Making sure that your birds are well looked after and have a beautiful home that meets their needs is essential – but, if you’re an inexperienced birdkeeper, it may not be immediately obvious what you should be shopping for.
Getting your aviary set up before you bring your birds home to roost is advisable so you know they won’t lack for anything. To help you get started, here are a few of the most vital items that you’ll need to invest in. As ever, if you have any questions, get in touch with the Johnston & Jeff team.
Perches
Installing perches of different sizes can help your birds exercise their feet and maintain foot health, as well as encouraging them to be more active and allowing them to mimic natural behaviours they’d display in the wild, making them feel more secure.
And, of course, they provide birds with somewhere safe and comfortable for them to chill out and roost at bedtime.
You’ll find that there are lots of different perching options and installing a variety can help provide an extra layer of enrichment, so look out for sandy perches, rope and natural fibres, and shelves.
Bird toys
Giving your birds lots of toys to play with is an excellent way of supporting their mental and emotional health and wellbeing, keeping them well entertained and happy. Different materials and textures will cater for all your birds’ natural instincts and you’ll have a lot of fun finding new treats to spoil them with.
Look out for everything from budgie swings and hanging mirrors and bells to ladders, chewable wood, foraging puzzles, shreddable paper, Tarzan ropes and more. Anything your birds can interact with would make for a great addition to their home.
Foraging puzzles, in particular, are a lot of fun to include – so make sure you check out our range of aviary bird food and mixes, which include everything from red and yellow millet to niger seed, canary seed, hempseed, buckwheat and many other ingredients to help keep your birds healthy, happy and fulfilled.
Nesting boxes
This one is quite easy to overlook for novice aviarists, as it’s often assumed that you don’t need to provide birds with a place to sleep if they’re already in their cage. However, if your birds are breeding a nesting box is a must-have – and if they’re not breeding, they’re sure to appreciate their little bolthole when they want some peace and quiet.
Aviary plants
Depending on how much space you have to play with, you could bring in some aviary plants that help to make the space look more welcoming and friendly, as well as providing a more natural and engaging environment for your birds.
Always make sure that the plant species you choose are non-toxic, however, such as bougainvillea, dogwood, Boston fern, dandelion, marigold, magnolia and petunia.
In fact, this is sound advice for anything you decide to put in your aviary. Before you spend any money, always double check that what you’re looking at is made from materials that are bird-safe so that you don’t put your pets at risk.
If you’d like to find out more about aviary birds, give us a call today!
