Can you believe it??

Last Holiday season, a good friend and wonderful human being sent a gorgeous gift from her aviary! 

If you are not already familiar with Pandemonium Aviaries, check them out!  They do AWESOME work and have one of the most artistic and beautiful aviaries I have ever visited.  The staff and students that surround the facility/home are amazing and caring...you can truly see that the birds come first!

Okay, okay, but I'm getting ahead of myself BECAUSE the main reason (and to toot PA's horn too!) is to talk about the absolutely beautiful ornament she sent for Holiday season 2011!  Check it out!  Can't you just imagine an entire tree decorated with these and add an elaborate feather topper!  I want one!  But these are another project that is easy to do.  Collect feathers (LOTS and lots of feathers for a really long time!) and purchase jewelry cones, put some hot glue inside the cone...insert feathers and wallaaa...gorgeous ornament or inexpensive gift!

Meet the Flock....Jade!

Hey!
Jade is our newest baby girl!  Jade came to us from Dr. Susan Clubb, she's an absolute sweetheart!  Jade is a Meyers Parrot and she hatched 3/24/12!

Jade's mission at the Learning Center is to meet visitors...what I mean by that is she's a great example of how wonderful of a pet, a bird can be.  She's a nice, non-intimidating size, she's very sweet and friendly.  Jade meets and steps up for most visitors, we especially use her in our education program "what makes a bird a bird"....this program is for our young children and Jade's perfect.

We've been working on socializing Jade with other Education animals and we have a cute little video of some of that in action!  Enjoy!  If you are working on socializing any animals with other animals, you need to supervise closely.  We're always right there and watching the body language between the animals...we're ready to step in at anytime...just in case someone decides to be aggressive!  We're there to swoop in and save the day.

You've already met, Packer...our Senegal Parrot, well Jade is stepping in for Packer.  Packer is getting old (over 20) and she's not as excited about meeting person after person like she was when she was a "spring chicken". Don't get me wrong, Packer is still a big part of education...just a little more on the DL!

Meet the flock- Beni!!

Hello Again!

I'm not sure how many of you follow Barbara Heidenreich and her Good Bird Inc blog, (if you don't...you should!) but if you do/did I wanted to officially introduce you to Beni our Caninde Macaw.  We purchased Beni from Wendy a breeder out of Texas and once weaned he spent a few exciting months with Barbara working on some training.  Below is a video of Jessica working with Beni, she's training him a new behavior where the takes an object and carries it with him as he flies to another location and drops it in a bowl.  I apologize for the video, I must have had way too much coffee! 

Watch Video!

Beni has been a great addition to the Kaytee Learning Center family!  We love him so much and so do visitors!  Since Beni is flighted, he does a great job flying from us to  visitor and it's such a thrill for them to have this beautiful, rare bird land on their arm.  Beni is a GREAT sport and we love him so much....although he loves us all...he LOVES Jessica! :)

Beni in action!

Meet the Flock...Tripp!

Tripp is my own personal bird, he's a male Peach Faced Lovebird!  He's my second Peach Faced lovebird, my first was Beanie and we were together for 16 years. Beanie's photo can actually be found in a lot of our advertising and packaging. So proud!

Beanie!

Tripp lived in my office with me (yes, past tense!) and a typical day for him would start with housekeeping, fresh food and water...all while he sat on my shoulder and we visited.  When he'd get bored he'd set out on his "daily adventures". 

After he left my office each morning he would "bust out" his buddy, which was another lovebird that lives in a large gazebo enclosure. As you can see Tripp and his buddy pretty much thought they owned the place!  You can see them visiting with their friend Sydney the Cockatiel and meandering around on all sorts of adventures, until...

Tripp decided he was going to take a stab at living in the Gazebo!  That's right one day he followed his buddy (now his lover!) right into the Gazebo and he was over me! :(  Ok, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic because he still comes out and visits with me but it's just not like it used to be.  I feel like a Mom who's son just decided to move in with his girlfriend and leave home for the first time.  Sorry, enough of my wallowing because honestly I've never seen Tripp happier!  Those two are always preening one another and snuggling...they are doing what lovebirds love to do and that's a good thing!  Do you have any cute stories of your crazy furry or feathered family? Please Share!

Heart Touching Short Film that should wake us all up!

Hello again!

Someone shared a link with me to a short film.  This film should be viewed by EVERYONE, please repost to help gain awareness.  Before I say anything more, take a moment to watch the film. Click Here to view.

Ok, take a moment to gain your composure because if you're like me this broke my heart and made me ashamed of us, humans.  40% of the Laysan Albatross chicks die each year because they have been fed plastics that their parents picked up while searching for food.  A study showed that 97.5% of all the Laysan Albatross chicks had plastic in their stomachs...97.5%!   It is estimated that around the world 100,000 sea turtles and marine mammals as well as one million sea birds will die from eating plastics.  That's astounding and unbelievably sad.  We all need to go GREEN and take recycling serious.I know this is a bummer/downer post, but sometimes we need those as a wake-up call.  My goal is to spread the word on how terrible our plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags, etc. are for the environment and the animals that call it home. Please share and think twice before you use or dispose of something plastic.  Thank you.  Pass it on.  If you have recycling, reusing, reducing tips...please share!

Scrub-a-Dub Chin-chillin'

So, we've talked about how cute it is watching a bird enjoy a bath...but it's nothing compared to a Chinchilla getting his "groove on" in his dust bath!  Just like bathing a bird, it's important for a Chinchilla to bathe as well.  These lil' guys need to roll around in their species specific dust to keep their fur clean, dry and oil free.  Check out the video...sorry, you have to turn your head to watch it!

Bathing your chin is a win-win...he gets a healthy coat and you get a few minutes of entertainment.  We make sure our chinchillas bathe 2-3 times a week, be sure their bath stays clean because sometimes they like to multi-task and make their "bath tub" the toilet too.  If you have a Chinchilla and any stories about bath time or anything else that is fun to share...please do!

Meet the herd....Ping & Ling!

Ping and Ling are our education pigs! 

Guests visiting the Learning Center get the opportunity to feed Ping and Ling a healthy snack!  On days we have visitors their diet is limited, so we don't over feed these lil' oinkers!  The squeals and squeaks that guinea pigs let out are some of the most entertaining sounds that come out of an animal and you can count on hearing it every time they hear their timothy hay bag rattle or the treat bag rattle or anything that crinkles even if it's not food or not for them! 

The video above is a sample of what Learning Center guests get to do...feed a lil cavie! If you have a guinea pig story, please share!

Fabulous Feather Earrings!

Ok, so your bird molts and some people may look at it as a mess and more to clean up...but an opportunist like myself looks at it as a way to make accessories!  Save your birds beautiful feathers!  There are so many things you can do with them, but my favorite is to make earrings!

It's so super simple and they are totally cute too!  If you have friends with birds you can swap feathers so you can work with more colors, and get a pair to match every outfit.  Come on bird nerds, go to the dark DIY side with me....

Supplies:

• Feathers, cleaned (2-4 feathers, preferably matching so you get pairs)
• 8mm Crimps (found in jewelry section of a craft/hobby store)
• Wire Earring hooks (found in jewelry section of a craft/hobby store)
• Needle Nose pliers

Directions:

Pick out your feathers, pair them up or however you like and crimp them in the 8mm crimps using your needle nose pliers.  Now attach them to the earring hooks...Tadaaaa...new earrings!

Did you know???

Did you know...that Kaytee has a non-profit foundation?  We do!  The Kaytee Avian Foundation, it helps fund projects related to avian conservation, education, and research.  We've help funded programs locally and globally... anywhere from Universities like LSU, helping them provide for their flock to purchasing 18,000 acres of land in Piaui, Brazil.  Helping to seize 18,000 acres of land in Brazil was our largest initiative to date! Learn more about the KAF and all the great things we've done within the world of birds.

We've hosted many Eco-Tours to Piaui, where we donated the monies to help purchase the land and I was fortunate enough to be the hostess for two of them.  Best, most memorable times of my life!  Sitting in the blind and watching these beautiful birds in their natural habitat was a "goose bump, life changing" experience. The land is now being preserved helping save the animals which call it home from extinction.  Former poachers are now Eco-Tour guides.  I spoke with one of the men that used to be a poacher and he told me with tearful eyes "that now he's right with God", that was so powerful to hear him tell me that he now provides for his family in a honest way. Warms the heart!

If you ever have the opportunity to do something like this...do it, you won't regret it.  If you've been on a trip to view birds or any animals in their natural habitat, please share. I love hearing about about those "ah-ha" moments!

Out of the mouths of babes!

Here at the Kaytee Learning Center, we have LOTS of field trips with visitors ranging in age from 3 to "3 at heart" and with that we get a lot of comments and recently some of those comments made me stop and think.  Think about the fact that I get to go to work each day in a pretty fabulous setting with some pretty fabulous people and some pretty fabulous critters!
Below are quotes from students at a local High School, these were great kids that were sincerely interested in what we were talking about!  Their field trip was "Parrot Behavior; how parrots behavior in the wild relates to them as pets!"
The students had a great time, as did Jessica and I who were teaching the class...not to mention you can just see that the animals LOVE interacting with new people.  Some of you may remember Beni (Blue-Throated Macaw) and Wrigley (Dbl Yellow-headed Amazon) from Barbara Heidenreichs blog about them...well Beni is one of the stars for visiting groups.  Students are amazed at the opportunity to have a beautiful, endangered parrot fly to their hand.  He's amazing...go Beni!

Student quotes:
“I am an animal lover and Kaytee gave me a hands-on chance to experience all sorts of animals up close.  Watching exotic birds flying right above your head and petting animals you rarely see is a great way to expand your knowledge of animals.  I love Kaytee.”...HK

“The Kaytee Aviary was really fun.  I had gone once before with my grandparents when I was really young.  Although trying to ‘train’ Tom P. like a bird was fun, I’d have to say my favorite part was having Packer perched on my hand with the chinchilla coming in a close second.  If I had the chance to go again, I definitely would.”...JS

“I liked the fact that as soon as you walk in the building there is a beautiful blue bird which everyone could interact with and get close to with no cage.  There were also many different animals like ferrets, rabbits and a chinchilla.  I also loved the interaction with the different birds and being able to pet each one.  Each animal had a personality but they all worked well together and were very friendly.”...TP

“I loved the specific beauty each one of the birds had.  Not one was alike whether it was the color of the bird or how many words it said or even just its personality.  Seeing all different birds that I never get to see is awesome.  Then on top of that, a chinchilla that was as soft as can be.  It was an overall amazing place to be; so many things to do and learn.”...DP

Students interacting with Beni! Everyone's loving it! :)



Students enjoying a little bunny time!  Cabbage (the bunny) is enjoying the love!



Barbara Heidenreich Seminar!

Join us Saturday, October 6th!  Our annual Parrot Care and Training Seminar has had a few minor adjustments!  This year Barbara Heidenreich will be our one & only speaker!  She'll be helping address Problem Behaviors...we all know we need help with those!  Tips on how to modify a screaming for attention parrot, aggressive parrot and more...

We'll have lots of hands-on examples of training and guests may even have a chance to do some hands-on demonstrations with Barbara and the Learning Center flock!

There is still space and a little time to register!

If you are interested in attending e-mail me and we'll get you registered!

The seminar is only $65.00, including lunch, snacks and refreshments!

NOTE: This years seminar will not be offered via the Web, no webinar...sorry!

When:
Saturday, October 6th
8:00-5:00

Where:
Kaytee Learning Center
585 Clay St.
Chilton, WI 53014

Birdie Bath Time!

 Baths! Does your bird love it?  Mister bottle, shower or dish?  You can see in the video that Zico loves (he was a little bashful this time because of the camera) his mister shower, and as for Tripp well he wasn't letting a camera on him disturb his bathtime!.  They both REALLY get into it when left alone to "do their thing."  Although watching a bird bathe is fun, does everyone understand how important baths are for your bird??  They are necessary for healthy feathers, we bath 2-3 times weekly! Make sure your feathered friends don't get too chilled during or after their bath.  We learned a trick, especially for birds living in northern climates (like WI!) during the winter season, a solution of 10% aloe and water helps to moisten their skin without weighing down the feathers or causing build-up on them.  They look beautiful!  Make bathtime fun, this shouldn't be a forced activity...find ways to make it enjoyable!

If you have stories about your birds bathing and loving it...please share!  A happy bathing bird a site that puts a smile on my face!  Even if your story involves a wild bird at your bird bath...we're equal opportunity people!

Meet the Flock... Packer!

Packer!
Packer is a Senegal Parrot, and being a bird hatched in Wisconsin...and having green & gold plumage...go figure we name her "Packer" for the Green Bay Packers (Go Pack Go!)!  We're so creative! :)



Packer is  20 years old, and she's the best behaved lil' gal!  She has literally stepped up onto 1,000's of kids "strong tree branches" (a.k.a. arms).  She's so sweet natured, I truly believe Senegals are one of the best pet birds...quiet and mild mannered.  Senegals are from the Poicephalus family, along with Jardines, Red Bellies, and Meyers as the other more commonly found Poicelphalus.

Enjoy a short video of Packer & Jessica during weigh day!  Every Tuesday is weigh day at the Learning Center, all the birds are weighed and their weights are recorded.  This is a great practice to get in with your bird, it will also help your Veterinarian if your bird should ever become ill.

Packer says "Pleased to meet you!"  If you have a Senegal, we'd love to hear from you!

Bringing Birdie Home?!?!

Are you thinking of bringing home a new pet bird or know someone who is?  Well have we got the deal for you... a team of us at Kaytee and some friends of ours from the industry, Barbara Heidenreich and Dr. Susan Clubb put together some great materials (if I don't say so myself!) to help new bird owners to start out on the right foot!  This is also great information for adoption centers to hand out to people considering adoption.  Our poor feathered friends tend to be shuttled from home to home and we're hoping to help educate people on the front end, we can help keep them in their home longer!  We have a great video and printable materials for you...pass it on!

Bringing Birdie Home!  Stay tuned, we'll hopefully have a Part II available in the future!


Poo happens!

When you have pets you just learn that poop happens...right?

Well we certainly know that around here and yet I think one of the "highlight, gross out" moments for all kids that visit the Learning Center is when a bird poops in the middle of a presentation!  That gets almost as much reaction as when Smurf yells "help" or when Pepper plays the piano...only the reactions are a little different.  It's pure laughter and glee when they see fun behaviors and it's pure disgust/laughter when they see a "poop happen".

I think the best was when Wasabi, our Green Aracari (thank you Jason!) pooped right on my shoe in the middle of the presentation...it was even hard for me to continue as if nothing happened...because the teacher of this group is a Professional Photographer, (Les Tension Photography) and he captured the moment perfectly!
Do you have any funny poo stories to share????  Come on, how many places can you talk about this topic and fit in! :)

Ok!  I literally just finished writing this post when Jessica walks up to me with a big poo down the front of her shirt, again from Wasabi the Green Aracari (I almost felt like I willed this to happen to her!).  But, we all may as well get a chuckle out of her bad luck!  Sorry Jessica! :)

San Diego Zoo Hawaiian Endangered Species project!

Have you heard about the San Diego Zoo's Hawaiian Endangered Species project yet?  It's a great project, as they are trying desperately to save the Alala Hawaiian bird which is severely endangered.  Hawaii is the Endangered Species Capital of the World. They have hundreds of plants and animals listed as Endangered or Threatened, there are more endangered species per square mile on these islands than any other place on the planet. Kaytee is a major sponsor of this program, we donate all of the pellets to keep their birds well fed... healthy & happy to breed!  This is a great program, run by amazing people, if you're able it's a program worth supporting. Donate!

The San Diego Zoo has a number of conservation programs going on, this is just the one nearest and dearest to our hearts!

Here is an update from the San Diego Zoo:
Another `Alala breeding season comes around again

By Richard Switzer, Associate Director of Applied Animal Ecology, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.

As we approach the end of April, we can celebrate the start of the 2012 `Alala breeding season. Within the past week, the first eagerly-anticipated `Alala egg of the season has been laid at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center (KBCC), on the Big Island of Hawai`i. In fact, we are now up to a total of six eggs laid by three females. Over at our sister facility, the Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC), the females are a step behind, busily nest-building.

From the point of laying, it typically takes 22 days of incubation until an `Alala chick hatches. Whenever possible, we will allow the female to incubate her own eggs for the first third of the incubation period. After that, we will pull the eggs from the nest for artificial incubation. In this way, we can control incubation parameters to maximize the chance of each egg hatching. Additionally, pulling the first clutch enables the female to subsequent lay a second clutch, which helps us to increase the flock’s potential reproductive output.

If all goes well, we hope to have the first `Alala chicks hatch sometime in the middle of May. In approximately 30% of cases, we find that the embryo requires a certain degree of assistance through the hatching process. Unfortunately, that moment of requiring assistance seems to occur with surprising frequency at 3 a.m., so many sleepless nights are spent monitoring the hatching eggs. As in previous years, the vast majority of chicks will be painstakingly hand-reared by our team of propagation staff. Crucially we hope to match, or even exceed, the wonderful breeding success we achieved during 2011. Last year we hatched 20 `Alala youngsters and successfully raised 19 of them. This marked our most successful `Alala season ever, increasing the population by 25% to our current total of 94 birds.

Notably, these 94 birds represent the entire population of `Alala.  Back in 1994, the `Alala was on the brink of extinction – as few as 20 birds remained. Worse was yet to come… By 2002, the last known wild `Alala disappeared and the species was then considered extinct in the wild. Since 1993, the San Diego Zoo’s Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program has been tackling the challenge of bringing the `Alala back from the edge, through the captive breeding program at its two facilities.

But the `Alala recovery program has faced some tremendous hurdles. The shallow gene pool has proven a major hindrance in the reproductive success of the species – it should be no great surprise that a population descended from seven known founders should suffer from inbreeding depression, causing high proportions of embryo deaths and congenital abnormalities. This brings frustration and sadness. But despite these challenges, successful reproduction has prevailed and the `Alala population has steadily risen.

Of course, the future for `Alala extends beyond the captive environment and we now have realistic aspirations for restoring `Alala to the wild. However, many of the threats that were originally responsible for the extinction of the `Alala in the wild still persist – avian diseases, habitat destruction and introduced predators. Before the `Alala can be reintroduced to the wild, it is essential to overcome the threats which were responsible for their original decline. This will take time.

In meantime, we hope to continue riding the current wave of reproductive success within the `Alala captive flock. Please join us in keeping fingers crossed for another successful breeding season in 2012!

About the Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program

Ala Chicks begging

Ala emerging

By the early 1990s, the `Alala was acknowledged as one of the most globally threatened species and in dire need of conservation help. The early 1990s also marked the inception of the Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program (HEBCP) – originally a field project of The Peregrine Fund, which evolved in the year 2000 into a regional conservation program of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. The program is a 3-way partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Hawai`i Division of Forestry and Wildlife, operated by the Institute for Conservation Research, with support from many other departments of the San Diego Zoo. 

For the past 19 years, the `Alala has been the key focus of the HEBCP, which has nurtured the `Alala back from the precipice of extinction, through our captive breeding program at the Keauhou and Maui Bird Conservation Centers. In addition to the `Alala, the HEBCP has also focused on many other species of critically endangered native birds. Since 1993, more than 1,100 birds of 14 species have been hatched by the HEBCP. More than 780 birds have been released into protected habitat throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

In the early 1990s, the Puaiohi (a.k.a. Small Kauai Thrush) population was estimated at 200-300 birds. Thanks to the release of 222 captive-bred Puaiohi back into the Alakai Natural Area Reserve, the wild population has now more than doubled. The HEBCP has provided 442 Nene (a.k.a. Hawaiian Goose) for release, augmenting populations on Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, as well as re-establishing a new population on Moloka`i, providing major input into the restoration of the wild Nene population to more than 1,800 birds. Our work continues on collaborative species recovery programs for the Maui Parrotbill and Palila – two critically endangered species of Hawaiian Honeycreeper.

Since 2009, the HEBCP has been delighted and grateful to receive the support of the Kaytee Learning Center, which has donated (and shipped to Hawai`i!) Kaytee Exact Mynah/Toucan pellets, as a key component of the diet for the `Alala flock.

Terry's Mash Recipe!

A good friend sent me a WONDERFUL mash recipe that she feeds her flock so I thought I'd share it with you guys!  If you have recipes that your birds or small animals LOVE, please share them with us....especially if they include Kaytee products!

Kaytee Amazing Pellet Mash by Terry Timberlake

Ingredients

Kaytee exact Natural Pellets
Corn Bread
Organic Creamy or Chunky Peanut Butter

Grind pellets in a coffee grinder that is not used for coffee. Mix in a small chunk of crumbled corn bread (home baked or bakery bought. Terry likes Boston Market's little corn bread loaves) and add warm water.  Stir.  Consistency should be about the same as oatmeal. Put a dollop of peanut butter on top!

Variations/Additions
Diced dried fruit
Diced frozen mixed veggies
Cooked rice
Scrambled egg

Check out more about Terry!

Don't forget to share your recipes or homemade healthy concoctions that your critters love!

Hummdinger of a project...

Something to get all a flutter about!

This is another great way to get kids involved and appreciating the great outdoors and the beautiful fauna around them!  Who can't resist a beautiful, magical lil' hummingbird...I can't!  I still get excited when they visit my feeders!  So...why not get your kids excited about it with a simple, quick project!


Supplies:

• Red Solo Cup (any size, smaller 8-9oz. size is fine)
• Paper whole punch
• 12-15 inch piece of string or yarn
• Hummingbird nectar

Directions:


Punch 2 holes opposite each other at the top of the cup, this is for your string to go through.  Then cut small (no wider/taller than 1 inch or so).
Fill with your nectar up to the lower holes and walaaaa...you've got an instant hummingbird feeder.


Watch a Video on it!

Mmmmm...Millet!

Birds LOVE'em some spray millet!

Spray millet is like a drug to most birds, especially to Cockatiels and Parakeets!  Here we like to offer spray millet as a "special treat" and make them work a little bit for it...can't just hand out the "good stuff" w/o some foraging behind it.  We'll put it in jars w/holes and it's amazing watching them forage for it, hide it under their rocks in their exhibit so they have to work at pulling it out...anything to make them think and work a little bit.  They are SO busy in the wild working and looking for food we often make it just too darn easy as a pet!

Check out the video above to see our Cockatiels in action trying to work the spray millet out of the paper towel tubes!
If you have any great tips or tricks to get your bird working for his or her food, please share!

Parrot Care & Training Seminar...3rd Annual!

It's time to be thinking about the 3rd Annual Parrot Care and Training Seminar! Yeah!
Saturday, October 6th
8:00-5:00 CST
You can attend by coming to the Kaytee Learning Center and enjoying the seminar live and in person or
You can attend by joining via the internet!  That's right, you can see the presenters, hear the presenters, ask questions about the topics all from the comfort of your Lazy Boy!


Our speakers are Dr. Susan Clubb and Barbara Heidenreich!  How amazing is that!
Dr. Clubb will be speaking on Infectious Diseases and Barbara will be addressing problem behaviors...just in case you want to modify screams for attention or the fact that your bird only LOVES your husband or maybe your bird has some aggression issues!  Barbara will be addressing all these issues and more, as well as doing live demonstrations with some of the Kaytee Learning Center Avian Ambassadors!


Register now!  If you are considering the on-site seminar, register early...it fills up quickly!  Find out more!

Field Trip! Can't miss a 79th Birthday Party!

Happy Birthday to Cookie, the Major Mitchell Cockatoo who turned 79 this past Saturday!

I felt honored to be a part of his celebration, how amazing to reach 79...just incredible!  The zoo was all a buzz with birthday hats (of course I was sporting mine, just isn't a party without a party hat!).  He had birthday well wishers by the hundreds, severe heat didn't hold anyone back from wishing this special bird a "Happy Birthday!".

We brought Cookie a bundle of birthday gifts to share with all of her friends!

There was a giant card for all of his guests to sign! 

 I learned Cookie prefers women, which it's very common for pet birds to choose one sex over the other...tell us about your pet bird's preference!

For a 79 year old man, he was sure preforming for his guests!  He was dancing and talking...word of choice: "Cookie!" 

A 79 year old bird... really makes you stop and think about the miracle of a pet that lives this long!  So many people don't realize what they are getting into when they adopt a pet parrot.  If I purchase a baby parrot now, it will certainly out live me- that's a huge responsibility that we can't take lightly.  Doesn't mean we can't adopt one, but we certainly need to think about their future as much as our own! 

Rock it out Cookie, from all of your friends at Kaytee we're wishing you many more fabulous years! 
Happy Birthday Cookie!

Awesome Pendant Craft!

So I'm not only a bird nerd but I'm a DIY dork too! With that I'm going to be sharing some of my favorite crafts (I have lots...but one at a time!).
1st Craft is....(drum roll please)..... My pet on a scrabble pendant, that's right on a scrabble pendant!


It's fun simple and can make a great gift!

Supplies:

• School Glue
• Gel Super Glue
• Scrabble tile
• Small paint brush (kids one is fine)
• Printed picture of your choice the size of a scrabble tile (on regular paper- nothing fancy)
• Razor knife (nice & sharp!)
• Glue-on bail (find it in the jewelry supply section of a craft store)
• Emery board (metal or not, just to file edges of your paper)

Directions:
Print your picture out, size it so it will fit on a scrabble tile.
Using the school glue, paint a thin layer on the back of your scrabble tile (so you still see the letter).

Adhere the picture to the scrabble tile & let it dry for several hours or until crisp.


Using your sharp razor knife closely trim your picture so that it is now the size of your scrabble tile.

Now file the edges of your paper so it's smooth and tight to the scrabble tile.

Next Step (we're almost done, so don't sweat it!) paint a thin layer of ModPodge, be sure to have it go slightly over the edge to seal your papers edges...but not gloppy so it dries thick...nice thin layer.

Let the ModPodge dry for a couple of hours... this is a good time to clean the birds home or hamsters habitat!
We're on our last couple of steps!

Apply a thick layer of Diamond Glaze, what I've found works best is to apply it to the center of the scrabble tile and let the Diamond Glaze flow out to the edges (but don't squeeze too fast/hard otherwise it will overflow over the edges, trust me I learned this the hard way!).  You may have to pull the Diamond Glaze to the edges just a little.
Now another few hours of drying...hmmm what to do, maybe you can let the chinchilla out for exercise time in his ball... or you could take care of yourself and sleep!

Once the Diamond Glaze is dry (it will be nice & clear when dry) you can do the VERY LAST STEP...super glue your 'glue-on bail'.....you're done! YEAH!  I hope you love it as much as I do!  Practice does make perfect and I've made many of these!  You can put any picture you want on it to suit others as gifts!

Summerfest!

Chilton's Summerfest Festival!  Our small little community has a celebration every Father's Day weekend...Summerfest!  We always participate!
We have our Annual Hamster Races, which are always a big hit for both spectators and racer's. Below are pictures to give you an idea of what a hamster race looks like...just in case you're not familar.

A special guest is always on-site for this event and this year it was "Dino the Creature Teacher", Dino presented "Scales and Tails"....that's right you guessed it, we had LOTS of cool reptiles and amphibians.  Everything from a bull frog to a matamata turtle to a giant albino burmese to alligators and many more in between! If you'd like to learn more about Dino the Creature Teacher and all the great things they do check them out: http://www.naturesniche.org/

These are just some of the great things Kaytee does to be part of the community!  We give back!  What cool things happen in your area that are worth talking about!?  Please Share, we love hearing back!

Hello and Welcome!

Also- welcome to the Kaytee Learning Center!  This is where the magic happens, it's the place to be, the best spot in all of Chilton, WI (in my opinion!) and there is a lot in Chilton, less than 4,000 people, a Wal Mart, Walgreens and a DQ. :)

"Fur, Fun & Feather" is going to be all things fun, funny, exciting, interesting, weird, off the wall, etc. etc. that happen at the Learning Center, that visitors of the Learning Center share, that visitors of the blog share and on and on!

I want this to be interactive, fun and positive!  Share!


Here is a little "virtual tour" of the Kaytee Learning Center, but I'm leaving a bunch out...I don't want to spoil you right from the start!