Adopting your first birb can be overwhelming! There is so much to learn about bird care and so many precautions that need to be taken to keep your bird healthy.
Before we took Ava home, we spent months learning about everything we needed to know for her health and happiness. We wish that there was one website that covered all the basics, but we had to visit dozens to be able to find all the information we were looking for. So, we have compiled all that information for you so that you can have all the information easily accessible in one place!
A) Toxic fumes: Birds lungs (air sacs) account for 15% of their total body volume, compared to humans' lungs that account for only 7% body volume. Birds lungs are affected more than humans' when it comes to inhaling fumes - their respiratory systems are extremely sensitive.
While you want to find a great spot for the cage, always remember that your bird should not be in the cage 24/7. All birds need interaction with humans and/or other birds for their psychological health. We keep Ava's cage open all day, every day, but this is not advisable for all birds. We are lucky with Ava that she doesn't chew up everything in the room, and only goes to her designated "bird areas". We like to know that she has the freedom to fly and play whether we're in the room with her or not.
For more general information regarding what fruits/veggies you can feed your birds, you can visit this website.*
With Ava, we taught her a variety of tricks, we have daily cuddle sessions before her bedtime, we dance with her, we sing with her, we endure her screams, we take care of all the pesky pin feathers on her head, we give her LOTS of scritches, and we shower her with love and attention (is there such a thing as too much love & attention??).
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| Ava, living her best life |
Here are the top 5 things that you need to know before adopting your first feathered squawker.
1. Know the dangers
This is the number one rule because birds are so fragile. We gotta keep our babies alive for as long as possible! Why is it that dogs and cats usually live for as long as their estimated lifespan, but so many birds with a lifespan of 20 years sometimes only live 2 years? I worry that it's because owners do not know all of the dangers to which they can expose their birds, without even knowing it. |
| @chickenthoughtsofficial |
A) Toxic fumes: Birds lungs (air sacs) account for 15% of their total body volume, compared to humans' lungs that account for only 7% body volume. Birds lungs are affected more than humans' when it comes to inhaling fumes - their respiratory systems are extremely sensitive.
- Teflon/Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
- "Virtually all non-stick cookware, indoor cooking grills, drip pans, self-cleaning ovens, clothes dryers, new hair dryers, space heaters, irons, ironing board covers, waffle irons, deep fryers, heat lamps, and other small appliances or their components may be coated with PTFE" (Nature Chest)
- One of the big risks associated with PTFE is that humans cannot smell it. It could be in the air from using one of the above items, and we would have no idea.
- Swap out your Teflon pans with stainless steel ones.
- Candles, incense, air fresheners, and potpourri
- Aerosols
- Perfumes
- Deodorants
- Hairspray
- Oven cleaners
- Strong chemicals
- Bathroom, kitchen, floor cleaners/disinfectants
- Smoke
- Cigarettes, pipes, fires, burning food, overheating cooking oils
- New carpets (formaldehyde in the glue)
- Paint & varnish
- Bug spray, pest control sprays
- Avocado
- Chocolate
- Apple seeds
- Fruit pits
- Uncooked lima beans
- Caffeine
- Salt
- Fat
- Dairy
- Onion
- Garlic
- Sugar-free candy
- Alcohol
- Mushrooms
- Rhubarb
- Tomato leaves
- Dried beans
C) Toxic plants: There are so many plants that are unsafe for birds, so it's always best to verify if a plant is safe for birds before buying a new plant. Click here for a comprehensive list of safe & unsafe plants for birds.
D) Humans and other pets: Accidents can happen all the time! Be careful if you let your bird walk on the floor. It could get stepped on or mistaken for a chew toy by another pet. Just try to anticipate all of these accidents, and teach your bird to not walk around on the floor so that you can avoid these dangers.
Also if your bird tends to hang out on your couch or bed, and snuggle underneath pillows/blankets, always check before sitting down! This accident is surprisingly common, and can easily be avoided.
Visitors can also be a danger. They could expose your birds to toxic fumes/foods if they are not informed, or they could let your bird out of the cage out of curiosity. One of the worst-case scenarios that we have seen multiple times is that a bird will be let out of its cage by a visitor or workers in the house, and the bird will fly away. It is very important to always supervise the visitors or lock your bird's cage securely to avoid any of these accidents.
E) Other dangers: See below for a few other things that are dangerous to birds.
- Ceiling fans
- Doors
- Vacuums
- Recliners/foldout beds
- Electrocution from chewing cords
- Sleeping huts* (see bird-safe tent alternatives on our website: the Cozy Perch Tent)
- *We will make a blog post in the future that goes into depth on the dangers of sleeping huts and why our Cozy Perch Tent is a safe alternative.
Recognize the symptoms of a sick/injured bird:
- Change in demeanor
- Hyperactive behavior
- Sleeping more than normal
- Staying at the bottom of the cage
- Abnormal poop color/consistency (loose/dark poops)
- Constant shivering
- Discharge from the nares (nostrils) or beak
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Vomiting
- Lack of preening (looking unkept)
- Eye discomfort
- Skin irritation
- Respiratory distress (Clicking sound while breathing/tail bobbing)
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Heart arrhythmia
For more information on sickness and bird care, Lafeber is a very reputable company to get your information. Click here to visit their website.
The first document on this page of our website is the safety guide that we follow for Ava, and we keep a copy of it printed in case of an emergency. You can download it yourself and keep it nearby in case of emergencies as well.
It is also important to have the contact information of your avian veterinarian readily available. You could print out the information, get their business card, or write it down on a post-it. Keep it in a place that you will not forget: on the fridge, a bulletin board, stored with your bird supplies, etc.
2. Find the ideal space for your bird's cage
Now that we're done with the information for keeping your bird safe, let's begin with the ways to keep your bird happy!
When it comes to cage size, we think it is very important to purchase a cage that is a suitable size for each unique bird species - it might be their home for the rest of their lives! Click here to view a chart of the recommended cage size by bird size. (Note: circular cages are highly discouraged for many reasons, which are elaborated here).
We recommend keeping your bird in a place away from the kitchen. Many strange smells can happen in a kitchen, and it is potentially a place with smoke, boiling water, hot burners, sharp objects, and more. Also keep the cage away from places with drafts, because temperature changes can be harmful to your bird's health.
The best spot for a cage is:
- Near a window or a bright spot in your house
- Sunlight is very important for keeping birds' feathers bright and healthy, they need Vitamin D just like us!
- Keeping your bird's cage directly in front of a window is discouraged because there can be many stressful things outside (dogs, cars, bad weather, etc.) and drafts/temperature changes
- Near a wall
- At least one side of the cage should be against a wall, ideally in a corner where they can have two walls because they will feel more secure
- At chest level
- Place your bird's cage at a level that isn't too high or too low. They could feel anxious or isolated if they aren't at "human height"
- Somewhere they'll see you often
- Birds are part of the family, so keep them somewhere that they will be able to see, interact with and get attention from the family often. However, don't put them somewhere that has too much action, or else they could become overwhelmed.
- Being in a quiet room will be lonely, boring and stressful for a bird.
The image below shows the cage that we bought for Ava. (We also have a much larger, homemade cage that she uses more often, which we will make a full blog post about in the future). Both of her cages are located in corners that stay well-lit each day, near windows, with lamps nearby for when it gets darker outside.
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| 23"x23"x50" Cage |
While you want to find a great spot for the cage, always remember that your bird should not be in the cage 24/7. All birds need interaction with humans and/or other birds for their psychological health. We keep Ava's cage open all day, every day, but this is not advisable for all birds. We are lucky with Ava that she doesn't chew up everything in the room, and only goes to her designated "bird areas". We like to know that she has the freedom to fly and play whether we're in the room with her or not.
Perches are a necessity! But, they can be ridiculously expensive at pet stores. You can make homemade perches by cutting branches off of bird-safe trees near you, and following these steps to clean and prepare it before introducing the perch to your bird's cage. (We will create another blog post in the future focusing on perches and which to use for your bird)
For Ava's perches, we removed all the bark and then baked them. Instead of stainless steel washers (Fig. 1 below), we used plastic washers (Fig. 2 below). Stainless steel is safe for birds, but many other metals are not. Choose your hardware carefully and make sure they are stainless steel.
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| Fig. 1 |
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3. Learn what your bird enjoys
While on the subject of cages, the next most important thing is to load up your bird's cage with lots of toys that are stimulating and challenging, but appropriate for their age and size. A bird without toys can become very bored and sad and can end up plucking their feathers from a lack of stimulation. A bird's health depends a great deal on their happiness and activity levels.
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| The Ultimate Foraging Basket |
Choosing the perfect toys for your bird is super easy. You should start by getting some toys with many different materials, then see which materials they love to destroy the most. Then, in the future, it's best to go for toys that you know your bird will devour.
Also, pay attention to the colors they tend to destroy more often! Ava has a tendency to go for blue things more than other colors. Each bird is unique, and they all have their preferences!
Remember that all birds have different size beaks and different capabilities, so make sure that the toys you buy are made with materials that your bird is actually able to chew up. A chunky pine block might be great for an Amazon parrot but would not work very well for a Lovebird. There are so many beautiful toys out there, but if your bird's beak can't destroy it, they won't be able to enjoy it.
If you have any questions about what would be best for your bird, feel free to contact us. We are always happy to help out and we answer our emails/messages as quickly as we can.
4. Know the ideal diet for your bird
Every species of bird requires a different diet tailored to their needs. We do not claim to be specialists or have the ability to recommend what's best for each bird. We think that everyone should consult an avian veterinarian for their bird's diet plans, especially for birds with health issues.
We feed Ava pellets, fruits, veggies, and a Nutriberry daily. This is the diet plan we follow for her best health:
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| Tropican Feeding Guide |
To be more precise, Ava has 3 bowls in her cage every day:
A) Water: every bird should have access to clean water throughout the day, changed at least daily or more, as needed.
B) Pellets: We feed Ava "Tropican Lifetime Formula" pellets, and we love them because they smell so great, and Ava never gets tired of them. We like to keep her pellet bowl full at all times so she can have some whenever she'd like.
There are several other great pellets available, but we do not personally have any experience with them, and therefore do not feel comfortable recommending them. Again, we recommend speaking to your veterinarian to find out what's best for your particular bird.
To quickly touch on why pellets are healthier than seeds, click here.
C) Fruits and veggies: The nutritional needs of every bird varies based on species, age, and health. For Ava, we feed her fresh fruits and veggies every morning, and we remove the bowl before she goes to sleep. We often give her corn, green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli, and blueberries, along with some other veggies that will vary from week to week.
Click here and scroll to the second document for a daily fruit & veggie mix guide that you can follow and adapt for your bird! This is the guide we created for Ava's mixes. We prepare fresh/frozen vegetables and fruits weekly, and we use snack-size containers to make daily portions. We leave the portions in the freezer, but we put a container in the fridge each night to defrost a bit for the next morning. Its a cycle that we find works for us, but there are many other ways that could work better for you.
You can also make birdie chop, which @rothko.the.rad on Instagram loves! He has a reputation of getting #foodbeak... The goal is to have your bird enjoy their veggies as much as Rothko loves his. Check out his Instagram account to see Rothko's #foodbeak and to see which recipes they use!
You can also make birdie chop, which @rothko.the.rad on Instagram loves! He has a reputation of getting #foodbeak... The goal is to have your bird enjoy their veggies as much as Rothko loves his. Check out his Instagram account to see Rothko's #foodbeak and to see which recipes they use!
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| @rothko.the.rad's food beak! |
*We will cover the topic of fruit/veggie preparation and the methods that you can use in more depth in a future blog post.
5. Bond with your bird
If you get a bird, you will (hopefully) fall in love with it immediately. But, a challenge might be with having the bird fall in love with you. If you get a baby, they'll probably be comfortable right away, as Ava was. We couldn't spend a moment away from her when she first came home with us, she was tooooo cute! Whether you have a baby or an adult bird, it is important to build a trusting relationship with them.
There are many techniques that work for building a bond with your bird, such as teaching them tricks, cuddling, petting them, gently removing pin feathers for them, speaking to them, etc.
An amazing resource for building strong, loving, trusting bonds with your birds is to visit BirdTricks on Youtube or their website.
There are many techniques that work for building a bond with your bird, such as teaching them tricks, cuddling, petting them, gently removing pin feathers for them, speaking to them, etc.
An amazing resource for building strong, loving, trusting bonds with your birds is to visit BirdTricks on Youtube or their website.
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| Ava getting cozy with one foot up, feeling comfortable and safe. |
With Ava, we taught her a variety of tricks, we have daily cuddle sessions before her bedtime, we dance with her, we sing with her, we endure her screams, we take care of all the pesky pin feathers on her head, we give her LOTS of scritches, and we shower her with love and attention (is there such a thing as too much love & attention??).
It takes time to build a strong bond with a new bird, but patience is key.
Thank you for reading! We hope this post was informative and helpful. Please contact us if you have any further questions!
Love,
Ava
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