Home Safety for
Pet Birds
by Robyn Ashton
No matter how careful we are there always seems to
be something that is dangerous to our birds, especially if they have free
run of the house. It is important to minimise the possibility of
accidents as much as we can to ensure that our pet birds live long and
happy lives.
I am sure that over the years many pet birds have
mysteriously died without the true cause ever being ascertained. I have
compiled a list of some of the dangers that can befall pet birds. If
anyone has any others to add to this list, I would be happy to include
them in a future edition of the journal.
OTHER PETS IN THE HOUSEHOLD
Let's
get this one out of the way first. Although it seems an obvious thing to
be careful with your bird when they are around cats, dogs or other more
bizarre pets you may wish to keep, I think what often happens is that
people become a bit complacent. It can only take just a split second for
the unthinkable to happen, with either the bird being where it shouldn't
be or the cat or dog turning up unexpectedly. The only way to ensure this
doesn't occur is with set rules for all family members about supervision
of all pets.
HEAVY METAL POISONING
We, as breeders, all know about the dangers of heavy metal poisoning in
an aviary situation, but pet owners can have just as much problem inside
the house. In older-style houses the paint could still contain lead, and
if the bird chews any flaking paint, lead poisoning will occur. Another
very common source of lead poisoning in pet birds is from the lead
weights in curtains. Leadlight windows are also a place in the home where
an inquisitive little bird can come to grief. Fishing tackle not only
contains dangerous hooks that could do harm, but lead sinkers are lethal.
Every household is different. You need to have a good look around and
check if your house contains anything likely to cause heavy metal
poisoning.
PLANTS
Birds love to chew plants. This is an undeniable fact. The trouble is,
many of our indoor plants are toxic to our pet birds. Check with your
local nursery if you are not sure, but as a general rule anything with a
milky sap can be dangerous not only to birds but to small children as
well. If you can't bring yourself to remove all your plants, at least put
them in a part of the house your bird doesn't have access to.
THE KITCHEN
Now, I personally don't think a pet bird should ever be allowed to be in
a kitchen whilst food is being cooked, ovens are on, hot water is in
sinks, boiling water is on hotplates or any other activity where hot
surfaces are exposed to your bird. Over the years I have lost count of
how many horrifying stories I have been told of pet birds flying into hot
fry pans or boiling water, only to suffer terrible burns. The best place
for your bird while cooking is in progress is in a cage, safe and sound.
CHEMICALS & SPRAYS
There are so many cleaning products and insect sprays on the market these
days, containing goodness knows what, that can do harm to your pet birds.
When you purchase these types of products read the label, and if it
sounds too toxic, don't buy it. Instead, choose something that is made
from natural products, e.g. fly sprays made from natural pyrethrum. If
you do use any of the stronger, more dangerous preparations, keep them
well away from where your bird may go. Never spray anything near your
bird's food and water dishes. If in doubt, throw it out.
FUMES
Fumes can be also harm your bird. Teflon pans can give off toxic fumes if
left unattended on a hot stove. Strong paint fumes could be a problem if
there is little ventilation. The best idea would be to move the bird to a
different place until paint fumes have dispersed. Fumes from a welder can
also be fatal.
ELECTRICAL CORDS & WIRES
Once again our intrepid little chewers will no doubt find something to
chew that they shouldn't. Be aware of what they're up to if they have
been behind the stereo or TV for too long. It's the old story if they are
too quiet chances are they are up to mischief. I once had a pet Cockatoo
who managed to reach out quite a distance from his cage and pull a lamp
cord through the bars and start chewing on it. The first I knew of it was
when I heard a very loud bang and I looked to see my Cockatoo sitting on
his perch looking a bit stunned with black soot all over his face
repeating to himself "Bad Boy, Bad Boy!"
Luckily that incident had a happy ending but it
made me very aware of exactly where all the power cords were.
POOR-QUALITY SEED
Just recently we have seen the nationwide recall of a generic brand of
seed from one of the major supermarkets chains. Thankfully the pet bird
owner is becoming more aware of the fact that all seed mixes are not
alike, and of the need to provide their pet with a top quality seed mix
if they want to have a happy and healthy pet bird for a long time. Our
association with Bird Munchies to develop their "Cockatiel Blend Seed
Mix" is going a long way toward educating pet owners, not only on the
care of their pet Cockatiel but also on the benefits of a good clean seed
mix with the right combinations of the suitable seeds especially for
Cockatiels.
SMALL CHILDREN
Small children and pet birds don't always go together. I am sure some
"littlies" are just great but there are others who may hold on a bit too
hard to a fragile little bird and cause quite a bit of damage. This can
especially become a problem with visiting children who perhaps are not
used to birds. Once again the best place for birdie to be at this time is
safe and sound in a cage.
NIGHT FRIGHTS
Many pet cockatiels suffer from night frights, although most of the time
pet owners don't even realise it. I have had many calls where people have
told me that their bird is mutilating itself. After further questioning I
usually find out that they have never actually seen the bird hurting
itself and, yes, when they noticed the bird bleeding it was first thing
in the morning.
The part of the birds' body that is injured usually
confirms that a night fright has occurred. Most birds that have
experienced a night fright will thrash around wildly in their cage,
causing trauma to the front edges of their wings. If your pet bird does
experience night frights, the best thing to do is to leave a low night
light on so that when he does get a fright,
he can see where he is and not do too much damage to himself. Our pet
cockatiel, Nigel, sometimes has night frights, but I usually hear him and
I get up and go and turn a light on for him.
TOILET BOWLS
If your pet bird was to fall into the toilet bowl, chances are he would
not be able to get out and could drown if you did not realise where he
was. There is an easy solution to this one. Keep the lid down!
OPEN WINDOWS & DOORS
Another obvious one but often not realised until too late. For all the
hazards around the home, there are a whole lot more once your pet bird
flies off into the wild blue yonder. Once again, when visitors are in the
house it can be (potentially) a very dangerous time. Normal routine tends
to go out the window (as can your unclipped bird) when you have extra
people in the house, so take extra care that if your bird is out of the
cage, everyone in the house is aware of the fact and takes necessary
precautions to ensure doors and windows are closed.
CEILING FANS
This is a biggie. In the battle of bird against ceiling fan, bird rarely
wins. Never, never, never have a bird out of its cage when a ceiling fan
is on anywhere in the house. One member of our club has a pet who was
saved by the expertise of an avian veterinarian, but not until after
delicate surgery, including a beak rebuild. "Billy" was lucky. Many often
aren't.
SUMMARY
I hope I haven't made pet ownership sound too exhausting, but it stands
to reason that forewarned is forearmed. A little bit of good old common
sense goes a long way, and don't wait until something goes wrong to think
about possible hazards around the home. In the event that your pet bird
does sustain an injury or appears unwell, don't delay in seeking advice
from your avian vet.
Generally speaking, once a bird is showing signs of
being unwell it is usually quite ill, as the bird's natural survival
instinct will allow it to mask initial signs of illness in an effort to
avoid becoming prey.
Back to top
Rainy Days and Mondays
by Robyn Ashton
Rainy
weather brings with it a whole lot of different responsibilities you need
to look at with your birds. It is especially difficult to get used to
when there hasn't been much rain in your area for a while. But here in
south-east Queensland we have just had the wettest summer for many years.
I think most of us had forgotten what really heavy, constant rain was
like. While it is great for the garden I think most bird keepers would
rather see sunny skies any day.
Wet weather is when you really count your blessings
if you have suspended aviaries. They alleviate a lot of work you might
otherwise have, cleaning up wet floors. As long as your roof and walls
don't let water in, the worst thing that can happen in a suspended aviary
is that if the rain is blowing on a bit of an angle your seed may get
wet.
It is very important to check the seed whenever
there has been rain. The seed bowl or feeder may not necessarily look
like it has gotten wet, but it still could be. You really need to make
sure by taking it out ,having a good look and putting your hand down to
the bottom of the container to check for moisture. If the seed is damp or
wet THROW IT OUT. Dry off the container and refill it with fresh seed. If
you think more rain is around, don't fill the feeder up to full capacity,
so that if it happens again you won't have as much waste. Obviously, in
that case, you will have to top up more frequently than when you fill the
feeder to capacity.
Conventional aviaries usually mean a bit more work
unless you are lucky enough to have a super, duper drainage system that
keeps your floors dry. If you aren't that lucky, you may find that after
torrential rain there will be a soggy mess awaiting you in the back
garden. The most important thing is
to make sure the floor is as clean as possible, so that even though it is
wet there is nothing down there like seed or greens or excess droppings
that are likely to attract mould and disease. Once again, as with the
suspendeds, check your seed supply to make sure it isn't damp or wet. If
you have concrete floors, they could be washed down with a bleach
solution to keep any nasties away. With dirt or sand floors, once any
seed etc has been removed, a good raking will usually be required to
freshen things up a bit.
Chicks in the nest can also need some extra
attention in wet weather. Nesting material can become mouldy, so watch
carefully to see when it needs to be replaced. Mites also seem to thrive
in hot, wet weather, so a liberal dusting of the box with a carbaryl-based
powder is always a good preventative measure. The main thing to remember
is to check everything carefully and don't put off cleaning or changing
wet seed.
Back to top
Setting up a Garden Aviary
by Howard Brown
With a
combination of flora and fauna you can achieve a scene of beauty and
ever-changing variety. This can apply to any garden area, no matter how
large or small. All that's required is a little preplanning and
imagination.
When
constructing a garden aviary, its purpose is to bring pleasure and
enjoyment to the beholder and its entirely up to you if you create a
setting that's attractive to the eye, or stark, plain and a bit of an
eyesore.
A
complex can be softened by painting the wire dark green or black and
adding a few well-chosen shrubs in surrounding rockeries and garden beds.
The result is a natural and appealing setting that will add to the
contentment of your collection of birds whilst also serving as a
attraction to wild birds.
All
too often, aviaries are built smack in the middle of a yard or backing
onto a surrounding fence. I have proven that space is no problem as my
home is located on a small allotment, approximately 27 perches, typical
of many suburban gardens.
Visitors have never ceased to be amazed at the number of good sized
aviaries that I have managed to blend among the trees and shrubs. In some
instances I was able to locate the aviaries amongst existing shrubbery,
however, with others I purchased appropriate shrubs and ground covers
after they were built and did a little landscaping.
Like a
lot of aviculturists, I started out with one aviary, then two and from
then they just seemed to go on increasing in number. At one stage I was
servicing up to 22 aviaries daily. Being a keen gardener, I started out
to create an attractive garden but realised that it could become so much
more appealing with the addition of a colourful collection of birds. If
you haven't done so, why not try this combination.
I
would suggest that you select shrubs that are safe for your birds, look
good, supply a little shade during the summer months, act as windbreak
and at the same time, attract wild birds to your garden.
Apart
from anything else, the presentation of your aviaries can create a strong
selling point for your birds. It was a real boost when one customer,
while admiring the garden, made the following comment " This is the type
of setting I always hope to see but rarely come across".
It's
remarks like this that make you try a little harder to achieve an appeal
that will impress potential buyers and add to the pleasure of keeping
birds.
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