Category Birds

In partnership with Defra

Avian influenza more commonly known as bird flu, is a highly contagious viral disease. It affects the respiratory, digestive or nervous system of many species of birds.

Current situation 

The UK is currently experiencing the biggest bird flu outbreak we’ve ever had. 

On 17 October 2022, a UK-wide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) came into force, meaning that those who keep birds must, by law, follow strict biosecurity rules to prevent bird flu from spreading. In England and Wales housing measures have also been introduced to try and protect poultry and captive birds from catching avian influenza. 

Birdkeepers in Wales must also complete a mandatory biosecurity self-assessment checklist: https://www.gov.wales/avian-influenza 

Helping to prevent the spread of bird flu

It doesn’t matter how many, or what kind of chicken and birds you keep, you must take action to keep them safe from bird flu.

Lapses in biosecurity are a major reason for the large number of bird flu outbreaks across the UK and here are some simple measures you can take to protect your birds against bird flu:

• Wash your hands before and after tending to your birds.
• Use dedicated footwear to tend to your birds.
• Regularly clean and disinfect equipment and hard surfaces. 
• Make sure you have proper pest control in place (rodents can carry the virus into your bird keeping areas on their fur and paws).
• Store bedding under cover so that it is protected from wild birds.
• Maintain buildings to keep water and wild birds out.
• Keep chickens and turkeys separate from ducks and geese 
• Place birds’ feed and water in fully enclosed areas that are protected from wild birds
• Put fencing around outdoor areas where birds are allowed and limit their access to ponds or areas visited by wild waterfowl 
• Make your premises unattractive to wild birds by using scarecrows, foils or streamers.
• Reduce the movement of people, vehicles or equipment to and from areas where poultry are kept.

For further advice on how to prevent and stop the spread of bird flu visit GOV.UK 

How to house your chickens when housing measures are in place

Birdkeepers in England and Wales must house their birds. Follow these tips about housing to protect them from bird flu:

• If you don’t have a purpose built building you could adapt existing buildings such as outbuildings, sheds or garages or build a lean-to. Ensure there is adequate light and ventilation, and any openings are netted to prevent wild birds entering
• If you can’t house your birds, use netting to keep wild birds away from your flock.
• Keep ducks and geese separate from other poultry. 

Find out more by visiting https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bird-flu-avian-influenza-housing-your-birds-safely   

Other steps you can take to be prepared

• Sign up to receive free bird flu alerts from the Animal and Plant Health Agency. It’s quick and easy https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apha-alert-subscription-service 
• Register your chickens or birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency. If you own over 50 birds, it is a legal requirement. They can let you know about outbreaks of bird flu in your area, helping you to keep your birds safe. Registration is easy. Visit: gov.uk/poultry-registration  

To keep up to date with the latest situation, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england.

In partnership with Defra

Avian influenza more commonly known as bird flu, is a highly contagious viral disease. It affects the respiratory, digestive or nervous system of many species of birds.

Current situation 

The UK is currently experiencing the biggest bird flu outbreak we’ve ever had. 

On 17 October 2022, a UK-wide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) came into force, meaning that those who keep birds must, by law, follow strict biosecurity rules to prevent bird flu from spreading. In England and Wales housing measures have also been introduced to try and protect poultry and captive birds from catching avian influenza. 

Birdkeepers in Wales must also complete a mandatory biosecurity self-assessment checklist: https://www.gov.wales/avian-influenza 

Helping to prevent the spread of bird flu

It doesn’t matter how many, or what kind of chicken and birds you keep, you must take action to keep them safe from bird flu.

Lapses in biosecurity are a major reason for the large number of bird flu outbreaks across the UK and here are some simple measures you can take to protect your birds against bird flu:

• Wash your hands before and after tending to your birds.
• Use dedicated footwear to tend to your birds.
• Regularly clean and disinfect equipment and hard surfaces. 
• Make sure you have proper pest control in place (rodents can carry the virus into your bird keeping areas on their fur and paws).
• Store bedding under cover so that it is protected from wild birds.
• Maintain buildings to keep water and wild birds out.
• Keep chickens and turkeys separate from ducks and geese 
• Place birds’ feed and water in fully enclosed areas that are protected from wild birds
• Put fencing around outdoor areas where birds are allowed and limit their access to ponds or areas visited by wild waterfowl 
• Make your premises unattractive to wild birds by using scarecrows, foils or streamers.
• Reduce the movement of people, vehicles or equipment to and from areas where poultry are kept.

For further advice on how to prevent and stop the spread of bird flu visit GOV.UK 

How to house your chickens when housing measures are in place

Birdkeepers in England and Wales must house their birds. Follow these tips about housing to protect them from bird flu:

• If you don’t have a purpose built building you could adapt existing buildings such as outbuildings, sheds or garages or build a lean-to. Ensure there is adequate light and ventilation, and any openings are netted to prevent wild birds entering
• If you can’t house your birds, use netting to keep wild birds away from your flock.
• Keep ducks and geese separate from other poultry. 

Find out more by visiting https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bird-flu-avian-influenza-housing-your-birds-safely   

Other steps you can take to be prepared

• Sign up to receive free bird flu alerts from the Animal and Plant Health Agency. It’s quick and easy https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apha-alert-subscription-service 
• Register your chickens or birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency. If you own over 50 birds, it is a legal requirement. They can let you know about outbreaks of bird flu in your area, helping you to keep your birds safe. Registration is easy. Visit: gov.uk/poultry-registration  

To keep up to date with the latest situation, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england.

If your parrot has escaped the home, this is one of the most frightening scenarios any bird owner can face. A brightly coloured domestic bird is at risk from many types of predators, is not well suited to the weather conditions we sometimes face here, and will have few innate survival skills.

This means that finding your lost parrot in the first place needs to be handled quickly, and knowing where to look can be a challenge of its own; but another challenge that can be just as great is catching your parrot or getting them back to safety when you have found them.

Some parrots will stay close to home and even deliberately keep you and/or their home in sight, and might actually appear to be taunting you by flatly refusing to cooperate and staying just out of reach; and it is true that your bird might be at risk of predators while they continue in this manner.

However, the upside of a bird that stays close is that they’re probably going to actually come down or back in when they’ve had enough, it gets a bit cold, or they’re getting tired.

In this sort of scenario you really just need to commit to ensuring you (or someone else if this goes on for a long time and you have to take turns) keep them in sight or at least in earshot at all times, and are ready to close them into their cage when they do decide their adventure is over!

However, if your parrot got lost and isn’t close to home and/or shows no signs of being willing to saunter back in when the mood takes them but they have been located and you can see them or know for sure where they are – there are a number of approaches to actually catching them or tempting them back into their cage.

There are also a number of approaches to catching a lost parrot that are highly likely to backfire on you and scare or annoy your bird and even make them take off, which you should obviously learn about too in order to avoid.

This article will tell you the best approaches to take to catch a lost parrot, and things you should not do to try to catch a pet bird too. Read on to learn more.

Always have the cage ready and make it appealing

First of all, take the cage with you everywhere when you’re looking for your bird. You won’t be able to get your bird home safely holding them physically, and you might lose them again if you have to go home or even a few hundred yards back to the car to get the cage.

The cage should be tempting if your bird spots it too; their favourite things or treats in it ready for them!

Bring food, treats and toys

On which note, bring with you anything you know your bird likes and responds to, like a certain treat or toy; something that has a sound is really helpful too if they can hear it, like the bell on a mirror they spend hours preening in front of.

Try hard not to lose sight of your bird once you have located them

Once you know where your bird is, do everything you can to keep them in sight. If you have to leave, your bird might move to another location without you knowing, or they might retreat again if they were considering coming to you.

If you do need to leave for any reason, try to get someone else to watch for you in the meantime.

Be patient; and prepared to look crazy!

You might have to prepare yourself to be in it for the long haul when it comes to catching your bird and getting them to come to you. Seriously, take water, snacks, a rug or something to sit on; it might take hours and if you get annoyed or exasperated and your parrot picks up on this, you will deter them not encourage them.

Also, you’re quite possibly going to look a little nuts to passers-by, sitting in the park or wherever with an empty bird cage, chatting to a tree… But remember that it will be worth it when your parrot is home safe.

Assess the surroundings and try to negate anything that might be deterring your bird from coming to you

On which note, if lots of people are gathered talking to you or stopping to see what you’re doing, this might actually be putting your bird off coming down. Always be totally polite and respectful, but also, let people who are well meaning but not actually helping know that they might be making things harder for you and encourage them to move on.

Consider your wider surroundings too, and factor in if there’s anything else that might be scaring your bird or discouraging them from coming to you, and what you could do about this.

Talk, and play call-and-response with your bird

Try to get your bird talking or engaging with you, and they might be more likely to come to you; anything you can do to get your bird to focus on you and be interested in you will help.

Wait until dusk

When the sun goes down and dusk approaches is probably the most likely time that a bird that has been giving you the run-around will come to you if there are no barriers to this; because this is the sort of time that they’d normally be settling down to roost at, so dusk is generally the most likely time for you to succeed!

How not to catch a parrot

Well-meaning passers by and some poorly informed online advice (and sometimes, even just instinct) might be suggesting several ways to catch your parrot that will actually probably just scare them off; unless your bird is literally within reach already, wait for them to come to you.

Counterproductive ways to try to catch your parrot include getting a ladder or otherwise trying to climb to meet them in a tree, throwing a net, or throwing water or using a hose on them.

Finding a lost or escaped parrot can be a real challenge, and can make you feel as if you’re looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack, while your bird is in danger and cannot take care of themselves and the clock is ticking down.

Naturally it is really important to try to ensure your parrot cannot slip out of a window or door in the first place, but also, even the most conscientious of parrot owners cannot mitigate against every possible eventuality or risk.

If your parrot is lost or has flown out of your house, finding them quickly ensures the best chances of getting them home unscathed; and this article will share tips on how to find a lost or escaped parrot as quickly as possible. Read on to learn more.

Act quickly

First of all, speed is of the essence when it comes to finding a lost or escaped parrot, for a couple of reasons. The first is that the faster you move, the closer to home they are likely to be. This gives you a better chance of spotting them and so not having to factor in where to look, and having a smaller area to cover.

Your bird is also unlikely to have either gotten scared and flown off without paying much mind to where they’re going, nor to have got the taste of the wild and be keen to disappear!

Finally, a domestic bird loose outside is in danger, from predators, the elements, and much more, and the longer they’re out, the greater the risks.

Where will an escaped parrot be?

Knowing where to even start looking for a lost parrot isn’t always intuitive, particularly if you’re panicking. Where to look for an escaped parrot also depends on things like whether or not they fly, and how long they have been outside of the home for.

You can improve your chances of finding your parrot by looking first in the right sort of places, rather than running around in a panic.

If your parrot can fly and you know they like flying and are capable in the air, then trees are the obvious place to look or target; particularly those with lots of finer branches and foliage.

If your parrot has their wings clipped or is not generally that bothered about getting airborne, hedges and bushes and a bit closer to ground level is where to start; factoring in too that if your bird can get into a tall tree lower down and climb upwards, they may be higher than you think they would be.

Most birds will avoid wide open areas and will look for branches and trees and try to get a reasonably high vantage point, even if this means climbing.

Look for signs from predators

If you’ve been checking out trees and bushes within the sort of range you think your bird might have gone and you’re coming up blank, you need to think about things a bit more laterally, particularly if your bird has been out for an hour or more.

Something that isn’t reassuring to learn but that is important to factor in anyway is that an escaped parrot (particularly one that is brightly coloured, and smaller parrots) will be a target for predators; and while you might immediately think “cats,” and this is certainly a risk, they are actually more likely to come to the attention of other birds.

Crows, magpies, and other large birds in the corvid family will often “gang up on” other birds, particularly ones that are colourful and have no sense of self-preservation in the wild.

So if you can see or hear birds of this kind making a fuss, circling, or appearing to keep swooping at something in a tree, it might be your parrot.

Listen for your bird

When looking for a lost pet of any kind we of course call their name and make the sort of sounds we know they respond to. However, when you’re looking for a parrot it is just as important to listen; they may or may not respond to you if you call them but they may well be vocalising anyway, particularly if they’re usually fairly vocal birds in general, so pause regularly and just listen.

You’re far more likely to hear your parrot than you are to see them if they’re in a tree with foliage, so think about this and get close to larger, taller or very leafy trees and listen out.

Also, there is also merit to calling and making sounds your bird responds to, but do give plenty of time for responses and to listen as well.

If you can’t find your bird within a few hours, advertise the loss

Parrots are usually easy to spot and when lost, get a lot of attention from people who see them loose, so if you cannot find your bird within a few hours, advertise their loss.

Use local bird owner’s groups and forums, lost pet websites, lost pet and local area Facebook groups, and contact vets to advise them too in case your bird is handed in.

Put up posters around the area and vitally, advise when you advertise the loss what people should do if they do spot or find your bird; as there is a risk that someone well-meaning might scare your bird off if they try to catch them.

If your parrot has escaped the home, this is one of the most frightening scenarios any bird owner can face. A brightly coloured domestic bird is at risk from many types of predators, is not well suited to the weather conditions we sometimes face here, and will have few innate survival skills.

This means that finding your lost parrot in the first place needs to be handled quickly, and knowing where to look can be a challenge of its own; but another challenge that can be just as great is catching your parrot or getting them back to safety when you have found them.

Some parrots will stay close to home and even deliberately keep you and/or their home in sight, and might actually appear to be taunting you by flatly refusing to cooperate and staying just out of reach; and it is true that your bird might be at risk of predators while they continue in this manner.

However, the upside of a bird that stays close is that they’re probably going to actually come down or back in when they’ve had enough, it gets a bit cold, or they’re getting tired.

In this sort of scenario you really just need to commit to ensuring you (or someone else if this goes on for a long time and you have to take turns) keep them in sight or at least in earshot at all times, and are ready to close them into their cage when they do decide their adventure is over!

However, if your parrot got lost and isn’t close to home and/or shows no signs of being willing to saunter back in when the mood takes them but they have been located and you can see them or know for sure where they are – there are a number of approaches to actually catching them or tempting them back into their cage.

There are also a number of approaches to catching a lost parrot that are highly likely to backfire on you and scare or annoy your bird and even make them take off, which you should obviously learn about too in order to avoid.

This article will tell you the best approaches to take to catch a lost parrot, and things you should not do to try to catch a pet bird too. Read on to learn more.

Always have the cage ready and make it appealing

First of all, take the cage with you everywhere when you’re looking for your bird. You won’t be able to get your bird home safely holding them physically, and you might lose them again if you have to go home or even a few hundred yards back to the car to get the cage.

The cage should be tempting if your bird spots it too; their favourite things or treats in it ready for them!

Bring food, treats and toys

On which note, bring with you anything you know your bird likes and responds to, like a certain treat or toy; something that has a sound is really helpful too if they can hear it, like the bell on a mirror they spend hours preening in front of.

Try hard not to lose sight of your bird once you have located them

Once you know where your bird is, do everything you can to keep them in sight. If you have to leave, your bird might move to another location without you knowing, or they might retreat again if they were considering coming to you.

If you do need to leave for any reason, try to get someone else to watch for you in the meantime.

Be patient; and prepared to look crazy!

You might have to prepare yourself to be in it for the long haul when it comes to catching your bird and getting them to come to you. Seriously, take water, snacks, a rug or something to sit on; it might take hours and if you get annoyed or exasperated and your parrot picks up on this, you will deter them not encourage them.

Also, you’re quite possibly going to look a little nuts to passers-by, sitting in the park or wherever with an empty bird cage, chatting to a tree… But remember that it will be worth it when your parrot is home safe.

Assess the surroundings and try to negate anything that might be deterring your bird from coming to you

On which note, if lots of people are gathered talking to you or stopping to see what you’re doing, this might actually be putting your bird off coming down. Always be totally polite and respectful, but also, let people who are well meaning but not actually helping know that they might be making things harder for you and encourage them to move on.

Consider your wider surroundings too, and factor in if there’s anything else that might be scaring your bird or discouraging them from coming to you, and what you could do about this.

Talk, and play call-and-response with your bird

Try to get your bird talking or engaging with you, and they might be more likely to come to you; anything you can do to get your bird to focus on you and be interested in you will help.

Wait until dusk

When the sun goes down and dusk approaches is probably the most likely time that a bird that has been giving you the run-around will come to you if there are no barriers to this; because this is the sort of time that they’d normally be settling down to roost at, so dusk is generally the most likely time for you to succeed!

How not to catch a parrot

Well-meaning passers by and some poorly informed online advice (and sometimes, even just instinct) might be suggesting several ways to catch your parrot that will actually probably just scare them off; unless your bird is literally within reach already, wait for them to come to you.

Counterproductive ways to try to catch your parrot include getting a ladder or otherwise trying to climb to meet them in a tree, throwing a net, or throwing water or using a hose on them.

Heart attacks in people don’t always look like the media would have us believe, with collapsing and clutching at the chest; they can also be subtle, slow in onset and quite different in terms of how they look and feel. The same is true of heart attacks in pet birds like parrots and parakeets, and of course, identifying what’s up with a pet can be a lot harder than with a person as they can’t talk to you and explain how they feel or what’s wrong.

Heart attacks in parrots and parakeets can be sudden and acute and leave you feeling helpless as there’s nothing that you can do, or they might be slow and yet so subtle you can miss the signs when it is still early enough to help them.

Knowing what type of birds are at higher risk of heart attack can help you to remain vigilant, and while they’re equally likely to occur in more or less any pet bird species, it is female birds that tend to succumb to heart attack more than males.

Parrots and parakeets that are overweight and so, at higher risk of heart disease are at higher risk of heart attack too and as you might expect, the risks increase exponentially as your bird gets older.

If you have any concerns please always speak to your vet as a matter of urgency; and if you’re wondering how you would know if your pet bird was having a heart attack in the first place, this article will outline some of the common symptoms. Read on to learn more.

Fainting or loss of consciousness

Fainting in birds should never be ignored or disregarded, even if your pet rallies quickly and seems fine afterwards. Fainting or losing consciousness, even for a few seconds, can be a symptom of heart attack in parrots, parakeets, and other pet birds.

Lethargy or lying prone

If your bird appears to be listless and slow to respond to you or entirely unresponsive, or they’re highly lethargic or lying on the floor of their cage in an unnatural position, this is a veterinary emergency and you should contact an experienced exotics vet as a matter of urgency.

A minor heart attack can involve a period during which the affected bird is lethargic or unresponsive, and this can also indicate the final and fatal stages of a more serious heart attack in progress too.

Birds don’t naturally lie prone on the floor of their cage and so this is a serious sign that they’re in too much pain or too weak to get up and that something is seriously wrong.

The feathers look unusual

Most parrot and parakeet owners can spot quickly if their bird’s feathers look a little odd, in terms of the way they hold them. If your bird’s feathers seem to be stuck out “staring” or fluffed up and this is not in response to external stimulus, this can mean many things, one of which being that there is something wrong.

Pale or blueish mucous membranes

Heart disease in pet birds can culminate in a heart attack, and this is a particular risk for birds that are overweight. However, as a bird’s heart disease progresses but before they have a heart attack, you might notice if you are vigilant and check carefully that the delicate skin around their eyes where it is visible next to their plumage might appear blue or purple-ish in colour, due to the poor circulation resulting from the advanced stages of heart disease.

Heart disease is not the only potential cause of this discolouration, but you should speak to your vet immediately if you notice it to give your pet the best chances of survival with prompt treatment.

A hard or swollen stomach

You might not think that a parrot or parakeet with heart problems would show symptoms relating to their stomach or abdomen, but sometimes this does occur. Swollen stomach in birds is a reasonably common occurrence because a wide range of things can cause it, including being overweight and being egg-bound.

However, a taut, hard, or swollen stomach in a pet bird can result from fluid accumulation that results from heart problems, so contact your vet if you have any concerns.

Can anything be done for a bird that has a heart attack?

Whether or not a parrot or parakeet that is having a heart attack can be saved or treated depends on a wide range of variables, and a huge part of this relies upon you spotting that something is amiss quickly and seeking qualified help in good time.

Time is of the essence when it comes to heart attacks in any animal species, so contact a specialist exotics vet immediately if you have concerns, to give your bird the best possible chances of recovery and if this is not possible, to ensure they’re made as comfortable as possible and don’t suffer undue pain at the end of their life.

Finding a lost or escaped parrot can be a real challenge, and can make you feel as if you’re looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack, while your bird is in danger and cannot take care of themselves and the clock is ticking down.

Naturally it is really important to try to ensure your parrot cannot slip out of a window or door in the first place, but also, even the most conscientious of parrot owners cannot mitigate against every possible eventuality or risk.

If your parrot is lost or has flown out of your house, finding them quickly ensures the best chances of getting them home unscathed; and this article will share tips on how to find a lost or escaped parrot as quickly as possible. Read on to learn more.

Act quickly

First of all, speed is of the essence when it comes to finding a lost or escaped parrot, for a couple of reasons. The first is that the faster you move, the closer to home they are likely to be. This gives you a better chance of spotting them and so not having to factor in where to look, and having a smaller area to cover.

Your bird is also unlikely to have either gotten scared and flown off without paying much mind to where they’re going, nor to have got the taste of the wild and be keen to disappear!

Finally, a domestic bird loose outside is in danger, from predators, the elements, and much more, and the longer they’re out, the greater the risks.

Where will an escaped parrot be?

Knowing where to even start looking for a lost parrot isn’t always intuitive, particularly if you’re panicking. Where to look for an escaped parrot also depends on things like whether or not they fly, and how long they have been outside of the home for.

You can improve your chances of finding your parrot by looking first in the right sort of places, rather than running around in a panic.

If your parrot can fly and you know they like flying and are capable in the air, then trees are the obvious place to look or target; particularly those with lots of finer branches and foliage.

If your parrot has their wings clipped or is not generally that bothered about getting airborne, hedges and bushes and a bit closer to ground level is where to start; factoring in too that if your bird can get into a tall tree lower down and climb upwards, they may be higher than you think they would be.

Most birds will avoid wide open areas and will look for branches and trees and try to get a reasonably high vantage point, even if this means climbing.

Look for signs from predators

If you’ve been checking out trees and bushes within the sort of range you think your bird might have gone and you’re coming up blank, you need to think about things a bit more laterally, particularly if your bird has been out for an hour or more.

Something that isn’t reassuring to learn but that is important to factor in anyway is that an escaped parrot (particularly one that is brightly coloured, and smaller parrots) will be a target for predators; and while you might immediately think “cats,” and this is certainly a risk, they are actually more likely to come to the attention of other birds.

Crows, magpies, and other large birds in the corvid family will often “gang up on” other birds, particularly ones that are colourful and have no sense of self-preservation in the wild.

So if you can see or hear birds of this kind making a fuss, circling, or appearing to keep swooping at something in a tree, it might be your parrot.

Listen for your bird

When looking for a lost pet of any kind we of course call their name and make the sort of sounds we know they respond to. However, when you’re looking for a parrot it is just as important to listen; they may or may not respond to you if you call them but they may well be vocalising anyway, particularly if they’re usually fairly vocal birds in general, so pause regularly and just listen.

You’re far more likely to hear your parrot than you are to see them if they’re in a tree with foliage, so think about this and get close to larger, taller or very leafy trees and listen out.

Also, there is also merit to calling and making sounds your bird responds to, but do give plenty of time for responses and to listen as well.

If you can’t find your bird within a few hours, advertise the loss

Parrots are usually easy to spot and when lost, get a lot of attention from people who see them loose, so if you cannot find your bird within a few hours, advertise their loss.

Use local bird owner’s groups and forums, lost pet websites, lost pet and local area Facebook groups, and contact vets to advise them too in case your bird is handed in.

Put up posters around the area and vitally, advise when you advertise the loss what people should do if they do spot or find your bird; as there is a risk that someone well-meaning might scare your bird off if they try to catch them.

Pet birds like parrots, cockatoos and budgies can be hugely rewarding to own, and their chatter, song or other vocalisations are often a huge part of the appeal. However, shrieking isn’t generally one of the pet bird noises most of us find charming or pleasant, and if your bird is prone to doing this, it can soon become quite jarring. Your neighbours probably don’t enjoy the noise much either!

So, is there anything you can do to make your pet bird less prone to shrieking if they do this a lot? This article will provide some suggestions. Read on to learn more.

Covering the cage

If your bird shrieks early in the morning or late at night, or in response to certain types of visual stimulus, covering the cage can go a long way to keeping them calm and reducing their shrieking, depending of course on why they do this.

However, it is important to do this appropriately, ensure your bird still gets enough natural light, and not use covering the cage as a punishment.

Ensure they have enough mental stimulation

A bird that is bored or that feels neglected is a bird that is likely to act out in all manner of ways, some of which are apt to be annoying and others of which can be distressing, like feather plucking.

Making sure that your bird gets enough mental stimulation is integral to keeping them happy and also, preventing and potentially reversing behavioural problems like shrieking.

Intelligent birds like parrots and cockatoos will shriek from boredom and also for attention, as they quickly learn that doing so will get a reaction out of you.

Provide plenty of interactive toys in your bird’s cage, spend plenty of quality time with them playing and engaging with them, and swap out toys for new things regularly as birds soon get bored of the same old things all the time.

Food rewards and puzzles, making your bird think and have to work out challenges and hunt to find treats are great diversions. A varied diet with plenty of different flavours and textures is important too.

Ensure their cage is large enough

If your bird’s cage is too small, they will be bored, frustrated and also uncomfortable, as you would be without enough room to move around.

If your pet bird’s cage is too small, nothing else you can do will resolve the shrieking problem, and you must get them a far larger cage as a priority, as this is a welfare issue.

Give them room to fly or move around

Birds really need to spend time every day outside of their cage, unless they have an enormous enclosure. Let them out daily with space to fly if they fly and this is possible, or simply to explore and enjoy a change of scenery and to stretch their muscles if they don’t fly or there isn’t room.

Make sure they can see things going on

If your bird is inquisitive they will probably get a lot of entertainment from being able to watch the world go by, as long as things don’t pass the windows closely enough to scare them.

Try to give your bird a good view of what’s going on outside, and also within the home; locate their cage in a room you actually use and where your bird can feel involved and able to interact with things.

Ensure their physical needs are met

A bird that is uncomfortable or feeling unwell is apt to be either very quiet or very noisy. A stable and comfortable temperature is a vital part of this, and birds are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations, which is something to bear in mind if your heating goes off at night.

The cleanliness of your bird’s cage is important too, and if it is dirty it can affect not only their health but also temperament.

Don’t reward or reinforce the noise

When it comes to intelligent birds, you can accidentally make shrieking worse or more acute by engaging with or rewarding it. If you answer your bird when they shriek, go into the room, engage with them, or otherwise show them that they can achieve something by making a shrieking noise, you’re not going to help matters but are apt to make them worse!

Ensure your bird isn’t lonely/needs a mate

Finally, some birds and bird species are far more social than others, and while some are far happier being an “only child” others will not thrive without the company of their own kind. However much time you spend with your bird and however much attention they get, some birds simply need another bird of the same species around to be happy.

Think carefully then about whether your bird might be lonely; this might be the case in a bird you’ve had since they were young if they have suddenly developed a habit of shrieking and nothing else has changed, as they may have reached or be approaching sexual maturity and be feeling the need for a mate.

Heart attacks in people don’t always look like the media would have us believe, with collapsing and clutching at the chest; they can also be subtle, slow in onset and quite different in terms of how they look and feel. The same is true of heart attacks in pet birds like parrots and parakeets, and of course, identifying what’s up with a pet can be a lot harder than with a person as they can’t talk to you and explain how they feel or what’s wrong.

Heart attacks in parrots and parakeets can be sudden and acute and leave you feeling helpless as there’s nothing that you can do, or they might be slow and yet so subtle you can miss the signs when it is still early enough to help them.

Knowing what type of birds are at higher risk of heart attack can help you to remain vigilant, and while they’re equally likely to occur in more or less any pet bird species, it is female birds that tend to succumb to heart attack more than males.

Parrots and parakeets that are overweight and so, at higher risk of heart disease are at higher risk of heart attack too and as you might expect, the risks increase exponentially as your bird gets older.

If you have any concerns please always speak to your vet as a matter of urgency; and if you’re wondering how you would know if your pet bird was having a heart attack in the first place, this article will outline some of the common symptoms. Read on to learn more.

Fainting or loss of consciousness

Fainting in birds should never be ignored or disregarded, even if your pet rallies quickly and seems fine afterwards. Fainting or losing consciousness, even for a few seconds, can be a symptom of heart attack in parrots, parakeets, and other pet birds.

Lethargy or lying prone

If your bird appears to be listless and slow to respond to you or entirely unresponsive, or they’re highly lethargic or lying on the floor of their cage in an unnatural position, this is a veterinary emergency and you should contact an experienced exotics vet as a matter of urgency.

A minor heart attack can involve a period during which the affected bird is lethargic or unresponsive, and this can also indicate the final and fatal stages of a more serious heart attack in progress too.

Birds don’t naturally lie prone on the floor of their cage and so this is a serious sign that they’re in too much pain or too weak to get up and that something is seriously wrong.

The feathers look unusual

Most parrot and parakeet owners can spot quickly if their bird’s feathers look a little odd, in terms of the way they hold them. If your bird’s feathers seem to be stuck out “staring” or fluffed up and this is not in response to external stimulus, this can mean many things, one of which being that there is something wrong.

Pale or blueish mucous membranes

Heart disease in pet birds can culminate in a heart attack, and this is a particular risk for birds that are overweight. However, as a bird’s heart disease progresses but before they have a heart attack, you might notice if you are vigilant and check carefully that the delicate skin around their eyes where it is visible next to their plumage might appear blue or purple-ish in colour, due to the poor circulation resulting from the advanced stages of heart disease.

Heart disease is not the only potential cause of this discolouration, but you should speak to your vet immediately if you notice it to give your pet the best chances of survival with prompt treatment.

A hard or swollen stomach

You might not think that a parrot or parakeet with heart problems would show symptoms relating to their stomach or abdomen, but sometimes this does occur. Swollen stomach in birds is a reasonably common occurrence because a wide range of things can cause it, including being overweight and being egg-bound.

However, a taut, hard, or swollen stomach in a pet bird can result from fluid accumulation that results from heart problems, so contact your vet if you have any concerns.

Can anything be done for a bird that has a heart attack?

Whether or not a parrot or parakeet that is having a heart attack can be saved or treated depends on a wide range of variables, and a huge part of this relies upon you spotting that something is amiss quickly and seeking qualified help in good time.

Time is of the essence when it comes to heart attacks in any animal species, so contact a specialist exotics vet immediately if you have concerns, to give your bird the best possible chances of recovery and if this is not possible, to ensure they’re made as comfortable as possible and don’t suffer undue pain at the end of their life.

Pet birds like parrots, cockatoos and budgies can be hugely rewarding to own, and their chatter, song or other vocalisations are often a huge part of the appeal. However, shrieking isn’t generally one of the pet bird noises most of us find charming or pleasant, and if your bird is prone to doing this, it can soon become quite jarring. Your neighbours probably don’t enjoy the noise much either!

So, is there anything you can do to make your pet bird less prone to shrieking if they do this a lot? This article will provide some suggestions. Read on to learn more.

Covering the cage

If your bird shrieks early in the morning or late at night, or in response to certain types of visual stimulus, covering the cage can go a long way to keeping them calm and reducing their shrieking, depending of course on why they do this.

However, it is important to do this appropriately, ensure your bird still gets enough natural light, and not use covering the cage as a punishment.

Ensure they have enough mental stimulation

A bird that is bored or that feels neglected is a bird that is likely to act out in all manner of ways, some of which are apt to be annoying and others of which can be distressing, like feather plucking.

Making sure that your bird gets enough mental stimulation is integral to keeping them happy and also, preventing and potentially reversing behavioural problems like shrieking.

Intelligent birds like parrots and cockatoos will shriek from boredom and also for attention, as they quickly learn that doing so will get a reaction out of you.

Provide plenty of interactive toys in your bird’s cage, spend plenty of quality time with them playing and engaging with them, and swap out toys for new things regularly as birds soon get bored of the same old things all the time.

Food rewards and puzzles, making your bird think and have to work out challenges and hunt to find treats are great diversions. A varied diet with plenty of different flavours and textures is important too.

Ensure their cage is large enough

If your bird’s cage is too small, they will be bored, frustrated and also uncomfortable, as you would be without enough room to move around.

If your pet bird’s cage is too small, nothing else you can do will resolve the shrieking problem, and you must get them a far larger cage as a priority, as this is a welfare issue.

Give them room to fly or move around

Birds really need to spend time every day outside of their cage, unless they have an enormous enclosure. Let them out daily with space to fly if they fly and this is possible, or simply to explore and enjoy a change of scenery and to stretch their muscles if they don’t fly or there isn’t room.

Make sure they can see things going on

If your bird is inquisitive they will probably get a lot of entertainment from being able to watch the world go by, as long as things don’t pass the windows closely enough to scare them.

Try to give your bird a good view of what’s going on outside, and also within the home; locate their cage in a room you actually use and where your bird can feel involved and able to interact with things.

Ensure their physical needs are met

A bird that is uncomfortable or feeling unwell is apt to be either very quiet or very noisy. A stable and comfortable temperature is a vital part of this, and birds are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations, which is something to bear in mind if your heating goes off at night.

The cleanliness of your bird’s cage is important too, and if it is dirty it can affect not only their health but also temperament.

Don’t reward or reinforce the noise

When it comes to intelligent birds, you can accidentally make shrieking worse or more acute by engaging with or rewarding it. If you answer your bird when they shriek, go into the room, engage with them, or otherwise show them that they can achieve something by making a shrieking noise, you’re not going to help matters but are apt to make them worse!

Ensure your bird isn’t lonely/needs a mate

Finally, some birds and bird species are far more social than others, and while some are far happier being an “only child” others will not thrive without the company of their own kind. However much time you spend with your bird and however much attention they get, some birds simply need another bird of the same species around to be happy.

Think carefully then about whether your bird might be lonely; this might be the case in a bird you’ve had since they were young if they have suddenly developed a habit of shrieking and nothing else has changed, as they may have reached or be approaching sexual maturity and be feeling the need for a mate.