Pets Health

Pet birds may be caged or allowed to remain on perches while the owner is home to supervise their activity. Birds should be confined to cages while their owners are away to avoid accidental injury and other misfortune. Unsupervised pet birds allowed "the run of the house" often get into trouble. Not only can they be terribly destructive to the home and its furnishings, but all homes contain objects that can be harmful (directly or indirectly) to pet birds. These include mirrors, windows, walls, house plants, electrical cords, and items containing harmful chemicals.

Birds resting on open perches are usually content to remain there, and usually take flight only when frightened by a sudden movement or loud noise. Unfortunately, these "impromptu" flights are taken without a flight plan and birds usually wind up crashing into walls, doors, windows or mirrors because of their confusion and poor depth perception.

The major source of poisoning of pet birds is lead found in curtain (drapery) weights, curtain pulls, leaded and stained glass, fishing sinkers and ammunition carelessly discarded in ashtrays or dropped on the floor, costume jewelry, and in the lead wrapping around the tops of wine bottles, to name the most common sources. Most caged birds seem to have an affinity for this soft metal and love to chew on it. Poisoning results from eating even a small amount of lead. Lead poisoning can be successfully treated if diagnosed early enough .Caged birds allowed unrestricted freedom in the home may eat house plants or chew on electrical cords, resulting in illness and injury. Some unsupervised pet birds chew on macramé, carpet and other similar fabrics and often swallow these materials, resulting in crop and intestinal impactions. Free-flying birds are also more vulnerable to injury from ceiling fans, hot stoves, and attack by pet dogs, cats and ferrets sharing the same household. It is wise not to underestimate the aggressiveness of our 4-legged friends, and to restrict contact between them and pet birds as much as possible.

Other common toxins include scented candles, teflon vapors, scented house deodorants, use of self cleaning ovens. If your pet is in the proximity of these product remove them or your bird from the area when using these items.

Birds allowed unrestricted freedom and flight within the home may escape through open doors and windows. Most bird owners have the mistaken notion that their bird would never fly away and leave them. Unfortunately, birds that have escaped the owner's home easily become disoriented when outdoors. This confusion makes return or capture of the escaped bird very unlikely.

The location of the cage and/or perch in the home is important. Some birds thrive in areas of heavy traffic, where they receive lots of attention and are part of all of the "goings on." Others seem to prefer more privacy and solitude. A pet bird should never be kept in the kitchen. In addition to the obvious gas fumes and occasional smoke from cooking food, there is another, much more dangerous, threat to birds in the kitchen. Super-heated Teflon and related brand-name non-stick pan coatings emit fumes that are deadly to all birds. This "accident" happens most often when someone inadvertently leaves a pan, coated with a non-stick surface, on a lighted gas or electric range burner. The pan becomes hot and the non-stick coating overheats, emitting toxic fumes. Birds that inhale these fumes die quickly.

There are several other considerations when allowing birds unrestricted freedom and flight within the home. Birds flying about may end up in the toilet bowl or in an uncovered pot or pan cooking on the stove. Free-flying birds tend to assume a more dominant posture in their relationship with people, and often become intolerably aggressive.

Caged birds live in a very "geometric" world, in contrast to their wild counterparts. Most of the surfaces they perch on (perches, cage bars, etc) are very smooth and regular. Consequently, the claws and beaks of pet birds tend to overgrow, and the surfaces of their beaks also tend to become rough and irregular.

In a wild bird's natural environment, this problem never arises because wild birds are very active and wear down their claws on tree bark, rocks and other abrasive surfaces. Most caged birds need their claws trimmed periodically in spite of gimmicks often employed to keep them shortened. Sandpaper perch covers, for example, do not prevent nail overgrowth but they do cause irritation and excessive wear of the soles of the feet. Sandpaper perch covers should not be used.

An emery board, nail clippers, dremel drill with a sand paper cone,or cautery instrument can be used to shorten the claws of smaller caged birds. A rapidly rotating grinding stone is used to trim the claws and to shorten, shape and smooth the beaks of larger birds. The results are very professional and satisfying. You should not attempt to trim the beak of your bird. If you do attempt to trim the claws, you must have something on hand with which to stop any bleeding. These clotting aids are called styptics. Recommended styptics include Kwik-Stop (Animal Research Co), silver nitrate sticks, and ferric subsulfate (Monsel's solution).

If bleeding occurs while trimming the claws, do not panic. First, carefully restrain the bird. Next, squeeze the toe just above the claw (tourniquet effect). Then apply the styptic to the bleeding claw. Alternate the last 2 steps until the bleeding has stopped. Always seek veterinary help when your bird is bleeding or has bled. Bleeding always represents an emergency situation. Corn starch or flour is a common household item that can be applied to bleeding claws or other wounds to help with blood clotting and to stop bleeding. The steps outlined above are first-aid procedures only and are not a substitute for veterinary assistance.

Many exotic pet birds originally lived in tropical climates where rainfall is a daily, or otherwise frequent, occurrence. Rainwater provides drinking water and an opportunity for bathing. Birds typically take advantage of this moisture by "showering" during a rainstorm or bathing in puddles formed by the falling rainwater. This keeps their feathers healthy, and restores and maintains a brilliant sheen to the plumage.

Caged birds should also be allowed to bathe periodically. Some prefer to bathe in a small container; other tolerate being sprayed or misted with water. Regular tap water and a spray bottle or plant mister should be used. Commercial solutions available for this purpose offer no particular advantage and may, in fact, be harmful. Many pet bird owners enjoy taking their bird into the shower with them on a regular basis.

Bathing activities can be undertaken once daily or as often as convenient. It is important to allow the bird to air dry in a warm room or in the warm sunshine. Hair dryers can be used to blow dry your bird, but the appliance must be held a safe distance (more than 10 inches away) from the bird to prevent burns.

- Hard-boiled egg (chopped or quartered and refrigerated in sealed container or plastic bag)

A "seed junkie" is a caged bird that eats only seeds and nuts, steadfastly refusing all other foods offered. Unfortunately, such an exclusive diet guarantees ill health and a greatly shortened life expectancy for these pet birds. Why do caged birds become so easily "hooked" on seeds (primarily sunflower and safflower) and nuts (peanuts most notably) when these foods are rarely part of their diet in the wild? The answer has 2 parts.

The first part concerns the wide availability, popularity and relative feeding convenience (including lack of perish ability) of seed/nut mixtures, most often called "parrot mixes". The second part concerns the relatively high fat content of these food items. For years, there has been speculation that sunflower seeds contain some addictive property. Recent research at the University of California at Davis has revealed that the relatively high fat (oil) content of these foods produces an "energy rush" or "high" similar to the "sugar rushes" from consuming "junk foods" containing lots of sugar.

Parrots, given the opportunity, preferentially eat these high-fat foods. When deprived of them, they exhibit profound depression and a craving for the seeds. This almost addictive quality of seeds certainly contributes to the huge number of "seed junkies" currently being kept as pet birds.

It is wise to offer pound cake to caged birds of all sizes and get them accustomed to eating it. Once your bird begins to accept pound cake, certain liquid medications can be soaked into the cake if necessary. This makes administration of medication much easier in some cases.

The subject of bacterial contamination of food and water for caged birds is rather controversial. Many apparently healthy caged birds harbor potentially harmful bacteria within their intestinal tracts. These organisms can create illness during periods of stress (short or long-standing) for your bird.

Many veterinarians agree that Gram-negative bacteria (coliform type) can contaminate seeds, seed mixes, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and even tap water. Consequently, it may be advisable to bake or microwave seeds and seed mixes (spread seeds to a depth of 1 inch in a Pyrex dish and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, stirring once,

or microwave on high setting for 3-5 minutes). This seems to eliminate potentially harmful bacteria without compromising the nutritional value of the seed.

The skins of all fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed before being offered to your bird. One study clearly demonstrated that colony counts of potentially harmful bacteria in tap water samples could be greatly reduced by allowing the tap to run for at least 3 minutes before the water cup was filled. Offering bottled water is probably an acceptable alternative, though bottled water dispensers occasionally harbor disease-carrying bacteria. The spigot should be opened a few seconds and water allowed to run before filling the water container.

The recommendations mentioned above should help you to offer the correct foods, but there is no guarantee that your pet bird will accept and consume any or all of them.