Clinique Vétérinaire Lasalle

The cage should be big enough for your bird. It should be put in a calm area of the house (but not in the kitchen) and away from drafts.

Perches should be easy to clean. Choose perches of various diameters. Do not put sandpaper on the perches or in the bottom of his cage since this could hurt your bird’s feet. You can line the cage with white paper, newspaper or paper towels but must change this daily. Take advantage of this daily routine to check if your bird’s stools are normal.

Your bird will require exercise. If you let him out of his cage, make sure that all doors and windows are closed. It is also a good idea to close all drapes to avoid your bird hitting himself in the window panes. Be very careful when you let your bird loose in the house; he could hurt himself on ceiling fans or even burn himself seriously on the stove. If you do not wish to let him out often, you can always add more toys in his cage to keep him busy.

Nutrition is very important for your bird. Complete diets exist on the market for every type of bird. These diets are in the form of granules so the bird cannot pick and choose only what he likes best, as he would in the case of a seed mix. To make it easier for him to accept such diets, it is important to introduce them to him while he is still very young. A diet based on seeds should always be supplemented with vitamins as well as various fruits and vegetables. Most birds crack open their seeds so gravel pebbles are not necessary (and could even prove harmful).

His daily diet should consist of 10% dark green leafy vegetables which are rich in vitamins. The ones that contain the most Vitamin A are: beets, broccoli, carrots, parsley, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and zucchini. Never feed your bird avocadoes since these are toxic for him. Fruit should represent 5% of your bird’s daily diet. Apricots, melons and papayas are all good choices. In addition to his food intake, calcium and vitamin supplements are necessary. We recommend PRIME powder supplements which you can sprinkle on his favourite fruit.

Your bird must have fresh water available to him at all times and this water should be changed daily.

Water and food bowls should be wider than they are deep since they make food look more attractive and more accessible.

Your participation is very important to ensure that your bird has a varied diet. Food preparation requires time and effort. However, if you leave it up to your bird, he will never choose a balanced diet.