Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages is a family owned and operated business based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The cofounders, Karrie Noterman and Rick Kamperman, combine years of parrotexperience together with extensive engineering, construction, and materials knowledge to create unique, safe, quality-built bird toys and cages. Much of the Inspiration for the products comes from Karrie's amazing pet birds, as well as parrots that she's worked with, and her experiences with wild parrots from around the world.
3 month old baby Blue and Gold Macaw, Tiki. Tiki, on her 20th birdday!
The 30 plus years I've been involved with birds has been a magical, wonderful, and educational journey that I'm so thankful I've gotten the opportunity to experience! It all started with a grey cockatiel, Link, at a local pet store. He was "free with cage" since some people considered him a bit rough around the edges, but I adored him from the word go!
At the age of 12 I began volunteering at Parrot Jungle and Gardens in Florida. There I learned about the amazing variety of parrots in the world and basic training skills from volunteering in the 'baby bird training cage'. It also allowed me to see first hand that parrots flourished when in the flock environment and cohabitated in large aviaries together. Most importantly I got my first exposure to the fact that even with bonded mates the parrots were still eager to interact with people and continued to be handleable. This was a very different line of thought to what was taught back then - "if you keep birds together they will bond and hate you." Some of this thinking continues to linger today at the detriment of the parrots housed in solitude.
Two years later I transitioned to The National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA. I can't say enough about this organization. It was here that a deep appreciation, affection, and passion for all bird life, for research and knowledge, and for optimal housing was gained. If the National Aviary couldn't house something well - they didn't do it. Their standards of care and commitment to education has stayed with me throughout my life. I volunteered every week at the aviary for four years. For this dedication and service, I was awarded the Carnegie Centennial Award in 1998 which hangs in the Carnegie Science center in Pittsburgh, P.A.
In 1999 I started working as a bird trainer in the Wild Wings Free Flight bird show at Sea World in Ohio. This was such a joyful time of my life! It provided a totally different perspective and taught me how to train lots of different free flight and other behaviors to parrots, raptors, cranes, storks, hornbills, condors, pelicans, and cassowaries. It also illuminated the fact that the parrots that we worked with were just as 'wild' as the eagle or flamingo and responded to the same training methods. This was an amazingly fun experience that I am so grateful I had the opportunity to participate in!
When I started my freshman year at College majoring in psychology and biology the following year, and Sea World closed for the winter, I needed a new job. I was also having problems with living on campus when my Blue and Gold macaw, who I left at homewith my mom, started plucking her feathers. I was very distressed and nearly quit school. As fate would have it I ran into Kim Leslie-Noble, Director of Northcoast Bird Adoption and Rehabilitation Center, who needed a helper to care for and rehab her personal and rescue birds. It was more perfect than I could imagine. I got paid to play with parrots all day! It was 10 minutes from my school and Tiki got to live in the bird room. I only worked part time, but since Tiki was there I spent hours at the rescue 7 days a week. At Northcoast Bird Adoption I was exposed to an enormous variety of behavior issues exhibited by a diverse range of species: from biting conures to screaming macaws to mutilating cockatoos. drawing heavily from my psychology classes, training background, and general avian knowledge I began teaching behavior consults with potential adopters and becoming very involved in parrot rescue. It was here I fell in love with my Umbrella cockatoo, Pele, whom I adopted in 2000.
In 2003 I got the unbelievable opportunity to complete my Psychology degree senior thesis at Amigos de las Aves in Costa Rica for 4 weeks. It was my first exposure to wild parrots - in the wild - I was hooked. It was love at first flap!! I worked both at the facility in Alajuela caring for the breeder birds, feeding babies, and recording data, and also at the release site in Tiskita. The jungle felt like home and seeing the birds fly free felt like heaven. I got an eye opening up close and personal look at two things that were severely lacking from all education in American aviculture - how much energy and space birds need and how incredibly social they are. This is also where my love for Great Green or Buffons Macaws (Ara ambigua) was born. These birds are critically endangered and there is a foundation that continues to support these gorgeous macaws reintroduction program. You can learn more about them at Hatched to fly free.
The idea of keeping a bird alone in a little cage in the house suddenly felt horribly inadequate. Knowing that my cockatoo was wild caught made things worse, as he lived this life I was seeing and was currently living in a 3x3 cage in my spare bedroom. I took a very, very, serious look at how I was keeping my birds. Things changed right then and there. I got a second job at a night club to earn extra money and several months later I bought my first outdoor aviary from Corners Limited for $2000. On a college students budget it was an ambitious goal, but it was worth every penny. My second priority was to create a 'flock' for my birds. I began looking for more wild caught, mate killer, male cockatoos for Pele and a sweet, female, older macaw for Tiki. For my cockatiels I purchased a macaw (this makes me laugh!) breeder cage that was 4x4x8' long with 1/2 x3 wire. They LOVED the space and I was shocked how much I began enjoying just watching them! With all the toys and room the little flock was constantly interacting, playing, flying, and in motion. This was a glaring contrast to their prior cage which was 24x36. The same transformation occurred with my umbrella cockatoo when he moved into his outdoor aviary. What I had experienced in the jungle was ringing true in my pets. Seeing the difference in my own birds really hit home for me. There was no turning back. They could never live in small cages again and the 3x3 went in the trash that afternoon without a second thought.
In 2005 I added my Goffins cockatoo, Halo, to our flock and built the second octagon aviary and then connected them with a 6' wide hallway so they could fly between them. The cockatoos flourished in this new environment! The more we put in the aviary the more the birds were quiet, calm, and content. The nervous behaviors, repetitive behaviors, and screaming hyper moments disappeared.
The boys were no longer surviving in captivity...they were thriving!
In 2006 I was able to visit Australia for a couple of years. That was an incredible journey in my life. Seeing dozens of different parrot species up close and personal in the wild taught me so much about parrot body language, habits, and 'normal' daily activities and behavior. It allowed me to look at my pets behaviors in a new light and gain perspective about their daily routines, energy output, and activities. Parrots are truly amazing creatures. The one thing that stood out more than anything was how incredibly social they were. The flocks constantly interacted, played, vocalized, and bickered with one another. The sheer numbers of some of the flocks was daunting - seeing at least 100 parrots together on more than a dozen occasions. The species also freely mingled with one another. Multiple species of cockatoo were often at the same feeding locations and there were even interactions between rosellas, port lincoln parrots, palm cockatoos, eclectus etc. The black cockatoos, red tail black cockatoos more specifically, were my absolute favorites! And they will always hold a special place in my heart - and on the logo for Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages.
September of 2009 I was so fortunate to be able to spend 3 months in Tambopata, Peru volunteering at the Tambopata Research Center. This was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream after reading about the clay licks in National Geographic in the early 1990's. The people and birds of Peru will always have a very special place in my heart! And what I saw there was spectacular!! I also learned so much -say goodbye to height dominance, birds mating for life, and 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Spending 8-10 hours a day watching hundreds of wild parrots interacting in their natural habitats is as close to heaven as I think it gets. It's amazing to see their aerial acrobatics and hear the huge array of natural vocalizations the different species posses. If you ever think your birds cage is "big enough" take a trip to experience them in the wild. It will change that thinking in a heartbeat...or should I say wingbeat! When you see a conure fly across the entire horizon in mere seconds - you begin to really respect what space and freedom of movement look like in terms of captive housing and enclosure size.
After these travels, these glimpses into the lives of our captive pets, Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages was started with the goal of raising the current standard of aviculture. To spread the word about how active, playful, and social parrots truly are when given the opportunity. To give parrots in captivity a better quality of life by encouraging owners to provide larger indoor housing, outdoor spaces, and parrot companionship for their pets. This is why you do not find smaller cages for sale on our website. Accommodating wild animals in our homes is quite the challenge, but I believe we are up for it when provided with the correct education!
My next adventure was stateside. In February 2012 I was incredibly fortunate to be invited to spend a month volunteering at one of the largest rescue organizations in the United States - The Gabriel Foundation in Denver, Colorado. I was even able to bring along Tiki! During my stay I was able to fully understand the perplexing dichotomy of parrot rescue. The joy of helping parrots, providing sanctuary, and matching resident animals with new homes. This optimism paired with the sobering reality of so many parrots that need help, the sadness of those birds who have travelled such a difficult road in captivity that now require sanctuary, and the skewed ratio of big eyed cockatoo boys to the number of loving homes seeking these dusty, noisy, parrots. Visiting the Gabriel Foundation is definitely a bucket list item for bird lovers. It fosters a deep understanding of the unwanted parrot problem in the US, gives you an amazing opportunity to see lots of different species of birds, and is a model of excellence for non profit parrot rescue centers; TGF definitely sets the bar. By far the most priceless part of the trip was spending time with Julie Murad. The amount of knowledge and experience this woman possesses coupled with the patience of a saint and an educated, balanced perspective makes Julie one amazing person. My favorite memories of TGF were the evenings spent on the couch cuddling birds (and a crazy female eclectus under the furniture) while listening to Julie. She patiently anwsered questions and we discussed and debated every topic surrounding parrots. Julie Murad is a treasure to the world of aviculture and The Gabriel Foundation a sanctuary for unwanted, neglected, and abused parrots.
The Gabriel Foundation had a great influence on me, but one of the biggest things laid upon my heart was the overwhelming numbers of male cockatoos were in need of homes and how happy they were in the huge outdoor aviary together. Thus, when three non producing ex breeder male Rose Breasted cockatoos came to join the flock construction began on the new outdoor cockatoo aviary, affectionately dubbed "The Behaviary".
2013 found me back in Australia's Iron Range National Park for the month of October spending the days watching and filming predominately Palm Cockatoos and Eclectus parrots. Although I was lucky enough to spend time with other parrots during my visit including Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Red Tail Black Cockatoos, King Parrots, Rose Breasted Cockatoos, and cute little Fig Parrots. The other wildlife was fantastic too! Spiders, Green Pythons, Frogmouths, Sea Turtles, Sea Eagles, Bush Turkeys and so much more. I also enjoyed hanging out at the zoo with the critters there. Although I've spent years watching wild parrots, I can't help but keep coming back to spend more time with them. Wild parrots are incredibly inspiring...probably why my company in named Natural Inspirations!
2014 Was a year I will always cherish. It is the year I fell in love with the gentle soul of my female Greenwing Macaw, Flower. She was for adoption at a parrot rescue after being pulled from living in an unclean basement with free ranging / breeding eclectus parrots. At 4 years old she had not stepped up and perched only on metal cage tops, and was destroying her wing and chest feathers. Illinois Parrot Rescue was there to help her, and when our paths crossed I knew she was not only adored by me, but more importantly, dare I say most importantly, she was a perfect match for my Blue and Gold macaw Tiki. Both were large macaws. Both females. Both shared the same gentle, kind, shy dispositions. Both were raised around other birds and were non aggressive to other macaws. I took her home on a trial basis to see weather she and my Blue and Gold could be friends. They were indeed able to cohabitate and Flower was officially adopted and now spends her days supervising from the hanging playgym, keeping Tiki company, and learning to chew, climb, play, eat healthy, shower, trust, and love. And in perfect timing as the universe seems to always provide - when I got this special macaw with a large variety of behavior problems, phobias, and training needs, I also completed Susan Friedman's 2 month train the trainers LLA behavior modification class. One of the most fascinating learning opportunities of my education. Susan - you are the best!
2015 was a huge step forward in the dream to really create change in aviculture with the acquisition of the Ohio and Pennsylvania Bird fairs - OHPA! You can visit the website for our bird fair dates and locations at www.ohpabirdfair.com and hope to see you at one of our events! In addition to having a huge selection of bird toy and food vendors, we showcase local area rescue birds for adoption and allow only weaned babies for sale from respected, responsible, educated, committed breeders. Proudly, the fairs boast a strong focus on education. At each fair we host a speaker presentation (these are amazing and should not be missed!) have a chop or bird recipe demonstration and nutrition Q&A to help bird owners with everything from the challenging tasks of diet conversion, how to sprout, toxic foods, and chop diet prep to the fun things like new recipies. In the afternoon there are educational videos shown on our projector - everything from wild parrot documentaries to professional bird trainer webinars. There are educational banners and laminated articles through out the fair as well to encourage learning opportunities during the day. And one of my favorite things, In addition to a large table of excellent raffle prizes, I donate and raffle a Medium outdoor aviary each year! This provides each parrot owner with a chance to provide an exceptional enclosure for their birds! The fairs are also a great place to meet other bird lovers and have lunch at the kitchen - where all food proceeds go directly to support our featured local parrot rescue organization. So come hungry - both for food and knowledge!!
In In 2016 Dr. Scott McDonald, DVM and I collaborated on a year long project to accurately record, measure, and present the data of all the parrot wingspans commonly available in US aviculture. The goal of the paper was to help people choose appropriate sized enclosures for their birds by having the actual information on what size they needed to accommodate the large beautiful wingspans of our birds, but also keeping in mind that we're housing not only the physical animal but also their energy, their curiosity, their playfulness, and their full range of motion. The information that was currently on the internet ranged from inconsistent to downright incorrect. So we set out to change that and provide accurate real wingspan data! All birds were anesthetized during measure to ensure accurate data collection. It was an incredible opportunity to engage in one of my greatest joys - research! The full article can be seen our our website. If you don't have time to read the full article now, you can use the mini chart below to quickly see some of the most popular pet parrot wingspans and recommended enclosure sizes.
The summer of 2017 brought me over to Tenerife, Spain. A small Spanish island off the coast of Africa that holds one of the largest collections of parrots in the world - Loro Parque! This exquisite zoo in the Canary Islands is also home to dolphins, orcas, gorillas, penguins and a host of other endangered species. What makes Loro Parque so exquisite is their focus on education and appropriate housing and enrichment of their animals. There is meticulous care in how animals are raised and the way in which they are presented to the public. Loro Parque was a refreshing reminder that progressive and positive solutions exist for captive housing. It also was awe inspiring seeing the amazing variety of parrot species on display as well as some birds I've never been fortunate to see in real life. Among many other birds, I was absolutely giddy to see a Blue Eyed Cockatoo, Lears Macaw, and a Pesquet's parrot!! I can't wait to go back and spend more time there!
In 2020, We officially opened our non profit parrot sanctuary. A large portion of the proceeds from Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages goes to the care of our parrots in our sanctuary program. You can see our flock and our work on our sanctuary page at Wingspan Parrot Sanctuary
In 2021 I served for a year as the Pennsylvania state coordinator for the American Federation of Aviculture. They put on a fantastic educational conference that moves to a different city each year. If it happens to be within an acceptable distance for you to attend, I'd highly recommend it!
OK. Enough about me. Lets get back to the great products for your birds! Click here
