Health & Safety Issues

1. Make sure there's an avian certified vet in your area, or at LEAST a vet who knows something about birds. The bird may only cost you $20, but they're intelligent, feeling pets, and when they're sick, they need a doctor. Just because they're "cheap" does not make them throw-away pets. Not being able to afford a vet is no excuse, and is perhaps something you should have thought of before bringing a bird, or any other pet for that matter, into your home.
   A word of caution on vets! If your vet recommends medications in the water, FIND A NEW VET!
   Any qualified avian vet knows that meds in the water are completely ineffective as the dosages are never the same and depend soley on how much and how often the bird drinks. If the bird is very ill, chances are it will not drink(or will drink very little) .
   A qualified avian vet will show you how to administer medications by mouth.
   Use http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup to find an avian vet.
   Remember, you wouldn't go to a general practitioner for brain surgery, so why would you take a bird to a "general" vet?
   Bottom line: Vet care is not optional. If you can't afford it, or think it's too much of a hassle, you are not ready to own a bird or any other pet. It is nothing short of cruelty to deny a sick pet of any type vet care. No excuse is valid.
   
   
2. HELP! I think my bird may be sick! If you think your bird may be sick, don't hesitate to take him to an avian vet ASAP. Even a few hours of delay can mean the difference between life and death.
   In the wild, birds try as hard as they can to hide their illnesses; after all, a sick, weak bird is an easy meal for someone else! They will try to hide their illnesses, sometimes up until the point of death. Some signs that your bird is sick include:
   
   1. Being "puffed up" all the time
   2. Runny, watery, bright green, bloody, or other oddly colored droppings
   3. Not eating. NOTE: It's normal for a new bird to eat very little his first couple days home, this is USUALLY just because he's nervous. If he's eating he'll poop. If there are no poops, he's not eating, and you should have him checked by a vet.
   4. Looking "sleepy" all the time
   5. Spending a lot of time just sitting on the cage floor
   6. Wheezing, constant sneezing, or vomiting. Please note that birds DO occasionally sneeze, just like humans do.
   7. Excessive itching
   8. Wet sneezes
   9. Discharge(of any color or consistency) from the eyes, nares(nostrils), ears, vent, or beak.
   10. A soiled vent. Healthy birds are fastidious about keeping themselves clean.
   11. Feather plucking. Please note this is DIFFERENT from preening. If the bird is plucking it will actually rip feathers out of its body and you will likely see bald patches.
   12. Changes in vocalizations. Example: A normally chattery bird suddenly becomes very quiet.
   13. Changes in personality. Example: A bird who normally doesn't like to be petted suddenly becomes cuddly, or a bird who normally likes to be cuddled becomes nippy and aggressive.
   14. Rapid weight loss
   15. A change in feather quality. Example: Your bird normally has smooth feathers with a nice sheen, and suddenly his feathers are looking rough and dull.
   16. Changes in sleeping habits. Example: A bird who is normally active all day long suddenly starts taking frequent naps.
   17. Not being able to perch on one foot. Healthy birds usually sleep with one foot tucked up into their feathers.
   If your bird has ANY of the above signs, don't stall on taking him to a vet, or at the very least CALL your vet! After all, wouldn't you rather have a false alarm and know your bird is healthy, instead of having your bird die because you didn't think there was anything to worry about?
   If you can't get to an avian vet right away, keep your bird in a quiet place and keep him warm until you can get him in to the vet.
   
   
3. Can I medicate my bird myself? The pet store has medication...
   NO! Sorry about the shouting there, but it grabbed your attention no?
   The 'medicine' sold in pet shops is actually a very weak antibiotic. If your bird has a viral, fungus, or parasitic infection the 'medicine' will do no good. Likewise, if your bird has liver or kidney problems, or has cancer or some sort this 'medication' will do you no good. If your bird has an actual bacterial infection, all it will do is make the infection resistant to treatment and will make it harder to cure when you do actually get your bird to a vet; even worse a stronger infection could end up costing your bird its life.
   I know, I know, "But the pet store recommended it!"...please keep in mind that most pet stores are just that, stores. They are in a business to make a profit, and most employees know little to nothing about the animals or products they sell.
   I cannot stress this enough: If you believe your bird is sick, for ANY reason, don't hesitate to call your vet! Usually by the time a bird starts showing signs of illness, it's a VERY ill bird(remember, birds hide their illnesses) and needs prompt treatment.
   Bottom line: It's snake oil. Don't gamble with your bird's life. After all, would YOU take antibiotics that you could buy over the counter?
   
   
4. My budgie has a weird looking 'growth' on his beak and/or his beak/cere area looks like it has powder on it. What is this?
   Scaly face mites. These mites are fairly common in budgies. You cannot treat this yourself, so please do NOT think that a mite protector from the store will help. Those are very toxic to birds, and have been linked to liver cancer so please do NOT purchase one for your bird's cage. A case of mites requires the attention of a vet. While mites usually won't kill your bird, they will make him very uncomfortable and in extremely advanced cases can spread to the legs and vent area. If you think your bird has mites, please take him to a vet ASAP to get treatment.
   
   
5. Avoid scented candles, glade plugins, air fresheners, carpet freshener poweders, etc...the oils and chemicals in these can make your bird very ill or even kill your bird, even if they're not in the same room as the cage.
   
   
6. NEVER user Febreeze around your bird! It can make them very sick, and in some cases, it can kill them. You can live without Febreeze, I promise. :)
   Febreeze's own website even recommends that you use extreme caution when using their, or any other commercial cleaning product, around birds. I'd rather play it safe and NOT use it around them. As a general rule, remove birds from the room while you're cleaning, and give the room time to air out a bit before moving them back into the room.
   
   
7. TEFLON! Eek! Fumes from overheated teflon can kill your bird within a matter of minutes! Even if you "never burn" when you're cooking, it's best to NOT use teflon coated cookware, because accidents DO happen.
   
   
8. Burning cooking oil has been known to make birds ill, and kill birds who are elderly, ill, or especially sensitive to fumes. Keep your birds away from the kitchen when you cook, and try not to burn your food...this might be a good time for those cooking lessons. ;)
   
   
9. There is no need to buy "mite protectors". They're very common in pet stores, but can actually do more harm than good. Some mite repellants contain mothball-like compounds that can be toxic to birds or may even cause liver cancer. It's rare for most birds(excluding budgies) to get mites.
   Budgies can sometimes get what's know as "scaly face mites". They make the face appear scaly or "powdery", but if you look really closely you can see a honeycomb type pattern, which is where the mites have burrowed into the skin. This usually occurs around the beak area and the legs and feet, but can occur around the vent area as well. If you notice this on your bird, take him to the vet. Don't use the pet store mite repellants.
   
   
10. Sleep. Your bird needs 10-12 hours of sleep per night. If they don't get it, they can become very cranky(hissing, biting, screaming, being generally crabby...). Missing one or two nights of 10 hour sleep probably won't cause behavior problems, but just think about how cranky you get when you haven't gotten enough sleep for a few days; the same thing happens to your bird.
    To help them get their sleep, it's best to cover their cage to keep it dark in there through the night and into the morning. Otherwise, they'll wake up as soon as the room becomes light, which can be as early as 5am!
    If your bird has night frights(flying around the cage hysterically, sometimes screaming at night), uncover the cage, turn a light on, and quietly talk to your bird until he calms down. If he'll let you hold him to comfort him, do so. If not, don't force him. To help prevent night frights you can leave a little bit of the cage uncovered and leave a night light plugged in, and if you need to walk by the bird's cage at night, talk to your bird as you go by. If he hears your voice, he knows it's you, and is less likely to get spooked. Remember, birds are prey animals in the wild, and they spook easily for good reason. ^_^
    
    
11. Other Pets: Cats and dogs especially should be kept away from birds. Yes, I know "my cat is very sweet and knows they're not snacks", or "my dog is very well behaved"...but please keep in mind that dogs and cats are predators, and birds, to be blunt, are prey. Even the sweetest cat or dog can be overtaken by instinct and kill a bird in an instant. In addition to that, cats' saliva contains the pasturella bacteria, which is generally fatal to birds; so, even if your cat doesn't break skin, the bacteria could still end up on the feathers, and your bird would ingest that while preening.
    My cats are not allowed in the room my birds live in. Be very careful with cats, even if the cage looks 'cat proof', assume they can get onto it, into it, around it, etc..cats are very clever animals; I know, I live with three of them. :)
    
    Rats and ferrets are also other pets that should be kept away from birds. Rats & ferrets ARE predatory animals in the wild and will kill other animals(ranging from mice, to shrews, to insects, to small birds). A rat or ferret can easily catch and kill a caged bird. Don't think your rats or ferrets can't open the cage door either, they are VERY smart creatures.
    Other species of birds are a slightly different matter. After quarantine, they can usually be kept in the same room, but for the safety of everybody, never mix species in one cage finches being a small exception, and even then you need to be very careful; species mixing can work in a large aviary, but not in a cage. All playtimes should be well supervised, and it's not a good idea to let aggressive species play with less aggressive species. Likewise, larger birds(say, an amazon) should have a different playtime than the smaller birds(budgie, cockatiel, lovebird, or similar sized bird). Budgies have been known to go after the toes of larger birds(even on up to the big mollucan cockatoos), and a large beak can easily injure or kill a tiny budgie.
    This means:
    • A lovebird cannot live with a budgie cannot live with a cockatiel cannot live with a lovebird.
    • All playtimes need to be supervised(they should be even if you only have one bird).
    • Larger species should not be allowed to play with smaller species. Even without meaning to, large beaks can hurt, cripple, or kill smaller birds.
    
    
    
12. Your bird should NEVER, for ANY reason, be allowed out of his cage unsupervised. Not only can they accidently be attacked by other pets if a door is left open, but they can chew on electrical cords, get stuck somewhere, eat something they shouldn't, etc...
    There is no excuse for allowing your bird to be out of the cage unsupervised or when nobody is home.
    
    
13. BATHS! Birds love to take baths, for the most part. It may take some trial and error on your part to find out what your bird likes best, but here are some suggestsions:
    
    • Misting. Use a spray bottle from the drug store(wash it out first), or a bottle that's ONLY been used to hold water. Fill it up with medium warm water(it'll cool rapidly as it's sprayed into the air), and just soak your bird. Mine like this method.
    • Providing a bird bath in the cage. You can buy these at most pet stores.
    • Providing the bird with a bowl or sink of water to bathe in during playtime. My oldest cockatiel likes this on occasion. He'll dunk his head in and shake water everywhere. The youngest doesn't like it much.
    • Using a shower spray or kitchen sprayer. Be sure to monitor the water temperature carefully to make sure it doesn't get too hot or too cold.
    
    If your bird seems frightened by any of these, don't push him. Try just lightly misting while it's raining outside(it sounds weird, but sometimes it helps).
    
    
14. My male budgie's blue cere suddenly turned brown! What happened?!
    There are two possible causes for this. The first, and most serious cause, is reproductive tumors. Only a vet can diagnose this. The second, harmless, cause usually occurs if you have a group of male budgies, or one male who is particurlarly submissive. They do not change sex, but their ceres may change to 'mimic' a hen to show the other males that they are not a threat.
    However, since reproductive tumors are a more common cause, it's best to take your budgie to an avian vet ASAP to either confirm or deny the presence of tumors.