Pet bird

A regular bath, shower, spritz, or slide in plain, fresh water can boost both your pet bird’s mental and physical health. Plus, it’s just fun! But how, exactly, do you give a bird a bath?   All pet birds are individuals, so one parrot might appreciate a bath while another favors a shower. Some birds might not want to bathe at all, and this is perfectly OK. Here’s what to know about bathing your pet bird. 

Whether you have a budgie, parrot, lovebirds or other type of bird, these common plants are safe to include in their cage.,Jump to section The 10 Best Plants for Your Bird’s Cage Other Bird-Safe Plants Poisonous Plants for Birds 6 Safety Tips for Birds and Plants

I turned to Donna Muscarella, Ph.D. at the Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology of Cornell University’s Veterinary Medical Center for help with this question. Her response provided a wealth of information, as did those of her colleagues, Dr. Noah Abou-Madi and Dr. James Morrisey.,Q.

Most parrots naturally come from tropical, humid climates and when kept indoors as pets the heating and cooling to control indoor climate dries the air. Your bird? nasal passages are then dried, which, in most cases, causes sneezing.

Blood travels within blood vessels that are either characterized as arteries that carry blood away from the heart, or as vessels that transport blood toward the heart, which are called veins.,Blood. Bleeding. Blood loss. These are words that can inspire fear in pet bird owners, especially those of us who share our homes with some of the smaller parrots and passerines. Perhaps you have heard that the loss of one drop of blood from a small pet bird can be life-threatening. Is that true? Let’s have a look at blood and blood loss to learn more about this mysterious red liquid life-force.

The codes on leg bands can tell a lot about the birds wearing them. Some codes indicate species or owner information. Some are issued by bird clubs and organizations. And other codes are issued by the government to determine whether the bird has been cleared of disease. So, which codes are which?

The avian heart is an amazing organ. Because birds are so athletic, they have relatively bigger hearts than that found in mammals. (Anyone who has shared a home with a bird knows about their big hearts!) Not only is the heart bigger in birds, but it also beats a lot faster, relatively. For example the cardiac output (the blood flow out of the heart) is about seven times greater in a flying budgerigar (parakeet) than in a person or dog at maximum exercise level! Birds also must have a higher blood pressure than mammals to go along with that increased blood flow from the heart. Anatomically, birds have four chambers to the heart, which is the same amount as mammals. They are: right and left atrium, and right and left ventricle. You don’t hear much about birds and heart disease, but it does occur, although not as often as it occurs in mammals. Do birds get heart attacks? Well, that’s a complex question. Birds have an excellent blood supply to their heart muscle, as would be expected with an athletic animal. A heart attack occurs when, over time, the blood vessels that supply the blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscles become obstructed to the point that the muscle cells begin dying. The most common reason for obstruction to the heart’s blood vessels is from atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of plaques inside the blood vessels. This seems to occur most often in African grey parrots but can occur in any parrot species. In people, it was discovered that there were Chlamydophila organisms (the primitive bacteria responsible for psittacosis) under some plaques in the blood vessels. This is an interesting discovery, and one that I have not heard diagnosed in birds, but one that warrants further study, since the connection between birds and psittacosis is well-known. Other heart conditions are more common in older birds, including congestive heart failure. This occurs when the heart no longer acts as an effective pump, and the blood supply to the kidneys is often compromised. In some cases, there is fluid in the sac around the heart itself, preventing it from pumping optimally. In other cases, the heart may become too muscular or too flabby, with both conditions causing ineffectual pumping. If the right side ventricle fails (or both ventricles are failing), then usually there is an enlarged liver, fluid found in the body tissues (called edema) and also excessive fluid in the body cavity. If the left ventricle fails, there is usually excess fluid in the lung tissue. When performing a physical exam on a pet bird, your avian veterinarian will auscult (listen to with a stethoscope) to the heart, lungs and air sacs of your bird. The heart rate and rhythm will be evaluated. Most birds have a really fast heart rate, and it is easier to evaluate when under anesthesia, as the rate often slows down. Some birds have an arrhythmia, meaning that the heart rhythm isn’t always the same, and may speed up or slow down based on breathing or for other reasons. Some birds may have a heart murmur, which means that there is abnormal blood flow in the heart and through one or more of the valves. This in itself doesn’t mean that the bird had a problem, but those identified with a heart murmur should be followed more closely and undergo a cardiac work-up either before a problem occurs or if signs of a heart problem begin to show up. A cardiac work-up includes baseline blood tests, radiographs to evaluate the heart, lungs, air sacs, liver and other internal organs, and perhaps an echocardiogram or electrocardiogram or special dye studies of the heart and blood vessels. I also suggest testing for Chlamydophila, although testing is never 100 percent in a live bird. Older birds, overweight birds and perhaps inbred birds are more likely to develop heart disease. I have seen a few cases of congenital or developmental heart disease, as well.

Grass parakeets are quiet and unobtrusive by nature. In the wild they are so calm that they will let people get close to them when feeding. This trusting nature combined with their natural curiosity leads even non-handled breeding pairs to become friendly. As pets, they are quiet and are ideal birds for apartments. Their tiny beaks do little damage, unless they are housed in a planted aviary. Then, like little feathered termites, they will chew the greenery, reducing it to a bunch of sticks. Grass parakeets are happiest when kept as a single pair in a large flight cage or housed in a large community aviary with other peace-loving small birds, where they are just fantastic to observe. Compared to other pet birds, grass parakeets are a bit fragile and need special care to live their full life span of about 10 years.,1. Why Are They Called Grass “Keets”?

In general, parrots tend to live longer in captivity than they would in the wild, says Dr. Scagnelli. This makes sense because our pampered house pets don’t need to forage for food, worry about predation, and they have access to regular veterinary care. Pet birds can sometimes live so long that they’re “willed” to family members or close friends, says Melanie Allen, avian product specialist for the Hagen Avicultural Research Institute (HARI®) and The Hagen Group®. There are differences in lifespans among pet parrots too. Notably, larger parrots tend to live longer than smaller parrots. The slower metabolism of bigger birds likely plays the biggest role, Dr. Scagnelli explains.,Jump to section Why Do Some Parrots Live Longer Than Others? Parrot Lifespan by Size The Life Stages of Parrots How To Improve Your Parrot’s Life Expectancy Parrot Lifespan FAQs

Families looking for a bird as a pet bird may come across conures when doing their research. With more than 100 different species and subspecies of conures, parents and children can easily be overwhelmed by all the conures they can choose from. Conures make great family pets, in short, because: They adapt easily. There are many types of conures that are ideal for first or experienced bird owners. Conures are reasonably priced and easily obtainable. You can adopt too! Conures are great in groups or alone. Conures’ cages don’t take up as much space. Let’s explore those reasons some more.