As there are many speices of birds this will be a general overview. You should always do additional research on the individual species you wish to bring into your home. 

Birds come in many sizes and colors and the colors they produce are wondeful and mesmerizing. They also can live very long lives. Something you will need to be prepared for. Some birds have been reported to live over 100 years. They can  be very loud and destructive, require alot of time and sometimes money.

With that said, Birds can make wonderful additions to you family. As long as you are prepared for them!

It very important to know what you are looking for in a pet bird before purchasing one. For instance, do you want one that will be super cuddly and attention seeking. Or do you want one that will require very minimal attention, or one somewhere in between?

Birds are exteremly social animals and NEED that socialization whether it be with you or another bird. If you want a bird that requires minimal interaction by yourself it is essentail you get your bird a friend or two. Good canidates for this are Finches, Canaries, and Parakeets. If youre looking for more one on one time with your bird we recommend finding a hand fed baby. Some good canidates in this category are Cockatiels, Conures, up to Amazons and Macaws. Although bird are very social they do not always get along so we recommend having a spare cage, just in case. Some ideas for helping birds get along is to have same sex, move slow (dont just place two birds in the same cage and hope for the best) and dont mix species. Places a Macaw with a Green Cheek Conure can have horrible consequences. 

Cage sizing is very impoart as birds are very active animals. At a minimum a bird should have a cage two times its wing span in width and length. For instance a Cockatiel's wigspan is appox. 12" so a minimum cage size woud be 24"x24". However here at Pets Unlimited we also suggest it to be bigger. Keep in mind if you get more than one, the cage will need to be bigger to accommodate each additional.

Birds are very active and require alot of mental stimulation. They need to have out of cage time everyday for multiple hours.This should be spent with you or playing with toys. Not just sitting on top of the cage. A good idea is to give your bird a variety of toys in the cage so it can chew on and play with throughtout the day. It will also need multiple perches inside its cage, in varying thickness so the birds muscles will stay tone.

Diet is very imporatant for all birds. The old school technique was to feed birds a variety of seeds including sunflower seeds. Recent research has indicated that feeding birds seeds is very detrimental to their health. Birds should be fed a pelleted diet such a Zupreem Fruit Blend. This food will represent about 75% percent of their diet. The other 25% will comprise of fruits, vegtables, fresh foods, and minimual seeds and nuts for treats. However, this is a general guideline some birds require more fruits and nuts than others.

Water should be changed daily if not multiple times a day as birds will dip food in their water and sometimes poo in their food and water dishes. 

A highly debated topic in the bird community is whether a birds wings should be clipped. This is a painless procedure, much like you cutting your nails. Clipping a birds wings will keep them from flying indoors. Here at Pets Unlimited we take a neutral stance. If you chose to clip your birds wings, we will support you. If you choose to allow your bird to be flighted, we will also support you. Things to consider; keeping a bird flighted is more natural and less stressful. However, it does make it easier for your bird to accientally fly out of your house or get trapped in places like behide a cabinetor couch. However, clipping your birds wings will not allow your bird to get much exercise. Either way if you venture outside with your bird a harness is absolutely mandatory. Even a bird who has its wings clipped and still achieve flight outdoors with minimal wind.

Mixing birds with other animals is generally a bad idea. Birds are prey in the wild and however tame a dog or cat may be, one small scratch or bite from either a cat or dog could result in the death of your bird. For instance, cats have bacteria under thier nails that bird have no natural immunity to. Dogs saliva contains certain bacteria that although harmless to most animals, could have severe reactions  with your bird.

Just as with all animals birds can get sick. Birds hide illness very well, that is why we suggest semi-annual vet visits for routine bloodwork. As always if you suggest something is off with your pet. Seek Vet assasitant ASAP.

With all this said, Birds do make wonderful family members and we would love to discuss more with you in person!