|
The single most important goal you should have as a
responsible parrot owner is to ensure that your bird lives a long, happy and healthy
life. The first step to take is to educate
yourself and your family about all aspects of bird care. Hopefully, by
exploring the info provided in the AvianEnrichment
site, you will have a sound overview of the many key physical, emotional and
instinctual needs of parrots and how best to address them. Regarding bird's physical health, the basic areas you must
address include:
-
Providing a well balanced,
nutritious diet is the primary key to ensuring
optimal health.
-
Give your bird opportunities for
exercise.
-
Develop a knowledge of potential safety
hazards in your household (teflon, plants, cleaning supplies, foods) and take
preventative measures to avoid accidents.
-
Eliminate/reduce sources of
stress for your bird.
-
Allow your bird to get adequate
sleep.
-
Maintain a clean cage environment to
prevent bacterial and fungal infections
-
Observe your bird and determine what is a
normal daily routine for your bird. Early detection of health problems
(Signs of a Sick Bird) will be key to the
successful treatment and recovery of your bird in the event of illness.
-
Develop a relationship with an avian vet
so that s/he is familiar with your bird should an emergency occur. Have your vet perform annual checkups on
each of your birds.
-
Be prepared in the event of an emergency.
Know where to find an avian vet,
develop a
knowledge of basic first aid
and have an
avian first aid kit on hand.
-
Monitor your bird's weight weekly using a
scale with a built-in perch. It is very difficult to detect weight loss
without the use of a scale due to a bird's feather coat.
-
Always quarantine new birds before introducing
them to the rest of your flock.
 Print
Version
|
|
