If you have a bird as a pet, you will understand their joy and companionship. It is important that you take care of your birds and treat them in a way that allows them to live happy and healthy lives. While birds are relatively low-maintenance pets, this does not mean they should be left to their own devices.
Here are 5 useful tips to keep your birds healthy and happy.
1. Spend Quality Time With Your Birds
Any pet that you have requires a certain amount of quality time and bonding with its owner. Birds love socializing with their humans and if they do not get enough time with you this can lead to a decline in their mental and physical wellbeing. Birds who are neglected may display destructive behaviors such as feather picking which can be extremely upsetting for your bird and any other birds that you may have in the same cage. Avoiding this is very easy, and all it takes is to spend a bit of time each day with your birds to fulfill their needs. You don’t have to spend hours on end with your birds but at least an hour or so a day will make a huge difference to their happiness. If you find it difficult to provide your bird with the social time it needs then you should consider getting them a companion, so that they have another bird to play with.
2. Feed Them A Well-Rounded Diet
One of the most important factors in a bird’s health is its diet and a fresh, well-rounded diet is crucial for a happy and healthy bird. Try mixing up the diet and using dried mealworms for birds to keep interesting and tasty. Alongside this, experts have recommended feeding your birds lots of fresh fruit and vegetables combined with your classic pellet and seed mixes. The reason why it is good to use fresh food in your bird’s diet is that it ensures that they are getting the necessary nutrients and vitamins they need for a healthy lifestyle. Also, providing them with various foods exposes your birds to new flavors that keep them happy and mentally stimulated. Another thing you need to do is make sure your bird has a full water bowl.
3. Give Them Regular Exercise
This point might sound silly but believe it or not your birds do need exercise to stay happy and healthy. Birds in the wild are used to flying around and foraging for their food but birds in cages do not get this opportunity for exercise. So, it is your responsibility to make sure your bird is getting the exercise they need. Not only is this important for their physical health but it is also important for their mental wellbeing too. A bird that feels cooped up will become very stressed out and unhappy, similar to humans. If you are unsure of how to encourage your bird to exercise try filling their cages with physically stimulating toys such as ropes and ladders. Also, allow your bird plenty of time to play and be free outside of their cage. Their desire to fly around and explore will get them moving.
4. Stimulate Their Minds
This post has already covered a few ways how you can stimulate your bird’s minds and typically this will involve playtime, access to toys, a varied diet, and enough time outside of the cage. If you can do a mix of all of these things then you will have a very happy bird on your hands.
5. Build Them A Comfortable Cage
The final piece of the puzzle is making sure that your bird has a comfortable cage. Make sure you have an appropriately sized cage with plenty of room for toys, perches, and other accessories to keep your bird entertained. This is important because realistically you are not going to be able to be at home with your bird all the time, so you want them to have a happy environment when you are gone. It is worth noting that your birds will get bored of toys quickly and so it is best to change up the toys every now and again otherwise they won’t engage in play. Avoid the temptation of overfilling the cage with toys because it might seem like a good idea to keep them busy. It can also make them feel constrained and claustrophobic.
If you own a pet bird, you should take these 5 tips seriously as they can mean very little to you, but they can mean everything to your bird.
