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Housing Considerations
Pet birds maybe caged or allowed to remain on perches while the owner is home to supervise their activity. Birds should be
confined to cages while their owners are away to avoid accidental injury and other misfortune. Unsupervised pet birds allowed the run of the house often get into trouble. Not only can they be terribly
destructive to the home and its furnishings, but all homes contain objects that can be harmful (directly or indirectly) to pet birds. These include mirrors, windows, walls, house plants, electrical
cords, and items containing harmful chemicals.
Birds resting on open perches are usually content to remain there, and usually take flight only when frightened by a
sudden movement or loud noise. Unfortunately, these 'impromptu' flights are taken without a flight plan and birds usually wind up crashing into walls, doors, windows or mirrors because of their confusion
and poor depth perception.
The major source of poisoning of pet birds is lead found in curtain (drapery) weights, curtain pulls, leaded and stained
glass, fishing sinkers and ammunition carelessly discarded in ashtrays or dropped on the floor, costume jewelry, and in the lead wrapping around the tops of wine bottles, to name the most common sources.
Most caged birds. seem to have an affinity for this soft metal and love to chew on it. Poisoning results from eating even a small amount of lead. Lead poisoning can be successfully treated if diagnosed
early enough.
Caged birds allowed unrestricted freedom in the home may eat house plants or chew on electrical cords, resulting in
illness and injury. Some unsupervised pet birds chew on macramé, carpet and other similar fabrics and often swallow these materials, resulting in crop and intestinal impactions Free flying birds are also
more vulnerable to injury from ceiling fans, hot stoves, and attack by pet dogs, cats and ferrets sharing the same household. It is wise not to underestimate the aggressiveness of our 4-legged friends,
and to restrict contact between them and pet birds as much as possible.
Birds allowed unrestricted freedom and flight within the home may escape through open doors and windows Most bird owners
have the mistaken notion that their bird would never fly away and leave them. Unfortunately, birds that have escaped the owner's home easily become disoriented when outdoors. This confusion makes return
or capture of the escaped bird very unlikely.
The location of the cage and/or perch in the home is important Some birds thrive in areas of heavy traffic, where they
receive lots of attention and are part of all of the "goings on." Others seem to prefer more privacy and solitude. A pet bird should never
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be kept in the kitchen. In addition to the obvious gas fumes and occasional smoke from cooking food, there is another,
much more dangerous, threat to birds in the kitchen. Super-heated Teflon and related brand-name non-stick pan coatings emit fumes that are deadly to all birds. This 'accident' happens most often when
someone inadvertently leaves a pan, coated with a non-stick surface, on a lighted gas or electric range burner. The pan becomes hot and the non-stick coating overheats, emitting toxic fumes. Birds that
inhale these fumes die quickly.
There are several other considerations when allowing birds unrestricted freedom and flight within the home. Birds flying
about may end up in the toilet bowl or in an uncovered pot or pan cooking on the stove. Free-flying birds tend to assume a more dominant posture in their relationship with people, and often become
intolerably aggressive.
Wing Trimming
To be safe, all caged birds should have their wing feathers trimmed. The decision to deny a caged bird free, unrestricted
flight (as in the wild) is subconsciously made by each bird owner at the time the bird is made a captive pet in the home. Wing trimming merely makes this confinement safer for the bird.
Flight feathers of both wings should be trimmed. If the bird takes flight for any reason, its descent to the floor is
balanced and relatively controlled. Trimming the feathers on only 1 wing results in a precarious and unbalanced descent to the floor, often injuring the bird. Another disadvantage is that many birds with
only 1 wing trimmed can fly as soon as 1-2 flight feathers have grown out on the trimmed side.
Some bird owners prefer not to trim the wings of their smaller caged birds (parakeets, cockatiels) because their flying
brings the owner great enjoyment. These small caged birds have a smaller turning radius in flight than the larger ones. Consequently, the smaller birds can usually safely fly about most homes and
apartments. One other advantage of not trimming the wings of these small birds is that it allows them to escape when in danger and threatened by any pet cats, ferrets or dogs in the home. However,
generally it is best to keep your pet bird's wings trimmed at all times, except for the specific circumstances detailed above.
Trimming the wings is like trimming your fingernails. If performed properly, the bird will experience no bleeding or
discomfort Trimming the wings makes taming the bird easier and usually shortens the time for taming. Further, this procedure changes the bird's appearance very little. Have an experienced veterinarian or
veterinary technician perform this task and teach you how to properly do it.
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