January is Adopt a Rescued Bird Month ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

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January: Adopt a Rescued Bird Month

In 2002 the ASPCA declared that January should be dedicated to finding homes for the many thousands of companion birds that are abandoned each year. Contact a local avian rescue to meet birds available in your area. Save a beautiful bird by letting one fly into your home and heart.

Almost a third of the 145 parrot species in the Neotropics (Mexico, Central and South America) are threatened. The number of parrot chicks taken from the wild is estimated at up to 800,000 per year.

Nearly 80% of New World Parrots (parrots from Mexico, Central and South America) in the pet trade today are destined for the United States. About 150,000 are smuggled into the US across the Mexican Border each year. In the early 1990s, the United States legally imported at least 250,000 parrots a year, worth in excess of $300 million. About four-fifths of these birds were taken from the wild.
Courtesy of Pawprints and Purrs, Inc (P&PI)

Basic Bird Care

Suitable housing is important to bird welfare.

Birds need space to flap their wings, glide from perch to perch, and climb all around.

A larger cage allows for more in-cage exercise and has more room for toys.

Line the bottom of the cage with plain paper or paper bags cut to size. Newspaper is fine, as long as it's been printed with non-toxic, soy-based inks. You'll need to change the paper daily.

Where should you set up your bird's new home? Location is everything. Place the cage in a warm, bright part of the house, close to where the action is but away from all drafts and direct sunlight, and off the floor. Avoid setting up the cage in or near the kitchen at all costs. Birds are extremely sensitive to fumes, and those from self-cleaning ovens and Teflon-coated cookware, if overheated, can be fatal.

Toys should be size appropriate and made of bird-safe materials. Rotate them to keep the bird's interest.

Brainy birds enjoy dismantling puzzle toys and untying knots.

As flock creatures, most birds are happier with a suitably-sized companion bird or one of his own species.

Don't forget that birds budgie-sized and larger need daily exercise time out of the cage in order to stay both physically and mentally fit.

Because of their small size, canaries and finches could also be offered free flight in a small, bird safe room, for supervised out-of-cage time. Buy as big a cage as space and resources allow.

A well-written breed-specific book about your type of bird will give you specific feeding directions.

Current avian diet recommendations call for a top quality pelleted food along with small portions of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes and some starches in the form of pasta, whole grains, and cooked brown rice, depending on the species, with seeds relegated to treat status.

Although seed has been the traditional staple of a bird's diet, most experts recommend pelleted food as the way to go. Seed mixes provide variety, but they do not always provide optimum nutrition, and are definitely on the messy side. We recommend a high-quality pelleted food that's formulated for your bird's species.

Be sure to offer fresh vegetables and fruits to your bird every day. Dark, leafy greens are packed with vitamins, and many birds also enjoy carrots and broccoli. Common fruity favorites are apples, pears, melon and kiwi. Take care to remove any uneaten food after a couple of hours, and please do not give your bird avocado, cherry pits, rhubarb, or apple seeds.

Fresh, cold water should be available at all times. Change it at least once a day, preferably twice.
Courtesy of ASPCA

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