Importance of Keeping your Bird Clean

The Importance of Keeping your Bird Clean.

Captive birds rely totally on their owners for their survival. You have a big responsibility to properly care for them. That includes providing them with clean and sanitary living conditions. You must spend some time - daily - cleaning their cage and looking after them.

Water and fresh food should be changed frequently. To prevent your bird from splashing his food out of the bowl, you should use specially developed deep bowls, or deep bowls with seed catcher wings, or even half to three quarter inch "hardware screen" (available at hardware stores) that you can wrap over the top of the bowls.

If your cage is kept clean there is never a need for mite protectors and other devices that could potentially harm your bird.

Some birds, such as Cockatoos and African Greys, produce a tremendous amount of dander from their feathers. This white, powdery dust will cover everything in the room, and will require lots of extra vacuuming and household dusting in order to keep it under control. Pet dander can be minimized by "misting" your bird with water occasionally. Limit this misting to once or twice a day.

Never force your bird to take a bath. Instead, offer your bird a small bowl of water - making sure the bird has a perch or a toy or something secure above the bowl to grab onto.

Be very careful about putting your bird in a bathtub or sink. I do not recommend that method. Use a small bowl instead - with a birdie grab bar above the bathing bowl.

It is best to use just clean water to bathe your bird. If you own a Cockatoo, African Grey or other bird that produces lots of pet dander, it is helpful to add a drop of baby oil to the bathwater. Nothing else.