Food and Water Young birds can be scared or just find it hard to find their food. Therefore we recommend four bowls, two for water and two for food, one set placed up high and one low in the cage. The bowls up high need to be next to a perch so the bird can access them easily. Young birds are sensitive to food changes. We only use a good quality feeds to ensure the best start for the birds. We recommend only ever feeding your pet Cockatiel a good quality parrot pellet from Parrot Supplies Australia. Cheaper products are
available but contain artificial colourants and preservatives which are unhealthy for birds and can make them sick. Ideally a small piece of fresh vegetables and fruit should be given to your bird daily. For example this could be a slice of apple, corn or celery.
Cage The bottom of the cage must be cleaned every fortnight if only one bird is living in it. If you have more, the cage must be cleaned more frequently. Most cages come with perches but we recommend adding some natural branches and a pumicestone perch. When your parrot walks on and chews on the pumicestone, it keeps the bird’s beak and claws trim. Most birds like to have a hidey-hole of some kind, Happy Hut have a wonderfully colourful range in various sizes. Leaving the bird outside can be dangerous if you have butcher birds, cats, dogs etc. so make sure the bird is safe before leaving them outside unattended.
Calcium Birds need shell grit to eat to provide calcium to stay healthy. Shell grit should not be mixed in with seed but placed in a separate bowl or on the floor of the cage allowing the bird to access to it if it needs it. You can also use calcium, iodine and charcoal bells to chew on giving them calcium and beak trim.
Toys All parrots like to have something to play with whether it is a chain or mirror or something shiny. Parrot Supplies Australia have everything you need to keep your pet entertained and stop it from destroying its home whilst bored.
Worming and mites Your Parrot needs to be wormed four times a year and treated for mites every couple of months. Worming liquid should be placed into the bird’s water using dosage method on side of bottle. DO NOT worm your bird on a hot day as the worming liquid tastes bad and the birds will try not to drink it. Only leave the worming liquid in for half a day then remove it giving the bird some fresh drinking water immediately. Repeat with in the week to make sure the bird has had sufficient worming. Mites and lice are easily to treat by using a spray. Don’t spray your bird on a cold day as the bird will get sick. Make sure you don’t wet the bird so much that it can’t fly. Avoid the eyes and repeat if necessary.
All birds can get cold and sick very easily so it is important to keep them dry and out of the wind.
We have a huge selection of Bird books covering every detail about how to properly care for your pet bird.
