Birds

Keeping birds as pets is not new to humans – falcons have been kept for hunting since early civilization, canaries for their ability to sing and entertain and peacocks for their beauty. In recent years parrots, finches, lovebirds and many others have been added to households as pets. They are gregarious, fun companions that can become attached to their owners and are relatively easy to care for. The basic components of bird care include creating the right environment, (caging) feeding and social interaction.

The physical environment for your bird should include a cage, which is large enough to move comfortably around in. this cage can be used for sleeping or a smaller/travel cage can be used for sleeping. Perches can be used but birds should always be supervised when not in their cages. When out of a cage a bird can and will get into many things around the house, (see household toxins below), one way to prevent your bird from causing damage or ingesting a toxin is to keep their wings trimmed. A bird with trimmed wings is a more cooperative. Since many pet birds are from warm regions with high humidity the indoor temperate should be kept at a minimum of 70F during the day and no lower then 65F at night. For sleeping a cover should be placed over your birds cage each night. This aids in warmth and quiet. If you place your bird’s cage outside on warm days, the temperate should be a minimum of 75F.  Your bird should never be left in a hot sun for too long a period of time and ample water should be available.

Bird bath’s have been in gardens for many centuries, and your pet bird will probably love bathing too. Providing for your birds bathing needs is relatively simple. Some birds prefer to bathe in a bowl while others will enjoy showering with you. Most will accept gentle misting with water. Some like to splash in the sink under a gentle stream of water. Experiment to find your bird’s favorite bathing method. Frequent bathing is a good thing and the only requirement is that the temperature in your house at night should be no lower than 65F. If your bird really enjoys bathing, it can be a daily activity at least your bird should have a bathing opportunity once to twice a week.

If you have a parrot it’s diet should be primarily a pellet food such as Harrisons. Feeding seeds in not as balanced and nutritional as a pellet food. Parrots also enjoy a wide variety of ‘people’ food; this includes pasta, potatoes, crackers, cereals, fruits, vegetables, eggs and breads. The only foods birds should never be given are chocolate and avocado. The foods given to your bird which are not part of it’s primary pellet diet can be used for training and foraging. In the wild birds with will spend a majority of their day looking for food. In captivity, the needed for foraging has been removed but the need for activity and mental exercise are important for pet birds, especially parrots.

Environmental enrichment for parrots can be easily achieved with foraging trees and foraging toys. Foraging trees are specifically built for household birds to learn and express their foraging motivations. These ‘trees’ are built so the bird travels along branches to various bowls where food is placed. Captive birds can take anywhere from a few weeks to months to learn to navigate the trees and retrieve food. With a foraging tree, as your bird gets better at getting the food, extra challenges can be added slowly to continue the enhancement process.

Foraging toys apply the same principle, birds like to search for food and enjoy the nut hunting. When offered a choice captive birds preferred to forage for their food rather than take it directly from a bowl further exemplifying the need for environmental enrichment for pet birds. Foraging toys can also be used on caged birds, a simple toy would be to tie a favorite food on to one end of a piece of untreated leather, tie the other end to your birds perch so the food is hanging off the cage bottom but far enough for your bird to have to pull the string up to get to the treat.

Wrap food bowls with paper or cardboard so that your bird has to spend time chewing in to get at the food. You may have to teach your bird the first time by punching a starter hole and showing your bird how to get at the treat. If you find the treat you keep it and let your bird get the next one. Treat ‘wads’ can be created by taking a food treat and wrapping it in a ‘Dixie’ cup, paper, corn husk or snow cone cup. If making a number of treat ‘wads’, not all wads have to contain a treat.

Buried treasure can also be a fun foraging time for your bird. Mixing a favorite treat into a box with buttons, dry beans, or other items so that your bird needs to dig through to find it’s favorite treat. Treasure hunting can be especially stimulating for some parrot species, such as the African grey parrot.

Foraging trees and tools should not be used without some guidance from a professional. If over challenged birds can get frustrated and the enrichment itself can cause stress.

All birds kept in captivity can be subject to frustration from foraging motivation – whether you have a parrot, bird of prey or lovebird, foraging motivation is a natural behavior in all birds. If your bird is feather plucking or displaying other abnormal behavior and medical issues have been ruled out, contact your veterinarian about environmental enrichment for your bird.

‘What is in a peck? Using fixed action pattern morphology to identify the motivational basis of abnormal feather-pecking behavior. Dixon, L.M., Duncan, I.J.H., Mason, G. Animal Behaviour Sep2008, Vol. 76, issue 3, abstract (2)

 (1)Veterinary Record, Journal of British Veterinary Associatin  6/10/2006, vol158, issue 23, abstract.

VIN Client Education - Avians