Pet Birds Care Tips

Pet Birds Care Tips

Bird Care Tips

Pet parrot require special care to meet their complex welfare needs. If you are still interested in having a bird as a pet after reading this basic guide, you should do as much research into the different species and their needs as possible before getting a bird.

House of Birds

The best housing for a bird is a large outdoor aviary where it can fly freely and spread its wings and with access to indoor shelter. Outdoor aviaries need to be rodent proof, may be made of stainless steel with small gaps. If your bird is to be housed outside, ensure that you ask the bird seller how well familiarized the bird is to outdoors life. You would need to introduce the change in temperature / challenges slowly if they are not familiar with outside life.

It is not recommended to keep bird in a small indoor cage. If you do keep a bird indoor, make sure it can spread its wings and have access daily in the house for free flight. Daily flying ensures fitness & good health of bird. Consider offering your bird the choice of places to rest that are warm, safe and quiet.

Perches are very important for birds and we should supply enough numbers of perches depending on number of birds you keep. We should also offer perches of different sizes and textures and even flexible perches or perches that move. This helps to strengthen the bird’s feet and prevent pressure sores as well as providing mental stimulation. Perches also allow birds to exercise their beaks if made of natural wood, a very important need for a bird.
Some birds can be very noisy, so this is something to consider if you live in a flat or have neighbors who may not appreciate the disturbance.

Light and Heat

Many birds kept as pets are naturally found in more tropical locations e.g. zebra finches or canaries. This means they are biologically designed to live in warm habitats with lots of sunlight. we do not have the right weather to meet these needs so we must provide it artificially with UVA/UVB lamps. UV light has been shown to be necessary for optimum bird health, as it is required to synthesize vitamin D3 necessary for regulating calcium levels. UVB  output  decreases  over  time  in a bulb so this must be replaced regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Glass also blocks UVB from the sun’s rays so positioning an indoor enclosure near a sunny window is not enough. For heat lamps infra-red heat bulbs or tube heating works well. Always ensure that the lights and heat lamps are well protected with guards around them to prevent the birds burning themselves or damaging the lamps. Consulting with an electrician on this is advisable.

Social

Birds are intelligent. Pet canaries, for example are territorial and if kept in a cage are unlikely to tolerate another canary unless it is of the opposite sex, even then may not do so happily. If housed in a large aviary however more birds can be housed together. Always keep more hen birds (female birds) with  cock birds (male birds) to prevent fighting. It should be remembered however, that in some birds it is almost impossible to determine the gender based on outward appearance so you will need to consult a vet if this is important.

Like humans, birds don’t like just anyone, so if you are keeping more than one bird it is vital that you introduce them slowly and be prepared to separate them if it does not work. Birds can become very  stressed if kept with an aggressive mate.

A hand raised bird needs human interaction every day. A new parrot should be quarantined for at least 35 days to ensure that it is not carrying any diseases before being introduced to any existing bird.

Diet

Most birds enjoy fresh food such as fruits, greens and even some weeds such as dandelion and chickweed. You can also add additional supplements such as Cuttle bone and calcium blocks.

Some foods however can be poisonous for some birds such as tomatoes, mushrooms, apple seeds or avocado so food quantity and food type depends on the species, this needs good research.

Variety is key so providing lots of different suitable foods for your species will keep them healthy and happy. Cutting the food / fruit for small birds is not necessary. Providing whole fruit allows the bird to work at manipulating the food and gives them mental stimulation. Fruit and vegetables should always be washed thoroughly before feeding to remove any pesticide residue. Avoid placing dishes directly under perches where they will be soiled quickly. Fresh browse from suitable edible plants are ideal for birds. This is not only a good food source but it’s fun for the bird. You must research on edible plants suitable for your bird species. Also ensure that the plants you pick is having pesticides on.

Water

We should provide fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing. Bathing is a necessary of keeping their feathers in good condition. Water must be free from debris and bird faeces. Some larger birds will prefer a light misting from a spray bottle 2-3 times a week.

Brain Stimulators

Keeping a bird happy in captivity is very hard. Birds are easily stressed if their needs are not met. This can lead to psychological and behavioral problems such as over plucking their feathers and skin. If your bird is showing any of these troublesome behaviors, they are hard to change. So prevention is always better.

One of the ways to keep a bird happy is to provide them with plenty of mental and physical stimulations. This can be achieved through enrichment, providing novel objects or interesting items with which your bird can interact. This could include safe children’s toys i.e. no small or easily broken. Hanging food in puzzle feeders is one of the good ideas. Some birds enjoy mirrors too.

Birds such as parrots also love to climb so provide plenty of opportunities for them to practice this natural behavior. You can use ropes or wooden climbing frames. Any safe and suitable enrichment that allows a bird to exercise its beak is going to bring many benefits to your bird.

Grooming

Healthy birds will groom themselves regularly. If they live with a companion, they will often be seen grooming each other.  An ungroomed bird is often a sign that the bird is unwell.

Young

Breeding birds can be very demanding requiring a lot of attention, expertise and time. You should always get advice from an expert before attempting to breed any bird as it can be very difficult and stressful.

Bringing Home Your Bird

A small travel box is best for your bird to travel with a towel at base and a perch. You should ensure that you have everything that your bird will need before you bring your bird home. Allow your new bird to come out from its transport cage on its own. If possible and leave it alone overnight with access to food and water to adjust to its new surroundings.

Don’t overwhelm your bird with new toys and enrichment straight away. Allow your bird to be calm and confident in its new surrounding first. This may take few days or few weeks or longer than that.

You should also ensure that it is calm and peaceful around your bird while it settles into his new home and don’t start to play with bird until it is relaxed.

You should think of your backup for taking care of bird in your absence.

Parrot forms a strong bond with owner, so it is important that everybody in the house spend time with it to prevent anxiety and possessiveness towards a person. Hand raised birds will seek out and need daily human contact.

Health

You should look for a good avian vet in your area before purchasing a bird. Especially in your early days of ownership, you require veterinary help. If in doubt, ask at your local small animal vet practice or local avicultural society.

Birds do not often show any signs of illness until it is well developed.

Few symptoms of unwell bird are –

·         Spending a lot of time sitting on the cage or aviary floor.

·         Has fluffed-up feathers, resting with its head in the wing.

·         Has loose stool

·         A thin breastbone.

·         Cloudy eyes and sleeping excessively.

·         Heavy breathing or nasal discharge.

You should seek a specialist vet immediately on these symptoms.

Many household items can hurt or even kill bird. It is important to avoid these things around your bird. This include tobacco smoke, paint, chemical cleaners, aerosol products, insecticides, scented candles or incense, some houseplants, or overheated Teflon cookware. It is important to not situate your bird’s cage near a kitchen.

Human Health Care

Birds carry powder down (a type of feather, which has barbs that disintegrate to produce a very fine powder) which is naturally used to clean the feathers. Some species of birds carry more than others, and this should be considered by anyone who has allergies or chest complaints as it can affect breathing.

Birds can also carry salmonella and Chlamydophila psittacine (this is rare), which can both  be  passed  to humans. Good  hygiene  practice is important,  especially  for children, so wash your hands before and after handling birds and their enclosures and have somewhere to wash a bird’s food dish that is separate to human dishes (i.e. not the kitchen sink).