Yes, you read that right. We don't own them, THEY own US, lest we forget that they will be sure to remind us! That said, there are some important do's and don'ts when it comes to sharing a home with these sweeties. Some you probably already know, and some you may never have even thought about.
The Do’s
DO concentrate on your bird's good behavior. They don't understand punishment.
DO give your birds a bath (with water only) and allow them to bathe themselves, or mist with a spray bottle at least 2 to 3 times a week.
DO feed a wide variety of fresh fruits, nuts, sprouts, grains, and veggies. You don't want to eat the same thing everyday, and neither do they!
DO remove fresh food items after 1-2 hours to prevent spoilage. Your bird can become sick from eating foods that have spoiled!
DO feed and replace with fresh food daily and provide clean water at all times daily.
DO change water dishes as needed throughout the day. Birds love to make "soup" and dip food in their water. Soiled water will lead to bacteria growth, that your bird will ingest if water isn't changed often.
DO clean and change the bottom of the cage daily. Scrape off any poop or organic material daily and wash and disinfect the cage weekly with a bird safe product. A full cage clean should be done at least weekly.
DO provide toys (8-10 is preferable) and rotate toys at least once a week.
DO be sure your bird(s) has plenty of stimulating destructible and non-destructible toys to attack and chew.
DO play directly and give your bird attention daily.
DO give your bird at least 1 hour of play time outside of their cage EVERY DAY. This can be with you, on a play stand, or exploring the house (safely!).
DO give your bird enough sleep! Birds need at least 10 to 12 hours of sleep in a quiet dark room.
DO give animal protein, in the form of cooked meat, mealworms, or scrambled, hard-boiled eggs at least once a week but no more than 3 times a week. Birds need animal protein and commercial diets do not contain enough.
DO remember that your bird(s) are intelligent. You need to interact with them and teach them. They don't automatically know what's safe or isn't, or how to behave until you teach them!
DO treat your bird like it is an intelligent 3 to 4-year-old human, you’ll get better results.
DO be persistent and consistent with rules and boundaries.
DO walk away, turn your back and act insulted by bad behavior. With good behavior is even more enthusiastic than usual during this training period to help develop your own habits. Your voice should be higher and a bit louder when praising and low and snarl when noting bad behavior.
DO be patient, training takes time and there are no quick fixes for long-term results.
DO ask questions. The only stupid question is one that is never asked.
DO read as much, on your bird, as you possibly can. Never stop learning!
DO research online, with other bird owners, your vet, and behaviorists but do it with an open mind and think completely over what you are going to try to do before doing it.
DO teach your bird to be handled by others. No one likes a mean bird!
DO teach your bird the command to step up and step down.
DO travel with your bird in a safe carrier if you must travel with your bird at all.
DO make sure your vet is a licensed avian vet and have his or her phone number posted by the phone in case of an emergency arises.
DO make sure that your bird sees an avian vet at least once a year for a checkup.
DO keep the bird(s) toenails, wings trimmed and beak trim, for their own safety.
DO give your bird playtime away from its cage every single day.
DO sanitize all new toys, cages, bowls, and perches before giving them to your bird!
DO provide a cage that has more than ample space for the bird(s) to move around and flap its wings or buy the largest cage you can afford.
DO remember your bird(s) are your companion for life. Take responsibility for your bird(s) seriously, they do depend on you to take care of them.
DO keep a close watch on your bird(s) with children, strangers, and other animals and do not leave your bird unsupervised.
DO remember that your bird(s) are as comfortable with people as people are with them.
DO inspect toys every day for frayed rope, sharp objects, broken pieces and etc.
The Don’ts
Don’t concentrate on bad behavior. If you cannot address bad behavior immediately then don’t address it at all. Your bird will not understand a punishment after the fact.
Don’t reward bad behavior with treats, no treats should be given at least 20 minutes after bad behavior.
Don’t use water or physical hitting as punishment.
Don’t place toys in the middle or in the front of the door opening.
Don’t during the winter skip misting, humidity is very important to tropical birds and when you run your heater in your home it dries out the air. (same with air conditioner)
Don’t take your bird outside unprotected or leave your bird outside unobserved.
Don’t take your bird outside without its wings trimmed and inside a carrier, cage or on a flight leash. All it takes is a gust of wind, something to spook or scare the bird one time to take off. The wind current can still carry a bird, even though its wings are clipped and if a bird gets to a tree the instinct is to climb to the top of the tree, not down.
Don’t leave the toilet seat up if you are going to allow your bird to fly free in your home; they can’t swim and will drown.
Don’t use sandpaper perch covers, grit, gravel or gravel paper. Grit is not necessary for parrots and can cause impaction of the digestive systems. Sandpaper or gravel perches are hard on the feet and lead to open sores!
Don’t use moth protectors, mite or lice spray anywhere that your bird can come in contact with them; they are TOXIC!
Don’t smoke around your bird(s). Nicotine is deadly to birds. Not only does 2nd hand Smoke harm them, but you need to wash your hands very well because it comes through the pores of the skin of smokers’ hands and can cause the bird(s) to have a severe contact reaction or even death.
Don’t cook with the bird on your shoulder or have the bird loose in the kitchen. This can be very dangerous.
Do not use Febreeze or any other air freshener products in any areas of the home that the bird will be able to touch – it is toxic to birds. The particulates once aerosolized, fall and coat everything from furniture, floors, counters, to your birds perches, food bowl, and even themselves. Once ingested, the bird is poisoned by the particles and over time will die from poisoning.
Do not use any type of scented oils, essential oils, or heated scented oils in areas around the birds – this is also toxic. It is highly suggested to avoid the types that are touted as "pet safe". Not enough research has been done to prove this! Don't risk your bird's life.
Do not have lit candles around your birds. The fragrances used are toxic, as is the smoke produced by the burning candle. Also, the candle itself poses a danger should your bird be out and land on the candle or have the candle tip over onto them! Melted wax will cause serious skin damage and burns, as well as being very hard to remove from the feathers.
Do not use Teflon or any kind of coatings on your pans. Teflon, etc. once heated releases fumes that cause death in birds. As a general rule, just avoid anything that says NON-STICK.
Don’t buy toys with dog leash type clips or jingle bells. This is an injury waiting to happen. Toes and beaks can get caught very easily in these. Switch out toy clips and hooks for a safer option like plastic links.
Don’t have toys that have small rings that the bird(s) can put their heads through. They may choke and die, from trying to get their heads back out.
Don’t use “S” hooks with birds that have strong beaks. They can open these up and do some serious harm to them, they can even cause death.
Don’t use litter made of walnut shells or corncobs. It can cause life-threatening Impaction if ingested by birds. They also harbor fungal spores when soiled or wet. Newspaper is much safer.
Don’t apply kwik-stop or other styptic products to avian skin. They are safe for bleeding toenails when broken or cut too short, but they destroy the skin. For broken or pulled blood feathers, either cornstarch or flour is safe. Aloe gel can be applied first to help the flour or cornstarch adhere to the wound and to help with pain and healing.
Don’t use anything with lead, zinc, copper, and iron. They can cause metal toxicities if ingested by birds. Some sources are house keys, (especially gold colored keys), galvanized wire, and lead-based paints, metallic paints, paint containing zinc, linoleum, vinyl mini-blinds, foil from champagne and wine bottles, lead weights, and bells with lead clappers, stained glass, some improperly glazed ceramics, costume jewelry, mirror backing, copper pennies, zinc oxide, artist paints containing cadmium, and cardboard or paper with high gloss inks. Aviary wire treated with zinc is also dangerous.
Don’t handle or touch a bird if you or know somebody who is having chemotherapy treatments. The radiation can be transferred thru the bird’s skin and can be deadly.
An Added Note on Petting & Affection
DO: Give your bird all the affection they desire. Gentle scritches, cheek rubs, foot massages, snuggles, and shoulder rides should be given often! Give your bird all the love he will accept from you!
DON'T: Pet your bird inappropriately! This can happen without you realizing it if you aren't careful. We need to understand basic bird anatomy to realize why this is such a problem. In birds, the sexual organs (testes in males and ovaries in females) are located on their backs, just above the kidneys, which sit just above where their legs are. When we pet our birds back, we are essentially touching their sexual organs, which triggers a mating response. Obviously we don't want to mate with our bird! So we need to be careful of the message we're sending them!
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