VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

EQUIPMENT USED

Parrots

• Equipment used for the large parrot-type birds must be constructed of very heavy materials; wood and plastics cannot be used for parrot cages because they will shortly be destroyed.
• Heavily constructed metal cages must be used. The cage should be inspected for sharp points or edges that can cut or injure the bird’s tongue or feet.
• Secure latches or locks should be used; these birds are very curious and ingenious and may soon learn to open their cage and escape.

Macaws

• If one choses to construct a cage for macaws, the wire size should be ½ -inch by 3-inch wire mesh screen in 12- to 14-gauge wire.

Mice, rat and other pet birds

• Smaller mesh wire may be used for outside cages if mice, rats, or other birds .

Finches

• Finches (seed eating small bird, Passerine bird in the family Fringillidae) should have rectangular cages to allow for long horizontal flight.
• Flying in a circular pattern is unnatural to the finch and may cause undue stress.

General facilities

• Most new cages are equipped with plastic perches. These are hard and may be uncomfortable for many birds.
• If birds refuse to perch, one should suspect something is wrong with the perch. Size is also important.
• Wood makes the best perches. Parrots will soon destroy wood perches, and the perch will have to be replaced.
• Wood does give the parrot the opportunity to exercise its beak, which helps keep the beak trim and the bird busy.
• The ideal perch size for parrots is a 1-inch square perch. Budgerigars prefer an oval-shaped perch about ½ inch in diameter.
• Finches and canaries like round perches about ½ inch in diameter.
• To prevent caged birds from becoming bored, toys may need to be provided for them.
• The only thing that can be put in with large parrot-type birds is stainless-steel chains with bells; anything else will be destroyed.
• Mirrors, chains with bells, and ladders can be put in with smaller birds such as budgerigars, canaries and finches.