Straight From the Cage: Advice For the Bird Owner

This article explores the basics of bird care and health, including the three areas that, as a veterinarian, I see causing the most visits to our clinic:  diet, cage husbandry, and signs of illness.

 

Diet is very important for the caged bird. The healthiest diet should consist of a nutritious pellet and a small amount of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables should be cleaned and placed in a separate dish and not left in the cage for more than a couple of hours. No seed or nuts should be part of the regular diet of the bird. An occasional almond (in its shell for bigger parrots) is okay, but don’t go overboard!  Seed and nuts are too high in fat and caged birds just don’t get the exercise necessary to metabolize such a high-fat diet. Never give peanuts (which are actually legumes) because of the fungus Aspergillus associated with peanuts. Finally, always provide fresh water. Parrots are notorious for making “soup” with their food so always make sure the water is changed often to prevent illness.

 

Cage husbandry includes maintaining items in the cage and keeping the cage clean. Toys should be as safe as possible.  No metal toys – except stainless steel – should be kept in the cage. Most toys bought at pet stores have copper or zinc in them – some may even have lead.  As pet birds play and peck at these bells and mirrors they actually ingest small amounts of these heavy metals and, over time, a large enough build-up can occur and result in serious illness. Hard plastic toys are okay, as long as you pick the proper “strength” of plastic for your parrot’s beak strength!  Be careful when choosing rope toys for your parrot because leg and wing fractures may occur when the bird gets caught in the strands of rope.  Single strand ropes are the safest. 

 

When choosing perches for your pet bird, make sure you get varying sizes and get at least one concrete perch so the bird can rub his beak and nails. Clean perches regularly and replace when necessary. 

 

Bowls should be stainless steel and screwed to the cage. They should be washed regularly with dishwashing soap, but when giving fruits and veggies, the bowls should be washed daily.  The cage can be cleaned with vinegar and water for regular cleaning (at least weekly), and every few months it should be disassembled and cleaned with a very dilute bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) and air dried. Change the paper daily, or at least every other day, to keep down infections.   Birds are messy by nature and it takes dedication to keep their environment clean.

 

Finally, a few words on signs of illness.  I usually tell my clients, if you think your bird is sick, he is! Birds do not show signs of illness until they are so ill they can no longer hide their symptoms. In the wild, if birds show illness they will be somebody’s lunch!  Birds stop eating long before owners notice.  Sick birds still “crack seed” or pellets, but often spit them out, so always look at the bottom of the cage for pieces of food.  Also, always look at the droppings when changing the paper.  Normal feces should have a normal consistency and form, with the white urates within the feces.  If the feces is runny, has a color change or has more fluid around the edges, consult your veterinarian.  

 

All birds should be seen by a veterinarian once a year for a health check-up, which should consist of gram stain to check for bacteria and yeast infections, and a complete blood count to enable the veterinarian to see a glimpse of its overall health.  

 

Birds do have the ability to talk, but I haven’t met one yet that can answer the question, “How do you feel?” Boy, do I wish they could! Birds provide years (and years and years) of enjoyment and companionship, and our end of the deal is to keep them as healthy and happy as possible!