Keeping birds as pets
Monday, January 12 2009
With their beautiful plumage, enchanting song and cheeky personalities, birds can make wonderful pets
The keeping of birds as pets is often a controversial subject, and certainly wild, caught birds should never be kept as pets. Legally, birds must be kept in a cage large enough to allow them to fully stretch their wings, but in the wild many commonly kept species enjoy considerably more space.
Did you know? Some parrots fly 50-60km and back daily when foraging for food.
Birds are very intelligent, and can be long lived. Parrots can live for 50 years or more. Sadly, many of the problems they have in captivity are caused by inadequacies in their care.
Birds in the wild are much more active during their day-to-day activities. Species such as cockatiels spend a lot of time foraging for seeds and fruit, which burns off a lot of energy. In captivity, they may be fed high calorie foods such as nuts and sunflower seeds, but their activity is limited, so they can easily become too fat.
It's a good idea to allow birds access to a variety of fresh foods, and to restrict their access to seeds to 15 minutes, three times daily, if you think your bird is becoming too fat. Try hiding food or wrapping it in paper, so your bird has to hunt for it.
Craving company
Many birds are social, and live in flocks. Their welfare may be compromised by an absence of social contact, or behavioural problems can develop if they develop strong attachments to their owner. Many of the commonly kept species come from countries which are both climactically different from the UK, and have a different light-dark cycle. The latter is particularly important in the control of some aspects of bird physiology.
Did you know? Birds have better colour vision than humans, and can distinguish colours which look identical to us. They can also see UV light.
Perches may cause foot problems. The smooth plastic perches that are commonly sold cause the bird to adopt an unnatural weight-bearing position that can cause sores. Sandpaper covers can be abrasive. It's better to provide non-toxic twigs and branches for perching purposes.
Did you know? Birds have a very efficient system for respiration. Oxygen delivery from the lungs to the muscles is ten times more efficient than for mammals.
Birds are very susceptible to inhaled toxins, such as aerosol sprays, tobacco smoke, burnt food or cooking oil, and chemicals that are released from non-stick pots and pans when they are overheated, or when non-stick surfaces are ageing. Other potential sources of these chemicals include irons and ironing board covers, kitchen appliances such as bread or coffee machines or sandwich toasters and portable heaters. These items should only be used in a well-ventilated area, or with an extractor fan. Birds should not be kept in the same room.
If you get a bird as a pet, you should research fully the species requirements for food and housing. Birds are physiologically different to mammals, and many vets are not experts in their care. Medical care is best provided by a veterinary surgeon who specialises in birds; specialist care of this nature may not be available from charities.
Useful websites
Harrison bird foods learning centre
Medical centre for birds
Exotic pet vet has an extensive Avian section accessed by clicking on the navigation bar at the top