Birds are generally cheerful animals. Although their faces may not be the most animated of all faces, they seem to have the ability to express themselves in a way that can be understood by most. They sing beautiful love songs when they’re glad and you can hear them sadly chirping away when they’re lonely. Physically healthy birds would be seen to have clean shiny feathers, bright sharp eyes, good appetite and full of energy. They are regularly active and eat more often than les healthy one.
Whether you’ve chosen to adopt a big bird like the parrot or a small one like the lovebird, an owner should be able to provide a pet bird with the basic care needed to keep his feathered friend healthy and happy. Here are some tips to ensure your bird’s long life.
A visit to a good veterinary doctor would be worthwhile stop before going home from the pet shop where you bought your bird. A good pet shop would allow you to return and replace a sick bird because this will also help them with their current inventory of healthy birds in their shop.
The vet who will conduct his first examination more likely assess your pet based on his physical features such as its feathers to see if it’s clean, smooth and bright. He will also see its eyes if they are clear, bright and alert. The bird’s beak will also be considered if it is well-shaped and free from scales and abnormal growth. Its feet should also be free from scales and abnormal growth. Your bird’s mental condition will also be examined by watching its alertness and responsiveness to stimuli. Lastly, your pet’s eating and drinking habits will also be studied. Your vet will surely give you advice on how to feed, maintain, train, groom and perform first aid on you bird.
After your first check-up, your bird’s home will be a very important necessity. An ideal bird cage should be clean, spacious, safe and comfortable. A big cage is definitely better but be sure it the bar gaps are not wide enough to fit your pet’s body or his even head as this can put your pet in serious danger.
Cleaning the cage along with the water and food bowls must be done daily to avoid diseases and illnesses. You can purchase natural perches made from wood branches like madrona, eucalyptus and
Manzanita to accessorize your cage. Lastly, the bottom of the cage must be lined with newspaper or paper towels to catch bird droppings and this must also be replaced on a daily basis.
The bird’s food plan is a very simple diet. Half percent needs to be seed and the other half would be fruits and vegetables. But letting your pet try new varieties of food other than seeds may be a challenging task. For this, you will need patience as you need to do the introduction as gradual as possible. Cutting the fruit or vegetable in small bit-sized pieces may also help in getting him acquainted with the new menu.
Other bird care procedures such as nail, wing and beak trimming may be done occasionally but may require help from professional pet groomers.
