The Gabriel Foundation

Beyond the Birdie Basics

Environment & Bird Care

Parrot Ownership Ten Commandments of Parrot Ownership: from a parrot's point of view by Jane Hallander

1. My life is likely to last 10 or more years. Any separation from you will be painful to me. Remember that before you take me home.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me — it’s crucial to my well–being.

4. Don’t be angry with me for long, and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your entertainment, and your friends. I have only you.

5. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when it’s speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I’ll never forget it.

7. Remember before you hit me that I have a beak that could easily crush the bones of your hand, but that I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, or I’ve been in the cage too long.

9. Take care of me when I get old; you too will get old.

10. Go with me on the last journey. Never say “I can’t bear to watch it,” or “Let it happen in my absence.” Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, I love you.

Quarantining

• You don’t have to quarantine TGF birds; we have done that for you

• Any new bird that is introduced into an existing flock should be completely medically checked by an avian vet including bloodwork for disease testing

• Birds should be quarantined for 6 weeks

• Anyone handling the bird or its things should fully disinfect themselves before approaching their other birds to minimize disease contact

• The quarantine bird should be cared for last to minimize the chance of disease

• Any signs of disease in any of the birds should be immediately shown to a vet

Bringing Your Bird Home

• Be patient - think of all the adjustments your new friend has to make in his life

• Your bird will probably be very well behaved the first few weeks he is home

• Don’t be afraid to work with your bird on his bad behaviors right from the start. A new home can be a new beginning for these guys if they don’t get the same responses to bad behavior they received in their old home.

• Give yourself and your bird time to adjust to one another and learn each other other’s body language

• Don’t take bites personally, just try to identify the preceding behavior of both you and the bird and decide if adjustments need to be made.

Bringing Your Bird Home

• Causes your bird to exhibit unusual behaviors

• These behaviors can differ from bird to bird

• Some may hide in a corner and become very quiet

• Some may lunge and bite at anything that comes near

• Your bird will have many new stressors in his life from being in your home

• Other pets

• New foods

• New cage

• New noises

• Usually, a bird will adjust quickly

• If a bird stops eating or does not adjust within a few days, please contact us immediately for advice on how to minimize stressors

Bringing Your Bird Home

• A quiet place to sleep is very important

• Not by the television in a covered cage

• Sleeping cages are great if you stay up late

• 12 hours a night of sleep is ideal

• Take your bird to the vet

• Illness and malnutrition are great sources of stress

• A healthy bird feels better and is more adaptable

• Find out what the bird enjoyed in its own home (favorite foods, toys) and provide those items

• Don’t bug your bird before he is ready for it …don’t force him to interact with you or your family

• Put his cage in a semi-protected spot so he is not exposed on all sides

• Trim flight feathers to avoid panicked flying

Happy Home

Birds and Kids

• Supervise your bird and your young kids

• Young kids may not have the dexterity to properly handle the bird

• If the bird gets frightened, he may easily bite the child

• The child can easily hurt the bird

• Older kids develop great relationships with birds if the parents set good examples of behavior modification and care

• Respect your bird’s personality

• Quieter birds may not enjoy a rambunctious child

• Exuberant birds may love watching kids play from a playstand

Happy Home

Other Birds

• Quarantine new birds (not TGF birds)

• Cage birds separately

• Smaller birds of the same species can be housed together

• If you house them together, you will decrease their pet potential unless you spend a lot of extra time working with them

• Birds caged together have a much greater chance of injuring each other

• Only house small birds of the same sex together to prevent nesting behavior

• Supervise interactions between birds closely

Happy Home

Other Pets

• Supervise interactions and know your pets’ behaviors

• Any scratch from a cat can be fatal to a bird

• Cats carry Pasteurella spp. bacteria in their claws

• Birds will die within 24 hours if not immediately treated by a vet

• Young cats should always be supervised around birds

• Families with a lot of pets may benefit from keeping their birds flighted so they can get out of harm harm’s way if necessary

• Dogs generally do not harm birds intentionally, but can easily harm them accidentally or reflexively

• Larger birds are safer around other pets than smaller birds

• Make sure the cage you buy will protect your birds from your other pets

• Ferrets will kill birds

• Reptiles can kill birds

Establishing a Routine

Daily Care

• Learn your bird’s normal behavior and notice any variations

• Look at your bird to notice any physical changes

• Fresh food and water twice a day

• Change cage paper/notice your bird’s poop

• Give baths

• Playtime out of the cage for hours every day

• Take your bird out into the sun

• Exercise

• Provide foraging toys

• Have a routine for bedtime

Establishing a Routine

Weekly care

• Fully clean everything

• Disinfect everything/rinse cage

• Rotate toys

• Rotate playgyms

• Check toys for safety problems like fraying rope or broken pieces

• Check bird’s wings for grown out feathers

• Make mash for the week

Temperature

• Room temperature should be kept between 60-90° F

• Heating panels are the safest way to provide extra heat to your birds – www.avitech.com

• Heated perches are also available

• Space heaters and kerosene heaters can emit dangerous fumes from the fuel or nonstick surfaces used in them

• Humidity levels should be kept as high as possible – In the West, this is a constant challenge

– Mist and shower your bird to keep its skin moist

– Use a humidifier or evaporative cooler

Temperature

Hot weather

• Keep your bird out of glaring sunlight

• Watch for panting or holding the wings away from the body

• Give fresh juicy fruits and vegetables

• Remove food diligently after 2 hours in the cage

• Mist your bird

Cold weather

• Use a heat panel or heated perches outside

• Use a heavier cage cover

• Make sure the cage is not in a drafty area

• Don’t give baths right before bedtime or if the house is very cold

• Consider extra cold sensitivity of naked birds

Cages & Furnishings

Minimum things to buy BEFORE bringing birdie home

• Cage

• Open food and water bowls (at least 2 sets)

• Perches

• Scrub brush

• Food

• Many toys

• Cage cover or sleeping cage

• Travel carrier

• Playstand or hanging gyms

Cages & Furnishings Selecting a Cage

• Size of cage - the bigger, the better! Buy the largest cage you can fit & afford for your bird.

• With appropriate bar spacing

• You can always section off a larger cage for a nervous bird or raise the grate, or provide hiding areas

• Consider the length of the bird’s tail and wingspan

• Small birds are usually very active birds, and need a lot of cage space to run around or fly in.

• Horizontal space is more important than vertical space

• Birds are more active in a horizontal cage

• Combination of horizontal and vertical bars – birds climb better on horizontal bars

• Consider ease of cleaning and sturdiness when you buy a cage…you will have it many, many years

• Even with the most incredible cage, birds need to come out and be with their families and they need to travel around to other parts of the house, and they need to go outside as much as possible.

Cages & Furnishings

Unsuitable cage choices

• Fancy or ornate cages can be difficult to clean, or have possible dangerous ornaments that the bird may catch his head in

• Old, antique cages should never be used for any bird, as they contain many unsafe elements

• No round cages! These do not provide the bird a corner to feel protected in.

• No corner cages! These are designed for human spaces, not birds.

• No galvanized wire cages inside – birds will chew off bits of the welds and get zinc poisoning

• No wood as it can’t be disinfected and the bird will chew it

• Guillotine style doors – these can be wired shut – birds can get their heads caught

• No rabbit hutches, ferret cages, etc.

Cages & Furnishings

Acrylic Cages

Positives:

• Easy to clean but some cleaners can cloud acrylic

• Look nicer

• Easier to custom build for your space

• Better at containing the bird’s mess

Negatives:

• Not enough ventilation

• Bird can’t climb around cage

• Acrylic may eventually scratch

• Very expensive

• Can heat up very quickly in the sun

• Extreme care to disinfect and clean adequately

• All one piece and very heavy

Cages & Furnishings Suitable Cage Material

Stainless steel

• The BEST, the most expensive

• A lifetime cage, will oxidize but not rust

• No worries about paint toxicity

Powder coated cold rolled steel

• The standard

• Will rust eventually if soaked with a hose

• Some birds will chew the paint off these cages

• Toys may rub paint off cage

New wrought Iron

• Finish can rub off

• Will rust

• Not easy to clean

• Cheapest

If any cage is cheaply made in a foreign country, you can can’t know what kind of paint is on it – it could be dangerous

Cages & Furnishings

Cage Features to look for

• External feeders - no droppings in the food!

• Can accept a variety of bowls

• A large seed catching skirt or apron

• Fold down front door

• A large cage door so you can you reach all the areas inside the cage easily

• A roomy dome top vs. a play top - dome tops give much more space inside and the bird can still play on top

• More horizontal than vertical bars

• Many places to hang toys

• Mobility from high quality casters on the large cages

• A shelf underneath for storage

Cages & Furnishings

Bird proofing the cage

• Some birds are mechanical enough to escape their cage by undoing the latch.

• If you are getting a macaw, caique, Eclectus or cockatoo;, pay attention to the way all of the doors are latched, including the feeder doors.

• Could your bird possibly open the door? Sometimes birds can open the feeder doors when there is no bowl in the feeder.

• You may need to consider chaining the door with a padlock.

• Acrylic cages may be a good solution for a true escape artist, because the bird can can’t get through the acrylic to the latch - cockatoos are especially adept at this!

Cages & Furnishings

Cage Placement

• Put the cage in a well lived in area of the home, or use plenty of playstands

• If the cage is in an area that you will be doing late night things in, consider a separate sleeping area

• Cages should not be in the kitchen because of fume issues

• Cages should not be in the center of a room or completely exposed in front of a window.

• Looking out of a window can be fun but being totally exposed can be very stressful

Cages & Furnishings

Cage Covers

• Birds need a safe, quiet, dark and secure area to sleep in

• You can use a blanket or a custom made cover

• The bird may chew on the cover

• Discard cover if it becomes too holey and tattered

• The bird may become caught up in the loose threads

• Another option to covering the cage is to provide the bird a sleeping cage or carrier

• Works better if the bird is not getting enough privacy in his covered cage

• Some birds really enjoy the small enclosed space to sleep in

Cages & Furnishings

Cage Substrate

• Newspaper on grate – Easy to clean daily

– Food and toys don’t fall through the grate

– Bird can play in the newspaper and cage floor

• Newspaper in tray – Must clean poop off of grate

– Bird is less likely to walk through poop

• Corncob, walnut hulls, shavings or any other substrates are unacceptable – Bird may ingest

– Cage may not be cleaned as often because of difficulty

– Impossible to see the quality of the poop

– Feces aerosolize and are inhaled by people and birds

Cages & Furnishings

Cage Cleaning

• In the wild, birds are never exposed to their own droppings, which land far beneath them

• Debris and droppings are great places for bacteria to grow

• These bacteria will go into the air and can affect your bird’s and your health

• Organic matter should be removed first

• Dirt, poop, food

• Can be removed with Poop-off, Oxyfresh, Pet Focus or soap and water

• But - these cleaners do not kill germs

• Cage needs to be disinfected after it’s thoroughly cleaned

• Pet Focus, bleach, vinegar and Enviroclean are disinfectants

• Disinfectants need to sit on a clean surface kept wet for a spec specified number of minutes to work most effectively

• Only non-porous surfaces can be disinfected

• Don’t spray disinfectants around the bird, and rinse the cage after using them

Cages & Furnishings

Bowls

• For food and water, stainless steel bowls are best.

• They are easiest to clean and resist scratches that may harbor bacteria.

• For dry food, ceramic or plastic is also acceptable.

• For water, we recommend using bowls over water bottles, as bottles are hard to clean & disinfect.

• Remember, dissolved fecal material and soaked food can create a potential opportunity for bacterial infection, so it is critically important to keep your bird's bowls and dishes clean!

Cages & Furnishings

Cleaning Schedule

Daily

• Change the food and water (twice a day if using fruits, veggies or soft foods)

• Soak the water dish in diluted bleach solution, Pet Focus or Enviroclean or rinse it with hot water and soap

• Wash the food dish

• Change the cage paper

• Change paper

• Rotate the toys

Weekly

• Clean the cage

• Clean the accessories

• Every two weeks, disinfect the cage and accessories

Cages & Furnishings

Perches

• A bird needs a variety of perch sizes, textures, angles and materials

• This helps the bird exercise its feet and gives it the choice of what it wants to sit on

• Options include: – Cotton rope or sisal

– Natural safe branches

– Sandy perches ––in moderation

– Dowel rods ––in moderation

– Latex perches

– Concrete perches -one at the most if at all

• Do not use sand paper perches or perch covers!

Cages & Furnishings

Perch Placement

• Don’t place perches over food and water

dishes to avoid contamination with droppings

• Use softer materials up higher if your bird has

any foot problems

• Sandy perches in front of the food dish will

help with beak cleaning

Cages & Furnishings

Swings

• Bungee spiral bounces (a twisted rope swing in a curly-Q pattern)

• Loose rope perches

• Atoms

• Any other swings!

• Help birds develop coordination and grip

• Don’t use for really weak birds

• Very good exercise

Cages & Furnishings TOYS!!!!

• Why have a bird if you aren’t going to buy them toys?

• Safety – Made for bird’s beaks - won’t break into unsafe bits

– Bird cannot get caught in the toy

– Bird safe paints and materials

• Size – In general, buy the toys appropriate for the bird’s size

– This varies considerably due to the bird’s playing style

– The Blue front amazon who destroys macaw toys

– The Eclectus who likes cockatiel toys

– The lovebird who likes all toys!

• Destructibility – it is important for birds to be able to destroy their toys

• Keep your parrot happy by introducing new, varied and stimulating toys and textures to keep it well occupied.

• Remember, that birds generally adore color and are challenged and excited by a variety of new toys offered. In their native habitats, taste, texture, color and durability of the indigenous materials that they manipulate vary tremendously.

Cages & Furnishings

Toy Considerations

• Make certain that the chain used on your bird's toys is of excellent quality. Closed,

welded chain is best, and if you have a parrot that likes to mouth the chain, you

might consider plastic or stainless steel chain for safety.

• Keep toys clean, rotated and safety-inspected, as your parrot will be continuously

exposed to them while mouthing, shredding, batting, dismantling or destroying

them with its beak.

• If in doubt about the suitability of a toy for a particular bird, keep it outside of the

bird's cage are until you can be certain of its safety with your bird. Sit down with

your bird and show it how to play with the new toy, or entertain it by playing with

the new toy in front of its cage. Hang a new toy on a play area where your bird can

test it in your presence.

• Re-use and recycle those half-destroyed toys - disassemble them and put pieces

into the play-box or "toy chest" for your bird's continued enjoyment.

Cages & Furnishings

Toy Considerations

• Toys made for human babies are not always safe for parrot babies or for older parrots. Remove buttons or plastic that could be accidentally ingested.

• Bells, if not constructed of heavy enough material, or those that have lightweight clappers, poorly secured clappers, or those that are "jingle"-type can be dangerous for toes and nails. In general, do not buy toys with jingle bells or keyrings or with metal quicklinks that are small in size.

• Pieces of untied string, long fabric strips, even short threads from the smallest piece of fabric, if wrapped around a bird's neck, wing or foot, can become a death trap. If your bird enjoys shredding fabric, cotton or sisal, make certain that the pieces are kept shortly trimmed and are not being ingested.

• Do not use toothbrushes as toys as they can contain metal anchors.

Cages & Furnishings

Playstands

• Your bird should have playstands in many areas of the house

• Gives the bird a safe place to play on its own while you are busy doing other things

• Should have many places for toys

• Food and water dishes

• Portable or moveable is a plus

• Easy to clean

• You can hang swings, bungees, or hanging perches in place of playstands

Cages & Furnishings

Full spectrum light

• A bird’s uropygial gland spreads vitamin D precursors onto feathers to create vitamin D when exposed to sunlight and ingested as the bird preens.

• Glass windows effectively block out the UVA and UVB of the sun, which prevents this process.

• Utilizing appropriate full spectrum light is a major benefit to your parrot to process the absorption of Vitamin D.

Weight Scales

• A simple and effective tool to monitor your bird's physical health is utilizing a weight scale. Bird's weights fluctuate, and keeping a weight chart can be a good way to catch early signs of potential illness by becoming familiar with 'normals' for your bird(s)

• We recommend weighing your bird when it's crop is empty, and sticking to a scheduled weekly routine. It can be considered 'normal' for a bird's weight to vary about 15% during the course of charting its weight. For further information please discuss this subject with your veterinarian.

Bathing

Bathing

• Encourages preening behavior

• Ways to bathe – A shallow bowl with water

– A plant mister

– A water faucet

– Wet foliage, such as lettuce leaves hung in the cage

– Sprinklers outside on a warm day

– A steamy bathroom

– The shower

• Bathe your bird during the warmest part of the day

• Don’t use any commercially available birdie soap – it can damage the feather oils

Bathing

• Parrots should enjoy bathing or misting

• Normal preening involves the bird rubbing its beak on their uropygial (preen) gland located right above their tail, and distributing the oil through their feathers; not all parrots have a preen gland.

• Excessive preening, picking, scratching, shaking or chewing can be an indication of a problem

Grooming

Wing Trimming

• Actually trimming flight feathers – NOT wings

• Increases safety

• Prevents flying away

• Allows outdoor playtime

• A good wing trim allows the bird to safely glide down – not crash and burn

• Do not allow improper wing trims; check with anyone who will trim your bird’s feathers about how the trim is to be performed

• Vets may be better at restraining, so it should be safer for you your bird and more likely to result in a good wing trim

• Bad wing trims WILL cause a plethora of behavior problems

Grooming

Trimming flight feathers

Advantages

• This may prevent your bird from flying away outside

• Also prevents your bird from landing on and in dangerous things when properly supervised

Disadvantages

• Can be detrimental

• Can hinder escape from other pets

• The bird can fall and hurt themselves

• A bird can panic and fly into things injuring themselves

Grooming

Wing trimming technique

• May take 2 people

• Need a towel for restraint

• Small sharp scissors

• Restrain the bird

• Lay the bird on its back

• Do not compress bird’s body or chest!

• Spread one wing

• Look for blood feathers, don’t cut these!

• Trim the primary feathers #1-5 below the coverts

• Number of feathers varies between bird species

• Smaller lighter birds need more than 5 cut

• Heavier birds need less than 5 cut

• Be conservative!

Grooming

Proper wing trimming technique

Grooming

Bad wing trims can cause injury!

The “vanity” trim

• Leaves the first few primaries untouched

• Bird can propel itself into the air then has no control – crashes and burns

• This will cause a lot of tail injuries

• Bird may take flight and be unable to land

Over-trimming

• Causes the bird to lose balance

• Causes the bird to crash hard

• Causes loss of self confidence, feather picking and injuries

Grooming

Nail trimming

• Nails are too long if the toe is elevated from the ground when the bird is on a flat surface

• Overgrown toenails can catch in carpets, toys, blankets, fabrics causing the bird to panic

• In lightly colored nails, the nerve and blood supply, called the quick, is visible

• Someone restrains, the other person can use a Dremel to file down the nails or use a clipper to clip the nails

• Make sure you don’t cut the quick! In dark colored nails, just take off a tiny amount at a time.

• Files for acrylic nails are your friend!

• If the nail bleeds, use styptic powder or pressure to stop the bleeding. Never use anywhere else on bird.

Grooming

Nail trimming tips

• The best tip is to take your bird to the vet for his nail trims!

• If the quicks are too long, clip just up to the quicks (avoiding them) then wait 2 weeks, then trim the nails again

• The toes may be sore after trimming, but if your bird shows signs of tenderness after 2 days, then take him to the vet

• Dremeling the nails rounds off rough nail edges

• Don’t trim the nails too short; your bird needs them to grip things, and will fall a lot if grip is damaged.

• Some people train their birds to have their nails filed with an emery board.

• Use sandy perches placed in front of food area to help keep your bird’s nails dulled

Grooming

Beak Trimming

• Normal healthy birds should NOT need their beaks trimmed.

• Some bird’s beaks lengthen with age or may lengthen with some health problems

• Chewing and sanding the beak on perches should keep the beak a healthy length

• The upper and lower beak will grind against each other and maintain a normal length

• If the bird’s beak is not aligned properly, part of the beak could become overgrown

• ONLY have a veterinarian trim your bird’s beak

• NEVER allow someone to alter your bird’s beak in any way to prevent aggression or feather plucking – this is painful and cruel to the bird

Home Safety

Bird-proofing

• Birds will chew on anything

• Make sure cords, small objects, books, anything you don’t want “modified” are out of the bird’s reach

• Get used to having furniture chewed on

• Metal garden furniture is your friend!

• Hardwood is more difficult to chew up

• Put toddler latches on your cabinets to prevent entry and chewing on your food boxes

Home Safety

Household Dangers

• Unscreened windows and doors

• Toxic houseplants

• Mirrors and windows

• Ceiling fans

• Venetian blinds

• Open ovens, dishwashers, washing machines

• Uncovered pools of water/toilets or bathtubs

• Leaded glass

• Lead paint

• Pesticides and rodenticides

• Open trash cans

• Uncovered pots and hot burners on the stove

• Medicine / pills

Home Safety

Holiday Hazards

• Holiday plants are poisonous

• Birds can by caught by ornaments

• Birds can ingest parts of ornaments and get heavy metal toxicosis

• Lots of cooking can mean kitchen dangers

• Lots of visitors to the home can upset your bird

• Fumes from fireplaces, candles, and potpourri can be deadly

Home Safety

The Danger of Fumes!

• The avian respiratory tract is very sensitive to anything airborne

• Air circulates around the avian respiratory tract every two breaths instead of one

• The respiratory tract goes throughout the bird’s body instead of just the lungs

• This is a highly efficient system that allows the bird to maximize the oxygen that comes into its lungs and airsacs

• Any irritant or airborne poison will kill them quickly because they concentrate the air so efficiently

• This includes any cleaners, scented candles, incense, bleach, nonstick pans, hairspray, perfumes, aromatherapy oils

Home Safety

The Danger of Fumes!

• Remodeling

• Paint fumes

• Dust

• Carpet fumes

• Paneling fumes

• Consider boarding your bird until the project is done and the house airs out

• Fumigation

• Teflon (PTFE) pans and burning oil – Overheated Teflon (530 degrees) will kill birds almost instantly

– Burning food or oil creates particulate in the air which can harm avian respiratory systems

• If you have doubts about whether or not it is safe for your bird, don’t take any chances!

Home Safety

Heavy Metals Danger

Lead

• Lead will kill your bird quickly if ingested

• Veterinarians can see lead with a radiograph (x-ray)

• Lead is present in paints, weights, fishing equipment, art supplies, jewelry, supplies

Zinc

• Small amounts of Zinc will be excreted by your bird

• Chunks of Zinc will be seen via x-ray and will poison your bird

• Zinc toxicosis has been blamed for a wide range of problems has in birds

• A bird’s Zinc levels will vary from hour to hour and it is hard to prove toxic levels

Home Safety

Be prepared for emergencies!

• Have carriers for all your birds

• Train your birds so they are used to their carriers and will enter them quickly

• Pack a disaster kit with pellets, bowls and towels – plan on being gone at least one week

• Be ready to leave on a moment moment’s notice

• Find a safe place to shelter your pets in case of emergency; Red Cross and other “human” shelters cannot accept pets

• For more information contact: – The Red Cross

– State Animal Response Team in Colorado

Missing Bird

If your bird has flown away and you can see it:

• Keep it in your sight

• Put its cage, food and water where it is visible to the bird

• If you have other birds, put them outside where they will attract your bird

• Don’t do anything that could scare the bird into flying farther away

• Be patient, watch the bird as much as you can, hopefully it will get hungry and come to its cage

Missing Bird

If you do not know where your bird is:

• Notify all the animal control agencies and veterinarians in your area

• Be prepared with the bird’s band number

• Keep checking back every day

• Offer a reward for the bird

• Make sure the person calling about the reward does not get the reward until they give you the bird

• Offer children a reward if they sight the bird

• Put an ad in the paper

• Put posters up all over the neighborhood

• Put notices up on the internet

• Call radio stations

Bird Identification

Bands

• Each bird is required to have a closed band

• Open bands may signify an imported, wild caught bird

• Closed bands are marked with ID information about the bird

• Write your bird’s band number down so you can identify it if necessary

Microchips

• Must be placed by a veterinarian

• A unique ID number that can be scanned

• Can still be missed

Traveling

Should your bird travel with you?

• Is your bird in good health?

• Does your bird enjoy new things?

• Does your bird have self destructive behaviors when stressed?

• Do you have a travel cage?

• Does your bird like riding in the car?

• Do you need a health certificate for your bird?

• Is your bird legal in all states? Quakers aren’t!

• Is the bird welcome at the destination? In the hotels along the way?

Traveling

Air Travel

• If you can, travel with your pet

• Most airlines allow under seat carriers

• Check ahead on any regulations or reservations

• Expect an extra charge

• Sometimes birds are only allowed in the baggage compartment, which is monitored for temperature requirements

• There are rules about the type of carrier required here also

• Put fruit, nuts, seeds and pellets in the pet’s carrier for moisture and food.

• Water will just slosh out

• Fasten a perch to the travel carrier

• You may need a health certificate from within the last month for the bird - check with the airline!

Traveling

Car Travel

• Birds should always ride in a carrier, strapped down with a seatbelt

• Don’t use toys that will hit the bird while riding

• On long trips, provide the bird with food and water unless the bird is prone to carsickness

• If your bird is carsick

• Try covering the cage in the car

• Withhold food before the ride

• Don’t leave birds unattended in the car

• Don’t put cages on the floor of the car where heat and fumes could build up

• Never place bird in trunk

Traveling

Plan ahead!

• Have a current health certificate

• Make sure the wings are trimmed!

• Never leave the bird unattended

• Carry a spray bottle in hot weather

• Keep fresh foods in a cooler with ice

• Carry fresh water

• Carry a towel

• Locate an avian vet at your destination

• Have a first aid kit available

• Bring cage paper along

• Bring some of your birds favorite toys and food

Traveling

Leaving your bird behind

• It is extremely difficult to find a sitter that is good with birds

• Make sure you leave explicit instructions with the sitter so the

• Make they know exactly how to care for your bird, and demonstrate

• Warn your sitter about any potential problems including things that could hurt the birds

• Leave contact information for yourself

• Leave your veterinarian’s name and numbers

• Make sure that you have enough food prepared for the time you are gone

• Decide if the sitter should handle the birds or not

• If all goes well, give your sitter a tip!

• If you are leaving for a long period of time it would be prudent to get your birds examined by a veterinarian beforehand

Traveling

Leaving your bird behind

• Person doing the boarding will be very familiar with birds

• Check the facility: – Is it clean?

– Do the birds get time out of their cages?

– Are they supervised while out of their cages?

– What are the birds fed?

– Do the cages look fun and enriching?

– Is the staff kind and gentle with the birds?

– Do they play with the birds?

– Are the birds bathed?

– Does the facility require each boarder to be medically checked? They should?

• What does the facility require you to provide?

• TGF offers boarding services at both locations

Bird Relinquishment

Reasons people “get rid of” birds

• They get tired of the birds

• The bird has behavioral problems

• Owners undergo life changes

• The owner dies

• Allergies develop

• Serious illness

• Owner moves

If need to place your bird

• Please try to keep your bird’s needs in mind

• Don’t just give him to anyone who will take him, including pet stores

• If it is a Gabriel bird, then TGF requires that you give it back or prearrange for successor

• Giving the bird to a respected PWO ––the bird’s needs will be met until it is adopted outs

• The bird will only be adopted to an owner that is ready to properly care for it

• If you give it to an individual: – Be available to answer questions

– Check on the bird’s living situation

– Be ready to take the bird back if it does not work out

• State law governs property

When an owner dies

• Birds are considered property

• Create a Designation of Beneficiary

• Please make sure they are covered under your will or trust

• DO NOT count on relatives taking care of them!

• Gabriel birds must be returned to the Foundation if successor not prearranged.

• Birds can be relinquished to an PWO to be rehomed or put into sanctuary for the remainder of their lives

When a bird dies

• If you have other birds, you should have a necropsy performed

• Pinpoints husbandry issues

• Shows infectious disease

• Cremation follows necropsy

• You can get the ashes back or the crematorium can dispose of the ashes

• You can bury the body at home

• You can bury the body at a pet cemetery

Euthanasia

• Birds are rarely euthanized, because they often die very quickly when severely injured

• Euthanasia is humane if performed by a competent veterinarian

• Sodium pentobarbital is the most humane and widely used euthanasia agent

• This stops the nervous system, then the respiration, then the heart

• The animal may move, vocalize or exhale as they are dying, or even after death because of muscle contractions

• You can choose to witness the euthanasia or not

• Some vets will do euthanasia at the client’s home

• You can learn a lot about a veterinary clinic by the way they sensitively handle euthanasia

Pet Loss

Other Pets

• A dying animal is very stressful to the other birds in the house

• Spend extra time with your other pets

• Abnormal behaviors such as feather picking can begin or worsen

• If possible, show the birds the body so they can understand what happened to their friend

• “Dr. Kris suggested that we bring Jill's life long companion Jack to say good-by. At first Jack was afraid, because Jill was in a towel, so I removed the towel and held Jill in my hand just in inside the door of Jack's carrier. Jack stood still for a moment in the back of his carrier looking at Jill, then walked forward and reached over to preen the top of her head. Then he picked his head and just looked at her. I wonder if he realized that would he never see her again. He did not make one peep all the way home. Last night I let Jack sleep with Sprite and Spree. This morning they were all 3 side by side on the same perch. “-R. Van Tuyl

Pet Loss

Talking with you children

• Allow your child to express his grief

• Explain what happened to the bird as clearly as you can ––tell the truth!

• If the bird is hospitalized, let teenagers be involved in the decision-making process surrounding the bird

• If the adults can express their grief, the children will be more likely to grieve naturally

• Don’t diminish the loss by saying “It was only a bird”

• Support your child with any decisions they make about how they want to grieve

Pet Loss

It’s OK to grieve

• Pet loss is a serious loss

• Psychologists have recently affirmed the importance of grief for a pet

• There are many books available on this topic

• DAVMS Pet Loss support group is available in Denver

• Pet loss support websites are on the internet

• People who do not have pets or devalue pets may not understand your loss