Taking Care of a Small Bird

Birds make for wonderful pets because they are social, smart and easy to take care of. They are different from dogs and cats, however, so make sure you are providing your little buddy with everything that he or she needs. Birds are very much creatures of habit and routine, so once they have everything that they need, the art of keeping a happy bird is to change nothing. The following is a short guide to some of the main things to think about when caring for a small bird.

Their Cage

If you want to have anywhere near enough room for your bird, make sure that the cage is at least three times wider than their wing span and that they are able to do short flights in there. Having a cage that is too small is cruel, so be a good pet owner and get them a home fit to live in.

Get the Essential Supplies

Birds love to climb, fly and play, and this doesn’t exclude tossing the odd food or water dish across a room if they feel like they haven’t been given enough to amuse themselves with. Make sure your bird has lots of horizontal bars in their cage to help with climbing, as well as lots of different intricate structures. Your bird will love nothing more than having a large, elaborate cage area to explore.

Keep Them Safe

Make sure that you are keeping your little bird safe by closing windows and turning off the stove when they are outside of their cage. Also be sure that there is no chance that their cage can be knocked over or that they could be left exposed to direct sunlight, heat or cold for long periods of time. Whether it is an expensive bird or if you just want to have a little extra pet cover should anything happen to your precious pet, it is worth investing in pet insurance for your bird, because even a small procedure on a bird can be extremely expensive to pay for.

Feed Them Well

Different kinds of birds eat different kinds of seeds, though regardless of what kind of bird you have, make sure that you are also providing supplements of fresh fruit and vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, apples, pears, plums, grapes, oranges and bananas. Cuttlebones and calcium blocks can also help provide your bird with all of their essential minerals.

Exercise

Birds are very social animals and love nothing more than talking to you and playing, so just like you would with a dog, dedicate at least half an hour twice a day to playing with your bird.  Having a play area set up outside of the cage is a good idea, as is encouraging your bird to splash around in water and play with toys, as any extra activity is good for your bird’s health as well as their mood. Even just the exercise that they get from flying around your place a few times will be doing them the world of good, and you’ll find you and your bird quickly start building a bit more of an understanding between each other.

Communicate

As with any type of pet, the more you try and communicate with your bird the easier you will be able to tell if they are happy, in discomfort or simply having an off day. Reading up on your type of bird will help, and don’t be afraid to talk to your bird, or use facials expressions to get a message across to them.