Pet Care
While TLC Pet Hospital does not currently see avian patients for examinations and care, we do offer a wing trim and nail trim service. The information below is provided for informational use only.
To help you locate an avian veterinarian in your area, please click here to visit the Association of Avian Veterinarians website.
Housing Your Pet Bird
Bird housing has an enormous impact on the health and well being of the pet. The cage should be of an appropriate size for the bird. No cage is too big for any bird. They need space to stretch out and move around comfortably without running into toys or the sides of the cage. The biggest cage you can afford is best. If you can’t afford an appropriately sized cage, then mostly likely you can’t afford the bird and the care it requires. The best cage will be square or rectangle in shape, as this will provide corners for the bird to retreat to when it is feeling stressed or threatened. Decorative cages are not recommended as these are built with you in mind instead of the bird. They just aren’t constructed well enough for a bird to live in them. Also keep in mind that bar spacing needs to be appropriate for your bird. It should not be too wide, as smaller birds can get through the openings or get body parts stuck. It should not be too narrow as larger birds will have difficulty climbing and may also get toes, etc. stuck between the bars.
A cage is going to need appropriate perches. A good rule of thumb is to have about three perches in the cage: one for climbing and playing on, one for grooming, and one for resting. Different birds like different types of perches but it’s best to purchase perches of different sizes, diameters, and material to keep their muscles and feet in shape. There are a variety of perches out there in a variety of sizes. Choose the best size for your bird; one rule of thumb is that the bird should be able to grasp about 75% of the way around the perch. The grooming perch would be the exception as a larger diameter may be desirable to help keep the nails filed. Perches to avoid are those straight dowel rod type perches with the sand paper coverings. These can be very irritating.
One very important part to proper housing is cleaning. The cage bottom should be lined with something that is easy to clean and is not harmful to the bird. Grit and litter should never be used with birds of the parrot species as this can cause an impaction in the crop. It is indigestible no matter what the packaging tells you. Plain white, flat paper towels work best. Newsprint works well, as long as it has not been printed on. A grate kept in the bottom of the cage keeps the bird from having access to the material used in the bottom and keeps them from walking around in their droppings. Cage bottoms should be cleaned out daily. Bacteria and molds build up very quickly and will be present even if you can’t see them. Using an easy to remove material makes this a job more easily done. Just remove the old, clean out the bottom, and replace it with new material. The entire cage should be cleaned once a week. Birds are messy critters and will make a mess; it’s unavoidable. The entire cage should be scrubbed down and dried before finishing. Many household cleaners are dangerous to birds so avoid these at all costs. A product called GSE is a good product that is safe to use on bird products. Perches and toys also need to be scrubbed down removing droppings and food bits. While cleaning perches and toys, be sure to inspect them for excessive wear and tear and replace them if needed. Food and water bowls need to be cleaned every single day as they have to eat out of the same bowl all day, every day
One other part of housing is comfortability. A bird needs to be comfortable in its surroundings for it to be happy and healthy. A properly located cage is a big step. Be sure all things that can be interpreted as threats are eliminated. There once was a bird that became a feather plucker and the owners couldn’t figure out why only to later discover that the household cat’s bed was directly across from the bird’s cage. The bird saw this predator as a threat, even though the cat never bothered the bird. But they were always directly across from each other. The bird became stressed out, and became a feather plucker. This is just one thing to consider. Many things may stress out a bird. Observe your bird in its normal daily routine to be sure it is indeed comfortable with its surroundings.
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