There are a number of species of birds, most have the same basic requirements cages, toys , baths, assorted foods and vitamins; but each species varies in it dietary needs and in cage size.
Avoid exposing your bird to drafts and temperature changes. Covering the cage at night is recommended. If your bird contracts a respiratory diesease or diarrhea, please keep it warm until you can give it proper medication.
Feeding
Give your bird fresh water daily mixed with vitamins. A recommended seed diet or pellet food should be given as a staple diet. This can be supplemented by a number of assorted brand-named varieties of dried fruits and vegetables and seed mixes. Some birds enjoy assorted fresh fruits and vegetables, breakfast cereals, spray millet, honey sticks, and sometimes small amounts of meat. These things will vary from species to species, so you should check into what is appropriate for your particular bird. A mineral block and a cuttlebone are the necessary mineral supplements for most species, as well as an aid in shaping their growing beaks. Grit or gravel is also needed to help digestion. Diet is the most important thing to consider when keeping a bird. Many foods are labeled as being suitable for the type of bird that you are keeping, but they may not have all the required nutrients, in order to keep your bird in the best of health. Even the premium foods, would benefit from the supplementation of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as good meat and pasta. |
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Vitamins and supliments
Vitamins are required daily in the drinking water of your birds. Make sure to change the water daily, as the vitamins will lose their potency after about 8 hours. Most vitamins can be passed out of the digestive system, if they are given in excessive amounts. This is not true for minerals. Make sure that you are giving your birds liquid vitamins, and not liquid minerals. Mineral Water - is now available for pet birds, Liquid minerals are very difficult to give to birds, as you can accidentally give them too much. Birds cannot eliminate excess minerals from their bodies. That is why we can now provide a drinking water with the minerals already added. Remember that birds do not drink much water, so use a small container to extend the products life.
A mineral block must be in the cage at all times. The bird chews on the block to get the trace minerals, and calcium required in its diet. The chewing action also helps to file down the beak of the bird so that it does not become overgrown. A cuttlebone, is actually the backbone of the cuttlefish. A squid like fish. The cuttlebone is rich in Calcium, and is required by the birds to keep its bones and beak in good condition. There are two sides to the cuttlebone. The hard side is to face the wire, as the bird will not be able to chew through this side. Gravel - also known a grit is needed by most birds for the digestion of foods. Birds do not have teeth, and therefor use the gravel to grind up the food before it goes into their digestive system.
Riga Universal mash, as a great food supplement for your softbill birds, such as Canaries and Finches. The soft food helps to supply the additional protein required by these types of food. Place a small amount of this food in a separate container. This food does not go bad quickly, so it can be left in cage for a few days at a time. We do not recommend mixing this food in with the seeds, as this may cause excessive waste. Spray Millet - is the natural form of the most common seed found in bird foods. Because it is high in fats, we recommend that it only be given to the birds once a week. This is a very sweet item for the birds, and they have a tendency to over eat on this food if given the chance. The product pictured here is an unique variety using the Red Millet, instead of the common white millet. This is much healthier for your bird and can be fed more often. Honey Sticks - provide some extra activity for your pet birds. They have a wooden core which the birds can chew on to file down their beaks. Because they can contain many sweet products, we recommend only having the stick in the cage once or twice a week. |
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Budgies
Budgies are birds who love the company of other birds. They make excellent first pets because they are small, easy to tame / take care of. Budgies have a number of attractive things about them, beginning with price: their multitude of colours, and their ability to speak (most likely in males). They can be kept individually or in a group, just ensure that they have spacious housing. Budgies can live to over 10 years, if maintained on a healthy diet. Most people are not aware that birds are omnivores, meaning they will eat almost anything. Seed diets are many a convenience to us humans. Try feeding fresh fruits and vegetables, and well as cooked meats and pasta. Your bird may be a little shy around new foods, as it might not know that it is food, but once convinced that what you are giving is food, it will relish in the new variety.
Finches
Finches are a greatly under-appreciated pet. They are extremely easy to care for. Because they cannot be handled, make sure that they have a suitably large cage. Some species such as Zebra Finches are very easy to breed. If you are trying to keep more than on pair of birds in a cage, make sure to have a very large cage with two nest boxes for each pair of birds. This is to reduce fighting among the birds. Finches come in a huge variety of sizes and colours. Most have a very beautiful song. Some species such as weavers can even create very intricate nests out of natural material.
Canaries
Canaries are one of the most popular of the singing birds. Only the male of the species sings, and the bird must be kept alone in order for this to happen. Canaries are available in many different colours and styles, including glosters (crested heads), and red factors. Canaries must have a good source of healthy foods in order to sing properly.
Cockatiels
Cockatiels are another communal bird, they make excellent first birds because they are small, easy to care for and easy to tame. They can be kept individually or in a group, just make sure the cage is large enough so as to provide a comfortable space for the birds. The minimum cage size for a single bird should start at no smaller than 18 inches by 12 inches by 18 inches high. Certain foods can provide an appealing supplement to this birds diet I.E.: assorted vegetables, some breakfast cereals, cooked rice, and some fresh fruits to name a few.
Lovebirds
Lovebirds are very territorial birds. It is a good idea to choose the exact number of birds you wish to keep right from the start. If you have more than one bird, keep them paired up. Adding new birds can be very difficult for the new arrival. One way to get around this is to introduce all birds to a new cage. Lovebirds are sometimes difficult to train and to make this job easier constant gentle handling of the birds while young is advised. Handfed lovebirds are most often recommended. They have a taste for small amounts of meat and pasta (without the sauce).
Nails and wings should be clipped regularly (at least three times a year) to avoid harm to the bird. |
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