🐦 Vet’s 2025 Guide to Bird Care Basics: Housing, Socialization & Daily Health Tips 🪶🩺🌞

By Dr. Duncan Houston, BVSc

Birds are intelligent, social, and emotionally complex companions. Whether you have a budgerigar, cockatiel, conure, or cockatoo, your bird’s daily care routine lays the foundation for a long, healthy, and happy life. This 2025 guide covers the essential elements of bird care, including housing, enrichment, feeding, and wellness routines. 🐦💛

🏠 Enclosure & Housing

A well-designed living space is essential to bird health and behavior:

• Cage Size: Bigger is always better. Birds must fully stretch and flap their wings—minimum 2–3x wingspan in width, height, and depth.
• Bar Spacing: Ensure bar spacing matches bird size (e.g., 1 cm for budgies, 2–2.5 cm for parrots).
• Perches: Provide varied perch sizes and textures—natural wood, rope, and pumice perches help prevent foot problems.
• Toy Rotation: Change toys weekly to prevent boredom and encourage exploration.
• Location: Place cage in a bright, social area away from drafts, direct sun, and kitchen fumes.

🪶 Daily Enrichment & Socialization

• Out-of-Cage Time: Minimum 1–2 hours daily for most birds (more for parrots).
• Interactive Play: Use foraging toys, bells, and chewables to encourage problem-solving.
• Social Needs: Birds are flock animals—ensure daily human interaction or a bonded bird companion.
• Bathing: Offer shallow water dishes or misting several times a week to maintain feather health.

🥬 Feeding & Nutrition

A balanced diet is the cornerstone of avian health:

• Pellets: Should make up 60–80% of most birds' diets—formulated to meet nutritional needs.
• Fresh Foods: Leafy greens, chopped veggies, and limited fruits (avoid avocado, onion, and chocolate).
• Seeds: Use as a supplement or treat—not a staple.
• Water: Provide fresh, clean water daily; clean bowls or bottles thoroughly.
• Supplements: Only under veterinary advice—over-supplementation can be harmful.

🩺 Daily Health Checks

Monitoring your bird helps catch health issues early:

• Bright eyes, clean nares (nostrils), smooth beak
• Clear droppings—three parts: white urates, clear urine, and dark feces
• Active, alert, responsive to environment
• Consistent weight and posture—invest in a gram scale

⚠️ Signs of Illness

Birds hide illness—seek veterinary care immediately if you observe:

• Fluffed-up posture, sleeping more than usual
• Reduced appetite, weight loss, or food spillage
• Labored breathing, tail bobbing, or open-mouth breathing
• Discharge from eyes, beak, or cloaca
• Changes in droppings, drooped wings, or vocalization changes

🧼 Cleaning Routine

• Daily: Change food/water, wipe surfaces, remove droppings
• Weekly: Wash perches, toys, and tray with bird-safe disinfectant
• Monthly: Deep clean cage and rotate perches/toys

🧠 Mental Stimulation

Keep your bird’s brain active with:

• Puzzle toys and treat-dispensing devices
• Target training and basic command work
• Safe branches, cardboard rolls, or homemade toys
• Music, video clips of bird calls, and daily talking

📱 Resources & Support

• 💬 Need help? Visit Ask A Vet or download the Ask A Vet app
• 🎉 Shop toys, perches, and cage upgrades at Woopf
• 🥦 Find pellets, seed mixes, and avian vitamins at Purrz

From budgies to cockatoos, daily care is the foundation of a long, joyful life with your bird. With thoughtful housing, balanced nutrition, and enriching interactions, your feathered friend will stay vibrant and well for many years. 🐦🪶💛