Companion Birds

• Increasingly popular– 16 million pet birds

• Great responsibility– Specific nutritional and

housing requirements– Lifetime commitment

• Many species live 50 to 100 years

Companion Birds• Many reasons why birds

are ideal pets– Highly intelligent– Easy to train; inquisitive

and smart– Require minimal grooming– Highly social– Fairly inexpensive to feed– Can be kept in small spaces– Beautiful animals– Long-lived companions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKvVaRlz0Y4

Alex the African grey

Companion Birds• Psitticiformes– Most common

companion bird– Over 300 species

• Parrots• Macaws• Cockatoos

• Passerines– Mostly songbirds – About 5,400 species

• Finches• Canaries

Common Companion Birds• Amazon Parrot• Budgies• Canaries• Cockatiels• Cockatoos• Conures• Electus Parrots• Love Birds• Macaws• Quaker (Monk Parakeets)• Parrotlettes (Dwarf Parrots)

Feathers• Made of keratin

• Provide waterproof covering

• Facilitate flight

• Arranged in tracts or pterylae

• Unfeathered areas are apteria

Feathers• Calamus (quill)

– Below skin level– Hollow central stalk

• Rachis– Above skin level

• Barbs and barbules interlock

• Blood feathers– contain artery

• Molt regularly

Feathers• Contour feathers

– Give bird shape and color– Include flight feathers

(remiges), tail feathers (retrices)

• Down feathers– Smaller– Lack barbules– Provide insulation

• Powder feathers– Barbs break down into

powder– Believed to keep plumage

clean

Feathers

• Molting– Old feathers replaced

with new ones– Most species molt 2 to 3

weeks a year• Amazon parrot molts year

round– Metabolic rate increases

about thirtyfold

Beaks• Consist of bones and

keratinized covering

• Grows throughout life of bird– Replaces wearing at tips

• Upper jaw (rhinotheca)

• Lower jaw (gnathotheca)

Skeletal System

• Light weight

• Maintain strength

• Most are pneumatic

• Hollow and filled with air spaces connected to the respiratory system

Digestive System

• Two-part stomach– Proventriculus

(glandular stomach)– Gizzard (muscular

stomach)

• Terminal end of digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts is the cloaca

Digestive System

• Esophagus – expanded into the crop which stores and softens food and regulates its flow through the digestive tract

• Stomach– proventriculus has

digestive enzymes– gizzard functions as teeth

Circulatory System• Warm-blooded animals• Normal body temperature of 106ºF (41ºC)• Four-chambered heart• Beats much faster than human heart

Aviaries

• Provide space for birds to fly freely

• If temperatures drop below freezing, birds must be moved indoors–Requires indoor cages to accommodate ALL birds in aviary

Aviaries

Common Toxicological Hazards• Zinc– Sources include wire,

screws, nuts, bolts, pennies

– Galvanized cages and dishes present risk

– Can affect kidneys, liver, and red blood cells

– Symptoms include:• Increased thirst • Diarrhea• Seizures and death

Common Toxicological Hazards• Lead

– Sources include many household items and fixtures• Paint• Toys• Galvanized wire• Improperly glazed bowls

– Most commonly reported avian toxicosis

– Affects multiple tissues

– Symptoms include:• Lethargy and weakness• Ataxia• Circling and convulsions

This radiograph shows normal grit in the gizzard, but some of the grit looks brighter than normal. The brighter objects are lead particles, not grit.

Common Toxicological Hazards• Nicotine

– Found in cigarettes, cigars, and cigarette butts

– Natural form of insecticide– Rapid onset of symptoms

• Excitation• Panting and salivation• Vomiting• May be followed by

breathing difficulty and collapse

– Death is secondary to respiratory paralysis

– Common response to smoke deposition on feathers is destructive behavior

Common Toxicological Hazards• Inhalants– Strong odors or smoke

are potentially toxic– Cookware and utensils

coated with polytetrafluoroethylene when overheated

– Symptoms include:• Acute death• Breathing difficulty• Depression• Restless behavior

Common Toxicological Hazards

• Avocado (Persea americana)– Principle toxin is persin– Symptoms include:

• Respiratory distress• Congestion• Death

– Onset of symptoms within 12 hours, death within 1 to 2 days

– Canaries and budgies more susceptible

Common Toxicological Hazards

• Plants– Certain plants cause toxicity– Calcium oxalate crystals• Cause irritation of oral cavity and tongue• Symptoms include regurgitation, pain, and anorexia

– Signs rarely severe, usually respond to care