Copyright © September 2001 - 2008 All rights reserved.
Photographs, articles, some backgrounds are the property of LITTLE DARLINGS
This page was last updated on: January 17, 2008
1. The MINIMUM cage size should be able to allow enough room for moving around, without bumping into toys and perches or the bars of the cage. The bird should be able to fully extend and flap its wings without hitting anything. A cage that is rectangle (birds feel more secure) is better than one that is square or round.
2. Keep the cage at around heart level, not up against the ceiling or too low to the floor.
3. Always have a nightlight close to its cage in case of night frights. Cover the bird (with a heavy blanket or cloth cage cover, no plastic) in the evening, if its in the most active part of the house, eg: your livingroom or familyroom were you are watching TV or entertaining. Birds need about 10 to 12 hours sleep each night.
4. Keep the bird at room temperature, the lowest at night being approximately 66 - 68 degrees Keep away from constant drafts from windows, air conditioners, heating vents, fans and DO NOT house the bird in the KITCHEN because of fluctuating room temperatures, fumes and accidents. Keep toilet lids down.
5. A good cage liner is newspaper (most companies use vegetable dyes). If the cage comes with a bottom grate, then you could use corn cob bedding. It is an absorbent bedding (swells up when moist) and looks similar to pellets. Birds will try to eat this, if they can reach it. You can also use Yesterday's News Bedding.
6. My hand fed chicks are weaned onto LIVING WORLD TROPICAN HIGH PERFORMANCE GRANULES FOR COCKATIEL or LIVING WORLD TROPICAN HIGH PERFORMANCE GRANULES FOR PARROT. The bird should stay on this pellet until it is SIX months old. Then should be put on LIVING WORLD TROPICAN LIFETIME FORMULA GRANULES FOR COCKATIEL or LIVING WORLD TROPICAN LIFETIME FORMULA GRANULES FOR PARROT for the remainder of its life.
7. When on a mostly pelleted diet, do not give the bird vitamins, minerals and cuttlebone. This would lead into an overdose for the bird. They do not need gravel.
8. Introduce the bird to as many new foods as possible up to 25% to 30% of its daily intake. The rest consisting of 70% to 75% pelleted diet, which is 100% NUTRITION in EVERY BITE. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, dry pasta and most human foods are fine, AVOID foods high in fat, junk foods, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, sugar, salt, milk, rhubarb and avocado. Fresh fruits and vegetables can start to spoil in about 2 hours, depends on the weather.
9. The bird is used to flax and hemp seeds as an occasional treat. The above mentioned seeds are healthy with various vitamins and Omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids. An all seed diet will cause health problems. You can give green pumpkin seeds as an occasional treat. Give the bird 3 times a week ½ tsp of Plain Natural Yogurt with Live Bacterial Culture in it [eg. Astro, Presidents Choice].
10. Place the bird's food in small ceramic dishes in the bottom of the cage. Also, in the feed dishes on the sides of the cage. When you have seen the bird eating and drinking from its side feed dishes on a CONSISTENT basis, then you can eliminate the bottom feed dishes. Absolutely pay close attention the first few days to make sure that the bird(s) is eating. If you have any concerns in the first few days about the bird(s) eating, phone me immediately!
11. When you bring the bird home, place the bird in its cage and let the bird adjust to its cage, surroundings, family members and pets. Put the radio on and turn to easy listening music. This will help the bird to adjust. Usually, two or three days is enough. During that time period, sit beside the bird cage and read, talk and sing to the bird to help it feel more comfortable.
12. When, you allow the bird out, for the first time, out of the cage, limit the time. This will reduce the stress, that the bird may feel. Do not spend too much time with the bird too soon.
13. Decide how much time you will be able to spend with the bird for the rest of its life and spend that amount of time from the very beginning. Make sure that the bird has daily playtime outside of its cage with his human companions and also, in an supervised playarea (playgym, T- stand, etc.)
14. Newly weaned birds are babies until they are about one years old or so. Which means that they will be taking alot of naps throughout the day and require a good nights uninterrupted sleep. DO NOT take the bird out when you see it sleeping, it needs its rest, for it is growing. Birds under FOUR months can be taken out A FEW TIMES a DAY for up to a HALF an HOUR (always make sure they have had something to eat and drink), under ONE year, the time can increase to ONE HOUR. After ONE year (providing they have access to food and water) longer than an HOUR at a time.
15. You can open the cage door and let the bird come out by itself or go back into the cage by itself, especially if you have territorial issues. You are the one to take and place the bird, wherever you decide it should be.
16. If the bird is nibbling or biting playfully, DO NOT allow this to happen. Give the bird something else like a toy or another acceptable object. Birds do not distinguish, in the beginning between your tender flesh and inanimate objects . Beaking is an unacceptable behavior which could lead into biting later on, if not controlled in the beginning. Biting is a LEARNED behavior, it is not a natural instinct. When the bird bites, there is ALWAYS a reason. It could be hungry, tired, scared, jealous, etc.
17. DO NOT allow the bird on your shoulder, unless you place it there. Remove the bird, when you choose, the time to do this. Some birds should never be allowed on the shoulder. When on your shoulder, DO NOT wear any jewelry, for the bird considers them as parrot toys.
18. Using the words " STEP UP " or " STEP DOWN ", teaches the bird to come on and off your hand on command. Step Up to Humans and Step Down to objects.
19. Some reasons why the bird might scream: could be boredom, greeting the flock, in pain, hunger, thirsty, wants attention, threatened, afraid, jealousy or anger.
20. There is a safety risk involved, if you allow the bird to roam the floor. This activity, can also encourage the bird to make its own rules and sees the floor as its territory.
21. Please give the bird a bath at least TWO to THREE TIMES a WEEK. Introduce the bird to a suitable non-tipable, non-chewable container with ROOM TEMPERATURE water placed inside its cage. Take out, when the bird is done, so the bird does not use it for drinking purposes. If the bird does not take to its bathing dish. You can use a plant misting bottle that has NEVER had anything in it, but water. Use ROOM TEMPERATURE water and mist lightly at least TWICE a WEEK. ONCE a WEEK give a good soaking (feathers look kind of sticking together). Make sure there is NO drafts when the bird is wet. Bathing helps keep the dust down and the bird in top feather condition. If your bird smells like vomit, then it has been bathing in dirty water in its water bowl. Always keep the bowl filled with fresh water at all times.
22. Provide the bird with music, TV, talking, singing, many toys, swings and other approved birdproof items that hold its interest (NO jingle bells or toys with removable parts small enough to swallow). Frequently examine toys. Toys that are badly frayed, soiled and have broken or loose parts discard. Have various diameters in wood perches to help exercise the feet. Natural branches are better. Encourage interaction with unfamiliar people and new objects. Also, take the bird out on many outings.
23. Keep up the periodic maintenance grooming of wings, toenails and beak which is necessary for a safe lifestyle by a competent person. The greatest cause of injury, loss and death, is failure to properly trim the wing feathers of the hand fed bird.
24. Have the bird see an avian veterinarian on an annual basis for its well bird - check-up.
25. I provide after service care once the bird(s) are in your care. Please phone, this method is preferred, as it will give you faster results to your questions and is much easier for me to converse with you.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING!!
Come back soon!
This site & layout design by Darlene Johnson of LITTLE DARLINGS
BY Darlene Johnson of LITTLE DARLINGS
Copyright © September 2001 - 2008 All rights reserved.
The first two years of breeding, I was almost totally burnt out with the birds. I was in the hole $10,000 Canadian dollars in vet expenses ( invested $15,000 Canadian dollars in birds, cages, supplies, books, etc. totalling $25,000 Canadian dollars in the first two years and only some breeding success) by taking advice from experienced and well thought of breeders (fifteen - thirty years of bird breeding experience, bird breeder club executives, etc. ). We had one hundred birds ( Finches, Cockatiels, Diamond Doves, Budgies, Grass parakeets, Cockatoos, Eclectus, Golden mantled Rosellas, Lovebirds and Lorikeets ). I was told by the above, that birds never get sick and it is a waste of money to use a vet, you can mix different birds from different aviaries, you don't need to quarantine, you can use cages from galvanized wire as soon as you build them, etc., etc.
Being a greenhorn and knowing nothing at all about aviculture, I trusted these experienced breeders, listened to them and followed what they told me. It caused me a lot of heartache.
Here are some of my first heartaches:
I had a couple of tests run on my cockatiels and they all came back as hereditary diabetes, except one bird, which showed up during the stressful breeding season. The cockatiels also had yeast infections and bacterial infections in the intestines and crops. They were not showing any outward signs when purchased. But, the stress of the breeding season sent the cockatiels in full swing with the infections and symptoms started showing up in the adults and chicks. The adults started to loose weight, looked unhealthy, were eating a lot of food and drinking more water and urinating large puddles of water in the bottom of their cages. The chicks were constantly screaming, not growing very well and seemed thinner than they should be. I found white patches in their mouths and they had pasty vents. We ran tests in the areas of the beak, crop and intestines. When the results came back, we started treating with Septra for the bacterial infections and Nystatin for the yeast infections. As we did not want our other birds to get sick ( but, it was too late as some other hook bills had caught these same infections as they floated through the air and were showing the same symptoms ). We only raised one cockatiel chick that season ( the other few chicks that were treated did not make it, as they were too far gone with the infections ). The adult cockatiels died within six months from the diabetes.
We also had zinc disease and had to treat all hook bills on a daily basis in their water for twenty one days with a calcium treatment. We then proceeded to age the cages and have never had problems in this area since. Also, had to treat some of the hook bills for bacterial and yeast infections, as some of them came with infections when I purchased them ( some grass parakeets had the yeast infection in full swing ). They did not look or acted sick at the time of purchase.
One Eclectus had to be treated for sinutis, as she was showing signs a day after we brought her home. Took her to a vet that claimed to treat exotic birds, spent $600 Canadian dollars and he said she would be sick like this for the rest of her life. I didn't believe him, took him to my current avian vet and spent another $300 Canadian dollars to get her cured. She was treated with Baytril orally for seven days. At this time we tested her intestines doing a gram stain and the results came back with E - coli bacteria as well. We continued treating her for another seven days and retested and she came back clean.
Also, a year later we did an annual veterinary check-up during our first year into birds and found the mate of the Eclectus hen had E - coli bacteria as well and he had to be treated. The hen at this time had a very yellow mouth on the inside of her beak and when tested had a vitamin A toxicity. She was getting too much vitamin A in her diet of pellets, vitamins and vitamin A pills. Again, we did not know that when on a mostly pelleted diet, you do not need to supplement with vitamins and vitamin A for Eclectus. We tossed the vitamins and she was treated for the toxicity and she came back to a normal level.
During that same time period we lost a Lorikeet to a rare pneumonia ( this particular pneumonia can survive in the environment for a year.) This bird was carrying this particular disease, when I bought him. My avian veterinarian rushed over for a house call to help the Lorikeet. The Lorikeet died in my avian vets hands, before she could give him an injection!! There was the constant disinfection of cages, walls and perches - monthly, utensils and the air - daily, floor - weekly, etc. for months afterwards and because of all the disinfection, no one else caught it. This is when I started my disinfection regime. Since I have cleaned up my stock that I have bought from other breeders. I do not have to follow as strict as regime of disinfection in my breeding facility.
We also had vitamin D3 overdose in some of the birds. I did not know that putting vitamins into the water and the birds on a pellet diet would cause this, especially since my vita lights were only two feet away from the cages. We had to sacrifice some breeders for tests, as they were wasting away to find out what the problem was. As, I was watching the necropsies being done. One particular male cockatiel's liver disintegrated into mush, as my avian vet was cutting up a sample piece to be sent to the laboratory. We then proceeded to take the vitamins out of the water and moved the vita lights another 2 feet away from the cages. Problem solved. At the same time, we had cuttlebone in with the pellets, which with one particular cockatiel led to an overdose in calcium, causing kidney disease ( drinking lots of water and large puddles of water everywhere ) and then death. All cuttlebone was then removed from all the breeder birds.
We also had a case of giardia from a new recently bought cockatiel, during this time period. More tests, more medicine, more disinfection, etc. Saved this cockatiel, but was not used for breeding and placed in a family situation.
In the first three years we had contracted three times red mite infestation and feather lice. The first time, the original birds came with them. The second time, the mites had hibernated over the winter season and had not totally disappeared from the first time. The last time was introducing a cockatiel into the nursery without quarantining it first and it had red mites. The last time was the most stressful and costly as in medication and the death of some birds. I am writing about this in a more detailed article on this subject right now.
I researched for a year, before getting into birds and visited various breeders and asked a lot of questions and tried to learn everything I could, which most wouldn't tell me a thing. I spent a $1,000 in books, trying to find out what the breeders wouldn't tell me and most books only had some of the answers.
My husband was very upset with these breeders, ( he was with me when the questions were asked and I bought their stock ). After going through all of this, my husband wanted me to give it all up, it just wasn't worth all the emotional stress and financial costs, if this is what we were to expect yearly. He was very angry, as we were sold a lot of birds that should not have been sold to people, because of all their illnesses.
I stuck it out though. I said, " Once we get things cleaned up. Then all should be better. ", which it was. I bought an high quality air cleaner and installed it in the breeding room. I then proceeded to follow a quarantine procedure and testing of new birds for the basics, when acquiring new birds. I was very picky about which breeders I would get my new birds from. I was constantly disinfecting my facility and had my avian veterinarian do tests on an annual basis to make sure all birds were healthy.
To this day, I do not have any fingerprints, as the constant disinfecting has eaten them away.
When the vet comes now, they have their individual medical files that are updated on a annual basis.
We now, only have an occasional problem, like for instance this past January 2002, I had to take in to the veterinarian, a baby green-cheeked conure, who's eye ring was slightly red. Apparently, he had caught my cold ( my cold lasted twenty weeks ) when I was cuddling with him. Five days of Baytril and he was right as rain. I felt so guilty in giving it to him. I am always so careful. But, my husband said a cold couldn't last that long and was probably my allergies acting up constantly. Boy, was he wrong!
Well, any ways, I truly think we should be willing to help others in educating them correctly and not falsely in all aspects of aviculture for the benefit of the birds and not let money to be the major motive. I am so glad, that now there are some quality, educated breeders out there, willing to give us their experiences and willing to help breeders as well as pet bird owners.
I know myself, that I have dedicated myself to educate others and to be honest with all. There is nothing to be ashamed of in telling your story. Unless, of course, you are a breeder who does not care and take responsibility for the problems you have cause others.
I sincerely hope, that through my above experiences, that others will learn and take note.
BY Darlene Johnson of LITTLE DARLINGS
Copyright © September 2001 - 2008 All rights reserved.
