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Choosing The Best Bird Cage Accessories
Which bird cage accessories do you need and how do you choose the best ones?
You've carefully purchased your bird's cage and thought about the extra room that's going to be used for the accessories, now it's time to think about what kind of accessories you will need. The first thing you've probably thought about is food and water dishes. The most important thing to consider before you purchase these is if they can be disinfected or not.
Depending on placement and how messy an eater your bird is, the dishes can easily become dirty. Making sure you can clean them well is vital to your bird's health. Ceramic or stainless steel dishes are easy to clean and disinfect. You may want to consider a water bottle for larger, messier birds.
Your bird will need plenty of perches at different levels. This imitates nature and will keep your bird happier. Think about the placement of the perches. If you have a flight cage, you don't want to place the perches in the flight path. You can also get perches of varying sizes so you can minimize the chance that your bird develops arthritis. Be wary of sandpaper or cement perches. Although they claim to file the bird's nails, these bird cage accessories can be harmful. Continuous grating or scratching of your birds feet can cause abrasions and lead to injury and infections.
Now, the good stuff...your bird will need toys of different colors, shapes and sizes. Birds need mental stimulation, and especially for the more intelligent types such as parrots and parakeets. If they are bored and unoccupied, it can lead to aggressive behavior, or disturbing behavior such as screeching or feather picking. Make sure you check the toys for small parts that your bird could swallow or choke on.
Many birds will destroy their toys, and this is normal. They should be allowed and encouraged to do so, since they are naturally curious. You want to make sure though, that when they are destroying the toys, they will not become injured. Accessories like 'swinging chains' are not a good idea. Your bird's beak or toes could become caught in the links of the chain and cause injury. You could opt for the woven fiber 'chains,' but you will still need to keep an eye out for loose or hanging threads so your bird will not ingest them.
Also, toys with the keychain type open ring can pose a threat to your bird, since they can become caught in it. Look for metal clasps or plastic rings. That said, have fun picking out your bird's toys and make sure to get a good assortment of different colors and sizes to keep him occupied and happy.
When looking for a cage liner for your bird, make sure that it is safe. It should not have small pieces that your bird can ingest. Also, mite protectors are not a good idea. They claim to protect your bird from parasites but emit fumes that may make your sensitive bird sick. If your bird is clean and well taken care of, you should not have to worry about mites or parasites. If you do suspect parasites, contact your vet immediately.
Another thing birds love is mirrors. Small ones that hang on the bars are fine, just make sure that there are no sharp or exposed edges. Finally, make sure you change your birds perches and toys around every so often to keep him from becoming bored. Choosing the right bird cage accessories will keep him happy, safe, and comfortable at the same time.
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