Are you worried your cockatiel or any other bird for that matter may be suffering from boredom?  You can take some simple steps to ensure your cockatiel takes more enjoyment from his environment and keep his mind agile.

Many cockatiels will be content to hang out on a playgym, but most will take the opportunity to become explorers.  If you own a playgym and your bird doesn’t seem to have much interest in staying there, you can outfit the area for fun.  You might think of attaching some new toys on the playgym.  You can also offer a dish that is filled with items like chewable/flavored wood, marbles, plastic buttons and even some air popped popcorn as an added treat.

There are cockatiels who are great snugglers.  If this describes your bird, you can offer him various cuddling options.  There are plush sleeping huts as well as toys you can purchase to fill this need when you aren’t at home.  Keep an eye on your cockatiel when you first bring a plush toy home because you don’t want him/her to get carried away and ingest any of the fabric.

Your cockatiel may enjoy play fighting with his toys.  You may notice that he takes great pleasure in bringing any and all toys down.  If you notice that your bird enjoys this, get him some sturdy and colorful toys he can destroy happily.

When you look at the high price of bird toys, you may become discouraged that you aren’t providing your cockatiel with enough stimulation.  Have no fear, many items you have in your home can be utilized for a cockatiel to play with.  You can try wooden clothespins, strips of burlap, loo paper and the cardboard that is at the end of the roll, to name just a few things that may interest your bird.  With just a little thought and creativity, you are sure to find many more home based toys your bird will enjoy.

Cockatiels are attracted to shiny objects………..  (more…)

When you own birds, you know that accidents may happen.  Depending upon the size of your bird, which accidents are more common will differ.  When you have small bird breeds such as cockatiels, parrotlets, budgies and certain species of conures, there are special considerations you will need to keep in mind.  Nothing is more devastating than losing your companion to a senseless accident that may have been avoided.

Window collisions are a concern for all bird breeds, but can be especially damaging or fatal for small birds.  Your bird loves to fly as well he should, and he may fly with too much enthusiasm right into the hard glass of a window or door.  Most birds learn early to avoid windows during their free flight time, but until your bird does, you can do a couple of things to ensure that no mishaps occur.  Never leave your bird flying unattended until you are absolutely sure he knows that he cannot fly through windows like a ghost. Take the bird up to the window and let him/her touch it with their beak and feet.

Closing the drapes or the blinds until your bird learns the ropes is not usually a great idea as many birds become paranoid about the wonders on the other side of the glass, additionally this can greatly affect your bird’s eyesight if it is kept in a semi-dark room for long periods of time.

One of the most frightening scenarios for bird owners is……… (more…)

Here at BirdTrade we do not allow unweaned babies, fertile/non-fertile eggs nor do we allow FREE or cheap birds.

In the past week  we have had to ban 10 users and 30+ adverts of this nature! We consider these adverts as scams and whilst we can appreciate some owners would prefer good homes for their birds the majority of these pathetic "so-called bird owners" just love the ring of the cash register.

For those of you that aren’t aware of the dangers of buying an unweaned baby or worse still a fertile egg this posting is for you!

Firstly we cannot enforce the point enough - stay away from these types of adverts on all other websites.

There is a big myth in the bird world that baby birds bond closest to the person that weans them. This is certainly not true! In fact, most unweaned baby birds that are sold to inexperienced owners face threats of malnutrition, physical damage to their delicate crops, and death, just to name a few. Even those with hand feeding experience make mistakes as weaning a baby bird is a very delicate process. So before these lies convince you to rush out and buy an unweaned baby, please research the dangers.

Attempting to wean a bird yourself will not make it a better pet — choosing to leave it to the professionals can mean the difference between life and death.

FREE or severely cheap birds are usually wild caught birds cruelly imported to the UK or a neighbouring country - help put a stop to this barbaric process by NOT contacting these sellers. We will continue to ban users from our classifieds section to ensure the up-most security for the rest of our visitors. Sites publishing these adverts should be put to shame!

A common complaint of bird owners is the mess that your bird can make all over your floor.  Most people don’t mind the noise of owning a bird, but we certainly don’t know anyone who enjoys the mess that owning a bird brings.  Between food being tossed outside the cage, to birdie poop, keeping your home clean can become quite a challenge.

A new revolution involving cage design appeared on the horizon in the 80s.  Prevue cages carried this feature during the turn of the century.  The original intention of this feature was to direct the fallout from seeds into the cage.  Now this feature is standard on most of the models of larger cages.  Even though some mess ends up on the floor, the bulk of it gets redirected to the cage floor.

Every day manufacturers are discovering new ways to combat the mess of owning a companion bird.  Prevue Pet Products have come up with a patented product that some bird lovers don’t want to live without.  Clean Life Systems is a cage that is designed to manage the mess of even the sloppiest birds.  It seems that the smaller the bird, the bigger the mess, and Prevue Pet Products have kept that in mind when they designed the Clean Life Systems birdcage.

Clean Life models incorporate the seed guard precisely into the foundation of the cage and the drawer has a rim that makes a seal that eradicates the space between the cage and the drawer.  This ensures that nothing falls between the cracks.  It is equipped with a pull out bottom that makes cleaning even easier.

You can purchase Clean Life Systems if you have multiple birds.  You can stack them to give your birds a sanitary home and save space in yours making bird keeping even easier and more enjoyable.  Special features ensure that waste from the cage on top does not drop into the cage on the bottom.  When you decide to house your feathered friends in a Clean Life Systems cage, you are providing a more sanitary environment not only for your household, but for your bird as well.

You can find Clean Life Systems cages in many sizes to house a variety of birds.  They are great for smaller birds like……. (more…)

You couldn’t say there is a more vibrantly coloured bird than a Gouldian finch. They can be found in the northern region of Australia which is a tropical area.  They live in the savanna woodland near the mangroves and water.  Unfortunately these stunning birds are an endangered species.  The Australian government said that as a best estimate the Gouldian finch population living in the wild is about 2500 mature birds.  Australia has banned the exportation of finches for decades.

The Gouldian finch is about 5” to 5 1/2 inches in size.  The male of the species has a more stunning coat than that of the female.  He also carries a longer center tail feather.

Gouldian finches are more trouble to breed and care for than breeds like society finches and the zebra.  If you are a first time owner then a Gouldian finch is not for you, especially if you have never owned any birds at all.

Like many other finches, the Gouldian finch has a lovely, soft chirp.  There aren’t many finches that like to be handled or held.  If you are looking for a pet bird to share in your family life, then the Gouldian finch is not the bird for you.  If you decide that such a beautiful bird as a Gouldian finch should be seen by you everyday, then buy them in pairs to allow them to satisfy their social needs as they are sociable birds.  If you are looking for a finch that sings, only the males do and not all sound terrific.

Colour variations of Gouldian finches occur ……. (more…)