bird Care Guide
Budgerigar (Budgie)
Exercise:
Minimum 60x40x40cm cage with horizontal bars for climbing. Bar spacing no more than 1cm. Provide perches of varying thickness. Keep away from kitchens and drafts — they are extremely sensitive to fumes including non-stick cookware.
Grooming:
Offer a shallow bath dish 2-3 times a week or mist lightly with water. Trim nails when they become overgrown. Check beak regularly — overgrowth may indicate a health issue.
Diet:
High-quality budgie seed mix as a base, supplemented daily with fresh leafy greens, carrots, and broccoli. Offer cuttlebone for calcium. Avoid avocado, onion, chocolate, and caffeine — all are toxic.
Cockatiel
Exercise:
Minimum 60x60x90cm cage. Cockatiels are active and need space to move. Provide multiple perches, toys, and foraging opportunities. Cover the cage at night to ensure 10-12 hours of sleep.
Grooming:
Bathe or mist 2-3 times a week. Trim flight feathers only if necessary for safety. Cockatiels produce a fine white dust — normal for the species but ensure good ventilation.
Diet:
Quality cockatiel seed or pellet mix, supplemented with fresh vegetables daily. Egg food or soft food during moulting. Avoid seeds as the sole diet — they are high in fat and nutritionally incomplete.
African Grey Parrot
Exercise:
Minimum 90x60x120cm cage — larger is always better. African Greys are highly intelligent and need constant mental stimulation. Rotate toys regularly to prevent boredom. Require 10-12 hours of sleep in a quiet, dark environment.
Grooming:
Mist or bathe weekly. Trim nails and beak only by an avian vet. African Greys are prone to feather plucking when stressed or under-stimulated — address the root cause rather than the symptom.
Diet:
High-quality pellets should make up 60-70% of the diet. Supplement with fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and cooked grains. Avoid sunflower seeds as a staple — high fat content leads to obesity and liver disease.
Lovebird
Exercise:
Minimum 60x40x60cm per pair. Lovebirds are best kept in pairs — a single lovebird requires significant daily interaction to prevent depression. Bar spacing no more than 1.2cm.
Grooming:
Offer bathing opportunities 2-3 times a week. Check nails monthly. Lovebirds are active chewers — provide safe wooden toys to keep beaks trim naturally.
Diet:
Seed mix supplemented with fresh vegetables, sprouts, and fruit. Pellets are an excellent base diet. Avoid iceberg lettuce, avocado, and any processed human food.
Conure
Exercise:
Minimum 75x50x90cm cage. Conures are loud, active, and social — they need out-of-cage time daily. Provide plenty of toys and foraging enrichment. Keep away from other pets unsupervised.
Grooming:
Bathe or mist 2-3 times a week. Trim nails as needed. Conures love to chew so provide destructible toys to keep them mentally engaged and beaks healthy.
Diet:
Pellets as the primary diet (60-70%), supplemented with fresh vegetables, fruits, and occasional nuts as treats. Avoid high-fat seeds as a staple. Fresh water must be changed daily.
Canary
Exercise:
Minimum 60x40x40cm cage — canaries are fliers not climbers so width matters more than height. Keep one per cage as males will fight. Place in a bright room away from direct drafts and temperature extremes.
Grooming:
Provide a shallow bath dish several times a week — canaries love to bathe and it keeps their plumage in top condition. Trim nails if they become overgrown. Monitor for mite infestations especially around the face and legs.
Diet:
Quality canary seed mix as a base. Supplement with fresh greens like spinach, kale, and dandelion. Offer egg food during breeding season and moulting. Cuttlebone for calcium is essential.