Our third entry in the "looking after your new pet" series presents everything you need to know about owning your first cage bird. This handy guide is filled with tips and advice on equipment, cage fittings, healthcare and bird behaviour. Read on, and you'll be having fun with your feathered friend in no time.

1. Love Your Pet:
Caring For Your Cage Bird
Created By
GJW Titmuss

2. Contents
Your First Cage Bird
Equipment and Supplies
Housing
Cage Maintenance
Cage Fittings
Handling
Food And Diet
Foods To Avoid
Water
Exercise
Health
Registering With A Vet
Insurance
Introducing Children To Your Bird
Integration With Other Birds
Introducing Other Birds
Final Thought
Contact Details
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3. Your First Cage Bird
Despite their small size, birds
make fantastic pets.
But, as with any pet, you
must be prepared to take on
new responsibilities and offer
enough care and attention to
ensure that your cage bird
lives a happy, rewarding, and
fulfilling life.

4. Equipment and Supplies
Purchase the following items before
bringing your bird back to its new home:
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Bird cage
Perches
Swings
Toys
Food dishes
Mineral blocks
Water bowl or bottle
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Cage liners
Bathing bowl
Cage cover
Grooming supplies
Disinfectant and
cleaning products

5. Housing
When it comes to choosing a suitable cage, be sure to
pick something that’s big enough to accommodate
both your bird and all the internal fittings whilst still
leaving plenty of room for your animal to thrive.
Consider the following factors:
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Size
Spacing between bars
Location
Fittings

6. Cage Maintenance
Liner:
It’s important to keep your bird cage free from mess, and the
cage liner clean.
You should sweep the floor and put a fresh liner in the cage
every day.
Food and Water Dishes:
Any dishes or bowls used by your bird should be washed in hot
soapy water.
Ensure they’re completely dry before putting them back into the
cage.
Spare bowls can be used whilst you are cleaning other dishes
and letting them dry.

7. Cage Fittings
You should make the cage as homely as possible by
inserting toys and perches to keep your bird entertained.
Perches:
• It’s essential that you provide your pet with plenty of
perches in order to give them plenty of footing.
• Ensure you don’t overcrowd the cage though, as you
bird should still be able to spread its wings without
hitting any of the perches.
• If you maintain your perches daily, you’ll be able to
keep them clean and splinter-free for longer.

8. Cage Fittings
Toys:
• Birds like to have fun too, and there are all
kinds of toys they can play with.
• These should also be monitored for wear and
tear to ensure they’re completely safe.

9. Handling
The more time you spend with cage birds,
the tamer they will become.
Begin by spending at least 10
minutes with them three times
throughout the day.
After repeating this for a few days,
your bird should trust you enough to
let you hold them.

10. Handling Pt 2
Slowly place your clenched hand in the cage, and extend a finger
for your bird to perch on.
Once they’re relaxed, cautiously remove your hand from the
cage.
WARNING!
Make no sudden movements, and if your
bird seems distressed, return it to its cage
slowly.
As long as you are patient, your feathered
friend will eventually become comfortable
with you holding them.
Be extremely
gentle with your
cage bird. Holding
it with too much
force may cause
damage.

11. Food and Diet
Seeds aren’t the only food to feed your feathered friend.
A healthy diet consists of multiple different foods, including fruit,
vegetables and pellets:
Food
Species specific pellet food (75% of birds
diet)
Fruit
Vegetables
Nuts and grains
Beans
Table food (treats)
Examples
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Banana, papaya, apple, blueberries
Carrots, cooked sweet potatoes, spinach
Almonds, cooked brown rice
Kidney beans, garbanzo beans
Whole-wheat pasta, cooked squash,
scrambled eggs

12. Foods to Avoid
The following foods should NOT be fed to your bird:
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Avocado
Chocolate
Alcohol
Onion
Celery
Meat
Always be aware of exactly what food your bird has
access to.

13. Water
Birds require clean water at all times, so you
should refresh their water bowl at least twice a
day.
It’s best to keep two
bowls filled with fresh
water, one for washing
and one for drinking.

14. Excercise
Cage birds need to stay both mentally and
physically stimulated.
In order to get the necessary exercise, birds
need to be allowed out their cage for at least
two hours a day.
Ensure your bird has a safe area to explore by
closing any windows and doors and cleaning up
any small objects or loose food.

15. Health
The following chart depicts the symptoms attached to various avian illnesses:
Infection
Aspergillosis (respiratory tract diseases)
Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD)
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD)
Candida (overgrowth of yeasts in the birds digestive
system)
Polyomavirus (unusual development or lack of
feathers)
Psittacosis
Symptoms
Lack of appetite, breathing difficulties, depression,
weakness, loss of coordination
Weight loss, vomiting, changes in the bird’s droppings,
a swollen crop (where bird’s store and soften their
food)
Feather loss, growths, abnormalities of the beak,
unusual feather development
White lesions around and in the mouth and throat,
vomiting, loss of appetite
Appetite loss, enlarged abdomen, diarrhea
Lethargic, breathing difficulties, eye infection, runny
droppings
If your bird begins to display any of the above symptoms you should seek
medical assistance right away.

16. Registering With A Vet
You should register with your local vet to ensure
that your pet can receive medical treatment if
needed.
Qualified avian vets are specially trained to work
with birds, so check if there is a local one
available.
Without registered veterinary care, you’ll end up
paying more in an emergency situation.

17. Insurance
Insurance will help protect you against the costs of:
• Vets bills
• Theft
• Accidents
• Public liability
• Bird-rooms and equipment
• Death
Be sure to check exactly what you’re covered for
before you take out any policy.

18. Introducing Children to Your Bird
There are some important points to
remember when introducing children to
your new pet:
• Tell children to keep their voice low
when close to the cage
• Avoid panicking the bird by
approaching the cage slowly
• Don’t put anything through the cage,
including toys, food and fingers
• Don’t rattle the cage or try and disturb
the bird, as this will cause distress

19. Integration with Other Birds
The younger the birds, the easier integration
will be.
Older birds may get territorial, so it’s best to
integrate them at an early age.
Keep different species in separate cages.
Integration between different species is not
guaranteed to work, but given time it is possible.

20. Introducing Other Birds
Birds should first get to know each other in separate
cages.
As they become more comfortable
with each other, move the cages
closer together, eventually integrating
both into the same space.
Pay equal attention to both birds so
that neither gets jealous.
Continue to monitor your birds over
time to spot any issues that may arise.
WARNING!
Animals in close
confinement can
transmit diseases to
one another. Look
out for any
anomalies in health
or eating habits.

21. Final Thought
Caring for a bird takes time and dedication, but
with lots of love and attention, you’ll have a
feathered friend for life.
For all your pet-related needs, visit GJW Titmuss
today.

22. GJW Titmuss
As a leading online pet store, GJW Titmuss offer a wide range of pet food,
products and accessories. Based in Lamer Lane, Wheathampstead,
Hertfordshire, customers can view our website or visit our store directly.
Contact us today:
Web orders - 01582 839114 / store - 01582 833883
enquires@GJWTitmuss.co.uk
Store opening hours:
Monday-Friday 7.30am-5.00pm
Saturday 9.00am-4.00pm
Closed Sunday and bank holidays
www.gjwtitmuss.co.uk
/GJWtitmuss
@GJWTitmuss

23. Image Credits
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Slide 1: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-37835650/stock-photo-budgie-onwhite
Slide 3: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-2520053/stock-photo-african-greyparrot-psittacus-erithacus
Slide 4: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-8105480/stock-photo-bird-cage
Slide 8: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-41284393/stock-photo-playfulparakeet
Slide 9: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-46452463/stock-photo-womanhand-holding-a-beautiful-cockatiel-bird
Slide 12: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Onion_on_White.JPG
Slide 13: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-48764753/stock-photo-a-budgiebird-drinking-water-from-a-bowl
Slide 17: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-57923120/stock-photo-threebudgies-are-on-the-roost-on-white-background
Slide 18: http://static8.bigstockphoto.com/thumbs/9/9/2/small2/2993928.jpg
Slide 21: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-31120961/stock-photo-bluefronted-amazon-parrot-walking-on-white-background