Keeping Parakeets. Part I

You should think ahead when first purchasing a parakeet cage such as the Mayfield starter parakeet cage and preparing it. Line the cage with a decent quality cage liner and renew often. Design the cage with perches, water, food and toys. Obtain your parakeet from a reputable bird supplier where the birds are seen to be very well cared for. Ensure the birds are not overcrowded on the perches, and examine they are being fed good, clean, quality food. Be sure that the birds appear happy, vigorous and in excellent condition. Bring the bird home to a quiet home and play soft music for a few days. Caged bird toys are essential to keep the bird occupied and contented.Always keep the water fresh and clean and, with the food, change on a daily basis. Let the bird get accustomed to you and the surroundings, doing nothing but looking after his food/water and cage, before trying to teach him to perch on your finger. From the start you must try feed your bird a healthy pellet diet. Some seed may be ok as a treat but sometimes it can result in  bacterial infection and, consequently too much may affect your bird’s health.
Birds get accustomed to pellets at different rates, and at first may decline them, perhaps strenuously. Nevertheless, as a rule 90% of Parakeets will convert within a couple weeks by using the following program:
Leave pellets in a food bowl in the cage at all times. Give birds seed for just 1 hour each morning and 1 hour at night. The rest of the time they need to snack on pellets. Generally, the 10% of parakeets which don't switch in 2 weeks will switch after a short period of reverting to a seed diet.
Add fresh food regularly. Feed fresh vegetables such as kale, beets, peas, carrots, parsley, cooked yams, sliced apple, mandarin oranges, citrus, and so on. Food may be attached to the bars of the cage or chopped up small and put in a bowl. Offer snacks. Millet sprigs certainly are a favourite treat, but do not feed too much of it (about 1/2" per day), as it really is fattening just like junk food. Steer clear of sweets or excess oats, both of which are fattening. Caged bird products are available to buy at the online pet supermarket of Home Pet Shop.

Feeding peanuts to small pets and birds

It's important when feeding birds and small pets peanuts that the nuts are fresh and have been tested for aflotoxin. Aflatoxin is produced by a kind of fungus named Aspergillus and can cause liver disease and cancer in both birds and animals.

It can be present in many grains as well as peanuts and can affect wild birds and poultry as well as caged birds.The same applies to hamsters and other small animals which might be fed peanuts in their diet.

Therefore only buy best peanuts that have been tested and approved and where this has been verified on the packaging as high levels of toxin can kill.

See Home Pet Shop for safe peanuts on offer.

Feeding Garden Birds

Feeding birds in ones garden not only helps them survive but it also brings a lot of pleasure.
However all birds have different diets and so giving the correct kind of bird feed is important if you want a variety of birds to visit your garden.
Sunflower seeds are an excellent high-energy feed enjoyed by birds such as those from the finch family including Greenfinches and Goldfinches and various tits including the Coal and Great varieties. Seeds such as sunflower include the black variety and striped variety and are best served from a seed feeder of which there is quite a number to choose from at Home Pet Shop.
Peanuts are a great source of protein for many wild birds including Blue Tits and Great Tits and, when food is scarce, you may even attract the Greater Spotted Woodpecker. Peanut feeders are a must in ones garden but please do not put loose peanuts on your bird table as birds can choke on them!
Robins, Blackbirds, Thrushes and other soft bill birds that visit your garden will eat from a choice of foods such as specially produced soft foods, worms, insects and spiders. There are also a number of special foods that contain insects and mealworms. One of our smallest birds, the Wren, does suffer more than most in harsh winters and will be extremely grateful for any soft foods that you put out on the table or under bushes.
Fat balls and suet blocks are a favourite food for many birds already mentioned plus a number of others and, once again, there are special suet feeders and holders in a variety of shapes and sizes in which these can be placed. Suet is particularly important in helping a bird retain its waterproof feathers.
Other ground feeding birds such as pigeons and collared doves love to eat grain and there are a number of mixed seed varieties to choose from Home Pet Shop.
Winter of course is a time when natural foods are scarce, and this winter has certainly been particularly harsh, but birds will come to your garden throughout the year so it is important to continue feeding them and supplement their diet.