You should buy the largest cage your budget and home can accommodate. Just make sure the bar spacing and positioning are appropriate for your bird. Most parrot-type birds (such as parakeets, cockatiels, lovebirds, conures, amazons and macaws) need to climb around in their cages for exercise, so horizontal as well as vertical bars are essential. Also, be certain that your bird cannot get its head stuck between the bars. (Old-fashioned, ornate, decorative cages are not appropriate for this very reason and also because these antique cages were often constructed of toxic metals.)
Do not put the cage in your kitchen, because smoke and cooking fumes are extremely harmful -- birds' tiny respiratory systems are very delicate, and much different from our own.
Oh, my aching feet!
Birds are on their feet 24 hours a day -- they even sleep standing up. So provide perches of different thicknesses for good foot health. A good choice is natural branches of hard, safe woods like manzanita and ribbonwood. Never use sand-paper covered perches, because they can severely damage birds' feet.
Good cage keeping
One of the keys to a healthy bird is good cage keeping. Keep your bird's cage clean by lining the slide-out bottom of its cage with newspaper (black and white only; colored ink can be toxic). Replace this lining every day. Then, also on a daily basis, wash your bird's food and water bowls in hot, sudsy water and rinse them thoroughly in hot water. Dry the food dish completely before you place new food in it, because damp food quickly breeds life-threatening molds and bacteria. It is a convenience to have two sets of food and water bowls; it’s easier to be sure the new, clean bowls are completely dry.
Once a week, desinfect your bird's home by washing the slide-out tray in a chlorine solution (follow bottle directions carefully) and rinsing thoroughly with warm water. (Make sure your bird is in another room of the house and supervised by another person -- or in another cage -- while you do this. Your bird should never be exposed to any chemicals.) Then you need to clean the rest of the cage. If it's relatively small, you may want to place the whole thing in the bath tub and wash the plastic parts in the chlorine solution, then rinse thoroughly in warm water. Chlorine can pit or discolor brass and other metals, so you'll probably want to wash these metal parts with hot soapy water instead, then rinse until the water runs clear.
If your bird's cage is too large to place in the tub, clean it where it stands. (Again, your bird should not be in the cage while you do this.) Use a sponge and a bucket of hot soapy water to wash it down. Rinse with a clean sponge soaked in fresh water. For extra disinfecting, dampen paper towels with rubbing alcohol and give the entire cage a wipe down, then rinse thoroughly again afterwards.
What's for dinner?
Contrary to popular belief, birds do not live on seeds alone! Birds have a habit of picking out the kinds of seed they like and ignoring the rest, so they can't get a balanced diet from even the best seed mix. That's why researchers have developed a number of "pellet" foods, which contain balanced nutrients in every bite.
Many birds look at pellet foods suspiciously at first, so don't try to "convert" them from a seed diet to a pellet diet all at once. Follow the conversion instructions on the package carefully, and don't give up! The right food can add years to your bird's life...and improve its overall health and appearance.
In addition to pellet food, offer your bird a variety of fruits, vegetables, cooked beans and rice, raw leafy vegetables such as collard greens and kale, whole grain, dry, sugar-free cereals. These foods should be placed in a separate bowl (not the pellet bowl) and removed within two hours so they don't spoil. Depending on how it was raised, your bird may not accept these foods immediately, but keep trying. Some birds refuse to eat these foods out of a bowl but will accept them if they're hung from the side or top of the cage.
Do not feed your bird even small amounts of avocado, chocolate, rhubarb or alcohol -- these foods are highly toxic to birds! All sugary or salty foods are out too...if it's not good for people, it's not good for birds.
Every bird should also have a cuttlebone and a mineral block at all times. If you have a budgie (parakeet), make sure its mineral block contains iodine, which is essential to their health.
Remember to give your bird fresh water every day. After you wash and thoroughly rinse its water bowl, let the cold water tap run for two or three minutes. This cleans out bacteria and some of the lead that accumulates in older water pipes overnight.
Certain species, such as lories and lorikeets, have very specific dietary requirements. Consult your veterinarian for nutritional advice specific to your pet.
Play time!
It's important that you schedule a daily, supervised "play time" outside of its cage for your bird. Many cages have play areas on top; some people have separate "T-stands" for their birds to play on. During its time out, the bird should play with you and your family and have "alone time" to play with a variety of safe bird toys on its own. This schedule helps keeps your bird hand tame and emotionally healthy.
Your bird should also have a couple of toys inside its cage to entertain it while you're away. Buy several and rotate them every week so your bird won't get bored. Rope and fabric toys, which are great pacifiers for young birds and create the perfect diversion for "feather pluckers," should be supervised and discarded when overly frayed. (If your bird's nails are overgrown, take it to your bird groomer or vet for a nail clipping or if you know how, clip them yourself before you let it play with fabric or rope toys.)
In fact, it's a good idea to supervise your bird the first few times it plays with any new toy to be sure its appropriate and safe for your pet. Also, be aware that some birds are frightened of new things, while others rush to play with anything that resembles fun.
Keeping a peaceful animal kingdom...
If you have other pets, they should be on the opposite side of a closed door during play time. Dog and cat saliva is lethal to birds; neither species should ever be allowed to "play" with your bird. Species such as snakes, lizards and ferrets may see your bird as an appetizing snack -- keep these pets caged while your birds are playing and make sure they don't have access to your bird's cage at any time.
Teach children to "look but don't touch"
Likewise, small children should not handle your bird. Even the gentlest child can get excited and accidentally squeeze a small bird to death in an instant. Larger birds, such as amazons and macaws can severely injure a child's small fingers or face. Teach your children to appreciate the beauty and intelligence of your bird from a distance. Also, make sure they never feed anything to your bird without asking your permission.
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