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Skills to Empower People to Understand Parrots (“STEP-UP”)

An intensive workshop designed to give people an abundance of information about parrot care, from behavior and health, to nutrition and enrichment. In addition to lectures, there will be hands-on training sessions, cooking classes, and time to discuss issues of specific importance to you. We will work with the current foster birds at the Phoenix Landing facility, so you can teach behavior, foraging and feeding new foods first hand. All of us can learn new things to improve our relationships with our parrots. Anyone with parakeets to macaws will benefit! See testimonials from some participants below.

schedule
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APRIL 16-18; AUGUST 20-22; NOVEMBER 12-14

LOCATION: The Landing, near Asheville, North Carolina; a beautiful destination point in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

COST: $275.00 for three days. Includes lunch. Hotel and airfare are separate. Local transportation from the hotel to the Landing is provided. Transport to/from the Asheville, NC or the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC airport is also provided.

CLASS SIZE:
limited to 6 people In order to ensure that everyone has the opportunity for plenty of hands-on training!

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How Do I Teach My Bird That?

Birds are extremely intelligent. In the wild they are supremely self sufficient. In our homes, they must rely on us to learn “good manners” and companionship skills. That means we must to learn to be good teachers, a skill that does not always come naturally. At this train-the-trainer workshop, you will work with a wide variety of birds first hand, so you will be empowered to return home and train your bird.
We will help you to acquire the knowledge and skills to teach your bird:
* Husbandry behaviors (going into a carrier, taking medicine, taking a bath...);
* Trick behaviors to build a positive relationship and provide mental enrichment to your bird (wave, turn around, drop things in a bucket..); and
* Good behaviors that work for your family, and avoid the problems that can cause a bird to lose their home (biting, screaming....).

Activities for Parrots: Your Job and Theirs

Birds are very busy in the wild. They work hard to find their food, and they have an active social life. Their environment is diverse and challenging, and they must avoid predators to stay safe. What does your bird do all day?
We will explore these topics in great detail:
* Foraging, enrichment activities and parrot recreation
* Essential exercise for a healthy body and life-span
* Social activities for a happy parrot

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Health

Our birds have unique medical challenges, their bodies work differently from mammals in almost every way. In this workshop, we will feature a special guest veterinarian, and we will address a variety of topics such as:
* Anatomy
* Diseases
* General safety
* Emergencies
* Lost birds

What Should My Parrot Eat?

Learn which foods groups are especially nutritious for parrots. We will also talk about how to make food preparation easy, especially for busy households. You will teach the foster birds at the Landing how to eat new foods so you can go home and put this to practice with your bird!

Gardening for parrots? Yes! Parrots thrive on fresh foods, herbs and flowers. Learn how to make container gardens, which herbs are healthy, and how to sprout.

Good food is not just for the larger parrots. Smaller birds such as parakeets and cockatiels do especially well with fresh gardens and the right kind of “seeds” (sprouts, grains and legumes).

REGISTER for AUGUST 20-22 ($275):

CLASS FULL
Email phoenixlanding@earthlink.net if you
would like to be on the wait list

HOTEL: For reservations using our group rate at the
Sheraton located in downtown Asheville, click here

REGISTER for NOVEMBER 12-14 ($275):
ONE SPACE REMAINING



HOTEL: For reservations using our group rate at the
Sheraton located in downtown Asheville, click here

TESTIMONIALS:

I had the opportunity to attend the first STEP-UP workshop held in April and I recommend the experience to everyone! I traveled from Florida to attend the workshop and stayed the additional day for further training. I picked up more knowledge and ideas during this workshop than over the five years that I have owned parrots.

The most important difference between learning at this workshop and learning from a video or book is the immediate feedback from the trainers on techniques and body movements. Role playing was introduced during the workshop, giving a better understanding of how we should be training to communicate correctly with our feathered friends. The experience of working with many different species was tremendous and gave me a sense of accomplishment. My videos at home are now used as reminders of my training at the Landing.

June Stadnik
Sebastian, FL

I recently attended the STEP-UP training class at Phoenix Landing and I would highly recommend it. Having little experience with parrots and wanting to adopt one for the science center where I work, I contacted Phoenix Landing and they recommended I attend this class. At first, I thought what could possibly take 3 days to learn but now I wish I had many more days. Learning how to train, cook for and generally care for parrots and having someone I can contact with questions has been worth so much. The best part is that I am now fostering, and hope to adopt, Cecil, a blue and gold Macaw and I know how to take care of him the right way! Whether you already have a parrot or like me, wish to adopt one, this class will prove invaluable to you and your bird..

Shannon Arts
Prestonsburg, KY