Frequently Asked Questions about Buying a Pet Bird

How can I tell if my new baby bird is healthy?You will not be for sure! This is why we strongly recommend you take your new baby to an avian vet for a health check. Do not combine your new baby bird with other birds who have not had a heath exam and please be sure your vet knows what birds you are combining! You can have the vet do a CBC Test (on the blood) and a gram stain on the feces.

What do I feed my bird? Your baby bird should be weaned when it goes home with you.  You should have a mixture of  pellet mixed foods with dehydrated fruits and vegetables. If you provide seeds, be sure to use only a high quality and less than 10% in the mixture. Seeds are not as nutritious! You can even eliminate seed from the regular diet altogether. It can be given as a little treat or not at all. Pellet (dry food) can be left in the cage all the time for the bird to self feed. In addition, you should feed your bird fresh vegetables and fruit. Vegetables are better than fruit. Fresh vegetables are better than cooked ones, but, all is good. You can do this every day. Anything that is good for you, is usually good for your bird. AND, anything that is bad for you, is 10 times worse for your bird due to the smaller body mass. We recommend that you do not feed pet birds chocolate, candy, salt or avocados.  Sweet potatoes should be cooked. In addition, no apple seeds (the apples are great, but the seeds have cyanide in them so do not let them eat the seeds).

Bathing?   Daily sprays with a mister or provide a bathing dish.  If you want to act like tarzan or jane you could take the bird in the shower with you!  Make this a fun sharing experience. Never spray directly at the bird; let the spray come gently down from above.

Is there any other item I need to protect my bird from? Children or very active people.  Birds are instinctually frightened by fast movements.  Poisons: Birds are more susceptible to gaseous poisons. Be aware of the cleaners because of the poisons in them. Read the labels carefully! Do not use Febreeze! No Swiffers! Watch out for new carpet. No Telflon oven liners. No painting around the birds.

Play it safe. If the label says to use in a well ventilated area, do not use the contents around your bird! Remove your bird to another location while using and ensure that the fumes are aired out before returning your bird. Or, use this as an excuse not to use the product at all!

Nonstick Cookware: The nonstick material vaporizes into a poisonous gas when heated. It has also affected people. This will kill your bird within hours.

Ceiling Fans! Always have them off when the bird is out please. 

Other pets and animals! Always supervise any interaction with other animals. Instinct might kick in when you least expect it, so be prepared. Feral animals (such as snakes or ferrets) should not be trusted. Beware of hawks and other predators out doors. 

Open doors or windows.  Going outside without restraints: birds can fly away.

How do I train my bird? There is one necessary command: Step Up. Your bird will know this one by the time you take him home. It is the basic command you need to control your bird. Think of it as Sit is for a dog. You need this to handle your bird and move him around. This is how you have the bird step up to your finger or arm or step up to a perch. The rest of the training is up to you. NEW ACTIVITIES: Expect to introduce your birds to new activities with patience and time. Use common sense and a very positive attitude for all interactions with your bird. Never do anything in a hurry. There are many good books on the market and many tips in Bird Talk magazine. Patience is the primary tool. Build on your individual birds natural actions. A word on books. Many changes have occurred in the last 5 years in the companion parrot arena. Be sure to check the date of the book before you take it to heart. Also, there is much misinformation in books and on the internet. Let common sense be your guide. Talking. Most birds talk. Greys are the undisputed best, but the rest of the companion parrots also talk. Be patient. There are various mechanical aids available. Repetition of a consistent phrase until the bird picks it up is the best tool.

How do I control behavior? Never hit a bird. If your bird nips, you have to let him know it is not desired behavior. NEVER HIT A BIRD. First, it wont work. Second, you can easily injure him. Keep in mind the bird is only behaving out of instinct --- not maliciousness. You have to train the proper behavior. Do not shake your finger at a bird. You want the hand to be perceived as positive. Positive Reinforcement is your best tool.  Distraction/Earthquake method: If the bird is perched on your arm, you can wiggle your arm so the birds attention is on catching his balance instead of nipping. Redirection method: If the bird is playing with you, be sure to provide acceptable biting toys to replace your fingers. Another corrective action for any undesired behavior is Time Out. Sounds crazy, but it works. Remember these are companion birds and want to be with you. Time out in a quiet cage for most disciplinary problems should suffice. Time out in carrier facing the wall for severe misbehavior ONLY. ALSO--- REMEMBER this is only for 5 minutes at a time. 5 minutes IS AN ETERNITY TO A BIRD.

How do I clip the wings? We will show you. Your bird goes home with wings clipped. We clip the wings after the bird has had successful flying experiences. There is more than one way to do this. We use the easy one. Always check for blood feathers first. These must not be cut. Just use regular kitchen shears and trim off the last few flight feathers (those at the tip of the wing), but not shorter than the overlapping layer. This is done gradually to avoid clipping them too short. You always want your bird to be able to glide to the floor gently when attempting to fly. You must never clip them too far. If you trim the wings too short and he takes off, he will fall to the floor (not float) and could break a breast bone (a mortal injury). Remember, the bird will still be able to fly short hops. (even with wings trimmed short they can still jump and float to the ground). So, use a harness or carrier if you take the bird outside.

How do I clip the nails? You can trim the nails with cat or dog claw trimmers. Remember the blood vessel goes all the way down, so only trim off the very tip. Be prepared to stop bleeding with soap, corn starch, flour or a commercial product (like KwikStop or some Stypic). We will trim the nails for you before your bird goes home. The best remedy is to prevent the need for trimming. You do this by providing at least one cement perch in your birds cage positioned so that he must use it. This can be his nightly swing perch or the one in front of the food bowl. This prevents the nails from getting too long and you should not need to clip them at all.

How large a cage do I need? As large as you can afford proportionate to the bird. Smallest: lovebirds and small birds: 24 X 24 inches. Then for a Greenwing macaw 3 X 4 feet is great. Remember it looks larger when it is empty. Then you add perches and toys and then the bird. All of the sudden, it is not so big. So, get as large as you can afford --- your bird will be in there lots. Each bird should have his own cage even if he has friends he plays with during “out of the cage” time. There should be a sense of security in the cage in its placement. No direct sun light or constant drafts.

What else should I buy? (besides the bird, food and cage)

Toys: Birds are intelligent and need stimulation. Also, something to chew up. Get a variety of toys and swap them out every couple of months to keep the interest going. This might seem like a waste of money, that is, until the bird chews up your favorite piece of furniture or woodwork.

Perches: We recommend at least one sandy perch in the cage and a variety of perch types within the cage. Outside the cage, you can use old chairs with a cloth on the seat. Or, you can also spend a ton on all sorts of free standing perches and play gyms on the market.

Carrier: We recommend an inexpensive dog carrier. You can also get a deluxe bird carrier, up to you. You need this for transporting your bird safely. Do not take your bird outside unrestrained. You really can’t hold on to the toes in all cases. You can also use a bird harness.

Water bottle:  Use as an alternative to clean the bird.

What about the vet? Unless your bird becomes ill, you wont need to see the vet much. Use an avian vet . Line up one before you take your bird home. A standard vet wont be able to assist you. If your bird becomes ill, do not wait. Birds are normally healthy but, when they become ill, they can become mortally ill extremely quickly.

How often do I play with my bird? These are companion birds. Minimum time with you out of the cage being handled is 15 minutes a day plus another 15 minutes on a perch where they are amusing themselves. More is DESIRED. There are some birds that desire more handling than others. Greys and Eclectus parrots require less hands on than Macaws and Cockatoos. You should have this information before you have selected your bird. So plan the interaction according to the bird personality. If your bird is a cockatoo, do a level setting with your bird when you bring him home so he knows how much time he can expect from you daily. Then, stick to it! You should not get the bird used to a higher level of attention than you can maintain. Remember, these are basically wild animals that have been tamed. If you ignore your bird for long periods of time, their behavior can revert back to wild. (lovebirds and parrotlets especially)

Can my bird be on my shoulder? Rule of thumb: If the birds eye is lower than your eye while on your shoulder, then, yes; otherwise, no.

Preening, what do I have to do for my bird? When new feathers come in they are encased with a plastic like sheath. This needs to be broken off at the right time to release the feather when it is ready. It is hard for the bird to do his own head and birds usually do this for each other. If you have a single bird, be prepared to provide this service. The right time is when the sheaths become dry and brittle. Just squeeze them and they will break off. If you try to do one before it is ready, it will hurt and your bird will inform you. This is the same as you teaching the bird when a grip of the beak is too strong for you. Neither of you is trying to hurt, you are learning to adjust to one another.

How long will my bird live? This answer varies by species and also the information available does not agree. However, the average life span of a smaller bird such as a Lovebird is probably about 20 years, a Senegal size bird about 40 years, an Amazon size bird about 60 years and a Macaw size bird about 80 years. No one really agrees on these numbers, this is just an approximate life span.  Judging from your own age when you get your baby bird, you should establish a caretaker in your will.

Do I have to leave my baby or new bird alone for the first 24-48 hours? No, this is a myth. These are companion birds, isolation is a punishment. Reassure your new baby, just like any new baby that you love him. Do not over stimulate him, but love him or her and make them feel safe, secure and part of the family. Remember, they sense your emotions, so try to avoid too much chaos and excitement at first, but not isolation.

Where can I get more information? Books written prior to 2000 should be used only for pretty pictures and plain statistics due to the many advances made with nutrition and owning the companion bird in general If what you are reading does not seem logical, check with us. Beware opinionated web sites without substantiating data.  We do recommend A Guide to The Well Behaved Parrot or A Guide to The Well Behaved Senegal (good for most of the African Parrots).