Bird-proofing Your Living Area

 Bird-Proofing Your Living Area

Birds are very delicate creatures. Because of this, creating a safe environment for your bird outside of it's cage is very important. Taking your bird out of it's cage helps with enrichment, physical health, and mental wellness. It provides room for socialization, exploration, and promotes exercise. Your bird will also be more comfortable in the space they live in if they are given the room to become familiar with the area. Without this type of enrichment, birds can become stressed, which can lead to many harmful behaviors. This can include louder, more frequent screaming, biting, and feather plucking. It also leads to your bird becoming more inactive, which can lead to internal health issues. They may develop obesity problems. The lack of movement can cause their wing and feet muscles to cramp up and become weak. This can spiral into more health issues if not taken care of, so it's better to take steps to prevent these sorts of problems beforehand. Most importantly, always supervise your bird while they are outside of your cage. This is the first step to keeping them safe. It also allows you to know if your bird defecates or makes any other mess in the room, so you can clean it up immediately.

Many of the hazardous threats to your bird often found in houses are usually everyday objects. Make sure windows are covered and blinded. Birds often cannot tell where glass is in a window, and because of this, may accidentally fly head first into the glass. This can cause severe physical injury. Turn off hot radiators as well. Birds have much more sensitive skin, and could get burned on the hot metal if they land on it. Also make sure to close toilet seats. A bird may accidentally fly in, and get sick from the buildup of bacteria or chemicals, or may drown in the water. Also make sure there are no other large pets present in the room. Dogs and cats are likely to harm your bird in different ways. Large dogs may try to play with the bird, and injure them in the process. Both animals are also very likely to try and hunt your bird through instinct, or if they are easily irritable.

Lastly, make sure that whatever room your bird is actively wandering, it is large and roomy, so your bird is less likely to crash into walls and injure themselves. Younger, inexperienced fliers are more likely to crash into walls and furniture, so it is important to watch your bird while they fly and give a safe environment for them to do so.