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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Your science lesson for today is a brief refresher on how birds breathe. When you and I breathe, air flows in AND out of our lungs. Air sacs in a bird’s chest allow air to flow one way through the lungs.

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