Owning a Tropical Bird
When choosing a new pet bird, there are some factors to consider such as species and the accommodation you can provide.
Owning a pet entails responsibility and birds are no exception. If you have looked at the bird section at a pet store, you will see that prices can range from inexpensive budgies to very expensive cockatoos. Before pulling out your wallet, here are some things you should know.
To own a tropical bird, the first thing you should consider is where you are living. Do you live in a house or apartment in the city, or out in the country? There are birds suited for all of these locations.
If you live in an apartment, ideal pet birds are canaries, budgies or love birds. Birds can be noisy and anything bigger may bother your neighbors. If you live in a home in the city; cockatiels, small parrots or conures are about all your neighbors could take. If you live in the country, you can keep anything but remember big birds scream very loudly.
Birds, like humans, need company and time with their owners. Birds need a certain amount of sunshine daily. They need a good diet. They need a clean place to live. If these three things can’t be met, then maybe you should not consider owning a bird as a pet.
Birds need a cage and it must be kept clean on a daily basis. They need fresh seed/food and water every day. Their cages need to be washed out every third or fourth day (sometimes more often depending on the bird). Birds tend to leave their droppings everywhere; on their perches, on their food and water dishes, on the bars of the cage and on the bottom of the cage. So a clean cage is a must to aid in the continuing health of the bird. The cage itself should be big enough to give the bird ample room to move around and it should have a few toys to amuse the bird when you’re not around. Keep the cage away from drafts and direct heat.
Birds can bond to a human, and once bonded they provide a great and long lasting friendship for both parties. Your bird should be able to at least see you 8 to 10 hours a day, so that the bond can be kept up. Once a bond is made, training your bird becomes a lot easier.
Another main concern is a well balanced diet for your bird, just not bird food. Birds like fruit, veggies, some type of nuts, and leafy greens such as dandelion leaves when in season. Do not feed birds avocados, they are toxic to them. Never leave fresh veggies or fruit for more than a day in a cage. Feed them different things daily and even a fussy bird after a while gets the idea that the food is good for them. Good food helps them live longer.
With a lot of patience, you can teach your bird some tricks and many of them can learn to talk!