Monday, June 8, 2009

Are Peanuts Good For Pet Birds Or Not?

There is no argue that peanuts contain a lot of essential ingredients like fiber, unsaturated fats, protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.So this is probably one possible answer to your question are peanuts good for pet birds?It will be good to think about feeding your pet with them because there are also some possible negative answers.
Actually peanuts are seeds , not nuts and they grow under ground, they are from the legume family. Their environment is damp, warm and dark which gives the best condition for mold and fungal growth. Actually those traces of a mold called Aspergillus Flavus cause the problem with peanuts. The toxic substance -
Aflatoxin ,is in fact produced by Aspergillus Flavus. It is known that Aflatoxins cause severe liver damage for humans and animals and they are carcinogenic (cancer causing). The level of toxicity depends on the amount of toxin ingested at one time, age, size ,accumulation of the toxin, etc.

If the officials detect contamination after inspecting all peanuts for sale in this country, they reject them. The USDA and The FDA determine the safe levels for Aflatoxin in human food stuffs and if the product is dangerous , they ban it from going to market. But this safe amount of traces of Aflatoxin in pet food is not very clear , especially for such small creatures as birds.
So the question- are the peanuts bad for your pet birds?- still remains unanswered for all pet owners. Some of them continue to feed their pet birds with peanuts, of course the amounts are not big and they announce that they haven’t found any illness effect. They assume peanuts as high-energy nutritional and because their birds love them and have fun, they outweigh the risk.
If you have decided to feed your pet bird with peanuts, neglecting the risk, there are some precautions to avoid the deadly Aflatoxins:

1)Be informed about the recent research on pet bird consumption of peanuts

2) the risk of Aflatoxins in dried, heated peanuts is lower so you’d better feed your pet bird unsalted, roasted peanuts

3) To decrease the risk of the growth of Aspergillus Flavus
if you feed your bird raw peanuts, you must be sure they have been grown, stored and shipped properly

4)Give your pet birds no more than 2 or 3 peanuts daily
5) Valencia or Spanish peanuts contain less Aflatoxins so use them if it is possible
6) human grade peanuts are less contaminated than bird seed mixes or animal feed

7) Buy your peanuts from reliable and quality sources you can trust
Consider carefully the risks and benefits of using peanuts as food for your pet birds and the decision is up to you.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Building a Canary Cage

If you’re even slightly handy, you can build your canary a nice safe cage. It might not look perfect if you’re not a carpenter, but I can tell you how to do it so that it’s cheap, large, and easy.
Here are some simple directions:

1. Go to a feed store and buy a j-tool and some j-clips. Ask someone at the store to teach you how to use the tool. It couldn’t be easier. The tool can be a little hard on your hands, so buy some work or gardening gloves, too. While you’re there, buy door fasteners as well. (They’ll know what you need). You also will need a small wire clipper.

2. At the hardware store (or feed store), buy a roll of ¼-inch (0.6 cm) hardware cloth. This is your cage wire.

3. When you get home, take the hardware cloth outside and hose it down thoroughly. Then, spray it liberally with white vinegar and scrub it vigorously with a stiff copper or metal brush. Most hardware cloth is galvanized against rust which means that it has a coating of zinc on it, and zinc is toxic to birds.

4. Leave the hardware cloth outside in the elements for about two weeks, repeating the vinegar scrub and hose-down every couple of days. Now you’re ready to assemble your sage.
5. Drag the end of the hardware cloth to a place in the wire as large as you want the cage to be-you’re making a large round or oval cage. (These shapes are the easiest if you’ve never done it before). Clip the end of the wire using the j-tool and j-clips to the spot you’ve chosen. Now you have a round wire circle with no top or bottom.

6. Using the rest of the wire or a new roll, lay a flat piece of wire over the top of your circle so that it overlaps the whole thing by about 3 inches (8 cm), dive or take. (This isn’t an exact science). J-clip the flat piece to the top of the circle.

7. Flip the circle over and do the same thing to the other end.

8. Now you have a cage that looks lieu a circle with two square pieces overlapping each end. Flip the thing onto one side, and lay a piece of wire over the ends of the squares and clip it to them.
9. Keep flipping it until you’ve clipped four flat pieces of wire onto each side of your circle.

10. Now you have a circular cage within a square cage. Pick a side that you like and cut a square hole into the center of it, about 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cm), maybe a little more depending on the size of your cage.

11. Next, cut a smaller square out of the circular part of the cage-you have a door within a door.

12. Cut squares, and clip them onto the left side of the door holes, respectively. Clip the door fasteners to the right side of the doors so they close flush. You nay need two fasteners per door.

13. Your cage is double-wired and safe to keep outside. Place the sage onto two hobbyhorses or another type of stand, and place in beneath a covered area so that it’s safe from the weather.

14. Add perches, food and water dishes, and you’re set to keep a few canaries!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

African Greys Cage

While it is almost a given that a companion parrot will be kept in a cage, the amount of time your bird spends in a cage each day will have a great effect on its quality of life and behavior. African Greys need to spend many hours each day out of the cage, interacting with people and/or other birds just to remain mentally healthy.

The African Greys cage should large enough so that the bird can easily flap its wings while it is inside. So the main factor in deciding on the minimum cage size for your bird is the bird’s wingspan; this is the measurement from wing-tip to wingtip of the bird’s wings when they are fully outstretched, as though the bird were in flight.

African Greys have a wingspan of 28 in (71cm); the Timer’s is slightly smaller at 24 in (61 cm). A cage where measurements in all three dimensions (height, depth, and width) exceed the bird’s wingspan will allow the bird to flap its wings. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a cage of these dimensions. However, so long as two of the measurements exceed this, and the third is, say, at least 24 in (61 cm), then the bird will be able to flap its wings. The width and depth of the African Greys cage are far more important considerations than its height since the bird will only use the top halt of the cage anyway.

African Greys Cage Construction

While the best and most expensive cages are made of stainless steel, most are mage of mild steel which is then coated with various layers of paint. The paintwork is usually stove enameled. This process hardens the paint and ensures it cannot be damaged or removed by the bird. The bars should be sufficiently thick and strong so that the bird cannot bend or damage them. Damaged bars can result in the protective coating being chipped away by the bird.

African Greys enjoy being able to climb and this allows them some exercise. To aid this, the cage should have horizontal bars, as well as vertical ones. For the bird’s safety, the spacing between the bars should be no more than 1 in (25mm); this prevents the bird from poking its head out between the bars. It is a good idea to choose a African Greys cage with the food bowls mounted on swing–feeders which allows the food to be changed from outside the cage. The sliding tray in the base should be made of metal rather than plastic.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

HQ Bird Cages

One of the highest industrialized manufacturing centers situated in the southern provinces of China, is the main supplier of bird cages for the markets all over the world. In 1993 HQ Bird Cages has built one of the most exhaustive product lines as the engineer's efforts have directed to manufacturing technology and quality improvement in order to meet the first line supplier demands. All cages are subject to one rule that is the main aim in the production process namely to design such a cage environment which shall be the closest one to the natural environment of the bird as well as the permanent improvement of the safe bird's resident. On the other hand, there are four main factors in the bird cage designing: durability, functionality, modern style and effective service. Not on the last place, HQ Bird Cages work for the enhancement your comfort and bringing the beauty of the nature to your home, providing you high quality products.One of the basic features of every cage is the finish which has to be wisely considered during the production process. A powder-coat paint system at 450 degrees temperature is used by the HQ Bird Cages for the cage finishing. The HQ Bird Cages paint system avoid every unparalleled adherence of the finish as eliminate the common stripes during the paint process. The paint that is used by HQ Bird Cages contains only ultra-safe levels of toxic elements. It's well known that the white color paint contain heavy metals, for instance zinc. The white color paint which HQ Bird Cages work with has been tested at Louisiana Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. The results after the testing showed a level of zinc content 80 ppm, which is more than safe level. The maximum safe content of zinc is considered to be 270 ppm. The nonporous finishes are very practical and useful for the daily cleaning of the cage' surfaces and removing of droppings and food from it.HQ Bird Cages are packaged and shipped disassembled for ease and efficiency of transport. Many engineered features make assembly of HQ Bird Cages both rapid and simple. For example, nuts are captive in the channels so that the assembler need only thread in the bolts, which are always supplied in more than ample quantity. Food dishes are provided in ample quantity and are stainless steel. Seed guards, or "skirts" are also provided and attach with a simple corner-clip method allowing for easy removal and replacement when cleaning.

Monday, April 6, 2009

The Aviary For Canaries

The canary is well suited to an aviary housing a colony of birds as long as the aviary is large enough to prevent territorial squabbles. If you’re going to use an aviary, house just one male with a few females, or more than three males with several females. Two males will quibble, often viciously, over the females, but more than three males seems to be the recipe for relative peace.

Canaries also can be kept with other peaceable birds, including budgies, cockatiels, some of the grass keeps, and some varieties of no aggressive finches, as long as the aviary is large enough, if you do house birds of various species together, keep a close eye on them, especially the hook bills (budgies, cockatiels, and keeps), to make sure that no one terrorizes the other birds’ nesting or roosting areas. Even though they are similar in size, never keep lovebirds with canaries. If you’re serious about trying to do it in an aviary setting.

For a colony of birds’ make sure that you include an excess of high roosting areas as well as feeding stations. You want to make sure that even the weaker personalities are able to eat, drink, and find a safe and comfortable place to sleep. Also, make sure that there’s plenty of shelter from inclement weather. Most outdoor aviaries have a shelter area made of word that serves as both protection and a place for nighttime roosting.

Canaries who are kept outside all year cam become acclimated to the cold and won’t mind winter weather if they’re able to get out of the wind. Some people equip their aviaries with heated areas to make sure that the birds are comfortable. If it gets really cold where you live, keep thick plastic sheets and warm blankets on hand to cover the aviary walls when the weather gets fierce. Also, make sure that the birds’ water doesn’t freeze. If you live in a very warm climate, make sure that part of your aviary is shaded all day, and offer your birds plenty of fresh water.
If yon have the time and inclination, plant your aviary with safe trees and plants, and create water features like fountains.

It’s fun to watch the birds interact with these natural elements, and they make them comfortable and offer them shelter. You can grow plants in large clay post with natural, untreated soil and keep other plants outside to rotate in and out of the aviary when the plants inside become worn.

The floor of the aviary can be elevated so that the waste and excess food fall through, or you can use a concrete slab for easy cleaning. Some people prefer natural soil, sand, or a gravel substrate floor, which the birds do enjoy, but the aviary must have adequate drainage.
For safety, the outdoor aviary should be double-wired with screening in between the wires. The space between the wires prevents predators from reaching into the aviary and pulling your birds through the wires- yes, it can happen! The double wiring also prevents contact with wild birds that will want to feed inside your aviary, possibly passing disease to your birds. In addition, the screening prevents mosquitoes and other pests from entering your aviary and infecting your birds with illnesses.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Innovative Cages

We really believe that Innovative Cages are the best and we are confident that you will also confirm that they are a new standard of excellence. Let us tell you more about us and our products.
We do our best to help you before, during, and after the purchase and you can trust us and come back for all your needs connected with birds. Contact us with any concerns you have as you are number one for us as a customer and we want to have good relationship with you.
We have used all our knowledge in designing these cages. We have a few year experience and we are certain that the best choice are Innovative Cages.

Our cages are not made in Asia, our factory meet high standards and specifications. Innovative Cages are connected with screws and bolts because those which are not put together with bolts and screws can be dangerous and might have unsightly gaps. If you prefer spending less time with "screw free" cage later you will regret a lot. The difference is only 10 minutes more for our cages but they are much more secure for your pets.Our Innovative Cages come with 5 year warranty which is unprecedented.

Have you ever heart about other company which gives this sort of warranty?Every connection of our cages is double welded and the cages are made of premium cold rolled steel. Most other cages are drilled ,they have holes, their bars are loosely sit and give excellent conditions for growing bacteria and moisture which are very dangerous for your birds. We test our Innovative Cages for toxin levels and our results prove that they are absolutely bird safe.We pack our cages to eliminate damage during shipment so shipping damages are not often. But if this happen anyway we will take care about it quickly at no cost.

About appearance- just have a look, our cages are in either play top or a dome. Only with the Pinnacle there is exception because it is too large to have a play top. There is possibility to adjust a perch for your bird to play on it because the dooms are open on the top. Also there arehttp stainless steel feeder bowls and solid swing-out feeder doors in every cage. There is no change for the rust because the bowls are made of 304-grade steel.We really love our products and we are sure you will love them too.
Compare Innovatiev Cages To The Rest
Fact 1 : Innovative Cages can be made sturdier compared to "bolts & screws free" bird cages if you use a handful of steel screws.

Fact 2 : For every connection is used premium cold rolled and double-welded steel like no other powder-coated bird cage.
Fact 3 : Innovative Cages are constructed with not drilled rods , they are double-welded to the frame. This does not allow rust and bacteria to build up.

Fact 4 :Our cages are free of lead and zinc , they are coated with safe powder-coating, tested in laboratory and proved by laboratory results.

Fact 5 : We are proud with our products and service because we support our customers before and after the sale.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Links

Only HQ Bird Cages - The leading source for brand HQ bird cages.

Bird Cages - The Best Selection Presented by BirdsComfort.com