MACAW
University
When you bring a beautiful
bird into your life, your home, and your family,
there are things you may want
to know, things such as...
Why are so many
birds surrendered to avian rescues and shelters?
What kinds of questions do you get at MACAW?
Additional Learning Opportunities
Where
can I learn more about my new friend?
Book stores, libraries and bird clubs are good sources of information about your
bird. The internet chat rooms offer advice and message boards for questions. Do
a search in Google for your type of bird and see what comes up. You can also
send me an email and I can ask around.
What
are the nutritional needs?
This depends on the species of bird you have. There are some nutritional needs
that all species require such as fresh greens like leafy lettuce, broccoli,
carrots with the tops still on. Be sure to wash your fresh vegetables to clean them
of any harmful pesticides. Pellets are good in that they provide most of the
vitamins and nutrition your bird needs, but you can add some seeds along with
those fresh veggies too to give your bird good variety. Birds also enjoy an
occasional hard boiled egg broken up with the shell.
What
hazards lurk around the corner to my bird?
One word - many. Certain foods like avocados and chocolate are very poisonous.
Aerosol sprays, cigarette smoke, Teflon, paint, and many airborne chemicals are
extremely harmful to the bird's delicate respiratory system. Lead paint on a
window seal that they may chew on when left alone, ceiling fans, open and closed
windows and mirrors if your bird can fly, boiling water, dirty food, and dirty
water bowls are just a few.
What
are the behavioral requirements?
Birds, especially the size larger than a finch, require a lot of attention and time with you. Birds are
very social animals.
They need to feel a part of your flock. They are happiest in big cages, given a
lot of love, lots of different toys to chew on and toys that challenge them.
Birds kept in solitary confinement because they are too loud, too messy or bite,
only slowly get worse. Birds mistreated of given poor nutrition can start bad behavior habits like screaming
all the time or pulling out all their feathers and begin to look sickly. Many birds
and humans have a falling out when the birds needs are not fully understood.
Ideally, those needs should be understood or begun to be understood, the day the bird comes into your life.
There have been many birds that were surrendered to avian rescues that have
recovered and been re-adopted successfully. There's always hope that the bad behavior you may
see can be corrected with a little patience, education and proper nutrition. It
all begins by
understanding the needs of your new friend. Keep in mind that many birds
can live over 60 years,
and some over 100 years. That's a lifetime!
What
do I do with a misbehaving bird?
First step is to make sure you understand your bird's needs. Is the diet one
with good sources of vitamin A, like leafy vegetables, carrots, pellets and
seeds? Is your bird being harassed by another member of the family, a dog or
cat? Is the cage too small? Does your bird get 10 to 12 hours of sleep every
night? If the question has still not been answered, try and find some books on
bird behavior, talk with someone in a bird club, or talk with your avian vet. There
are people who specialize in working with you and your bird in teaching bird
behavior whose services you may need.
Why
are so many birds surrendered to avian rescues and shelters?
Mainly because the person buying the bird didn't understand the special needs
of their new friend from the start or realized how long the bird will live. Some people
when confronted with problems with their bird decide the bird no longer fits in
their life, so they let it go, rather than work with the bird. Bird rescues are
full of heartbreaking stories. The bird rescue in Madison, WI took in over 300
birds within their first year. 300 birds!
What kinds of questions do you get at MACAW?
People will ask if I know someone who would be interested in buying their
birds and cages because for one reason or another, that they can't keep them
anymore. I usually refer them to an avian rescue in Wisconsin and I also ask
around the club to see if anyone would be interested. Sometimes I get a call
about a lost or found bird in the area and try and help out as best I can. Some
of the hardest things to hear are the stories of where the person's bird escaped
and thy are heartbroken trying to find their bird. Sometimes I get an email
asking where they can take their bird for vet care, to find a bird sitter, and
where there are upcoming bird fairs. I answer them as the questions come in
because things are constantly changing. Another good resource for information on
birds in our area is the Dane
County Humane Society. More links to resources and services can be found on
our links page.
Additional Learning Opportunities
The Niles Animal Hospital has some very well written articles on bird
care. Many of our club members know one of the vets on staff there, Dr. Peter
Sakas who has given many talks on the care of birds. Here is a link to their web
page...
http://www.nilesanimalhospital.com/articles.asp
I hope this has helped you learn
something new. Remember, we have monthly meetings too that offer you many
opportunities to learn new things about your bird. If you have a question, you can always send me a note
too. Thank you for visiting.
Steve