Tips On Buying Parakeet Cages
July 25, 2009 by fts
Filed under Keeping Pet Birds
It’s usually a good idea to have a cage already setup before you bring a parakeet home. It’s important to pick out the right one since your bird will be spending most of his time there. Keep reading to learn a couple of tips for buying parakeet cages.
Size
Size is one of the most important considerations. It’s vital that the cage not be too small for him. Your parakeet should have enough room to stretch his wings without contacting the side of the cage. You should try to buy the biggest cage you can afford.
Bar Spacing
It’s vital that you pay attention to the bar spacing of the cage you’re interested in buying. Don’t buy a cage that has bars more than 1/2-inch apart. You don’t want your bird to try to stick his head through the bars and get stuck.
Shape
It’s also important to think about the shape of the cage. You have many options to choose from. A rectangular cage is best. Never buy your bird a round cage because he won’t feel safe. He needs a wall to retreat to when he gets spooked.
Material
The type of material used to construct the cage is also important. If you can find a wrought iron or stainless steel design, you should buy it. Some cages may be made from brass, lead, zinc, or galvanized steel. Make sure that you never buy a cage made from one of these materials. These metals are toxic to parakeets. Since they love to chew, they would likely be poisoned.
Hopefully, now you can pick out a suitable cage for your parakeet. If you’ve never cared for one of these birds before, there are plenty of things you need to learn. Make sure you click here to learn even more about parakeet behavior. I’m sure your parakeet will be glad you did.
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Newbie’s Guide To Pet Parakeet Care
Parakeets are very popular pets. They’re very sociable and playful. You can also find them in a wide array of colors. New owners need to know a few things about caring for them. Keep reading to pick up a couple of tips on caring for a parakeet.
Bathing
Your parakeet needs to be given a bath on a regular basis. Two or three times a week is best. Your parakeet may want to use a dedicated water dish to take a bath in. You can also use a spray bottle to mist your bird with water. You should always give him a bath in the morning. His feathers need to be dry before night comes.
Cage
The type of cage you buy is very important. Your parakeets shouldn’t touch the side of the cage when his wings are fully extended. Also, the door should be big enough for you to easily reach inside to get your bird out. Although there are cages available in many shapes, it’s best to get a rectangular design.
Companionship
As mentioned earlier, parakeets are very sociable birds. Your bird will feel a lot less lonely if you provide him with another keet to keep him company. However, you should know that your bird would much rather bond with another bird than you. Therefore, you won’t have much of a bond with him.
Trimming
It’s important that your bird gets exercise time out of his cage. If you let him out, it’s best that you have his wings trimmed so that he can’t fly away. It’s also a good idea to trim your parakeet’s toenails occasionally since they can get very sharp. You will also need to use an emery board to trim his beak occasionally.
These are a few tips on caring for parakeets. If you’ve never cared for one of these birds before, there are plenty of things you need to learn. So, click here now to start learning all you need to know about caring for a parakeet. Your keet will definitely thank you for it.
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Choosing The Perfect Bird Cage
May 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under Bird Supplies
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Choosing a cage for your bird is not an easy thing to do. There are many types of various sizes. But if you take into consideration the characteristics of your birds, you could find the perfect cage for your bird: safe, comfortable and beautiful.
One of the most important aspects of a bird cage is the size. The cage should fit the bird and leave it enough room to stretch the wings and feel comfortable. Choosing the minimum size is not recommended. Take your bird
Breeding Pet birds -Once the chicks have hatched
April 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Breeding Pet Birds
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Once the chicks have arrived, make sure they have plenty of food. Young chicks eat vast amounts; in fact, you may need to double the amount of food you normally feed to your adult birds. If food becomes scarce, it is quite common for birds to kill their young or stop feeding them. The adult birds may also stop feeding their young if you clean out the nestbox. Even if it smells rather unpleasant, leave it alone. The exceptions to this rule are lorikeets, in which the nestbox can become so foul that you will lose the chicks anyway. Therefore, after a few weeks of age, you will have to risk changing the bedding in the nestbox.
Another stage to cause concern is the day that the chicks leave the nestbox. At this age, they are not very strong and not familiar with the use of their wings. As a result, they may become cold because they are not acclimatized to an outside environment or damage themselves by flying into the wire mesh. Another possible, but easily avoidable, mishap is that a chick may drown in the water dish. To prevent this happening, either remove any deep water dishes or cover them with wire mesh so that the birds can drink but not get right in. If you think that the chicks are about to fledge (i.e. leave the nest), keep a close eye on the aviary.
If they vacate the nestbox on a wet and windy day, they are unlikely to survive. In fact, keep a constant eye on the chicks, even after they have fledged, just in case the adult birds decide to breed again. In this case, the adults may start fighting with the youngsters or even keep them from their food. Therefore, during the first few weeks after fledging, be aware that something could easily and quickly go wrong.
Once you decide to remove the chicks from the aviary, take them inside and keep them somewhere warm and quiet. You will need to monitor the chicks to make sure that they are feeding properly. It is quite common for them not to feed for the first 24 hours after being taken from their parents, but once they become hungry, they will begin to eat. If you wish to incubate the eggs or hand-rear the chicks of any species, it can be done, but you must be prepared for a great deal of work.
Senegal Parrots
April 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under Bird Breeds
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The Senegal Parrots can be found in West Africa, in the woodlands. Their length is around 25cm (10 inches) and they can get to be 50 years old.
The Senegals who are handfed, are quite amazing pets. They are colorful and very comical. They love to entertain the audience and they are able to talk and mimic. They are relatively small and some people consider them to be rather quiet. Most of the Senegals parrots that have been socialized and tamed are very friendly personalities. But you should be aware that sometimes they tend to be egoistical and be a
Caring for Your Sick Bird
April 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Bird Health
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If you are new to bird keeping, it can be very difficult to detect when a bird is ill. The signs that usually prove to be good indications are fluffed up feathers, slightly drooping wings, unwillingness to eat and general inactivity. As you become more experienced, you will be able to assess your bird’s health by looking at its eyes. In a healthy bird, these should be bright and alert. If you discover any difference, you should consider calling out your veterinarian.
You may find that during the winter months, a bird kept outdoors may look rather dispirited. You may be undecided about whether to bring it into the warmth of the house or leave it for another day. If you bring the bird in, you may find it very difficult to introduce it back into an outside aviary after its spell of recuperation inside. Once acclimatized to the warmth, the bird will experience a great shock as it feels the cold again. In fact, it may be best to wait until spring arrives. With this possibility in mind, it is always useful to have some sort of indoor environment available so that when you experience a problem outside, you will have somewhere to transfer your birds without delay.
If your bird suddenly becomes ill, you will find it very useful and reassuring to have a hospital cage standing by. A hospital cage is simply a customized cage where sick birds can recuperate. They usually consist of a wooden or metal box with one side made of glass or wire mesh. The difference between this and a standard cage is that it is fitted with a heating system, usually in the form of a low-wattage infrared lamp fixed to the roof or a number of light bulbs under the floor. The aim is to provide a stable environment with easily controllable heat where you can place a sick bird to recover in peace.
The main objective is to lower the bird’s stress level, so under no circumstance should you attempt to heat the bird up too quickly, as this in itself will cause a great deal of damage. It is not uncommon for a bird to recover extremely quickly during a spell in a hospital cage, so be sure to keep an eye on it and, most importantly, make sure it has a constantly available supply of clean water. If a bird does recover quickly, do not be tempted to put it straight back into its usual quarters; keep it in the the hospital cage for at least a few more days.
Clipping your Pet Birds Feathers
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The two most common reasons for clipping your bird’s feathers are to restrain its flight and to prevent it flying altogether. You may like the idea of keeping birds such as ducks or pheasants at liberty in your garden, but if you buy and release them without clipping their wings, they will disappear.Clipping the wing can also solve the common problem of one bird dominating and bullying another, as might be the case at the start of the breeding season if the male comes into breeding condition before the female. By clipping the male’s wing, you are impeding it from flying after the female and harassing it.
The most practical option to solve these problems would be to clip their wings, and by the time they have moulted and the new feathers have appeared, your birds should be familiar with their surroundings and, if they are contented, you should have no problems keeping them on your premises. This approach is not advisable with parrots or any other expensive birds.
The correct procedure for clipping feathers is to remove nearly all the primary and secondary feathers – the longest feathers – from one wing. The object of clipping only one wing is to unbalance the bird so that it will only gain lift on one side and thus be unable to fly. If you clip both wings you will discover that the bird will still be able to fly. It is important to leave two or three outer feathers, so that the bird still looks neat and attractive when it closes its wing.
If you stretch out the bird’s wing, you will see several layers of feathers. There are approximately 10 primary and 10 secondary feathers. The primaries are the longest feathers, and these are further away from the bird’s body than the secondaries. When the time arrives it is best to have someone to help you by holding the bird and gently stretching out the wing as you remove the feathers carefully one by one. Your bird will suffer no pain whatsoever, as there is no feeling in the feathers. If you feel unsure about this procedure, your veterinarian will clip the wing for you.
The effects of feather clipping only last until the next moult, when completely new feathers will appear. If you wish your birds to have permanently clipped wings, you may have to clip the feathers two or three times a year. But do not become complacent; check your bird every month to see if the flight feathers are growing back. Complacency could easily lead you to lose your bird.
An important point to watch out for when clipping wings is to avoid touching the blood feathers. These are feathers that are still growing and so have blood continuously being pumped into them as they develop. Quite often you will find that half a blood feather will be out of the quill and the other half will still be wrapped in a silvery skin. If you come across such a feather, take great care not to cut it as it will bleed profusely.
If your bird has been used to flying, it is very dangerous to clip one wing and then put it straight back onto a perch. The bird will naturally think that it can still fly and jump off the perch. Without the power of flight, it will fall to the floor and could injure itself. The best approach is to clip half the required number of feathers from the wing and return it to the floor of the aviary.
Hopefully, it will attempt to fly from the floor and discover that it cannot. After a few days, remove the remaining feathers (except for the outer two or three) and leave the bird a few days to get its bearings.

