Birds make wonderful pets, but caring for them properly requires some special knowledge. Even experienced bird owners can accidentally make mistakes that put their feathered friends’ health and happiness at risk. Avoid these 10 common bird care mistakes to keep your avian companions thriving.
Not Providing a Large Enough Cage
One of the most common bird care mistakes is not giving them enough room to move around and spread their wings. Although commercial bird cages may meet the minimum requirements for a certain species, bigger is always better when it comes to giving your bird adequate space.
As a general rule, your bird’s cage should be large enough for them to fully extend their wings without touching the sides. They should be able to hop from perch to perch and move around comfortably. Remember that your bird will be spending a good part of their life in their cage, especially if you are unable to supervise them outside of it.
Birds that are confined to cramped quarters may suffer from health problems like arthritis and muscle weakness. They also risk injuring their wings and tails on the cage sides. Psychologically, being cooped up in a small cage can lead to boredom, stress, and behavior issues.
Recommended Minimum Cage Sizes
Budgie | 18 x 18 x 18 inches |
Cockatiel | 24 x 24 x 36 inches |
Conure | 24 x 24 x 36 inches |
Macaw | 36 x 36 x 60 inches or larger |
The cage sizes above are recommended minimums only. Always choose the biggest cage possible for your bird’s species. Remember that more room to move encourages activity and exercise.
Not Providing Enough Toys
In the wild, birds spend most of their active time foraging for food, exploring their environments, interacting with flockmates, and engaging in other enriching behaviors. As pets, they need toys to stimulate natural behaviors and prevent boredom.
Provide your bird with the biggest variety of toys that you can. Rotate them out periodically to keep things interesting. Make sure the toys allow for exercise, mental stimulation, and opportunities for chewing and shredding. Some great options include:
- Rope perches and swings
- Natural wood perches and branches
- Puzzle toys containing treats
- Blocks, bells, and other manipulatives
- Parrot piƱatas packed with paper and foot treats
Avoid toys with small, removable parts that could be swallowed. Monitor wire-framed foraging toys as well, as birds can damage their beaks and tongues on these.
Not Letting Them Out for Exercise
While their cage should be roomy, all birds need exercise and mental enrichment outside of it too. Your bird should have ample supervised time to spread their wings each day. This gives them a chance to get physical activity, explore new environments, and interact with human flock members.
Make sure any room your bird is allowed to fly in is fully bird-proofed. Keep other pets away and remove toxic houseplants and anything else that could be chewed on or knocked over. Always supervise your bird closely when they are out of the cage.
If you cannot allow your bird free flight time, a play gym gives them room to flap and climb outside the cage. Harness training is another option that allows safe outdoor adventures.
Minimum Recommended Out-of-Cage Time
Small birds like budgies | 1-2 hours daily |
Medium birds like cockatiels | 2-3 hours daily |
Large birds like parrots | As much time as possible |
Feeding a Seed-Only Diet
While seeds and grains should make up part of your bird’s diet, they lack complete nutrition by themselves. Seed-based diets are deficient in vitamins A, B, D, E, and K along with calcium, phosphorous, and essential amino acids.
A seed-only diet increases a bird’s risk for obesity, liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, and more. It can even shorten your bird’s lifespan.
For better health, feed your bird pellets formulated specifically for their species along with some seed mix. Chopped fruits and veggies should make up at least 30% of their daily calories.
Foods to Include:
- High-quality pellets
- Chopped fruits and veggies like apples, squash, kale, berries
- Whole grains like quinoa, wheat berries, couscous
- Clean proteins like boiled eggs, beans, nuts
Not Changing Food and Water Daily
Fresh food and clean drinking water are absolute necessities for birds. Their food can quickly spoil in warm temperatures, and drinking dirty water can cause serious illnesses.
Each day, give your bird fresh pellets, fruits, veggies, and seed mix, even if they did not finish the previous day’s food. Replace water at minimum once daily or any time it gets soiled. Thoroughly wash and disinfect food and water dishes a few times per week.
Investing in double food and water crocks makes swapping them out simple. Stainless steel bowls are durable, chew-proof, and discourage bacteria growth.
Not Addressing Overgrown Beaks and Nails
In the wild, birds keep their beaks and nails worn down naturally through daily use. As pets, their beaks and nails need to be trimmed regularly to maintain a healthy length.
Overgrown beaks impair a bird’s ability to eat and groom properly. Overgrown nails can cause foot deformities and perch-gripping problems. Very long nails can even get caught in cage wire and break.
Provide safe chew toys and rough perch covers to help wear down beaks and nails between trims. For actual trimming, take your bird to an experienced avian veterinarian. Proper technique is crucial, as blood vessels in beaks and nails can be easily damaged.
Average Beak and Nail Trimming Frequency
Small, active birds like budgies | Every 6-10 weeks |
Less active medium birds like cockatiels | Every 4-8 weeks |
Larger birds like parrots | Every 2-6 weeks |
Not Giving Them Enough Attention
Companion birds are highly social flock animals. They require regular interaction and mental stimulation from human caretakers. Without proper attention, they can become depressed, anxious, aggressive, and even self-mutilative.
Spend time with your bird every day feeding them treats by hand, training them, and providing toys that make them think and move. Let them ride on your shoulder or lap as you go about your daily activities. The more attention you can provide, the happier they will be!
If your schedule makes it hard to give your bird the interaction they need, consider getting a second bird as a friend. Never get a single bird if you will need to leave them alone for long periods.
Exposing Them to Kitchen Fumes
Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems. Fumes released from overheated nonstick cookware, scented candles, and other common household items can quickly make them ill. Repeated exposure can even be fatal.
Keep your bird’s cage away from the kitchen and never use nonstick pots or pans on high heat. Switch to safer ceramic or stainless steel cookware. Ensure your home is well-ventilated when cooking, using candles, or cleaning with strong products.
Also, avoid exposing your bird to smoke from cigarettes, vaping devices, or marijuana. Their small lungs cannot handle these toxic inhalants.
Not Getting Regular Check-Ups
It’s easy to miss subtle signs of illness in pet birds, as they instinctively hide symptoms to appear healthy to predators. By the time you notice changes in behavior, illness is often advanced.
Take your bird for an annual wellness visit with an avian vet. Twice yearly exams are even better for spotting problems early. The vet will check your bird’s weight, mobility, feather condition, beak and nail condition, and more.
They can also identify issues like fatty tumors, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal parasites that you cannot detect yourself. Early treatment greatly improves outcomes for sick birds.
What to Expect at a Check-Up
- Physical exam of eyes, nose, beak, wings, and feet
- Weight measurement
- Nail and beak trimming if needed
- Fecal examination for parasites
- Blood work
- X-rays or other imaging if issues are found
Allowing Them to Breed
Bird hormones surge in springtime, which triggers mating behaviors like nesting and egg-laying. While fascinating, it’s best not to allow breeding in captive birds.
Females can develop life-threatening egg binding or calcium deficiency from producing too many eggs. Babies require hand-feeding every 1-2 hours, which is extremely demanding.
To discourage breeding, limit daylight hours to 8-10 hours daily, rearrange cages frequently, and remove potential nesting sites. Consider having larger birds like parrots spayed or neutered.
Not Quarantining New Birds
When bringing home a new feathered friend, quarantine them for at least 30 days before introduction to your current bird. This prevents the spread of dangerous contagious diseases.
House the new bird in a completely separate room. Never allow their cages to touch or contact between pet birds. Thoroughly wash hands after interacting with the quarantined bird.
During quarantine, schedule a veterinary exam to check for illnesses. Only after a clean bill of health and 30-day isolation should you begin supervised introductions.
Letting Them Fly Outside Unsupervised
The great outdoors poses many perils to pet birds allowed unsupervised flight time. They can quickly get lost, attacked by predators, or become sickened by pesticides, environmental toxins, and food poisoning.
Never let your pet bird roam freely outside. Use a secure outdoor aviary if you want them to have fresh air and sunlight. For exercise and exploration, harness train your bird for controlled outdoor trips.
Conclusion
While caring for birds takes work, they reward us with affection, beauty, and endless entertainment. Avoid these 10 common mistakes to keep your avian pets thriving for years to come! With proper diet, housing, exercise, veterinary care, and TLC, birds make wonderfully rewarding companions.