I've had a number of small caged birds over the years. I've had those who speak and those who do not. Some who are loud and unpleasant, and some which are quiet and shy. Some of singing and some that cackle. Some people cry and some people were talking back and forth to each other all day long.
They all make a big mess!
1. All birds preen.
That is, they are constantly either set their own feathers or feathers of another bird. Sometimes the cat and sometimes the person who leaves the perch on his head. Preening is a whole different story. Suffice it to say - birds preen and traps. Their feathers fall out and new ones grow in. Of course, every time the birds flap their wings to perform these feathers are scattered everywhere.
2. All the birds eat.
Caged birds usually eat seeds have shells. Most birds do not eat the shells, so they have to get rid of them and they do not have hands to keep the tanks - they use their beaks, and it will fly. Sometimes I think the tanks have wings when I take them as far away from the cage. But all is not lost - you can buy cage skirts or make your own that fits around the bottom of the cage to keep the seed and feathers on the inside, not on your floor. If you do not mind the feathers floating around your house, you can always try to feed them the seeds, which have no shells. Bits of fruit and vegetables. Or just resign themselves to, and get started to sweep it up every day.
3. All birds need water.
Clean water to drink - and free of feathers and seed shells. I know - you ask - how am I to keep it free of feathers and shells, where each time one of those flaps - there will be more things in the water. I have a bird bath attached to the cage, but the birds prefer to bathe in their drinking cups instead. So every day and sometimes twice a day - water must be changed.
4. All birds need exercise.
Now with all that eating, preening, bathing and drinking you need a place for them to exercise. You need a cage with enough room in it that is free of toys, food and drink, cups and anything else you might have in there, so the blades can be fully developed. I must admit - I would like to fly outside the cage now and then and they just love it. I've had a few, however, that loves to chew on anything they can get their beak in and create my little until I nailed a slat at the top for them to chew on instead. Just be sure that it has not been treated with anything. Cedar is good or a branch of an apple tree also works well.
5. All birds Relax.
Now all done it - they want to relax - and well they should get rid of some of the food and water they had. Rather than trying to catch the debris, when they have to go - you can use ripped up newspapers, cedar chips, gravel, paper and many other products which are available at the bottom of the cage. Try to find a cage that is easy to clean - it sure saves a lot of time after a hard day.
6. All birds sleep.
At least all mine do. It is the only time when the semi-quiet. These Budgies still chatting, when they are napping! A cover over the cage at night will stop talking and they are all stored in, but - I have a Cockatiel. Cockatiels suffering from night terror and often in the middle of the night the ruckus is enough to wake the proverbial dead. Squawking, fluttering and not only Cockatiel is on it now, but the entire lot of them. After a few nights at that - I have a Night Light in space for the birds, and we all sleep peacefully.
7. The last thing you should think about is where will you put the cage.
Birds prefer to be up from the floor, so you need a stand or a tabletop somewhere stable to put it. But you must also be sure that there are plants nearby, because they will eat them. Some plants are poisonous to birds and some are okay, but they make a huge mess of the nice sheets that you have tried to get equally.
When all these things have been taken into account - Enjoy your birds!
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