From Lianne McLeod, DVM,
Your Guide to Exotic Pets.
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Choosing a Pet Bird

• What to Consider When Choosing a Pet Bird - choose a bird that fits your lifestyle and expectations.
• Finding and Picking a Pet Bird - comparison of different options when shopping for a pet bird, how to evaluate pet stores and breeders, and what to look for in a healthy bird.
• Expected Life Spans of Common Pet Birds - when choosing a bird, it is also good to consider how long your birds might live - some might outlive their owners!

Species Profiles

• Canaries
• Zebra Finches
• Budgies (Budgerigars)
• Cockatiels
• Lovebirds
• African Grey Parrots
• Amazons
• Macaws
• Cockatoos

Housing and Safety

• Before You Buy a Bird Cage - what to look for when shopping for a bird cage.
• Cage Size and Bar Spacing for Selected Species - chart showing minimum cage size and maximum bar spacing for common species of pet birds.
• Bird Toy Safety - what to consider when choosing safe toys for your pet bird.
• Top Household Dangers to Pet Birds - common household dangers every bird owner needs to know about.

Feeding

• Parrot Nutrition 101 - why seeds are not enough.
• Introducing New Food to Pet Birds - tips on getting your bird to try new foods.
• Switching from Seeds to Pellets - tips to help get your birds to include pellets in their diet.
• Top Dangers to Pet Birds - common household dangers every bird owner needs to know about.

Training

• Basic Pet Bird Training - principles of training pet birds.
• Training Your Pet Bird to Step Up - step up and step down are very useful tools in managing life with a pet bird.
• Training Your Pet Bird to Step Down - the second part of teaching step up/step down.
• Training Your Pet Bird to Accept Being Petted - some birds take more naturally to being petted than others. Here are tips on getting your bird to accept your touch.

Other Birdy Resources

• Assessing Body Condition in Birds - assessing body condition can help you with how much to feed and the overall health of your bird.
• Owls as Pets - why owls do not make good pets (inspired by the popularity of "Harry Potter")
• Psittacosis - a relatively uncommon but serious health concern, both for birds and their owners.
• Review: Avian Flight Suit (Bird Diaper) - see the Avian Flight Suit which doubles as a diaper and a harness/leash for outings.

Beginner's Guide to Birds - This introduction to keeping birds leads to many of the links listed here as well.