Bird Care Guide - Keeping Your Birds Safe In the House

Bird Care Guide - Keeping Your Birds Safe In the House
By: Moses Wright

Many of us have heard stories about birds outlasting their owners. This is a surprise to many, considering the delicate appearance of most species of birds. Birds, especially canaries, were used by miners to test the quality of the air deep in the mines. When the air reaches relatively unhealthy levels, the canaries are affected adversely and succumb to the fatal effects. This gives miners ample warning before the air became fatal for humans. This shows the keen perception of birds.
Pet birds are easily affected by unwholesome smells, similar to wild birds. Common household appliances and items such as Teflon pans, aerosol sprays and even innocuous furniture polish can be fatal for birds. One of the best practices when dealing with substances that may give off pungent odors is to use it in airy areas far away from your birds.

Pet birds have a natural inclination to chomp and it can be a major issue. Lead poisoning can be caused when a bird chews on soldered joints found on welded items. Also, birds do have a penchant to chew on potted plants. Despite contrary belief, poinsettia plants are not poisonous. It is better to be safe than sorry so do err on the side of caution should you be uncertain if a plant is poisonous for your pet bird and remove it from the reach of your pet. A small pot of innocuous parsley can be helpful to the bird to overcome the desire of nibbling on houseplants as it is a safe substitute.
Fresh food that is fed to your birds will do them a whole lot of good; however, food like coffee, chocolate and avocado are fatal for birds and they should never be given such foods.

During festive seasons, many families tend to bring trees into their homes. Many might think that a bird's natural habitat is a tree and have the belief that their birds will have an affinity for perching on it. It is true that birds might enjoy this exercise, many pine trees could have had preservatives or chemicals administered and prove fatal to your pet. Furthermore, electrical lights and decorations can be pose a certain kind of danger for your birds.

There are a number of precautionary issues to see to if your bird does not have had its wings clipped. Firstly, all glass doors and windows should be shielded one way or another. The best way to do this is with curtains or shades. An alternative to curtains or shades is placing safety decals on the glass so your birds can tell the glass is there and avoid serious injury or even death. You should treat other large reflective surfaces and mirrors in a similar manner when your pet bird is released from its cage.
Standing water can pose as a form of danger as well. Your bird can drown in a toilet or full kitchen sink in a matter of seconds. If a bird is released from its cage, cooking with an uncovered pot is especially ill-advised.
Finally, always be mindful of the whereabouts of your bird even if its wings are clipped. Even a bird with clipped wings can soar for a considerable distance if there is an upward breeze. It is easy to forget that your bird is perched on your shoulder when your doorbell suddenly rings and you rush to answer it but you must remember never to carry your bird to an open door regardless of whether or not its wings are clipped.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Moses Wright is a an experience bird owner. He created a web site to help fellow pet owners with their home pet problems. You can get more free information on bird care problems on his site.

Birdwatching Necessities for the Beginner

Birdwatching Necessities for the Beginner
By: Ken Lawless

Watching birds from the backyard or from the local parks can be tons of fun. But watching them in their natural habitats can be fun also, as well as a learning experience.
If you haven't been on a bird watching outing before, but are itching to get out into the field, the following tips will give you a good basic foundation of the necessities you will need in order to best enjoy your time in the outdoors.
Often you will hear a bird before you see it. Learning to bird by ear is an important part of becoming a good bird watcher. The more time you spend in the field watching birds, the better you will become at learning to recognize the different mating calls and vocalizations made by your favorite birds. To hone up on your skills you can actually purchase CD recordings of the bird calls of literally thousands of birds. Use these to practice identifying different species by their songs and sounds.
Knowing the types of shelter and trees that your bird species prefer is the second key to finding their nests and setting up your stakeout. Some prefer to build their nests close to the ground, while others will find the topmost branches of a tree to build their home.
To have the best chance of spotting your bird species, it's important to know what times of the day it tends to feed. Most species prefer to start their foraging just before sunrise and will continue up to noon. Some, however, prefer later in the day and you'll find them just becoming active before sunset.
The most necessary piece of equipment you'll need is a spotting scope with a tripod. A regular telescope won't do. You need one with the proper level of magnification. As birding as become more and more popular, it's become easier to find many brands of birding binoculars made specifically for bird watchers.
Other Birding Necessities
To be prepared to spend the day outdoors with your bird friends, you'll need the following minimum supplies:
- A sunscreen of at least 15 SPF. This will provide moderate protection from the sun. For extended periods of time, go for an SPF of 30+.
- Water. You lose lots of water while hiking which can lead to dehydration. Take a canteen or bottled water. Drink lots of water before you start your hike and take periodic sips along the way.
- Insect repellant. For the best possible protection against mosquitoes and other insects, you should apply the insect repellant to both your skin and your clothing, according to the label instructions.
- Footwear. You'll be doing lots of walking and hiking and you'll want the most comfortable boots possible. In addition, if there's the possibility that you will be trekking through marsh or extremely damp conditions, you should take along a pair of knee-high rubber boots.
- Rain gear. Weather conditions can change quickly so you want to be prepared for possible rainfalls. A lightweight, waterproof, breathable piece of rainwear could be indispensable.
- Snacks. These are for you, not the birds. Take along some high energy store bought or home made granola bars, fruits, and nuts and you'll be good to go.
If you survive and enjoy your first outing and feel that you'll definitely be doing this again, then the manufactures of birding supplies will love you as you will undoubtedly be back in their stores to buy cameras, recorders, and other hight priced items in preparation for your next trip.


Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Ken Lawless writes articles on selecting bird house kit, camping, and the outdoors. Visit his site at www.birdhousesinfo.com for more information on bird houses.

Facts About The "Bird Flu"

Facts About The "Bird Flu"
By: Bryan Pringle, Ph.D.
The "bird flu", also known as Avian influenza is a contagious disease caused by viruses in animals that normally only affect birds, and sometimes pigs. The Avian influenza viruses are usually species specific.
Unfortunately, in some rare instances the viruses can be infectious to humans.The infection of poultry with the avian influenza virus causes two different types of infections.
One is a low pathogenic form, and the second one is a high pathogenic form. The low pathogenic form is mild, while the high pathogenic form is deadly. The low pathogenic form usually manifests symptoms such as decreased egg production and ruffled feathers.
The high pathogenic form spreads rapidly, causing organ disease and mortality, usually within the first two days.
The recent outbreaks of the avian influenza have been of the high pathogenic form. This form initially began in Southeast Asia in 2003. This is the most severe and largest scale outbreak to date.
Since this outbreak began, over one hundred and fifty million birds have been estimated to have been infected. All of these birds have subsequently died.
This virus is considered to be primarily indigenous to China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Currently these countries are exterminating millions of infected animals. This is in an attempt to keep the virus from spreading to humans in the highly pathogenic form.
If the virus does spread to humans in the highly pathogenic form, then the results would be disastrous. Literally millions of people could perish in these countries and around the world.

Most of these countries where the virus is indigenous, have very poor healthcare and sanitary habits.
One of the primary fears, is that these poor hygiene habits will contribute to many more human infections.
The main means of becoming infected with the virus is by having direct contact with poultry, or any surfaces or objects which are contaminated with their feces.
Most cases of humans who have contracted the disease, are from rural areas where many people keep flocks of poultry, which usually roam freely. Some of these flocks are even allowed to enter homes and areas where children and adults congregate. Since the birds have a potential to drop large amounts of feces in an around these areas where people live, the risk of exposure is phenomenal.
Roughly about one hundred humans have been infected from the most recent outbreak of the virus. Although there is still potential to contract the avian influenza virus, it is very rarely that individuals that don't have direct contact with infected birds become infected.
It is still safe to eat poultry, even if the poultry is infected with the virus, as long as precautions are taken during food preparation. As long as the poultry is fully cooked, then the virus will most likely be killed during the heating process.
Although there is still a serious risk that a human epidemic could possibly occur from this virus, it is highly containable. Many countries are taking drastic steps to stem the tide of infection in both humans and animals.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
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The Secret Of Keeping Parrots
By: Jimmy Cox
The practice of keeping a parrot as a pet in a cage is a very ancient one, going back hundreds of years, and calls to mind at once the almost legendary figure of the sailor bringing home in its round cage the parrot he has picked up in foreign parts; and this is no doubt how the very first parrots were brought to this country. Where to keep your parrot and what to feed him are the two main factors which are discussed below.
It is a very understandable practice to keep a parrot, for no other birds rival or even approach members of the parrot family in their combination of tameness, beauty, intelligence, and their power to imitate perfectly the human voice. In addition a tame parrot - particularly an African Grey - makes a wonderful and cheerful companion for anyone who has to live alone.
While I myself keep my collection of parrots in pairs in aviaries, I think there can be no doubt that of all birds the larger parrots take most kindly to cage life and, provided they are well cared for and treated with real love and affection by their owner, they seem perfectly happy.
A proof of this is that if such a bird is put out in an aviary, even with another parrot as companion, it is at first liable to mope but will show every sign of joy once it is back in its cage and among its human friends again. I think the reason for this is that parrots are extremely sociable creatures.
The central perch is usually made of some very hard wood, and this is essential as a parrot would soon chew up anything softer. The exercise of its beak is, however, very necessary to its general health, and a considerate owner will not fail to supply a cotton-reel from time to time, or a small bundle of twigs which it can utilize for this purpose.
Parrots enjoy whittling, which in addition to helping to keep their beaks in order gives them something to do. This is very-important for it is partly boredom which leads to feather-plucking in caged parrots. The most important thing of all with a caged parrot is to let it out of its cage for an hour or so at regular intervals - preferably every day. A pet parrot will become extremely attached to its owner provided its affection is returned.
Now as to the feeding of the bird, I give sunflower and a few monkey-nuts, with the addition of a little canary-seed, groats or oats, and hemp. Particular care must be exercised with the latter which, in excess, is over-stimulating and fattening, and can cause heart troubles and feather-plucking.
Given sparingly, however, hemp is one of the most valuable of seeds particularly when birds are rearing young, at which time the amount can be considerably increased. At other times, and particularly in the case of a caged bird, a few grains every day or, better still, every other day, are quite sufficient, and it is better to omit it altogether than to give too much of it.
Far too many parrot owners seem to imagine that a daily supply of seed and water constitutes the sole requirements of their pets. This is quite wrong, for they need other things as well. Chief among these are fruit and green-foods, which can take various forms, but perhaps if the parrot were given its choice it would choose sections of sweet ripe apple and the leaves of spinach beet. These, or other fruits and green-foods, should be given at least twice a week.
As to tidbits, this is rather a moot point, and I can perhaps do best here by referring to my own much-loved and very long-lived Senegal Parrot. She was particularly fond of scraps from the table such as new potatoes, boiled white fish and scrambled egg - all of course given only occasionally and in very small quantities. Meat and savories, etc., should definitely not be given.
With these simple suggestions in mind, you will be able to enjoy your pet for many years to come. No more delightful companion can be found.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
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