First Bird? HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS FOR FIRST-TIME CUSTOMERS One of the most important steps you can take toward assuring the life-long health of your new baby bird is good nutrition, and it's essential to get off on the right foot. Birds are a little bit like kids. Give a kid the choice of what to eat and they'd pick cookies and candy and ice cream. Give your bird the choice and it would probably pick something like seed and peanuts. That's why you can't let it make that choice! Offer your bird a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, while being sparing about the amount of sunflower seed it gets. If too much seed is offered the bird will eat that to the exclusion of other, more nutritious food. Seed has a high fat content, which is why it tastes good and is satisfying to your bird. It is our belief that, in proper amounts, there is nothing inherently bad about seed. But just as there is nothing bad about potatoes, somebody who lives on French fries does not have a healthy diet. The key is moderation. Also, offer your bird tastes of what you are having. After all, variety is the spice of life for birds too! Bits of cooked chicken and lean beef, pasta, pizza crust, cheese, a little bit of scrambled eggs, all these things can be healthy treats for your bird. (Keep in mind that perishable foods should be removed before they can cause a problem.) There are some things to avoid, chocolate and avocado being among them. In general, avoid anything excessively sweet or salty or greasy, and (it goes without saying!) alcoholic. Some of the items our birds love are corn (especially raw on the cob), peppers, peas, carrots, beans, broccoli, sweet potatoes, beets, and leafy greens like kale and collards. In the fruit department apples, oranges, pears, grapes, kiwi, bananas and most berries are enjoyed. Just as we humans benefit from a lifetime of eating healthy foods so do our avian companions. We have found that having a constant supply of fresh produce on hand for our birds has gotten us into better habits! Rather than wait for an emergency situation to occur to begin combing through phone books for a veterinarian who handles birds as well as cats and dogs, it is much better to select an avian specialist ahead of time. (Hopefully you will have consulted one to take advantage of our health guarantee.) Knowing exactly who you will bring your bird to for treatment when time is of the essence will take an enormous amount of pressure off of you and be in the best interest of the patient, your bird. First-time bird owners may wonder how they will be able to tell if their bird is becoming ill. The best way to determine that is to know what your bird is like when it is healthy, and pay close attention to any change from that state. If a normally active, playful, vocal bird is suddenly lethargic and quiet, this bears close watching. All birds have "down time" when they don't play and may sit quietly in their cage, but a bird sitting with its feathers all puffed up, sleeping a great deal more than usual and just "not itself" may be getting ill. Be alert to changes in eating or drinking habits, labored breathing, a nasal discharge or a wet, dirty vent area. If you notice any of these symptoms or any other things that seem unusual to you, seek immediate attention for your bird rather than waiting to see how the bird is tomorrow. Birds tend to mask signs of illness as a defense mechanism in the wild, so a bird that is visibly ailing might have been ill for some time already. Keep your bird warm and stress-free and see the vet as soon as possible. A good barometer of your bird's health is its droppings. The droppings of a healthy bird are firm, with the white section (the urates, or urine) being kind of wrapped around the green (the feces). Recurrent wet, loose droppings are a reason for concern, but keep in mind that the color and consistency can be affected by what the bird has recently eaten. Blueberries or beets, for example, will produce brightly colored droppings and juicy fruits will make droppings a bit wetter than usual immediately after the bird has eaten them. Here we would like to address the topic of accidents. The old saying that most accidents occur in the home applies to birds, too. The really tragic thing is that most mishaps are preventable, just unforeseen. We have heard of people who made it a habit to let their birds sleep in their beds with them, and then one night crushed them while they slept. People accidentally step on their birds. Birds with unclipped wings fly into windows or mirrors and injure themselves, or escape outdoors and are gone forever. Birds can drown, even just in the toilet or a filled sink. Hot stoves and the items on them can be a danger. Non-stick cookware can produce toxic fumes and be deadly if overheated. Other toxic fumes include everything from hairspray to cigarette smoke to cleaning products; birds are extremely susceptible to all kinds of airborne toxins and irritants. Lead poisoning can occur from chewing on things like curtain weights, the welds on Tiffany-style lamps and the foil from wine bottles. Toxic plants, ceiling fans, the list goes on and on. The purpose of this section is not to frighten people but to make them aware that the potential for disaster lurks all around the home, and just being aware of that potential is half the battle. Keep your bird's wings clipped, don't allow it near the stove when you are cooking, and don't leave it unattended out of its cage. Use non-stick cookware very carefully, keep your bird away from all types of fumes and airborne dangers, and don't let it chew on anything you don't specifically give it for that purpose. Also, make sure your bird gets plenty of shuteye in a dark, quiet place every night. Avoid stress on your bird, which, simply put, can be anything that causes it anxiety or fear. It can be a bona fide threat like a lurking cat or merely a perceived threat like a picture of a cat hung right next to its cage. (This is probably most true of African greys.) It's tempting to make "bird brain" jokes here but the bottom line is, real or not, if something is frightening your bird, that's not good for its health. Please remember that this is by no means a complete list; it is probably beyond the scope of a website to enumerate all possible dangers. And once again, we don't want to scare people. We just want to help them avoid heartbreak if we can. First time bird owners can't be expected to know things they have no experience with. As a last word, let's talk about an important aspect of your new baby's life: its quality of life when you are not around. Your bird will depend on you for food and shelter, for love and companionship---and for toys. You'll no doubt give your bird attention and affection when you're around; don't forget to give it toys to occupy itself with when you're not. Bored birds will find something to occupy themselves with, and that sometimes means picking their own feathers. Toys needn't be expensive and elaborate (although they certainly can be if you want!) Most birds can have hours of fun with just a simple chain affixed to the cage. They love shredding up newspaper, too. (Just the black and white newsprint-no shiny colored inserts.) If you do purchase toys, just be sure they are appropriate to your bird's size. Giving a large bird with a strong beak a toy intended for a smaller bird can cause problems. We hope we have addressed some of the concerns and questions a brand new bird owner may have, but we realize we haven't covered everything. That's why we encourage our customers to contact us, anytime, with any bird questions they have. There's no such thing as a silly question, not if it concerns your new baby. We want you to be comfortable and at ease with every aspect of your bird's care. Above all, we want you and your baby to enjoy each other! Welcome  |  First Bird?  |  Selecting the Right Bird  |  Babies  |  Price List  |  Health Guarantee  |  Terms/Shipping  |  Contact Us Copyright © 2003 Flight School Aviaries - The contents of this web page, including all text and photographs are copyrighted material. No part of this page may be reproduced, in whole or part, without the express permission of the author. Last updated: 2/18/2003