Ever wonder what those strange looking collections of capital letters you see all over are referring to? No, its not alpahabet soup. It's shorthand for many often typed phrases. A list of the more common abbreviations are found below. However, some are more widely accepted than others.

Many thanks to the members of the BIRDTECH-L Mailing List for their time, trouble and contributions in compiling this list

B&G - Blue and Gold Macaw BC - Blue Crown Conure BE2 - Bare Eyed Cockatoo BFA - Blue Front Amazon BP2 - Black Palm Cockatoo BSL - Blue Streak Lory C2 - Citron Cockatoo CAG - Congo African Grey CM - Catalina Macaw D2 - Ducorps Cockatoo DYH - Double Yellow Head Amazon E2 - Eleanora Cockatoo FIDS - Feathered Kids G2 - Goffins Cockatoo GC - Green Cheeked Conure GCC - Gold Capped Conure GCP - Grey Cheeked Parakeet GE - Grand Eclectus GSC - Greater Sulphur Crested Cockatoo GW - Green Wing Macaw HM - Hahns Macaw HMC - Half Moon Conure HYM - Hyacinth Macaw Keet - Parakeet LCA - Lilac Crowned Amazon LSC - Lessor Sulphur Crested Cockatoo M2 - Moluccan Cockatoo

MBC - Maroon Belled Conure MGM - Miligold Macaw MM - Military Macaw MM2 - Major Mitchell (Leadbeater) Cockatoo MRHA - Mexican Red Head Amazon MSC - Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo OWA - Orange Winged Amazon PC - Painted Conure RB2 - Rose Breasted Cockatoo RLA - Red Lored Amazon RM - Ruby Macaw RSE - Red Sided Eclectus RV2 - Red Vented Cockatoo SIE - Soloman Island Eclectus SM - Scarlet Macaw T2 - Triton Cockatoo TAG - Timneh African Grey Tiel - Cockatiel Too - Cockatoo U2 - Umbrella Cockatoo Umbie - Umbrella Cockatoo VE - Vosmaeri's Eclectus WFA - White Fronted Amazon WF - White Faced Cockatiel YCM - Yellow Collared Macaw YNA - Yellow Naped Amazon

Teflon - Teflon fumes are deadly to birds! Teflon fumes arise when cooking with teflon-coated pots and pans at high temperatures or when pre-heating an empty pan for more than 3 minutes. While not harmful to other pets, these fumes are lethal to birds.

Teflon is now also being used in many household appliances. These include such items as hair dryers, heaters, lighting fixtures and more. Even if the appliances themselves have so little teflon that they are safe when used alone, incidents have been reported of teflon poisoning when more than one appliance is used at the same time.

Be sure to read the labels or ask questions when purchasing appliances. Remember, the bird you save may be your own!

One of the problems faced by all pet owners is coping with the seeds and other things which fall around and under bird cages. Various skirts or aprons can be used to minimize the problem. But some of the mess still reaches the floor. Here are a few techniques which can help protect your carpets and floors.

Purchase a 4x8 foot sheet of wall paneling, cut it to the size you need and place it under the cage. This material can be easily vacuumed, swept and washed to keep it clean. It comes in many colors and styles.

Cut a thin piece of plywood to size and cover with self-stick floor tiles. A piece of linoleum can also be glued to the plywood. However, since linoleum tends to curl, it should also be tacked down.

To help keep the litter in the protected area, a wood edging (which can be purchased at any lumber yard) can be added. Use a thin edging so that you will not trip. This edging also keeps linoleum from curling.

Other materials which might be used are clear plastic carpet protectors (found at your carpet store) or the heavy plastic protectors used under office chairs.

For those who have a room or a larger area devoted to birds, multiple sheets of 4x8 foot panels or plywood can be used. One method of protecting the areas under the seams is to place a large plastic tarp under the panels. This catches anything falling through the joints and protects from spills as well. Today these come in large sizes . We've found an 8x10 foot tarp for $3.98.