by Susan S. Flaherty

Created on: June 12, 2009   Last Updated: June 13, 2009

You have a new bird and he (or she) is so cute! You want to play with it and pamper it so that it becomes your cuddly and amusing best feathered friend. You want to make sure your new friend is healthy and happy. Nothing is too good for your bird!

Go ahead and let yourself walk down the pet store aisles, ooing and ahhing over every cute perch and calcium-rich cuttle bone. Then, remember that there are must-have and nice-to-have items. Consider the following tips from someone who has a cabinet full of items that were either rejected by various parakeets, cockatiels and pigeons through the years, or that simply didn't make sense to either me or the birds when I got them home.

Tips on the Must-Haves

A Comfortable Cage

The cage should be large enough for the bird to move about. One rule of thumb states that the cage should be three times as long as your bird (from beak to tail-tip), twice as wide as your bird, and two to three times as high. Volume is more important than shape, so you can eyeball the dimensions, but make sure your bird can at least turn around easily. Two birds can live in a cage one and one half times as large. If in doubt and you can spare the room, your bird will appreciate the larger cage.

Cages with pans that slip in and out are far easier to clean, which you should do every day, if possible. A newspaper liner works well. Bars should be no further apart than half of the width of your birds head so your feathered friend is not tempted to try to make an escape.

Plastic cages are lighter and are especially helpful if you will be moving the cage frequently. Metal cages are generally more attractive and show less wear, although some finishes will rust more easily than others.

Birds can be a bit messy, varying widely by species and temperament. They tend to be messy creatures: seeds and small flakes of skin and feathers everywhere, and of course, poop. Shields that rise two to three inches around the bottom and up the sides of the cage do help. I find hard plastic easier to use than the disposable plastic netting.

Most importantly, keep your bird's cage clean. Replace the tray liner every day and once a week, wipe the bottom with a wet sponge, and every month or so, give the entire cage a good washing with mild soap and water.

Good Food

Pet birds should have access to food at all times. (The exceptions to this rule are birds that fly freely whom you need to be able to call in. But that's a whole other article)

Seed mixes available

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