Birds For Dummies. Gina Spadafori

the visual perspective. Some stands come with shelves, handy for storing newspapers, food, and other supplies. Casters are a blessing, too, because you can easily move the cage and stand out from the wall to clean behind it. Placing a cage directly on the ground puts your bird in a vulnerable “low-altitude position” — one that can be stressful and psychologically undesirable for many birds. Even backyard chickens prefer to roost and rest on perches, up and off the ground. Ideally, a cage, perch, and stand combination that enables the bird to perch comfortably at about mid-chest height (yours, not his) is a great goal. Watch out, though: If you have medium to large parrots, and you allow them to get outside their cages and onto the tops —you may set the stage for a bit of a challenge to get your bird back in, particularly if he doesn’t want to, or sees no reason to do so. All the more reason for good training to be put in place! Too high can be as problematic in a different way as being too low. For more on behavior problems, as well as how to build and shape desirable behaviors, see Chapter 12.

      

Most cages come in one or two solid pieces — typically the cage part and the base, in the two-part variety — but you can buy some models that ship flat and require reassembly. These cages, called knockdowns, are held together with nuts and bolts, and a well-designed one has these fasteners in places where a busy bird is less likely to find them. Knockdowns are fine, but you have to remember to check the nuts and bolts from time to time to be sure they’re still tight. Parrots are really good at undoing your best efforts to keep nuts and bolts fastened.

      Shopping for a travel carrier

      Small birds such as finches are able to travel in the cage they live in every day (and usually more comfortably, too), but that’s not an option for bigger birds whose large cages aren’t made to move much. For these birds, a separate cage is well worth the investment for trips to the veterinarian or a move to the family’s new home.

      ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

      Although largely inadequate for the needs of modern pet birds, some antique birdcages are beautiful, ornate works of art, meant to mimic temples, mansions, and other examples of architectural splendor, created from the finest woods and jewels. According to information from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, birdcages were probably a common sight in many 17th-century Dutch homes, where pet birds were valued — as they are today — for their song, liveliness, and bright plumage. Birds such as canaries or singing finches were first brought over to Europe by Portuguese trading ships. They were splendidly kept in cages often made of fine materials such as ebony and ivory (or their imitations, ebonized wood and bone). Sometimes the cages contained feeding dishes made of blown glass or beautiful ceramic feeding pots or were embellished with tassels hanging from their bases. Although antique cages make poor living accommodations for today’s pet birds, houseplants look great in these delightful relics!

      PUTTING YOUR BIRD IN A TIME-OUT

      Some bird owners may benefit from the purchase of a smaller time-out cage for use when your bird is driving you crazy. (It happens in the best of families, believe us!) The cage doesn’t have to be elaborate — sturdy and just large enough to fit your bird comfortably, and portable enough to allow him to chill for a while — out of the traffic flow in the home. The time-out cage can also double as your bird’s travel cage, a sleeping cage, or an outside “shower cage,” when set beneath a fine mister outdoors.

      If you’ve ever seen how happy birds are at a bird bath, it’ll come as no surprise to you that your pet bird will enjoy getting wet from time to time. And it’s good for her, too! For more on showers, see Chapter 7.

      Although you never need a cage cover to keep your bird warm in a heated home, sometimes this tool is useful in handling an out-of-control bird. For more on the use of cage covers, see Chapter 12.

A small travel cage is fine, but so, too, are carriers designed for cats or small dogs (see the Figure 4-1), the kind made of high-impact plastic with vents on the side and a grid door on the front or top. For short trips, no perch is necessary — just put down a clean towel to give your bird solid footing. For longer trips or for your bird’s increased comfort even on short trips, however, fasten a perch dowel near the base of the carrier with two screws placed through the walls and into the ends of the perch.

      Travel cages and carriers are important for reasons beyond the occasional trip to the veterinarian. In times of disaster, these transportable homes make it far easier to evacuate your pet and keep him safe until conditions improve.

      Although you can carry a small bird in a paper bag, the benefits of owning and using a safe carrier far outweigh the modest price of acquiring one. Just as is commonly done with dogs and to some degree cats, birds can learn to enter their travel carriers on cue. (See Chapter 21 for more on carrier training.) This is an important skill to teach your bird. With the right training, he’ll enjoy going into his carrier and being rewarded for it, making it easier to take him to the vet or anywhere else he needs to go.

      Carriers should have a large enough door for your bird to enter and exit comfortably. Cat carriers work well for small and medium-size birds and even some larger birds with short tails.

      Add a perch for additional comfort. Even something as simple as a rope perch placed on the bottom of the carrier can increase your bird’s comfort inside the carrier.

      Photograph courtesy of Melody Hennigh, Busy Beaks Academy (Oakley, California)

      FIGURE 4-1: Many different types of carriers can be suitable for birds.

If your bird is likely to chew through a plastic carrier, look for an acrylic carrier with a perch already installed. Some models are long, which is useful for parrots with long tails, such as macaws. Wire dog crates, which come in many sizes and can easily support a perch, are another option. Wire crates may require additional locks or carabiners to prevent parrots from opening the doors and high-tailing it out of there.

      Most birds appreciate having toys inside their travel carriers. Something they can shred and something they can hide inside or behind will make the carrier much more attractive to them.

Perch Perfect: Finding the Right Perch for Your Bird

Gravity being what it is, even a creature made for flying spends a lot of time on his feet. And pet birds spend even more time on their feet than their wild relatives do. That makes what’s under those feet — perches — very important. Perches give birds something to stand on, something to chew on, something to rub and groom their beaks on, a vantage point from which to survey their domain, and a secure home base to rest on.

      Three factors apply to perch selection: safety, variety, and destructibility. Safety because, well, that’s kind of obvious. Variety because a wide array of shapes, sizes, and materials can go far in keeping your bird’s feet healthy, as well as helping him stay busy, fit, and free of boredom. Destructibility? Perches, in particular, are common and appropriate targets for demolition for birds. For a bird, the need to rip the snot out of something is of paramount importance. It’s only natural!

      

And now for an illustration of the importance of destructibility: When Brian was in Australia a few years ago, he watched in awe as a flock of about 20 red-tailed black cockatoos (birds that retail for up to $40,000 each in the United States, if you can even find