Reduce Bird Allergy Symptoms

Finding a way to live with the allergies that your bird triggers is a must if you are to keep your pet. Here are 5 strategies to use that will help.

Finding ways to literally live with your bird and your allergies is crucial. Here are 5 things you can do to reduce symptoms and be able to enjoy your bird.

Redecorate---See, this isn't turning out to be so bad after all. The purpose of this possibly fun solution is to minimize the places where dust, feather, and dander can collect. Get rid of carpet, upholstered furniture, and drapes.

Opt for surfaces that can easily be damp wiped and are more likely to shed particles rather than holding on to them. Tile, linoleum, wood, throw rugs, aggravate flooring are great choices for your aviary. Leather, slip covers that can easily be removed and washed, blinds or shutters are all great choices as well.

Clean Regularly---A routine cleaning of the cage, floor, and furniture where you bird lives will reduce the number of pollutants in the room and those that can possibly go into the air. Always take the cage outside to clean, make sure vacuum bags and all other particles that result from cleaning are put outside immediately. This gets rid of them for good.

Clean Smarter---Clean with water whenever possible. Damp mop floors rather than sweep. Use a damp cloth to gather particles from surfaces. Use a vacuum cleaner that will not send particles back into the air.

Give Bird Baths---If your bird likes water, providing a bowl separate from drinking water that allows it to shower water on feathers and skin can reduce the amount of dander available to fly into the air.

There are also shower perches available that be can easily be installed in the shower to give you another opportunity to spend time together. Make sure the perch is off to the side and the pressure is set on mist rather than stream. Talk with an avian vet before launching your water plan.

Clear The Air---Airborne dander is generally the number one cause of allergies triggered by your avian friend. Nothing will take away all of the dander and shedding these small particles of dead skin will continue as long as you have your bird.

Constantly removing the allergens with a HEPA or high efficiency particle arresting filter has long been recognized as one of the least invasive yet most effective ways to reduce airborne irritants. This type of filter will remove bird-related particles and other more normal indoor particulates as well.

It will also remove normal household allergens that trigger flare-ups like dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, dander from other pets, bacteria, as well as viruses. By design this type of technology will remove 99,997 out of every 10,000 airborne particles that are.3 microns in size or greater.

Using these strategies won't completely eliminate your allergies. There is no cure. But they will allow you to enjoy your bird and increase your quality of life because of it.

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Should Your Parrot Need Toys?

Now I know that we keep our exotic birds, parrots etc as our pets for many reasons. Some of us have them just to hear them talk or sing. With some of us, it may be more of a flock mentality, we actually bond with and think of them as one of the family. But yet still others, lose interest after awhile and really neglect the attention these beautiful creatures deserve.

So, what ever you motivations are or were for keeping a bird in your home, be aware of your birds feelings, and whatever you do or don't do when you are home with your feathered friend, or friends, please keep the following in mind:

A bored bird is really really a sad thing to see.

Most parrots need toys to be happy, not having something to do has been shown to cause feather plucking, and other behavior problems.

So, what can we, the human, the head of the flock do?

Put yourself in the mindset of your pet bird and think about this:

Sitting there in his cage with nothing to do while his master is out of sight, he must feel like a lion in a cage.

He looks around for exciting things to see and explore, but there is nothing there but the confines of his enclosure, the bird cage.

Yes there may be some scraps left from his last meal that he could peck at, but that's such a bore. What to do, what to do? Out in the wild, his instincts would tell him, look for food, look for food.

Along the way he may encounter a funny looking plant that seems to have some kind of edible morsel hanging within. He would land there, check it out, hunt and peck, try to find a way to get at that treat.

He would have to use all his learned and instinctive skills just to get to and inside that nut shell, or the remotely hanging fruit or seed spray that seems to be just outside of a place that's easy to get at.

Eventually he would have found his tasty reward that made him full and content.

But you know what? He would find that part of the reward of getting to this prize was that he got to do all kinds of exciting things to get there!

Things such as climbing all around on limbs, hanging upside down by one foot while trying to reach whatever tasty treat might be hanging there.

Or maybe sitting there and grinding away on a branch until the piece breaks off and crashes to the ground.

Or things like shredding the leaves with his beak just to watch the pieces fall down on the critters below.

Or things like hopping from one small branch to another branch just to watch them spring back.

Oh such fun!

Now wouldn't it be nice if his bird cage came equipped with a variety of useful fun things that a lucky bird might find in the wild?

Maybe we could find something that would create a challenge for him to get to his food, something fun. Maybe we could add something to his cage like this. Fun Bird Toy

So, think like a bird!

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It's False! 4 Common Myths About Birds

Remember when you were a kid how your mom told you, "Don't pick up the baby bird that fell out of the tree to put it back in the nest or it's mom will abandon it. Because birds are afraid of human scent." That's not true. Most birds don't have a very good sense of smell and could not detect human scent. Although, before handling the baby bird it would be best to determine if the bird is a nestling or a fledgling. Nestlings are featherless and fuzzy, and putting them back in the nest would indeed be helpful, because they are too young to be out of the nest. Fledglings have feathers and are old enough to leave the nest, and fledglings often spend several days on the ground as they learn to fly. It is best you don't carry them off to your house to care for them, because its parents are often nearby even if you don't see them. And they can take much better care of their offspring than you can.

You probably have also heard it said that, "you shouldn't feed the birds because your bird feeder should run out of food, the birds will come to depend on you could starve." That is about as true as you starving if the local McDonald's leaves your town. Although, if you are going out of town in extreme cold weather, a sudden disappearance of food, could be a hardship to them. May not be a bad idea to have someone fill your bird feeder while you are away if you leave town during icy and snowy weather.

Which leads to the concern "if I leave out my hummingbird feeder too long in the fall will I prevent the hummers from migrating like they should for the cold weather?" No need to worry. Hummingbirds know when to migrate due to hormonal changes in their body. These hormonal changes are triggered by the shortening length of daylight. The days getting shorter causes the hummingbirds to migrate. Leaving your bird feeders out too long in the fall will not cause the birds to miss their opportunity to migrate because they accidentally hung around too long.

We have often been cautioned not to throw rice at a newly married couples because a bird may swoop down and eat it. And as rice expands in water the bird will blow up. This is not at all true. Mary Jo Cheeseman, a rice expert at the USA Rice Federation says many birds such as migrating ducks and geese depend on rice fields each year to fatten up to have enough strength to migrate to their nesting grounds. "It's a myth. There is no reason why birds, including small song birds, can't eat rice," said Ned Johnson, a professor of biology at Berkeley. Johnson often gives lectures on feeding of birds.

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Finches Breeders: The Right Way of Breeding Finches

Professional finches breeders have great merit for developing advanced techniques for proper keeping pet finches and offering them all necessary conditions for producing healthy and happy offspring. Today successful breeders are the main reason why many types of birds are widespread in almost all parts of the world. Business with exotic birds captured in their native countries and after that smuggled through the borders is an inhuman and illegal business in much legislation. Inhuman aspect lies in the fact that captured birds that have lost their freedom forever have deep problems to accommodate to life in captivity. Exhaustion during long journeys conducted in poor conditions is another serious problem for birds. I will also mention that many birds get serious injuries during the process of capturing.

Bird breeders are here to make all needed things properly and legally. Breeding is not that complicated if you know the exact way how to do that. This means an important amount of high-quality knowledge is necessary, otherwise things could go wrong. Renowned breeders usually have a lot of experience and they are ready to deal with various problems that may occur during the process of producing offspring. They also have a lot of information about bird health, general and specific behavior and their various needs, so that is the main reason why you should buy finches from people who posses that kind of knowledge and experience.

Devoted breeders usually have a lot of birds kept in aviaries or cages. They excellently know how to keep finches healthy and satisfied, providing their homes with everything they need. Otherwise, birds could become unhappy and even angry due to improper conditions of keeping and breeding. Breeding is more complicated than a simply keeping and it requires more specific conditions which will supply the birds with all they need to start to court and mate. Selective breeding is an interesting method which enables producing controlled offspring, and experienced breeders use it to get what they exactly want.

Of course, it is true that professional breeders of finches make money by selling young birds, but they have to do that with love and devotion, without neglecting any other aspect of their birds' lives. For example, birds must have enough room for short flights and exercises, all necessary foods should be there, no matter if the birds are breeding or not. Breeders who really love their birds take a proper care for those that are sick or too old for breeding. A good breeder is always ready to pay for medicaments which cost more than bird's selling price. Breeding finches is not only about money, it's about love and commitment; it's a style of living rather than an ordinary job.

I was talking about the people who breed birds on a professional level. Of course, beginners and people without much experience are able to do it successfully too. You can make a successful breeding with a single pair of birds at your home, but you have to be sure that you know the right way. Always keep in touch with people who are ready to give you helpful tips and help you if some problem occurs. People who don't have experience with breeding finches should start with some of the easiest for breeding and zebra finches are widely recommended.

I know people who are renowned breeders now, making a large success with producing happy little chicks. A friend of mine, who started breeding four couples of owl finches 20 years ago, had disappointing results as more than a half of the chicks failed to survive. And it was his mistake, because in that time he was too confident that he is doing the right way and he didn't try to learn more. After that, he learned the lesson. Breeders should be always ready to exchange opinions about the quality of their finches' lives. Everyone who has decided to keep and breed finches or other birds should be in touch with other breeders.

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3 Things You Shouldn't Do Around Budgies

Budgies are interesting pets to have. They are fun, social and good companions for people across all ages. They are good for places and homes where having bigger poets like cats and dogs may not really be practicable. While it is true that having any bird as pets can be a little stressful, anyone with a little patience can soon get used to it. And with proper training, the bird itself can be tamed and made a proper citizen of the home.

Budgies are like every other pet. They are smart, intelligent, fun, and a great company to have. However, they also need proper feeding, care, exercise and training. While most people and websites talk about the things you can do to and with your budgies, they hardly talk about the things you shouldn't do.

Therefore, this article is meant to show you the things you generally avoid if you want your budgie to be in the best of health.

1. Avoid Putting them in Direct Sunlight

It is not good to put the birds in direct sunlight. While the aviary shouldn't be dark, the normal lighting will do just fine. If there are sun rays entering the aviary, try as much as possible to keep the birds away from it. Also, avoid keeping in the direct path of drafts.

Locate there in a place where there isn't any draft. This way, they will not get cold or exposed to intense heat. The conditions in a typical aviary or home are perfect for them. Exposing them to direct sunlight for extended periods or drafts will affect them negatively.

2. Avoid Using Aerosols

If you are buying a budgie, know that you may not be able to use any aerosol anywhere near them. This is because they are sensitive to chemicals. So, if you must use aerosols in a certain part of the building, move their cage away and do not return until the aerosols have cleared and you're sure there are little or no residues.

3. Get Rid of Poisonous Indoor Plants and Fumes

Another thing you need to be careful of is indoor plants. If you have indoor plants that could be potentially poisonous to the bird, get rid of it; particularly when you want to the let the bird out of its cage. Also avoid exposing the bird to fumes of any kind.

These three things will help keep your bird healthy and out of harm's way.

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Cockatiel Parrot Air Cleaner - 5 Safest Features To Have

If you own a Cockatiel Parrot you've got a bird with big personality in a little body. You've also got a bird that can produce a heck of a lot of dust. And as adorable as these birds are, the white powder that they produce can trash their room and your home pretty quickly.

The right air purifier is the best and safest way to keep the dust down. An air purifier that has these 5 features indicates that it is both safe and effective.

Numerous Filters For Particles----Dust is composed of many different sized particles, so a variety of different sized filters is necessary. Pre-filters trap particles that you can see and save the HEPA filter for microscopic filters such as bird dander, bacteria, and viruses.

Carbon cloth is also an excellent filter to have in a cleaner for your bird because it can remove noxious gases, chemicals, and odors that have the potential to be lethal to your pet. And because it is woven like cloth it has the ability to remove additional particulates as well.

No Ozone---The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that any amount of ozone produced indoors is harmful. Unfortunately, in order for ozone technology to be effective the level would need to be so high that it would become deadly. Clean air is great but for most people (smile), that is too high a price to pay..

Split Capacitor Motor-This type of motor allow will allow an air purifier to clean 24 hours a day safely and effectively without needing time to cool off. Make sure the technical specifications of the cleaner have this feature listed.

The advantage to you and your Tiel is that the air is kept clean. This helps prevent your bird's air passages from becoming clogged. Clear air passages give your bird the best chance of remaining healthy with a high quality of life.

Steel Case---Because you want a unit that can run all the time, you definitely want a case made of steel. Plastic cases often emit noxious fumes when the heat from the motor makes it hot. Steel will not emit noxious odors.

Long-Life Filters---A unit that needs you to go inside to clean, wash, spray, or recharge makes it hard on your bird in several ways. Most importantly, if the unit has to be stopped, particles remain in the air. And anytime the air is not being cleaned the dust is accumulating in the air making the air unhealthy for you and your bird to breathe.

And secondly, by having to do anything inside the unit exposes everyone to the very pollutants that you are trying to minimize. Opening the unit can send the powdery white stuff right back into the air again.

A cleaner that only needs to be vacuumed on the outside, and that has a filter life of at least 5 years is best. This means maintenance can be performed without any interruption in cleaning, and operation of the unit is only interrupted once every 5 years for the 10 minutes that it should take to change the filter.

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