Bird Health and Aviary life

If you own birds, the likelihood is that right away, you set out to learn all you need to in order to provide your birds with exceptional care and an enriching life! Like any pet, birds are very intelligent and require the right housing and mental stimulation. These are basic tips but may be good reminders and will be useful for new bird owners as a starting point.

Space, safety and natural behaviour

Choosing the right sized cage is important, different type of birds have different needs. Cages are often too restrictive for birds to fly freely, get healthy levels of exercise, and express natural behaviour. If you don't have a flight aviary, you can give your birds several hours outside their enclosure each day for exercise and exploration.

Birds are happier and more relaxed when away from loud noises, sudden movements, and predators, as they are prey animals.

Enrichment makes life more fun for birds

Making sure that the birds environment is interesting and varied will make their lives more enjoyable. Look to offer numerous toys, foraging opportunities, and consistent interaction (talking, training) to keep your bird's life interesting. 

It is important to change things in their environment often - whether it is offering a new toy or just moving the ones they currently have around the cage, this can help with your birds confidence. In their natural world they would be seeing changes every minute, so it is very important to make small changes regularly.

We can add variety just by changing the way we offer seed – if you normally feed in a hanging or clip feeder to the side of the cage, try ground feeding sometimes, and vice versa. For example you can mix pellets or seeds with wooden blocks, corks, shredded paper, so the birds fossick through the bowl to find their food. 

Other ways to add variety include offering a varied diet, moving perches around, and offering new objects for them to play and interact with. Even changing where perches are placed makes a big difference to how your birds may spend their day. 

The range of toys available for birds is pretty amazing these days - from chew rings and loofahs to swings, balls, bells, blocks and spinning bird toys. Get some inspiration here and make sure to offer new bird toys regularly to spice up your birds' imagination. It is also important to check toys regularly, making sure nothing's broken or chewed through.

Just change things slowly, one thing each time so they get used to this happening.

Perches are very important

Check out our large range of swings, ladders and perches for birds who live inside. Birds need perches for exercise, comfort and natural behaviour, and foot health, but they benefit most from having a variety of different perches in natural non-toxic materials, with different diameters, and textures.

A good setup for your bird's aviary will include multiple perches at different heights and angles, using natural branches, ropes, and perhaps a cement or sand perch for beak maintenance. Perches can be placed strategically away from your birds' food and water to encourage movement and climbing, and to prevent contamination.

Company for pet birds

Most species of birds are highly social and live in groups or at least pairs, so keeping pet birds in groups or pairs of compatible species is best. Pet birds also often enjoy their human's company too, so think of ways to spend time with them and create shared activities.

Bathing, Cleaning and Sanitising

Your bird's cage should always be kept clean and hygienic. It's best to clean and disinfect food and water dishes, change cage paper, spot clean the cage, and replace food daily. You can find a range of hygiene products here for your birds.

As well as keeping the bird cage and perches clean, your birds may love to bathe in a container of water or with a sprinkler (depending on the species).

Cuttlefish and Grit 

Birds who eat seeds do need grit, and birds who are nectar eater eg Lorikeets do not (check with our team if you're at all unsure as it is important to get right!). Cuttlefish is a natural source of calcium and minerals ideal for bone and egg health and helps with beak conditioning. Birds often enjoy cuttlefish as mental enrichment too - it's great for overall bird wellness. 

Browse supplies for Bird Health here.

Foot health is key for all birds

Remember to check your bird's feet regularly. If you do find any build up, try and remove it - if it's hard, try soaking their feet in a little lukewarm water for a short time while holding on to them gently but securely.

It's a great idea to have a verity of types of bird perches, as this will help keep all their toes moving and helps file down their claws - view our swings and perches range.

Nesting supplies for aviary birds

Make sure your birds have good nesting sites with suitable nesting material if they are breeding. Browse quality nesting supplies for your birds with our collection of nests, nesting boxes, nesting material and nest liners.

Bird Feed and Bird Seed

We created a simple way to find the ideal bird food best suited to your breed of bird. This easy to use categorization helps you find the best bird nutrition for your feathered friend. 

Caring for birds is our passion so if you have any questions at all about what is best for your birds, we would love to chat - give us a call, drop a line or pop in to the Silverdale store!