PARROT CARE DAILY ROUTINE AND TIPS | A day in the life of 3 parrots
Features of caring for parrots
Budgerigars are quite common inhabitants of city apartments. Small bright birds with a friendly disposition very quickly become favorites of their owners. Australia is considered the birthplace of budgerigars. In nature, birds live in flocks. They prefer places near water bodies, but they can be found quite often within the city limits.
Flocks living in natural conditions are busy looking for food and water during the day, and in the evening they take refuge in secluded places in the trees.
What you need to know about caring for your bird?
Taking care of birds is simple, but it has some peculiarities. When arranging a cage for budgies or lovebirds, it is necessary to install wooden perches at different heights in it. You can also place a small ladder, a mirror, rings and bells in the cage.
The place for the cage should not be in a draft, otherwise the birds may catch cold.
It is not recommended to install it where it will be in direct sunlight all day. From late spring to early autumn, parrots can be taken outside or on the balcony.
Every day, the cage is cleaned, the water in the drinking bowl is changed and the feed is renewed. It is useful to let the parrots out of the cage from time to time and let them fly around the room.
For the birds to be healthy, their diet should consist of cereals, pieces of vegetables and fruits.
Why do parrots need a nest?
Many owners of several lovebirds or budgerigars try to breed them. But time passes, and the offspring still does not appear. The reason is that in nature, a female equips a nest in a hollow of a tree. Only with the appearance of such a secluded place may she need to hatch chicks.
Very few individuals are capable of incubating eggs in an unsettled cage, so if you are serious about obtaining offspring from your pets, you will need to place a nest bought or made by yourself in the cage.
Before setting up a hatching house, it is necessary to determine whether the birds have reached the age necessary for breeding. The productive period in parrots begins from one and a half years, and reaches a peak between 2 and 4 years. Due to the gregarious lifestyle, the processss reproduction is more successful in those cells where several pairs of individuals live.
There are several ways to determine the age of a bird.
In budgerigars, the characteristic head pattern reaches the beak only in very young individuals that have reached several months. The pattern above the beak disappears after the first molt. It happens differently for everyone, but, as a rule, parrots molt for the first time at the age of 4-6 months.
Another way to determine age is to look at the iris. If there is no iris around the eye, then the parrot has reached the age of six or seven months. The wider the iris, the older the bird.
If you have determined that the birds have reached sexual maturity, it's time to put the house in the cage.
Types of nest houses
Before making a nest for your budgies, you need to figure out what they are.
Depending on the design, all houses are divided into the following types:
Let's consider how the design of each type differs, and what advantages and disadvantages it has.
A vertical nest, a house for budgies, is made with dimensions 20 * 20 * 25 cm. The entrance is located on the front wall, 3 cm away from the upper edge.
Below the notch, a perch is attached so that one end of it protrudes outward by 10 cm, and the other goes inward by 3 cm. The main disadvantage of this design is that when trying to get inside the nest, the female can damage the eggs.
A horizontal nest made for lovebirds or budgerigars is more convenient than a vertical one. It excludes damage to the masonry by the female.
The dimensions are the same as for the vertical structure, but the long side now acts as a floor and ceiling. The entrance to such a house is made from the side, stepping back from the roof 3 cm, the diameter of the taphole is 5 cm. The perch is attached outside the house. A small sill is built near the inner side of the taphole. Thanks to him, the clutch and only the hatched chicks will not be damaged, and over time, the growing birds will be able to look out.
The third option is a construction that combines the merits of the first two models.
The chick is located so that the chicks do not leave the house too early, the step inside prevents the female from damaging the clutch and chicks. The dimensions of the compromise nest for budgies are as follows: bottom - 22 * 15 cm, wall height - 20 cm, entrance diameter - 4 cm.
A wooden perch is inserted under the entrance so that its length reaches 10 cm outside and 2 cm inside. A round depression is placed at the bottom, the depth of which should be within 1-2 cm. It is here that the eggs will be hatched. If you decide to make a nestbefore for a female budgerigar with your own hands, it is best to choose this particular design.
In addition, each of the structures must have a removable roof, which will allow you to inspect the clutch and chicks, clean it and disinfect it.
You can make a nest for parrots out of cardboard, plywood or wood. Regardless of the material, several small holes are made in the side walls for ventilation.
Stages of work
Before making a nest for parrots with your own hands, you need to draw all the details of the future design on a sheet of paper.
Next, the drawing is carefully transferred to a sheet of cardboard, plywood or a wooden board. Then all the details are cut or sawn out depending on the material.
A hole is made in the blank, which will be the front wall, for the future taphole.
Holes with a diameter of 0.8-1 cm are made in the side walls for ventilation. Prepared parts, except for the roof, are assembled and fastened with glue, nails or small screws. A sill is placed into the finished structure from the side of the taphole, a perch is inserted.
Before installation, the house is disinfected and dried well. The structure is attached to one of the walls of the cage. A roof is placed on top of the installed house. No additional lighting is needed in the nest.
After completing these fairly simple manipulations, the bird nest is ready. But it is still necessary to further equip it.
Home improvement and care
Since parrots do not make nests from twigs, twigs or other material, you will have to carry out additional arrangement.
For this you need to take care of the bedding.
What can you put in a parrot's nest? It is recommended to put well-dried sawdust inside the house. You can use waste from any species, except coniferous trees.
To scare off parasites that live in the plumage of birds, before putting sawdust in the nest, you can mix pharmacy chamomile (1 teaspoon) with them.
Caring for the nest consists of periodic cleaning and disinfection.
The first cleaning is carried out when the chicks reach two weeks of age. They are moved into a cardboard box, while eggshells are removed from the house, sawdust is cut. After the brood leaves the house, additional disinfection is carried out by scalding with boiling water.
As you can see, nothing complicated. You can easily please your birds with a cozy nest.