Just as any animal or human has a required level of good grooming, to maintain good health, so does your bird. Care of your bird goes well beyond kisses and bird seed. That is what I want to discuss now.
Bathing
In the wild it rains and the birds feathers are rinsed of excess dirt from their environment and naturally occurring dander. As I will discuss in later posts, dander is harmful to inhale. To maintain healthy feather quality, gentle bathing on a regular schedule it essential. Some birds like to play in the water, great! Give them a pan of luke warm water and let them have a good time. Don’t add anything to the water. You never know if your bird would have an allergic reaction to additives so KISS, Keep It Simple Sweety. Additives can build up on the feathers and the bird will be swallowing some. So when in doubt, do what nature does, KISS.
For all the rest of those birds that don’t bath on their own. Fill a spray bottle with luke warm water and spray until all sides of the bird are moisten. This is precisely why I do not use a spray bottle as punishment. Bathing should be part of your normal bird routine. At a minimum the bird should be bathed weekly, every other day would be great. Keep the bird out of cold drafts while it grooms itself and dries.
Mani-Pedi for your Bird
My opinion of bird toe nail clipping and beak trimming has changed over the years. Having worked with hawks and owls for decades, it becomes obvious they do not go to the vet for mani-pedi visits. When I first get a bird, as part of the initial assessment, trimming of long, circular, deformed nails may be necessary. For these I would suggest the bird go to an avain vet. From that point on, I use Mustang grape vines. They are course, natural, available along road sides, free. The plastic and smooth dowels do not wear down nails, in fact the constant shape can lead to pressure sores on the birds feet. Variable size natural branches vary foot pressure. The course bark on the branch is entertaining and wears down the beak naturally. Anytime you can provide quality care and less stress to the bird, consider it.
Egg laying
Bird sex 101, just like chickens, you don’t need a rooster for your bird to lay an egg. Birds bond sexually to humans and proximity to a male, bird or human, can stimulate a female bird to lay an egg. This can lead to behavioral and medical issues, like being egg bound. Part of bird courtship if for the males to feed the females. So when a human kisses, or let a female bird eat from his mouth, that is a sexual bird overture. And just throw the eggs away. If they are fertile and you don’t want more birds, throw them away. If they are not fertile, they will rot, throw them away.
Male birds don’t have a penis. Both male and female have the same opening and they align the opening, to breed, in a coital kiss. When your bird is rubbing his/her pelvis on you or you are stroking the base of it spine, you are making a sexual overture. This behavior leads to you being bitten, or your human spouse being attacked. The bird does not understand that you were being affectionate. It see you as it’s mate.
Wing Clipping
I do not like to clip a birds wings, that is their defense mechanism. I have gotten great pleasure in watching a trained macaw free fly, hundreds of feet in the air, then return to the owner. I like the bird to not fall off the top of it’s cage, but fly to a play stand. I like my bird to get away from the cat or dog. I like a bird to fly, as they were intended.
BUT… there are times and situation where it may be necessary to restrict the birds mobility. I understand, so the options are:
- Spread out one wing and using a sharp pair of household scissors, cut off the first one inch of the tips of the feathers. You are not cutting skin, there is no blood. It’s like a hair cut. There are differing opinions on whether to clip one wing or both, and how much to clip. When in doubt, ask an avain vet for the first clip, then maintain it yourself. The bird will molt, clipped feathers will fall out and full flight feathers will replace them. So clipping the birds wings will be an on going procedure.
- Free flying is the ultimate bird experience. There are trainers and organizations of free flight enthusiast. I worked with Wendy Craig, who now lives in Arizona. She is an exceptional trainer and free flies her own birds. I would not recommend that you try this without help from a trainer. It would be a great way for your bird to fly off. Google free flight training for online programs and in person training.
- For the rest of us, that want to take our bird outside and don’t have a trained bird, get a bird harness. It’s a simple vest that you will have to introduce to your bird and put on the bird like a dog harness. It has a leash and you can keep your bird from flying away. I have found it was a struggle to get on the bird at first but ultimately the bird understood that their reward was to be outside.
