Saucy Pet

Posts Tagged ‘Pet birds’

A pet and the owner relationship does not just evolve around feeding and cleaning the cage, it is companionship and friendship which is based on loyalty and trust.  How can you build this kind of relationship, with your pet bird in this case, if your pet keeps on biting you? 

The key here is to understand your pet bird’s behaviourand body language.  Since we cannot understand what their vocalizations mean, we can understand what they want and they are feeling through their movements.   Ability to communicate between owners and pets enable the owners to train, tame and care for them adequately.

Here are some bird movements and how we can interpret them:

• Flashing or dilating pupils can either mean aggression or excitement and pleasure.  When pupils are dilated pay attention to other movements like tail fanning or raised feathers and some growling, these are aggressive signs.  So beware of contact, you may get bitten.

• Purring, on the other hand, along with relaxed and puffed up feathers means that your bird is in a good mood.

The sign of good feeling and contentment is grinding of its beak whereas when it feels some kind of threat it clicks the beak.

• Biting reasons depend on the age.Especially during its “teething age” ,normally, a young bird bites anything.  An older bird biting is a sign of displeasure or aggression.

• Birds sneeze the same reasons human do, like exposure to dust, irritation, small bug and feathers on the nasal cavity.  An abnormal sneeze, which typically includes nasal discharge should be consulted immediately to a vet. 
• Head shaking is not associated with disbelief in cases of birds.  This means excitement or just seeking out attention.

• Quivering wings would should fear or being nervous.  Assurance is needed when talking to these kind of birds.  They should know that there nothing to be nervous around with you.

• Tail bobbing sometimes can be a sign of sickness or just singing. When the tail bobs while the bird breathes, then that could be a sign of sickness and should be taken to the vet. 

There would be instances when pet owners would be exasperated with their pets because of their bad behaviour.  There are many reasons why birds would act the way they are.  Hormones can be responsible if your bird is displaying negative characteristics. 

Birds mature too! Just like people, they would undergo a stage where they would sexually mature.  During the stage where they begin to be sexually mature, birds begin to be very sensitive.  This stage differs on the bird size.Mostly, on their fourth year big birds would have this.  While, smaller birds would experience this on their twelfth month.

Also, observe your pet birds if something is bothering them.  If there are some items in the house that are starting to bother them then remove it from the space. Birds are sensitive to routine, some changes on it can be stressful for them. Also, paying enough attention to your pet and letting them stretch their wings more through exercise are great ways of improving bird behaviour.

Pet birds are extremely rewarding and wonderful companion, it is important to display or show the understanding and patience.  In every relationship, understanding is the key.  So does in animal and human relationship.

People adopt pet birds for different reasons. There may be some who find feathered friends extremely relaxing and love the colourful plumage. While, there are others who take interest on the ability of some birds to adapt human language.  

Pet birds can be both those common and domesticated breeds of birds.  People have taking care of birds since three to four centuries ago.  These birds graced numerous kingdoms and palaces before it entered out living rooms.

So, if you are thinking of getting a feathered friend and unsure about what to pick out, there are some considerations that you have to think about.  This would include ability to handle additional financial obligations and taking care of a pet.  Birds are not easy maintenance pets, unlike what most people think.These animals ar social and they need attention from their owners.The number of years these birds can remain alive will really surprise you!

If you have fully considered taking care of a bird but indecisive  of what kind you can take care of, here are some information about the most popular bird choices: 

• Parakeets – this bird can also be called a Budgerigar or sometimes Budgies.  These birds are ideal if you are just a starting bird owner, they are sociable towards each other and to humans.  Their size range from small to medium making it easier to care for compared with big birds.  Their life expectancy is about 12 to 14 years. But they tend to be noisy sometimes and destructive of their surroundings.

• Cockatiels -  are  birds members of the parrot family making them capable of learning human words. You will really enjoy their company as these are pretty much advanced in their singing and whistling capabilities. They are also very much capable of copying sounds like  a car alarm, ringing phone or other bird calls. There are different colors for these birds and can live up between 15 to 20 years.

• Canaries- are also very popular birds.Pet owners who have less time to spare and also can not pay maximum attention, such kind of birs are most ideal for them.  These birds pay little attention to humans and prefer to live in small flocks.They can live up to approximately 10 years. What‘s great about canaries is that they sing beautifully.  Male canaries have richer voices than females.

• Lovebirds – these birds are ideal if you live in a place where you are very close to neighbours who do not want too much bird noise. They can be very quiet and can live up to 20 years.  They are also part of the parrot family. Some pet owners would rather have a single lovebird rather than a usual pair, so that the bird can bond more with the owner than the other bird.

• African greys- are said to be the most intelligent of the birds, especially in terms of their vocabulary.  This intelligence is why it is important for an African Grey to have a lot of stimulating toys around their cage. The average life of this kind of bird is 50 to 70 years.

But not all pet owners are happy with having domesticated pet birds.  There are pet owners who prefer exotic birds which are usually from countries in Asia, Africa or Australia. Most of pet owners would choose birds from the parrot family since they would have very delightful colors and can show supreme intelligence.

But when importing birds from other countries, there are important regulations and rules which should be followed.  Smuggling birds in countries can have an effect on the number of birds in their natural habitat (which sometimes lead to endangerment) and worse health for the birds and humans too. 

Serious diseases happened in the United States because of failure in undergoing the proper procedure for bringing exotic and wild birds in the country.  Examples of these diseases would be avian flu or the exotic Newcastle Disease. 

When bringing in a bird in the country, make sure that you birds have been checked by veterinarians and avian experts for diseases.  They should have a health certificated from the veterinarian and at the same time the permit issued by  the government. Most cases of aviary disease and their outbreak can be traced to birds who have entered the country by illegal means. 

There are many options when picking out the right pet bird for you.  Regardless of its breed, size, or appearance, the most important thing is to take into consideration is that they would be around for a while.  So make sure to pick the bird that you can enjoy, because they are not just commodities that you can throw away if you no longer want them to be around.

If you have children at home, in place of purchasing toys for them, teach them the good values in caring for pets. To make sure that they will enjoy the process, you can give them animals that are easy to handle. For this purpose, you can choose to give your kids pet birds. But you also have to be careful about the species that you should give to your kids. To start with, you can bring them along with you at the pet store where you will buy the birds. Let them choose based on appearance and guide them by telling the pros and cons of such choice.

Kids are usually fascinated with pets. Your role here is to make sure that they become good providers and friends to their birds. This learning process will only be successful if you will serve as a good leader. You must teach them good values regarding the process. You may also choose to reward them for the good deeds that they will be able to share with their pets. You should also help them in choosing accessories for their birds. They should also be taught about the  value of money. You can give them certain amount that they can allot for the expenses that they have to spend on their pets.

To help your kids more about the deciding phase, here are some types of birds that you may want to suggest to them. These are easy to handle and they will surely learn a lot from them. And they will also be able to share vital lessons to these birds.

1. Budgies or Parakeets. They are loved very much by kids because of being colorful and pretty. They can be touched and can tolerate the petting that your kids may subject them to. They are small and easy to carry around even by your small tots. They are gentle in nature and develop good bonding with their masters. Your kids will surely be delighted to have them around as companion. These are sweet in nature and they will easily oblige to your child’s requests, making the relationship harmonious between the bird and your child.

2. Finches. These kinds only require very less interaction. This attitude is perfect for kids who tend to engage themselves in so many things and activities. These birds will not mind even if their owners spend little time with them. Young kids will surely enjoy the soothing music that these birds can create. They can emulate chatter and soft chirps that will sound like beautiful noise to your kids’ ears. You can opt to get more than one finch so that they will have companions even if your kids don’t have much time to allot with their pets. But these types should not be taken out of their cages. That is a vital factor that you must teach your kids from the very beginning.

3. Cockatiels. These types are ideal for young and even older kids. But the owners must be able to spend quality time with them for the birds to be happy all the time. Your children will be delighted with the attitude of these birds. It will certainly give them much joy and pleasure to be with them after a hard day at school. They can teach these kinds to talk, making it such a delight for your child especially when they have become successful in the project.

They can also teach them to whistle their favorite tunes. These birds can also learn simple tricks if your child spends enough time and attention to teach their pet birds.

When I first began looking for a huge bird cage for my two parakeets, I wasn’t sure how big it should be or whether my birds, Charlie and Sweetie really needed a larger cage.  So I started to ask people I knew in a chat room about what they thought.  One of them suggested that I look for “flight bird cages”.  I really didn’t know what that was, but she quickly told me that it was for my birds so that they could actually fly in the cage.This is the reason that it has that name.Crazy me, but how was I to guess!  When I looked online, I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted right away.I have dedicated this website to all about why larger birdcages are important for your pet birds.

I have since found more and more information about why birds really should be able to fly inside of a cage, rather than all the time just out of their cage in the house.  Charlie and Sweetie have loved their new cage and really do seem much happier.  Some of my points of why this type of cage is the greatest for them are below.

Why I think Flight Bird Cages are necessary for birds:

My birds are much happier when they can fly around in their cage.The bigger cages lets all birds be healthier and happier because they get their exercises in all day.  It keeps their little bodies strong!

They are a lot safer in their cage if there are other animals in your house, such as a cat or dog.  Especially so when you can not be home with them all the time, they can still fly about in their cage.  One word of caution that I read somewhere, so use your own idea on this, don’t put your birds in a round cage because it doesn’t give them any points of reference and they will be confused.  That’s why so many cages probably are hexagon or at least have corners.

The right bird houses are perfect for breeding birds.I discovered that after Charlie and Sweetie started flying about in the bird cage, they began to mate.Just to make sure you understand that if you have had no luck with your birds mating, it might be because the birdcage they are in is not large enough.Allowing birds access to flight will enhance their ability to mate!

It makes your pet bird feel free.  When it is warm outside, I make sure that their cage is outdoors once in a while.  I think when they whistle at the people that go by is a very funny and cute thing.When the unexpected person walks by, they smile and then giggle and my other friends howl with laughter.

You can clean the cage easier because of the room you have in it.  I found that the easier cages are to clean, they get changed and cleaned a lot more often.  Even my son doesn’t mind cleaning it, and it takes less time than it used to with the smaller cage.

The flight bird cage I got for my birds is on a pedestal, so they are at eye level with us.  They love being able to be right there with us and talk to us a lot more often.  That way they can join the family more often and still be very safe.Being able to move the cage to where we were, the birds were so accustomed to them being around us.  Even with this bigger cage for them, it still makes it so easy.Always remember, birds love to be in the family-unit also.

To help figure on what size birdcage you’ll need, remember my Charlie and Sweetie are parakeets.  Their cage is 32” width by 22” depth.  The height is 59”.  The flight cages are a bit more expensive than just the small little bird cages that you probably had when you first got your birds.You better bet that Charlie and Sweetie are very enjoyable pets because now they can fly with their new home bird cage.  I hope you will visit often, as I am going to be adding more material to this website.I hope that you will share some of your time to tell us about some of your tips about birds.Just wanted to say thank you again for visiting and look to your return.

Choosing a pet bird is very different compared to shopping for clothes. This is because it requires a lot of commitment to make sure that this creature will get all the love and care that it needs so consider a few things when you decide to go to the pet store.

Birds come in all sizes. There are big ones and there are small ones. Just remember, that the bigger they are, the bigger also the commitment in keeping it. Bigger birds are louder and messier so if you are not up for that, better stick to a small or medium sized bird.

Some of the birds can be allowed to come out of the cage where as there are also birds those are required to be kept under lock up only. Two distinct examples of birds which best illustrate this is the African Grey and the Canary. Although , it is not easy to get either of the two, since choosing a bird depends on their behavior and temperament.

Another thing you should know about birds is that some of these can chirp, sing and even talk. While some of these are noisy there are others that only talk on occasion. 

Pet birdshave special diets. While some eat pellets, there are others that require fruit, nectar and pollen. it will not be a problem in choosing a bird with such needs, if you don’t mind spending a little more to feed your birds.

Aside from special diets, ask yourself do you want a pet bird that requires a lot of attention or one that is low maintenance? People who are too busy with work and other responsibilities should get one that is easy to care for birds otherwise there is no point in buying one.

When you go out looking for a pet bird, give some consideration to where you are buying it. While most will choose to go to a pet store, you can also find one by talking to a breeder or from private persons. Regardless of where you get it, find out if whoever is selling it can assure you that the facility is free from communicable diseases like bird flu and other infections?

The biggest issue that you have to consider when choosing a pet bird is how much you are willing to spend for it. Buying a pet bird is one thing but there are other things you have to invest in like their cage, food and veterinary care.

Before buying the pet bird, have it checked by a veterinarian because they know better when it comes to the health of these creatures. If it is alright with the owner, pay them first with a post dated check for the next day so whatever happens, you can make a decision whether or not to get it.

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that you have to consider when you decide to get a pet bird. Once you have figured out the right one, you will undoubtedly enjoying having it around.

To ensure that it is healthy all the time, the pet bird you decide to get should not only be fed but also given some attention because this could be a very food friend.

So take the time out to do some research before choosing one from the pet store. With the right information, you will not regret buying this pet bird on the spur of the moment.