What You Need To Know About Basic Bird Care:

Birds are programmed by nature to hide symptoms of illness so they don't attract predators to their flock. Even though your bird lives in your home, he still has the "flock mentality" and will not act sick until he is critically ill. Therefore, it is very important to watch your bird very closely every day. If you notice he is not talking as much, keeps his feathers ruffled as if he is cold, or is not eating or drinking, you need to contact an avian veterinarian at once!

Your bird's water bowl and food bowl should be washed in hot water with a disinfecting soap every day. Washing the bowls in the dishwasher is great because it gets hot and kills a lot of bacteria. Your bird should be offered fresh food and water twice daily. Birds have rapid metabolic rates, and therefore should eat at least two meals per day.

Feeding your bird a variety of fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, cheese and whole wheat pastas and rice is essential for providing a balanced diet. Eating nothing but seed is exactly the same as eating nothing but cheeseburgers. You should speak with your veterinarian about exactly what diet is recommended for your species of bird.

If you find blood in your bird's cage, you need to examine your bird for a broken toenail or a broken blood feather. You should keep silver nitrate powder (not the sticks, they hurt!) on hand at all times for such emergencies. If you find a broken feather which is bleeding, you need to firmly grasp the feather and pull the feather out. Pull in the direction the feather grows, and make sure you remove the entire feather. You should then apply some silver nitrate powder and hold some pressure on the skin for a couple minutes to stop all bleeding. You should have your veterinarian examine the bird to make sure there are no additional problems.

If you notice your bird is acting sick, and can't get hold of your veterinarian right away, there are some things to do to help stabilize your pet. Place your bird in a small cage in a warm room (over 75 degrees) with a dark, solid colored towel around three sides and the top of the cage. Remove other birds from your bird's cage so they won't be exposed to your bird's illness and to keep them from stressing the sick patient. Try to get your bird to eat or drink if he is able and continue to try to reach your veterinarian for help.

Make sure your bird never chews on or plays with galvanized metal, coins, or stained glass. These products contain zinc or lead which are quite toxic to birds. Also make sure your bird does not chew on walls containing lead based paint or dry wall.

Birds cannot eat chocolate or avocadoes, they are very toxic to birds.