Training Your Pet Bird

Some birds can be trained to do tricks and even to talk. A well-trained bird repeats words, throws a ball into a cup, and bows its head when you clap. You can use books, Web sites, and magazines to find out how to train your bird. Remember, the most important rule is always to be gentle and patient with your bird.

Although birds are usually very healthy, sometimes they can get sick. For example, if a bird is sneezing and keeping its feathers ruffled, it may have a cold. If it is scratching itself, it may have mites. If your bird is acting different from the way it usually acts, talk to a veterinarian. Every year, usually in the summer, birds molt. This means that they shed their old feathers and grow new ones.
If your bird is molting, you do not need to worry or take it to the vet. If you keep your pet bird clean, warm, and well fed; talk to it and play with it every day; and take it to the vet if it becomes sick, you will have a healthy happy pet for a very long time!

Loving Your Pet Bird

It is very important to meet your pet bird’s physical needs. It is just as important to let your bird know that you
love it and that it can trust you. Birds can become sick from stress. This usually happens when a bird is a new pet. Your bird must adjust to its new surroundings and get to know you.

Your bird needs quiet time when you first bring it home. Do not try to pet or handle your bird right away. Keep your bird in its cage. Don’t let it fly around the house for the first few weeks. Your bird needs to relax and get used to its new home.Speak gently and quietly to your bird. Do not make any loud, sudden noises that will frighten it.
Like their owners, birds have feelings. Most birds are very smart and have good
memories. If they are treated badly, they will remember it and start to behave badly.
Always be gentle and kind to your pet bird. Never hit it or yell at it. Hitting or yelling will scare your bird. It may even try to bite you. Some people think it’s cute to dress
their pet birds in doll clothes. This is not a good idea. It will confuse your bird and
may make it feel foolish.
Birds can also get lonely. In the wild, most birds live in flocks with many other birds. If you have a lot of time to give to your bird, it will be happy living alone in its cage. If you are gone most of the day, it may be a good idea to get more than one bird. But first make sure that your bird will get along well with another bird.

Keeping Your Pet Bird Warm

It is important to keep your bird warm. Most birds are from warm climates and don’t like cold. This is especially important when you first bring your bird home. For the first few days, try to keep the room where your bird is kept slightly warmer than usual. Make sure there are no cold drafts near the cage so that your bird will not get chilly.
It is also important that your bird gets sunlight. But never put it in hot, direct sunlight for a long time. Birds can become overheated easily. A good solution may be to get a special light, called a full-spectrum bird light. This light is good for your bird, but it is not dangerous.At night you should cover your bird’s cage with a sheet or a towel. Your bird should have ten to twelve hours of total quiet and darkness each day.

Taking Care of Your Pet Bird

Your bird should have fresh water every day. You should also change the newspaper at the bottom of its cage every day. The cage must be kept clean, so the bird can stay healthy. Some birds like to take baths. You can put a shallow dish of water in the cage every week. Remove the dish when the bird is finished bathing. Your bird should also have a dish of grit in its cage. Grit is small stones that a bird uses to grind its food, since it does not have teeth. It is also a good idea to attach a piece of mineral block to the side of the cage. Your bird needs minerals, such as calcium. It can get these from pecking the mineral block.

Feeding Your Pet Bird

 Before you bring home a pet bird, you will need to know the right kind of food to feed it. Your veterinarian or pet store owner can help you find the exact kind of food to feed your particular bird. They can also help you find the right recipe to make your own bird food.Most pet birds like the challenge of finding food. Birds are naturally curious creatures. Give them different treats, such as apples, carrots, and corn. Place the treats in different parts of the cage so your pet can hunt for them.

Choosing a Pet Bird

Many birds were once brought from foreign countries. Today, it is illegal to bring birds from many countries. Taking wild birds out of their natural habitat can make them become endangered. You should buy only birds that are bred and raised here in the United States.Some types of finches also make good pets. Many people keep chirpy zebra finches as pets.


They are very small birds with orange feet and bright red beaks.Zebra finches should be kept in pairs so that they won’t get lonely.Canaries are another popular pet. The male canary has a lovely singing voice. Although canaries come in many colors,the most common canary color is bright yellow. Unlike zebra finches, canaries like to live alone.Before you bring your pet bird home,you need to have a place for it to live. You need to get a cage. The cage should be large enough so that the bird can hold on to the bars and easily flap its wings. Cages with a rectangular shape are best. The bars should be spaced so that the bird can’t poke its head between them.

Your bird should have several different perches in its cage. This will allow the bird to stretch and change positions on perches of different sizes and shapes.Remember, your bird will stand on its perches twenty-four hours a day.For your bird’s comfort, be sure that the perch is neither too narrow nor too wide. The perch is the right size if your bird’s toes just barely go around it. The perch should be made from edible wood so that your bird can chew on it. Some birds need to chew on things so that the upper parts of their beaks do not grow too long.Your bird also needs toys. Playing with toys gives birds exercise, as well as something to chew on.


Many birds like bells, mirrors, light balls, rings, and swings. All bird toys should be safe to chew on. Your bird’s toys should hang from chains, not from string. String can get tangled around your bird’s feet or neck.