Caring For Your New Bird

Caring for Your New Pet Bird

Congratulations on your new feathered friend(s)! We hope that the following article will help guide you to care for your new pets and become a great bird owner. When you bring your pet home, it is recommended to let them settle in for the first week with minimal handling so that they get used to their new environment. Monitor for marked feather loss, vomiting, diarrhoea, sneezing, and inappetance during the first two weeks as they might have caught infectious diseases prior to coming home. Ensure there are no abnormalities before introducing them to any other birds. 

Birds have a complex social structure
While many bird species live in groups of two or more, some bird species are solitary. Ideally those who live in groups should be kept with other birds of the same gender. Females are less likely to fight compared to males, but young male birds that grew up together may get along.

Housing and husbandry

Enclosure

Birds need to be kept in a well-ventilated and escape-proof cage or aviary. A cage that is minimally 1.5 – 2 times your bird’s wingspan in length and width and 1.5 times your bird’s wingspan in depth is recommended – the more birds you have, the larger the enclosure should be. When in doubt always pick the bigger cage. The material of the enclosure needs to be made of bird safe material like stainless steel, aluminium or nickel coated metal. For smaller birds, acrylic and bird safe wood enclosures are also acceptable. The enclosure for your bird should be free from any sharp edges or have features that could lead to injuries on your pet bird. Some owners choose to set up a smaller cage for the bird to sleep in at night to reduce the risk of night frights and allow their birds to get a better rest with less distractions. The enclosures may also be covered with a cloth but care must be taken to ensure that your bird does not attempt to eat or fray the cloth.

Perches

Multiple perches of varying sizes need to be placed in the enclosure. Each cage should have at least 2 perches that allow your bird to wrap its feet two-thirds to three-quarters around the circumference of the perch without the toes overlapping. At least one of the perches should be odd shaped to allow your bird to regularly exercise all the feet muscles when perching. You may provide one perch made of a slightly rougher material to allow your bird to grind its claws or beak but some birds tend to spend too much time on these perches and that can lead to feet issues in the long run. Bird perches should be made of material that is safe for birds such as manzanita wood, birch, maple, concrete, etc. Rope perches are only acceptable if your bird does not shred them or eat the material as that may lead to entanglement and obstruction respectively. All perches need to be cleaned regularly as dirty perches will lead to feet infections.

Hygiene

Spot clean any droppings daily and change soiled perches, toys, furniture and cage trays daily. The entire enclosure can be cleaned and disinfected weekly.

Location

Birds should be kept indoors and protected from harsh weather. Cages should be placed in a corner or have at least one side of the cage against a solid wall in a well-ventilated and moderately busy area of the house.

Lighting

It is important that your pet gets exposure to UV light daily. You can choose to let your bird sunbathe in direct sunlight for anywhere from 15 minutes to about an hour with adequate water provided or use a full spectrum UV-B lamp.

Exercise
Supervised free roam time for one to two hours daily is advised once your birds are accustomed to their new environment. This is a great source of enrichment and exercise for them as well. Please ensure your home is bird safe by turning off all fans, closing all the windows, removing wires close to the ground and small spaces they could get stuck in. 

Cage Accessories/Enrichment

Birds are highly intelligent species and do spend a lot of time in the wild looking for food, finding shelter, building nests, interacting with other individuals of their own species, etc. Your pet bird on the other hand will have most of their daily necessities easily accessible and will have a lot of free time to spare. It is very important to provide adequate toys/enrichment items to allow your pet to fill up this spare time as they can easily develop problematic behaviours and habits like screaming incessantly or mutilating themselves. These do not necessarily need to be expensive but certainly need to be safe and either disposable or easy to clean and disinfect. Some common toys would be forage/puzzle feeders made of bird safe material, bird safe wood toys that your bird can chew on, bird safe plastics/acrylic toys, cardboard boxes without any printing on them and that are clean and do not contain toxic chemicals, newspaper/non-scented paper towels, etc. These can be attached to different parts of the cage or left on the ground of the cage for your pet to play with.

Diet
 A complete and balanced commercially prepared bird feed suitable for the species of bird you are keeping should be the main bulk of your bird’s diet – e.g., soft-billed birds like mynahs, starlings and touracos, need a low iron diet, lorikeets need a commercially prepared diet that replicates the pollen and nectar that they will usually feed on, etc. Provide supplementary foods appropriate and safe for the bird species you are keeping in small amounts daily such as vegetables, edible flowers like hibiscus, non-acidic fruits with the seeds removed where possible, etc. Monitor stool quality and reduce the quantity of vegetables and fruits if you notice very watery stools. Consider scattering food around cage or using them as treats for enrichment purposes. Food should be provided in a stainless-steel or any other easy to clean and disinfectant container that is suitable for the size of bird you are keeping. Water should be provided via a stainless-steel dish or a drinker changed daily at least. Food and water containers should be checked regularly for defects/damage and replaced when necessary. The containers should also be cleaned and disinfected daily. Birds that are very picky about their food and selectively eat an imbalanced diet – e.g., primarily seed diets, will often need dietary supplementation especially vitamin A and calcium. 

Medical care 
A visit to the vet is recommended within a week of first bringing home your pet to check for any infectious diseases or congenital problems. If no major issues are picked up, it is recommended to follow up with health checks every six to 12 months throughout their life. 

Common medical conditions 

1.      Respiratory disease – Air sac/respiratory tract infections are one of the most common diseases in birds. Stressful situations such as overcrowding, nutritional deficiencies and sudden change of environment can make a pet prone to this. These bacteria can spread by direct contact, air, or via contaminated objects such as hay and bedding. Affected pets may suffer weight loss, poor appetite, sneezing, teary eyes and difficulty breathing. It is important to seek veterinary attention as soon as possible if any of these signs are noted. 

2.      Pododermatitis/ bumblefoot/ sore hocks – Infection and inflammation of the feet usually occur from inappropriate husbandry such as poor cage hygiene, abrasive perches or wire flooring and lack of cage space. Obesity also causes uneven pressure distribution on the feet and makes pets more prone to this disease.

3.      Follicular stasis/egg binding – This is a relatively common condition in females not receiving sufficient dietary calcium/vitamin D and can affect up birds at the age of sexual maturity. These pets can suffer gradual feather loss around the sides and belly of their body, get swollen bellies, lay a smaller number or even stop laying eggs, can be seen straining to lay eggs and show behavioural changes such as increased lethargy or inappetance. If you notice these symptoms in your birds, consult your veterinarian to discuss treatment options. Ensuring your pet gets a well-balanced diet with sufficient calcium is recommended to prevent this condition.  

4.      Trauma – Birds are quite prone to traumatic injuries either self-inflicted or caused by external factors such as an aggressive cage mate, uncovered fans, crashing into windows, etc. Birds should not be let out of their enclosures until the surroundings are safe for them. All fans should be turned off, windows closed and sufficient people should be present to provide constant supervision for the number of birds let out.

Grooming 
Once your birds are settled in to their new environment, daily handling for bonding is recommended to get your birds comfortable with human contact. Gently corner the bird in their enclosure and gently pick them up with one hand going over their backs when they are in a crouched position or let them step up onto your hand. Hold them close to your body and speak to them in soft gentle tones. Gently stroke the back of their head for a short while and give them one small treat like a sunflower seed or piece of fruit and return them back to their enclosure before they start to struggle. 
Once your birds are used to stroking, you can start to get them used to being wrapped up in towels or being syringe fed. Practice makes perfect and birds are often creatures of habit so the more you repeat and reward (with their favourite treats), the more accepting they will be. 
Most birds will be able to bath themselves and just need a shallow dish filled with water for them to bath in outside of their main enclosure. Ensure the temperature of where they bath is not too cold as they will need some time to dry off too even though their feathers are slightly water repellent.

We hope the above article helps with caring for your new birds and do not hesitate to contact us to book a consultation if you have any other queries.  

 

Helpful Links

Lafeber Webinar on Bird Toys – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBbp2_t4CwM

Generic guide to bird enclosure set up – https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/your-birds-home

Lafeber bird feeding guide – https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-food-guide/?srsltid=AfmBOop0JlayYE07Q1wGjhewpXnzQWFBrlR8gMVq4JONKkNDtLqeF6Zd 

Lafeber bird training/taming guide - https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/teaching-your-bird/