"STUFF" or What a bird needs
Many (many) years ago, I remember playing in the atrium of my grandmother's home. It was one of those houses built around a central courtyard - open to the sky, with a cement floor. She had planted a multitude of pots all over the place. Trees, bushes, plants - kind of like a mini tropical rainforest - at least to a kid under three feet tall! On the top, was a partial plastic roof and wire covering the rest of the opening.
Inside, were all kinds of cockatiels and canaries. Free flying; sitting in the trees; enjoying the sunshine or the rain. Maybe that's why I love Hawaii and the tropical atmosphe...I don't know, but it was one of my first memories of my exposures to birds.
Why am I telling you this??? I guess it's because I was reading an article recently in one of those bird magazines and it was citing this never-ending list of all of the things that a new bird owner needs to have before bringing their new friend home. All I could think of was how happy and healthy my grandmother's birds all seemed to be without any air filters or special full-spectrum lighting...
It got me thinking - and it reinforced my continuing belief that what a bird really needs is not all of the "stuff" that the magazine advertisers and bird supply stores try to convince you to buy. Oh, don't get me wrong ---I've seen some amazing bird set-ups! Everything from full rooms with filtered-water waterfalls, incredible phony bird bluffs full of manu vitamin rocks, massive Manzanita trees/swings/perches and everything else money can buy... I wish I had the extra money to throw away on such 'necessities'! But, in reality, what a bird needs is safety - a good cage; security - a steady, healthy flow of food and water; love - you, your time, your interaction and a place (playgym/arm) to be with you and experience your love...If you can provide these things to your new friend, you really don't need all of the other "stuff"... If you really LOVE your bird, it will thrive!
CAGE SIZE RECOMMENDATIONS
Any bird lover will tell you that providing the biggest cage you can is always the best choice (the only exception is for birds that you are trying to breed). When in doubt, here are a few recommendations:
Small birds like budgies, canaries, cockatiels and lovebirds - 24 inches by 24 inches
Small to Medium birds like Meyer's, Senegals, and conures - 30 inches by 30 inches
Medium to Large birds like Greys, Eclectus, Pionus and Amazons - 34 inches by 34 inches
Large birds like Cockatoos - 48 inches by 32 inches
Extra Large birds and those with very long tails like Macaws - 48 inches by 32 inches and at least 60 inches tall
SURVIVE vs THRIVE
Ok, now that you have the basics covered for your new friend, what do you need to know to really improve your baby's life...Survive versus thrive...
As I already said (so many times), the first thing your new friend will need to thrive is you. Your time, your interaction, your love but we're going to assume it already has that, after all, that is why you have opened up your life to include this new baby. So what more should you know to make its life truly worth living?
When it comes to extras, the first thing I would recommend would be to spend your money on a good playgym. These come in many varieties - Manzanita, PVC, metal, flat, circular, tabletop, floor standing - all have their place, but some seem to work better (for me anyway) than others.
The first thing I always look at is its height. When training a young bird I always want to remember that dominance is a factor. I never want a young/untrained bird to perch at a height above my eye level. Putting the bird higher than your face gives it a sense of dominance that complicates any training you might want to do. So, I always recommend finding a playgym that puts the head of your bird at about the level of the chest of the shortest handler in your household.
I look at the tray and base next. Be careful to choose a playgym that is sturdy enough to sit solidly regardless of how active your bird might get. You don't want the bird to become afraid of its gym because it wobbles or rolls while it is playing. I also consider how large the tray is and how easy it is to clean. My birds have always really relished playing with their toys, food and feathers while sitting on their playgyms. This means the floor can get very messy! The bigger the tray, the less house cleaning I have to do each day and believe me, I'm not the type to like wasting any time cleaning when I can waste it in so many other ways!
It's always nice to have some way to attach toys to the playgym for the bird to play with. I have become very inventive in making things to add toys to any playgym. You, too, will probably become very creative so this is a lower priority but give some consideration to it before you purchase.
Next come the toys. Depending on the type of bird you have, different types of toys entertain better than others. I have never found a bird that didn't like a bell. So, I always have at least one toy that has a good, sturdy, noisy bell attached. These toys get a lot of attention, so I like them on the playgym rather than in the cage. That way, when my birds go back into their cages, I don't have to listen to the band play while I am trying to sleep.
I like to have a lot of toys around so that I can change them often and give the birds new challenges and things to think about. If you choose toys that can be used by all of your birds, then you can sterilize them between uses and trade them between playgyms and cages. If you are crafty, you can even make your own toys to keep your expenses low.
The only toy that I am very cautious about is anything with a rope or string. Even those climbing stiff ropes can start to shred and catch sharp toenails, broken feathers and other fragile little parts. Be sure to check these often to make sure that you aren't presenting a health hazard into your bird's life.
Toys come in many forms.
Sound toys - like the bells, rattles, the new ones with musical tones, squeakers and banging toys. Most birds like to make noise, but be careful not to scare a timid bird with these.
Toys that are designed to be destroyed make a good choice for birds that really like to chew. Wood, paper and cardboard parts offer your bird the chance to rip and shred to its heart content without toxic or choking hazards. These are especially liked by birds entering into puberty when the urge to nest starts to affect their happiness. Sometimes these can really help to give a bird that might otherwise pluck its own feathers something to do besides mutilate themselves.
Exercise toys help to strengthen a bird's muscle tone and keep a bird physically healthy. This type of toy, however, needs more room to enable the bird to swing, sway, bounce and flap. Make sure that your bird has plenty of room to enjoy these toys.
Mind challenging toys that peak a bird's creativity can keep a bird from getting bored. Toys that require a bird to find a treat or solve a puzzle can entertain a bird for long periods of time.
Interactive toys require a bird to act. They include mirrors, sleep/snuggle tents, preenable/grooming toys and ones that can be picked on. These are particularly useful for insecure and lonesome birds but check them often to make sure that they have not become hazardous through use.
Another thing that makes a huge difference between surviving and thriving is diet. This, however, is such an enormous topic with so many varying opinions that I cannot do it justice here. There will be separate articles to try to address this subject.
