Keeping Your Bird Healthy

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The single most important goal you should have as a responsible parrot owner is to ensure that your bird lives a long, happy and healthy life.  The first step to take is to educate yourself and your family about all aspects of bird care.  Hopefully, by exploring the info provided in the AvianEnrichment site, you will have a sound overview of the many key physical, emotional and instinctual needs of parrots and how best to address them.   Regarding bird's physical health, the basic areas you must address include:

• Providing a well balanced, nutritious diet is the primary key to ensuring optimal health.
• Give your bird opportunities for exercise.
• Develop a knowledge of potential safety hazards in your household (teflon, plants, cleaning supplies,  foods) and take preventative measures to avoid accidents.
• Eliminate/reduce sources of stress for your bird.
• Allow your bird to get adequate sleep.
• Maintain a clean cage environment to prevent bacterial and fungal infections
• Observe your bird and determine what is a normal daily routine for your bird.  Early detection of health problems will be key to the successful treatment and recovery of your bird in the event of illness.
• Develop a relationship with an avian vet so that s/he is familiar with your bird should an emergency occur.   Have your vet perform annual checkups on each of your birds.
• Be prepared in the event of an emergency.  Know where to find an avian vet, develop a knowledge of avian first aid basics and have an avian first aid kit on hand.
• Monitor your bird's weight weekly using a scale with a built-in perch. It is very difficult to detect weight loss without the use of a scale due to a bird's feather coat.
• Always quarantine new birds before introducing them to the rest of your flock.

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