Keep Your Pet Bird Safe by Bird-proofing Your Home - Pet Care 101

When you have a baby, you childproof your home to keep them safe. You can help to keep your pet bird safe as well by bird-proofing your home.

When you have a young child, or even a puppy or kitten, you go around your home looking for all the places that they could get into and all the things that could be dangerous and you do what you can to secure the area for their safety. Unfortunately, some people don't realize that it's just as important to bird-proof your home for the safety of your pet birds. There are all sorts of dangers lurking in your home that you should be aware of before letting your feathered friend loose in your house.

Before I go any further, let me stress that the best thing to do is keep your bird under supervision when you're allowing them out of their cage, especially if they haven't had a lot of training. Keeping an eye on your bird is the best way to prevent them from getting into mischief or getting hurt. Once your bird is well trained and you have bird-proofed the area, then you may be able to allow them to have unsupervised time out of their cage.

The first step in bird-proofing your home is to choose a room where you will be allowing your bird to be out. Some people think it's acceptable to allow the bird free access to the entire home, but this is not wise. You can better control things if you limit the bird to only being out in a single room. I do not suggest allowing your bird out in a room that has outside access, as a bird can easily fly out an open door before you know what happened. It's better to choose an internal room where windows and doors can be closed.

The next thing you should do is look around the room for any hanging bits that the bird might want to chew on. Curtain ties, belts, light strings and other dangling items may be tempting chew toys. These items should be hidden from view or removed before the bird is allowed out. Electrical cords are an extreme danger if your bird should chew on the, so all cords should be kept out of reach and well hidden to prevent the risk of electrocution.

Birds will try to chew anything, so any valuables and paperwork should be put away. Never leave jewelry or other shiny items out that the bird might view as a toy. Small earrings can be swallowed, and bit of other items could be swallowed and harm the bird's health, or even cause death. You should also be aware to remove any woven or crocheted fabrics that the bird's claws might become caught on, as they can easily break a leg or wing flapping to free a caught toe.

To reduce the risk of the bird getting into things it shouldn't, be sure you give your pet plenty of bird safe toys to keep them busy. I have a swing hung from the ceiling over by bird's cage, a swing inside the cage, a ladder on the wall, and a perch for climbing. He also has some bells and wood beads for chewing. With all these toys to keep him busy, he rarely ventures far from the cage unless I am in the room.

I also strongly recommend keeping your bird's wings clipped to reduce their mobility unless they are exceptionally well trained. If you are unsure of proper method, have your avian vet or pet store do the clipping for you. This, combined with the other bird-proofing techniques will help to ensure the safety of your pet bird.