Feeding your bird is important. Pet birds need a balanced diet just like humans.
Feeding your bird is important. Pet birds need a balanced diet just like humans. There is a large variety of freshly packed seeds available to feed your bird.
As well as normal seed, your bird needs specialised seed or pellets. These seeds or pellets are similar to the food that they would get in their natural environment. There is a large variety available in all pet stores, just wander around the pet bird supplies and read the packaging, then decide which is best for your breed of bird. If you choose a high quality seed, this will help considerable to reduce wastage. Seed is only a part of a bird’s diet, so for a bird to have a balanced diet, it must be given a vitamin and mineral supplement for the essential dietary ingredients it would find if it was living in the wild. Once or twice a week, you may feed your bird either fresh fruit or vegetables as an additional food source.
Charlie our Quaker Parrot loves his fruit and vegetables. He also likes pasta. You will soon be aware of what your pet bird likes to eat and which food is his favourite. They are just like little kids, they will spit our what they don’t want. That is why we put a birdbib on while Charlie is on our shoulders and having a nibble, as he is very messy and it doesn’t worry him where he spits his unwanted food.
Whilst we like to give Charlie a wide variety of foods, I have read that feeding your bird the wrong food can be highly dangerous and even fatal. You must not let your bird eat any of them. They are, avocado, chocolate, apple seeds including cherries, peaches, apricots and pears contain trace amounts of cyanide within their seeds. The fruit of the apple and pear is fine but the seeds are poisonous and there may be pesticides present on the fruit’s skin so it is important to wash all food, onions, mushrooms, tomato leaves including the green coloured part, stems and vines and the same for potatoes, salt, caffeine including soda, coffee, and tea, dried beans are all not to be fed to your pet bird, cooked beans are considered ok as long as they are thoroughly cooked. Boiled eggs and the shell are a good source of nutrition as well.
Choosing a bird cage for your pet bird is very important.
Choosing a bird cage for your pet bird is very important. When deciding which type or size to purchase you need to take a few things into consideration.
You need to know how large will your pet bird grow. The larger the cage the better it is for your new bird. No matter what breed it is, Cockatiel, Budgie, Canary, Parrot, Cockatoo, etc, all breeds need to have room. Your bird supplier will be able to guide you with this. If you purchase a smaller cage first, it won’t be long before they out grow it and it is only more expense to buy another. Birds need space to be able to move around easily to give them exercise and to help prevent boredom.
Although our Quaker Parrot, Charlie is only small we have changed his cage twice since he became part of our family. We started off with a small average style bird cage but quickly realised he needed a larger one. My son not really thinking, then purchased a taller one that was only a little larger in width than the original one, so it wasn’t long before we had to buy another. Therefore choosing a bird cage for your bird is very important and it is advisable to really think about the size of cage that your pet bird needs when you first start looking at birds for pets. Just have a wander around the pet bird supplies in your pet store and don’t take the first one you see. Charlie loves to sit on top of his bird cage as he loves to be higher than everyone. He can also hop straight onto our shoulder from that height when we put our birdbib on and take him for a walk. We leave his cage door open when we are home and he climbs all over it, both inside and out.
We have kept the original small bird cage incase we need to transport Charlie some time. My son actually went to visit a friend for the weekend and didn’t want to leave Charlie at home on his own, so he put him in the small cage and put it in the back seat of his car with the seat belt around the cage and off they went. Charlie loved it as he doesn’t like to be left out of anything. Once they arrived at their destination Charlie was unlocked and once again able to sit on top of his bird cage. My son’s friends were amazed that Charlie didn’t even attempt to fly away. He loves his cage, after all it is his home.
Does your pet bird love to eat what you are eating.
Does your pet bird love to eat what you are eating. Do they even try to steal food from your hand or dinner plate. I know our Quaker parrot, Charlie does. Whatever we are eating Charlie doesn’t want to miss out on. As soon as he sees any type of food he wants it and he is not going to stop performing until he gets it.
Whilst we like to give Charlie a wide variety of foods, I have read that there are some that are highly dangerous to birds even fatal and you must not let your bird eat any of them. They are, avocado, chocolate, apple seeds including cherries, peaches, apricots and pears contain trace amounts of cyanide within their seeds. The fruit of the apple and pear is fine but the seeds are poisonous and there may be pesticides present on the fruit’s skin so it is important to wash all food, onions, mushrooms, tomato leaves including the green coloured part, stems and vines and the same for potatoes, salt, caffeine including soda, coffee, and tea, dried beans are all not to be fed to your pet bird, cooked beans are considered ok as long as they are thoroughly cooked. Boiled eggs and the shell are a good source of nutrition as well.
Sometimes at meal times we make up a separate plate just for Charlie and sit it next to us on a birdbib so as he still feels like he is getting the same as us. There are times though that no matter what we do he just wants to eat from our plate. Although this may seem cute, funny, or whatever, it is not safe for your bird. They may just eat something that is poisonous to them and it could be fatal and then how cute would that be. I have watched my son clear away a space on his plate just for Charlie’s food! Mmmm
After researching I have found that there is a wide variety of food that you can offer your pet bird, whether you have a Quaker parrot, Parrot, Budgerigar, Cockatiel any Parakeet. The foods include grapes, oranges, bananas, mangoes, melons — just about any kind of fruit imaginable is good for your bird. alfafa sprouts, chile, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots (one of Charlies favourites), asparagus, peas, celery, thoroughly cooked beans and pasta cooked or raw (another of Charlie’s favourite), cereal, grains, bread and a small amount of nuts are a great treat. They also love popcorn, but not the microwave type as they are very high in salt.
If your pet bird does like to eat what you are eating please make sure that the food you offer is safe for them, just as you would for any family member. After all our pets are just like family and we all should look after them and their health in the same way that we would a child, as they are just as or even more vulnerable. Pet birds are just like children, they love to eat what tastes good, not what is good for them. That saying comes to mind, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
Pet birds need a lot of stimulation to keep them amused and bird accessories are a must to keep them happy and have a healthy active life.
Pet birds need a lot of stimulation to keep them amused and bird accessories are a must to keep them happy and have a healthy active life. If any bird is left in a bird cage and is not paid attention to it will become very bored and withdrawn and it can become unhealthy to them, both physically and mentally. They will also become vary wary of people if they are not handled regularly. This would be a shame as all birds, including Budgerigars, Parakeets, Cockatiels, Parrots, Canaries just to name a few all thrive on attention and stimulation from both humans and bird accessories.
Charlie our Quaker Parrot loves attention all the time. He will definitely let you know if he wants company. He makes that much noise that we have to put on our birdbib and let him hop onto our shoulder. We wouldn’t think of letting him onto our shoulder without a birdbib which protects our clothing from birds pooh, a great bird accessory. Once he is on our shoulder he stops squawking straight away. He just loves it. Spoiled I think, but so what we enjoy it also.
We have a wide variety of bird accessories both in and outside our home. He has his bird cage that he is only mainly in at night time as we leave the door open all day, most of the time he will sit on top of the cage. When he sees one of us eating something he climbs down the cage and runs across the couch and up onto whom ever is eating and wants what ever it is that we are eating. He can be quite a little pig at times. In his cage we have a variety of perches that are different widths to give him exercise for his claws. We also have the traditional mirror that most people I’m sure would have. Charlie isn’t really keen on the mirror, he would rather play with the pet products that are made with strings, which we change around in his bird cage regularly to avoid boredom.
In our living area we have a gym as we call it that we made up ourselves. It has both a mixture of pet products and items from around the house that he likes to play with. On the stand we have put a piece of the shell grit bird paper, a cuttlebone for his beak, a tree branch that we change regularly with different shapes of branches. We have also tied up around the stand a ribbon that he loves to throw around and try to undo.
Outside he has his outdoor gym or tree house as we sometimes call it which is made up of a barbeque stand with once again a variety of different shapes and sizes of different objects to keep him entertained, like a larger tree branch with toys attached here and there. He can also climb onto the palm tree that it is attached to and have a swing on the palms which is important to work out the muscles in his legs. We do have to keep an eye on him all the time that he is outside as sometimes he gets up too high in the tree and he once flew over our back fence when he was startled. After that incident we don’t let him get up too high. We also have a bird bath sitting on the grass below his tree house that he absolutely loves the best out of all of the bird accessories that we have come up with. He scurries down the tree branch when we fill it up and splashes around for quite awhile and then climbs straight back up into his little bird haven and grooms himself.
We believe that we do our best to keep our pet bird stimulated and healthy with a wide variety of bird toys that we change frequently. It is important to check out thoroughly any bird accessory as some of them contain toxins that can kill your bird. The toxins may not kill them straight away but over a period of time they will. Birds become quite bored with the same bird toys around all of the time, so it is important to change them regularly not only for your bird’s amusement but also for your sanity, happy bird happy owner.
I received an email from a bird lover,who’s bird suddenly died.
I received an email from a bird lover, who’s bird suddenly died. This is how I pictured their life changing day eventuated. Their 15 year old African Grey Congo bird was sitting happily whistling on his perch in his bird cage. As the day went on they started to prepare dinner. His owners put a roast into a Teflon non stick roasting dish, eagerly waiting for the roast to be cooked. Unaware as to the devastation that this would cause their whole family went about their normal daily routines.
The smell of the roast meat cooking soon filled the kitchen and the rest of the house, a smell we are all familiar with. Very mouth watering to say the least. They then prepared the vegetables to compliment the roast meal, looking forward to a healthy dinner.
It wasn’t long, about 2 hours before they noticed that their cherished pet bird had passed away. Unknowingly they had poisoned their beloved family pet bird. How devastating. If only we could take back time, a saying that may people can relate to in many different situations. The toxins from the non stick pans are extremely deadly to birds. Birds are far more sensitive than many to this deadly poison.
The owners not only had to bury their wonderful pet bird and console their children, but also had to deal with the guilt of them unknowingly poisoning their family pet. It was a very heart wrenching lesson that these bird owners had to learn. Imagine having to bury that precious bird.
Most people, including myself are so unaware that this can happen and it can happen so quickly, when you least expect it. Yes, toxins kill birds. Not only is it that Teflon and non stick cookware can kill a bird, you must keep all poisonous sprays and perfumes well away from them. In fact, wouldn’t it be best to keep anything that is not organic away from them, just as you would do for your children.
There are also many toys for birds that are available today that are just as toxic, some contain metal toxins. They may not kill a bird in a couple of hours but they will take years off your pet’s life. You really have to check out what these toys or play equipment are made from before you give them to your bird to play with. There are many toys on the market today that are safe for your bird, you need to check them out thoroughly before you buy them and introduce them to your pet bird, whether your bird is an African Grey, Quaker Parrot, Budgerigar, Parrot, Parakeet, Cockatiel, Canary etc. No one wants to go through the painful, heartache that this family went through.
We can always replace a bird, pet, animal etc with another, but it will never take the place of the one that passed away and who wants to lessen any living life.
Please don’t learn the hard way, keep all toxic products away from your birds, in fact keep them away from any pet that you have.
I thank the bird lover that sent this email, it would have been a very difficult email to write, but hopefully it will save many a bird’s life. It has totally opened my eyes.
Standing on the front deck of an old cottage in Tasmania
Standing on the front deck of an old cottage in Tasmania, it’s a beautiful little cottage with the lushest gardens. I was there on duty for house cleaning at the time. When I went around to the back yard I noticed two very friendly birds sitting on the fence next to a big apple tree, they looked very happy and very bright in colour, green with cherry red heads. I didn’t know what type of birds they were but you could get very close to them, close enough to give them a pat but I was too scared to. I grabbed an apple from the tree and broke it up into little pieces and feed it to one of them, he loved me hand feeding him. It was like the bird has had this happened before.
As I was doing so the owner of the house arrived back home with some more products. He saw me feeding them. He was quick to say I see you like the parrots then. I replied parrots! Are these parrots? Gee they are friendly. He said they are very intelligent as well. Come in side he says I have a pet parrot in the back room. What kind of parrot I said, is it one like these? No mine is a quaker parrot, his name is Tarco, similar to them though. As we were getting closer to the room I could here Tarco the parrot saying you home john, you home john? I was amazed. John was saying back I am home now, I am home now.
We opened the door and as Tarco saw me he said, who’s this, who’s this? John said just a friend Tarco. Ok replied Tarco. He was bright aqua in colour and very nice looking. The first thing I said was I want one! John laughed, they are a small bird but come with a big attitude! I couldn’t believe the mess that they made for such a small bird. That’s when I thought of the birdbib.
It’s been awhile now since we introduced our bird bibs
It has been awhile now since we introduced our birdbibs to Charlie our Quaker Parrot, who is about 9 month old. He still gets excited when he sees one of us put a bib on. He runs back and forth, shakes his head up and down and tries to stretch out to us as we are getting nearer to him, making a lot of noise of course. Sometimes he is even hanging upside down on his perch and still carrying on. It’s a wonder he doesn’t fall off. He reminds me of a child when their parents have just arrived home and the child runs to greet them. He is sooo cute, a really great pet bird.
We have Charlie on our shoulders quite a lot now as he is not making our clothes messy. I wish I had come up with this idea sooner. It’s one of the best bird accessories we have. He is hardly ever sitting on his parrot perches or bird stands that we have scattered around the house any more. Not only does the birdbib stop pooh from getting on your clothes it is also a good bird feeder. When Charlie eats he leaves a mess everywhere, so the bibs catch that as well. He loves to have a nibble of what we are eating.
It was only today that I was going outside and went to get Charlie, the top I had on was strapless and I thought I’m just going to put him outside on his bird gym, as we call it, so I won’t put a birdbib on. Well he wouldn’t get on at all as he doesn’t like bare skin, I then put the birdbib on and he hopped straight onto my shoulder. He loves to get outside wander around and listen to all the wild birds. He mimics their whistles.
Many bird owners wonder whether they should trim or file their pet bird’s beak.
Many bird owners wonder whether they should trim or file their pet bird’s beak. We as pet owners like to know we are doing the right thing by them, after all we are wholly responsible for each and every animal that we have. It is important to keep an eye on any changes in your bird’s beak, from over growing, under growing, discoloured, cracked, changing shape, becoming soft, becoming brittle, too shiny, improper alignment of top and bottom beaks etc, etc. Anything that is changing from what is normal for your bird is best to be checked out by an avian veterinarian. Don’t wait until it is too late, as some problems are caused by diet and can be overcome quite easily, just by changing or adding different foods and introducing items that can keep the bird’s beak in tip top shape.
Our Quaker Parrot, Charlie, loves to chew on branches from trees that we place around the house, both indoors and outside. Once he has chewed all of the outside layer from them we replace them with new branches. He loves to climb all over the branches and chews to his hearts content, whilst it is very messy it also keeps him amused. We have different shapes and sizes of branches so as he has to open his beak in different ways. We also give him different textures of food, both raw vegetables and fruit along with bird seed that we purchase from good pet stores. We have a cuttlebone placed here and there but he is not very keen on them, along with calcium bells. Charlie is still only young, about one year old, but we are very aware that any bird can have a beak problem, so we keep a careful eye on him. Even when he is on our shoulders on our clothes protector, a bird bib we give him things to chew on.
As I said before many pet bird owners ask themselves should they trim or file their bird’s beak, well yes, sometimes it is necessary, but as always prevention is better than cure. Try to give your bird, whether it is a Quaker parrot, Budgerigar, Cockatiel, Parrot, Canary, Parakeet just to name a few, a variety of items including food that will help control their beak and keep them in a healthy state. If you are at all worried about your bird’s beak don’t hesitate to take it to a veterinarian, an avian veterinarian if possible. The vet is the best person to trim any bird’s beak and will show you how you can file it yourself if you ask them. If you want to trim the beak yourself please check it out with the vet first as there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. You don’t won’t to hurt your pet bird after all.
Charlie, our quaker parrot loves to get outside on his outdoor gym, as we call it.
Charlie, our quaker parrot loves to get outside on his outdoor gym, as we call it. He climbs all over it, listening to the other wild birds, neighboring parakeets and parrots close by. He mimics the sounds and whistles that the pet birds make. He is getting quite good at whistling, still not so good at talking, although we think he says tucker when food is coming, then thank you. We also think he says good boy, maybe other people don’t think that is what he is saying but as long as we do that’s all that matters. He does the wolf whistle, if that is what it is. It’s the whistle that was quite well known for workers on building sites to whistle to women as they walked past, he does that well. We are trying to teach him to say bib, short for birdbib which is the shoulder bib that we use as a clothing protector from birds pooh when Charlie is on our shoulders. He loves to get onto our shoulders but we won’t let him unless we have a birdbib on. We thought he could start asking for one when he wants to go for a ride. We have not been very successful as yet, but we will keep trying. When Charlie is on his outdoor gym he also wanders down onto the grass when he feels like it to have a bath, which is waiting for him on the grass. He loves his bird bath. He flaps his wings and turns and turns and dunks, he has a great time. When he has had enough he gets out and climbs back onto his gym, to groom himself. He is a very proud bird.
