchens birdie bread. We have pellets and seeds daily where we can keep them as safe as possible. depending on the owner’s preference in diet. Visitors to our home boarding locations may say “Wow, that’s a lot of cages”! We have enough variety of cages for our different bird species; the cages not in use are pushed out of the boarding areas. We are no longer accepting customer cages with their birds unless there is a specific cage requirement that we cannot accomodate otherwise for a special needs parrot.
WWW.TOOCRAZYBIRDYHOTEL.COM
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These cleaners are available at Too Crazy Birdy Hotel SPRING 2017
Our Prices will not increase this year! NIGHTLY RATES SMALL $7 MEDIUM $14 LARGE $18
As a matter of fact, we welcome long stays and family groups with consideration of the whole cost of your parrots’ stay! Each customer’s need is different, when you call 250-722-2201 you will reach me, Diana, and I will help you work this out. ‘Too Crazy Birdy Hotel started so that parrot owners did not need to find new homes for their pets when they just wanted a holiday or an emergency happened like what we experienced ourselves last summer! We get it. We know the urgency to make decisions when disaster happens so do not hesitate to call us to discuss what is happening in your life that is affecting your parrots. We care about parrots and their people so we may be able to offer assistance. Here at Too Crazy Birdy Hotel, we are all about customer service and enabling our clients to travel without “breaking the bank” on parrot boarding wherever possible. This harkens back to our original reason for setting up ‘Too Crazy Birdy Hotel. That is to give our parrot lovers an option to get away on a holiday or attend to other “life events”, and not have to give up your “feathered family” member.
Long stays & family groups negotiable
The world of parrots can be all encompassing and we love it! .....Diana
A Sample Menu Plan: MONDAY: blueberries, *grain bake, sweet potato, Romaine lettuce TUESDAY: rice quinoa mix, peas, papaya WEDNESDAY: oranges, celery, birdie bread THURSDAY: banana, chop with sweet potato, snap peas, kale, etc and on it goes with plenty of green and orange coloured foods for good health! *grain bake recipe: www.parrotnation.com
Annie can’t wait!
Hit of the Week!
8/12 bowls empty in 1-2-3! Pasta Chop Carrots, sprouts, sunflower seeds, mung beans, millet & cantelope with seeds. Yummy, yummy!
WWW.TOOCRAZYBIRDYHOTEL.COM
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SPRING 2017
Success Stories... Here is the latest instance of working with our customers to make life easier! Christine had to move suddenly to Toronto in two days. Her budgies, Burnaby & Echo could not make the trip at the last last minute, so she called Too Crazy Birdy Hotel. Within those two days they were resettled at Willow’s Place in Victoria and all is well. They are staying four months until they are reunited in Ontario. These little budgies are as important to Christine’s family as our beloved cockatoo Bill is to ours. We were glad to make it all happen...another happy day at Too Crazy Birdy Hotel ...Diana “There could be no better place, or better people to trust your feathered family to. Thank you so much for everything you’re doing for Burnaby and Echo! Absolutely amazed by the love they get there and all the friends they are making! I couldn’t be happier or have more peace of mind with my birds there.” Christine Frame, Facebook January 1, 2017
FEATHERSinBC.com
‘Too Crazy Birdy Hotel owners are members of F.E.A.T.H.E.R.S. and are active in supporting parrots and their people. We especially like the educational element of this group. We welcome coaching requests and we like to share insights and tips. We are happy to answer questions and help work out specific situations. There are other groups on the Island that cover the diversity in people and their parrots. All members of all groups are truly welcome at our Too Crazy Birdy Hotels.
Newly Adopted Feathers Parrots Spud & Jack
WWW.TOOCRAZYBIRDYHOTEL.COM
Have a Passion for Parrots? Earn a part time income from that love! Do you: own your home, have space in your home for parrots to live with you, such as a sunny extra room, a willingness to follow specific protocols of service related to care, bylaws that support home-based business in your area, interest in setting up your own part time business? We have an opportunity for the right individual who is home part or all of the day, each day except for holidays, etc. This is perfect for a retired individual with a passion for parrots or a stay at home mom that can multitask. In a family setting, you will need their support as it is a boisterous, messy, busy, fun, crazy atmosphere! We help you set up your own business centre for small or large parrots (or both) under the wings of Too Crazy Birdy Hotel, and with our help you can look forward to a part time income on the bookings we place for you! What could be easier? Training and business set up provided. Lets talk! Diana at 250 722-2201 welcomes your inquires. There is a need in the Victoria area and you just might be the individual that will be the next owner of a Too Crazy Birdy Hotel location!
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Local Businesses Supporting Parrots: OLIVERS PET SUPPLIES NANAIMO
Brooks Landing, 235 - 2000 North Island Highway, Nanaimo, BC 250.758.5125 In BC 1.800.655.7387
Val welcomes all and will order anything you need – as well as large orders for Zupreme Pellets and Wild West Bird Seed are possible. Customers of Too Crazy Birdy Hotel & members of F.E.A.T.H.E.R.S. enjoy discounts. Need pickup to bring you to F.E.A.T.H.E.R.S. meeting? Call Diana 250-722-2201.
BOSLEY’S BY PET VALU PARKSVILLE 280 East Island Highway, Parksville, BC Phone: 250-248-2673 Bosley’s staff have been long time supporters of Parrots on Vancouver Island. They offer discounts to F.E.A.T.H.E.R.S. members.
Valuable Resources:
WORLD PARROT TRUST www.parrots.org
In our opinion, we feel this website is one of the most informative and trusted on the web! You can check out species, ask qustions, listen to pod casts, and just keep learning. We refer to their Encyclopedia over and over. This group is dedicated to parrots in the wild. Check it out - better yet, join and support the rehoming of parrots to the wild.
http://chloesanctuary.org/
This bi-weekly web program is very informative, mainly about Cockatoo’s. This is a positive yett realistic program. The information is transferrable to other parrot species. It is worth your time in our opinion! All past broadcasts are archived for viewing.
Patricia Sund ParrotNation.com Great recipes for grain bakes, chop and much, much more... WWW.TOOCRAZYBIRDYHOTEL.COM
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SPRING 2017
F.E.A.T.H.E.R.SinBC.com
FEATHERSinBC.com
“Adopt - don’t Shop”
One of our island volunteer groups supporting parrot adoption. Money raised through bottle drives and silent auctions cover expenses for foster parrot veterinarian costs.
LOVE A PARROT TODAY! EVERBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY EVEN PARROTS!
Learn more at: Feathersinbc.com