An oft-asked question by caged bird keepers is “how do I give my bird powdered supplements”? Pet bird supplement manufacturers are very good at letting us know what is in the supplements and providing us with precise dosages based upon the size of the bird.

What they never tell us is how to get the supplements IN the bird. Most of them are water-soluble but we’ve all watched our birds drink, they don’t drink a lot in terms of volume so we end up throwing a dish of water out two to three times a day along with any diluted vitamins that would be in the water. This is wasteful. 

Recently our cockatiel Popcorn was diagnosed with a compromised immune system by our board-certified avian vet Byron de la Navarre, DVM — Chief of Staff @ Animal House here in Chicago This was a result of stress from the seasonal changing light cycles, a recent molt and some reproductive activity. Dr. Byron administered a highly potent antibiotic and prescribed an oral antibiotic that we administered to Popcorn orally twice a day for about 10 days.

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The not-so-fine print: I am not an avian behaviorist. I have no formal training in veterinary medicine. My expertise is in helping you create the best environment that you can for your bird.
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Find Bird Clicker Training Kits Here

 I recently saw an ad on the Internet for bird training treats. What was interesting to me was in recommending bird treats similar to NutriBerries. Don’t get me wrong we love NutriBerries and think it’s a great treat, just not for training.

Before I get ahead of myself when I speak of training when it comes to birds (horses and dogs do well with this) I talk about clicker training.

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How many times have you watched in awe as a flighted bird hops off the top of it’s cage – flap flap flap then lands on an inch wide piece of ceiling crown molding or a computer monitor and in bird speak says “What’s up?”

Never giving a thought to that gravity thing that keeps the rest of us tethered to Mother Earth. These are special creatures indeed.

It’s been my observation that most caged bird keepers fail (sell, re-home or give to a rescue) because the birds are unable to adapt to the keepers expectations.

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Let’s circle back to first aid. Now that you’ve taken the time to build your own bird first aid kit, (you did right?) it’s important to remember the basics.

Once you’ve assembled all the tools for your bird first aid kit you should wash them with antibacterial soap or clean them with a steam cleaner and then wrap them in washcloths prior to storage.

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Pet bird features

• Body mechanisms that put a Swiss watch to shame
• A coat of thousands of feathers requiring constant maintenance
• Eyes that see invisible (to you & me) light
• Beaks that can crack large nuts or hull tiny seeds
• Use of flight to travel 3 dimensionally throughout your home
• Can land then stand on any 3 square inch surface
• Knows what time it is – precisely
• Can detect the motion of the sun
• Solves problems
• (Some) can verbalize
• Can pre-plan events into the future
• Can do all of this for decades

makes caged bird keeping the most challenging of traditional pet husbandry.

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