Most people who have an African Grey Parrot and are on the internet have heard about Bobbi Brinker. Her birds are commonly called Bobbi Babies by those fortunate enough to have one of her babies.
She first wrote this book and self published it as a paperback, spiral bound book in 1999. The new book has a wonderful colour cover, some additions and corrections and is now published by Lucky Press. This should ensure that more people will have the opportunity to purchase it and read the advice offered by Bobbi.
She dispels many of the popular myths about these birds – such as African Greys being clumsy or pluckers or one-person birds or needing more calcium. She explains how these myths became popular and how to prevent these problems from happening to your African Grey Parrot.
She includes several pages devoted to the diet of an African Grey Parrot going into detail about the vitamin requirements and which foods provide these vitamins and also provides easy to follow recipes.
The information she includes on breeding and handfeeding will help the average pet bird owner know what to look for when checking out a breeder. If you are interested in breeding these birds, these chapters will be invaluable.
Bobbi also includes a chapter on the egg – giving day by day examples of some eggs as they developed from the day they were laid.
The final chapter in this book – Living With Greys: All Things Considered answers a lot of questions people have about the behaviour of their bird. Many behaviours that are normal, cause concern for people who wonder if there is a problem when they see their bird doing them. If you see your bird twitching, trembling, nail biting or digging (or more), you might want to read what Bobbi Brinker has to say about it.
With Bobbi’s permission, I am including her most past-around recipe which you can also find at her site
Parrot Talk Connection.
Bobbi’s Birdie Bread
2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – see note 1
3 tablespoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Earthrise Spirulina (optional)
2 eggs and shells (puree in blender)
4 jars Baby Foods (4 ounce or 113 gram jars) – see note 2
¾ Cup Peanut Butter
2 cups Dry Baby Cereal
1 ½ Cups Shredded/Chopped Veggies (usually carrots or broccoli)
Mix wet and dry ingredients separately.
Combine wet and dry ingredients along with the shredded/chopped veggies.
Spray a 9x13 inch pan with Pam Cooking Spray. Bake for about 30 minutes (check for doneness) in a 400 degree F preheated oven.
Cool slightly on a rack, cut into squares and freeze in freezer zip-lock plastic bags.
Note 1 – Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix substitute – 2 boxes = 12.5 ounces of yellow cornmeal and 4.5 ounces of flour
or 2 boxes = 360 grams of yellow cornmeal and 120 grams of flour.
Note 2 – Choose baby food fruits and vegetables with a high vitamin A content.
2 jars of veggies, such as sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, mixed vegetables.
1 jar of a fruit.
1 jar of a meat, such as chicken or turkey with rice, veggies or noodles.
Although this book is written about African Greys by someone who knows African Greys, much of the information applies to many companion birds.
You can purchase this book at several locations:
Directly from the publisher Lucky Press or
