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Tips for a Happy Healthy Pet Parrot
Pet birds can be an entertaining and enjoyable family member. However the key to forming a loving and trusting relationship with your pet bird is by understanding their behaviour. And the key to keeping them happy and healthy lies in providing your bird with the right size  cage, the right diet, toys and, of course, plenty of love and attention.
Cage
Home care
Taming
Diet
Health
One bird or two?
Cage
The cage size should be big enough to allow your bird to move about without its tail and wing feathers touching the cage sides. It should contain perches of different diameters (preferably made of Eucalyptus tree branches) and the feed and water dishes should be positioned to avoid soiling by droppings. We do not recommend sandpaper covered or plastic perches as they cause sores on the bird's feet, and do not help to keep claws short.
Toys are essential for parrots to play with - they are intelligent animals that need mental stimulation. Toys added to the cage should not obstruct the bird's movement about the cage. Metal, wood and acrylic toys are preferable for cockatiels and larger parrots. It is a good idea to change or rotate the toys around every few weeks to prevent the bird becoming bored with the same toys.
The bottom of the cage can be covered with shell grit, newspaper, sand sheets, or loose clean sand (beach sand is fine). We do not recommend a metal grill on the bottom of the cage except for lorikeets. Cages should be cleaned out at least weekly.
Home Care
Your bird's health and well being depends entirely on you. Most diseases are associated with stress such as handling, new surroundings, and unfamiliar sounds. To avoid stress, the bird should be kept in its cage and handled as little as possible for the first few days (except for hand-raised birds) to allow it to settle into its new home environment. Try to place the cage at eye level since most birds become nervous if they have to look up at you. For the first week place the cage in a quiet part of the house, but in full view of the activities of the household. Birds should be kept out of kitchens (because of possible problems with kitchen fumes, particularly overheated Teflon cookware) and draughty environments. Most household sprays are toxic to birds and should not be used near birds.
Surveys have shown that about 60% of pet birds end up escaping rather than dying of old age, so always ensure that all windows and doors are closed before letting your bird out of its cage. Also be careful of walking out of the house without realising that the bird is on your shoulder. Be careful of such hazards as ceiling fans, power cords that may be chewed, and always keep the bird out of the kitchen when food is being prepared. It is very easy for it to land on a hot stove, or in boiling water with obvious serious consequences. Some house plants are also poisonous. We recommend keeping a pet bird’s wings clipped at all times to avoid such hazards. Clipping their wings however is not a guarantee that they will not fly away when outdoors.
Taming
The taming process should not begin for several days after the bird has arrived in the household, so that the bird has had time to settle into its new environment. There are many approaches to taming a young bird and if you are unsure how to go about it then talk to our staff for advice. Remember that not all species of birds can be tamed, and some birds may require a different technique. We find that taming is much simpler if the wings are clipped initially, so that the bird has limited flight. When it next moults the feathers will grow back normally, and you can then, if you wish, and are aware of the dangers, leave the wings unclipped so that it can fly normally. If you want to keep the wings clipped we are happy to do it for free if the bird is brought into the shop.
Diet
Variety is the spice of life. While dry seed is a convenient basis for your bird's diet, it is not ideal. A wild bird such as a cockatiel or budgie will only eat dry seed when nothing else is available. In good times they will eat fresh green seed, flowers, fruit, etc, with the dry seed being reserved for drought conditions. Dry seed alone will therefore not provide a balanced diet, and will need supplementing DAILY with fresh foods such as fruit (apple, oranges, grapes etc) and vegetables such as corn, endive, kale, broccoli, Chinese greens, celery leaves, carrot, silver beet, capsicum, peas, etc. Do NOT feed birds avocado as this is toxic. Iceberg lettuce and cabbage, whilst not toxic, have little nutritional value so should be avoided. Other lettuce varieties are slightly more nutritional.
Ensure the seed mix you buy is suitable for your type of bird. Do not, for instance, give a Cockatoo mix to a Cockatiel. The seed mix we provide (Breeder’s Choice) is ideal for your bird but if you are unable to obtain our seed mix for any reason then the only brand of seed mix we can currently recommend is Bird Munchies. Many of the cheap "no brand" mixes in supermarkets have poor quality seed with a lot of dust, and hence have a low nutritional value.
In recent years various pelleted diets for birds have been produced. Pellets provide a more balanced diet as all vitamins and minerals are present and, unlike seed mixes where birds can pick out specific seeds, each pellet has the same nutritional content. Whilst when using these diets it is not strictly necessary to supplement with fruit and vegetables, we do recommend that pellets form no more than 80% of the birds diet, with the remainder comprising of fresh fruit and vegetable, as well as a small amount of seed.
Various brands of pelleted food are available, and we sell Roudybush, Pretty Bird, Vetafarm and Passwell. Talk to us about the most suitable pellet food, as well as methods of converting from seed to pellets, for your pet bird if you want it to have the best and healthiest diet.
For more information about converting your pet bird to pellets,
see our Feeding Pellets page.
Other supplements essential to your bird’s health are calcium (either cuttlebone or calcium blocks) and a high protein supplement such as egg and biscuit mix for young birds. A vitamin and mineral supplement in the drinking water once a week for older birds and at least twice a week in young birds or birds in moult is also desirable. Grit is essential for some species of birds, but should not be given when the bird is sick.
Some green grass seeds should be given daily when available, while flowers and leaves from plants such as dandelion, wattle, Grevillea, bottlebrush and eucalypt are usually enjoyed. Occasional treats such as millet sprays or seed bells are always appreciated by your bird, but note that chocolate is poisonous, and junk food for humans is junk food for birds, and potentially dangerous due to high salt content!
A word about Lorikeets…
These birds have very different dietary requirements from other seed-eating parrots. Lorikeets are a nectar eating bird, and so require specialised food. Lorikeet Dry Mix is a powder that should be available at all times in the cage (comparable to the seed for seed-eating birds). In addition, a nectar mix, such as Lorikeet Wet Mix should be provided daily. This is mixed with water to make a creamy paste, and given to the bird in the mornings. It should be taken away in the evening. Lorikeets also benefit from fruit and vegetables such as those recommended for seed eating birds, as well as Grevillea, bottlebrush, wattle flowers and other non-toxic plants. Pellet foods are also available for Lorikeets, but are not generally recommended.
Health
In general, most pet birds are remarkably healthy animals if given a good diet and a relaxed living environment, but if your bird looks sick at any time then prompt action is needed! Birds are very good at hiding the fact that they are sick, so by the time you notice anything is wrong it may sometimes be almost too late to do anything. Typical symptoms to watch for include the bird being unusually quiet on a perch, with its feathers fluffed up, soiled feathers around its vent due to diarrhoea, loss of appetite, loss of weight, wart-like growths on feet or upper beak, or change in appearance of its droppings.
If you suspect a problem either bring it into us for examination or ideally see a veterinarian. We are happy to recommend a veterinarian with avian experience if you need help selecting one. If you phone us for advice, check beforehand for signs of diarrhoea, weight loss and other symptoms, it will make our task much easier. It is worth worming your bird regularly, and it is a good idea to have some SULPHA REMEDY always on hand in case of mild diarrhoea.
One Bird or Two?
A frequent question we are asked is if your bird needs a companion. In general a budgie, cockatiel or other parrot, which is part of the family, gets plenty of attention, and has the opportunity to leave its cage every day for a while is quite happy to be on its own, and may indeed object to suddenly sharing you with another bird. However if you are unable to devote enough time to your bird to give it the companionship it needs, then it may be best to buy a second bird. Some care may be needed however when introducing the new bird, so ask us for advice on how to approach it.
Lovebirds are somewhat different, and in general will be much happier if they are kept in pairs. The only exception is perhaps a lovebird bought as a very young bird, which receives a lot of attention.
If you have any problems or questions please don't hesitate to come in and see us personally at the Mooloolaba Pet Centre and we will do our best to help.
For more information about pet birds, an excellent book is “A Guide to Pet & Companion Birds” published by Australian Birdkeeper Magazine, and available from Mooloolaba Pet Centre.
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