common things to avoid.

what are the common mistakes a new bird owner should avoid?
anything, such as to do with their surroundings, and including dietary mistakes too.

are there things that most newbies tend to do due to bad advice?

at the same time what are the things a person MUST do to have a happy and healthy parrot?

First of all, kudos to you for researching it through and through. That will help you so much.

My advice would be to never feed a parrot an all-seed diet, never to feed your bird a diet that contains significant amount of food coloring, and to never feed your bird a peanut (as I mentioned in another thread, they are linked to Aspergillosis).

Examples of good, reputable brands of food mixtures would be Kaytee, Volkmann's, and Harrison's.

CLEAN, CLEAN, AND MORE CLEANING!!! Birds need to have a very clean environment! Always clean the dished, cage bottoms, perches, and toys.
Make sure they're cages are not in drafty places
Make sure they get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep everynight
Be sure to give them lots of toys and enrichment!

i actually haven't taken a good look at bird foods in the supermarket, but is it possible to get a decent mix from a supermarket?
is it better to look for one at a petshop instead?

to all the aussie members here: could you name one or two mixes that are available here, and that you recommend?

thanks.

i've read that a vinegar/water mix is fine for cleaning the cage and bowls, is this correct? what about using a little dish-washing liquid or bleach/water?
thoroughly rinsed off of course.

i've also noticed there are a plethora of bird suppliments for sale, are all these necessary?
are there certain ones that are a 'must have'?

i've read that a vinegar/water mix is fine for cleaning the cage and bowls, is this correct?

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Yes, you can do that; I actually use just straight vinegar for when I clean their bowls. The use of dishwashing soap and bleach is from what I've read, not reccomended. I have to admit to using this sometimes, just because the grime wouldn't come off with the vinegar. Basically you should only use it if you see the need, and like you mentioned; thoroughly rinsed off.

i've also noticed there are a plethora of bird suppliments for sale, are all these necessary?

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Not too many of them are, actually. I've read on several websites that an over-accumulation of supplements can actually cause problems in birds, mostly pertaining to the liver.

are there certain ones that are a 'must have'?

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Absolutely. Molting is a stressful time for birds, so stock up on some molting supplement. That can be picked up at your local avian store, pet store, and rarely; your local supermarket. This contains some very important vitamins and minrals needed to get through theis stressful time. It's also a versatile supplement, and it can be used during other stressful times (moving, etc.).

Also, stock up on cuttlebone. It's important that your bird gets enough calcium, and that he keeps his beak in good shape. And when I say stock up, I mean stock up! This stuff goes amazingly fast.

i actually haven't taken a good look at bird foods in the supermarket, but is it possible to get a decent mix from a supermarket?
is it better to look for one at a petshop instead?

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I rarely find anything good at my local supermarket. I wouldn't suggest going there to get your bird's food; rather, go to a pet store or a store specifically for birds.

I wouldn't recommend using supermarket bird feeds. They can be kinda 'suss', you just don't know where they have come from, regardless of what is written on the box. I buy what they call 'small parrot mix' from the local pet store, which is a seed blend for small parrots. I have changed to pellets, so I use this for treats now. In Australia the two most common pellet brands are Passwell and Vetafarm. Passwell are quite good if you can get your birds to eat them. My tiel has finally started taking to the Passwell crumbles, which are fairly nutritious.

For cleaning, I often use dish detergent and water, but only on things that are non absorbent like stainless steel bowls and acrylic toys, never on ropes or timber items. I always rinse VERY thoroughly. Bleach and vinegar are fine too, the most important thing no matter what you use is to make sure you rinse and dry well.

It depends a bit on your supermarket, but I've never seen anything at any grocer or supermarket that I'd even think of feeding to Auggie ... and I'm anything but a snob about his food, I've just never seen anything remotely healthy in the bird foods at such stores.

I really don't use any supplements. Start with a good quality food and you shouldn't have to worry about supplementing with anything except in special circumstances (ie recommendations of a vet due to illness).


Beware of anything with a smell. Nine times out of ten if it has any smell you can detect it could be severely dangerous for your bird. Aerosols are out, most air fresheners are out, candles are out [though I've heard that some beeswax *MAY* be safe]. Cooking fumes can be deadly ... anything in the air is bad news.

Wow I think you should get the reward for the most thorough research ever :25_coolgu

I like the look of Harrison's pellets however they are not easy to get hold of in Oz. Brisbane Bird Vet stocks it in Qld - Brisbane Bird Vet - an avian veterinary surgery exclusively for birds

what about worming, how often should that be done?

just pretending that i was bringing a bird home tomorrow, what things should i already have for the bird's arrival?

thanks.

How often should worming be done? Never ... unless they have worms!

Birds, unlike dogs, should not be on a preventative dewormer. Some of the breeders may know if its common practice to give a newly hatched bird a worm treatment - but other than that it should only be done if a vet recommends it due to the presence of worms (or worm eggs, etc).

There's a saying about an ounce of prevention - but prevention means a healthy diet and clean environment. An ounce of medication, when it is not needed, can be more dangerous than some of the things the medication is meant to get rid of.

What should you have ready? A good cage and a good (pellet) food are the bare essentials. Toys are good, but you may not want to over do it as you'll learn what kinds of toys your bird likes. Most often birds like when their owners buy the most expensive toys in the bird shop. The bird plays with the packaging and the owner throws away the expensive toy.

A variety of perches is good in the cage. By variety I mean in both size and texture/material. Natural wood is great, some stone/mineral types are good too. Rope perches are one of my favorite: every bird is different, but its the rope perches that keep Auggie's beak and nails in shape - he rubs his beak on them regularly.

Things that a parrot needs:

- comfortable and safe housing
- a varied organic diet
- fresh, clean water
- good quality full spectrum lights
- exercise
- a strict solar schedule
- medical attention
- company


Things to avoid:

- an all-seeds or an all-pellet diet
- unsafe toys, dishes, housing, etc
- medicines or supplements they don't need
- regular light bulbs
- a human light schedule
- loneliness

Lots of good information here from members. Vinegar is a good cleaner but it is not a germacide. However on that note one can hardly clean a cage and have it germ free. Bleach has too strong of an odor that sticks around. The vinegar does too but it does not hang around as long. I get my bird pellets from my vet. When I go to the phoenix landing meetings they have harrisons for sale and the lowest price i have ever seen. If you have a handraised bird I doubt you would need to worm. If it is wild caught or parents wild caught I would check with the vet. I did not worm. Like the other members I agree that food you find in the pet stores or grocery store is not adequate for our birds. They may have been on the shelf for a long time and as you should know our bird food products including pellets and seed should be stored in the refigerator. I freeze the pellets if I have extra. I also feed hemp seed oil which is kept frozen until use. So you can tell my freezer is full of bird and not much human food. For a good disinfectant I use Aviclean. It has an enzyme that makes any hard dropping wipe up easily. Thank everyone for sharing your hints for others.

Apparently, for what I have learned, bird worming is common and necessary in Australia because most breeders keep their birds outdoors.

Birdamor said:

Apparently, for what I have learned, bird worming is common and necessary in Australia because most breeders keep their birds outdoors.

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From my understanding this is true. I was at the vets a few weeks ago and I asked the question. He says its only really 'necessary' in aviary birds [which are mostly outside here], but it doesn't hurt to give it to caged birds if you want to be on the safe side. They only need 2 small dosed a year and it simply mixes with their drinking water. He gave me some, but I haven't used it yet (it smells something rotten though lol).

As for other supplements, I don't use any either unless recommended by the vet. Unless I need to, why would I want to flush more man-made chemicals through my birds body? Good amounts of fruit and veg, regular vet visits and you should have no worries