Calendar, log, lists
What is due, what you did, what to have ready
Your avian vet’s instructions always win over these defaults. You can change any item, or type in whatever date your vet sets.
Care calendar
Everything that comes due for this bird, most urgent first, with a quick log for each item. It feeds the line on your dashboard.
- Avian vet exams, beak, nails, baths, cage, perches, toys, light and sleep
- Change any repeat time, or add your own item
- Enter the next date your vet gives you, and it takes over
- Some repeat times are our own suggestion, and the app says so
Activity log
Minutes of out-of-cage time, foraging, training and flight, with a total for today and a bar for each of the last 7 days.
- No daily minute goal: we found no published one
- Birds should come out of the cage every day. Always watch your bird while they are out
- Wild parrots can spend 40 to 75% of the day foraging, and at home often only 30 to 60 minutes
- Before flight, close windows and doors and stop ceiling fans
Checklists
Four lists to work through, with progress kept for each bird: new bird, bird-proofing your home, travel carrier and emergency kit.
- Each list names its sources
- Some items are our own suggestions, not sourced rules
- Ask your avian vet what your bird’s kit should hold
Vet visits
Avian vet visits, and why there is no vaccine schedule
Not every vet treats birds. Our guide on how to find an avian vet helps you find one who does.
What the calendar holds
- Avian vet exam: at least once a year, and every 6 months for a senior bird. A visit while your bird is well gives the vet their usual weight to compare against.
- Routine tests: your avian vet decides which your bird needs. They may include blood work, a droppings test and a chlamydiosis test.
- New bird vet visit: as soon as you can, before they meet other birds. This item starts switched off, so a long-kept bird does not carry a new-bird job forever.
- New bird quarantine: if you have other birds, at least 6 weeks apart, with no shared dishes or perches. Sources differ on how long. The app uses the Association of Avian Veterinarians figure for pet homes.
Association of Avian Veterinarians · Merck Veterinary Manual · CDC
No vaccine rota
Most pet birds do not get regular vaccines, so the app does not invent a schedule. The one vaccine it lists is polyomavirus, and it starts off. Turn it on only if your avian vet decides on it. It is usually not advised for a single bird with no contact with other birds.
No source gives a repeat time, so nothing repeats on its own. If your vet gives you a next date, enter it.
Merck Veterinary Manual, Disorders Affecting Multiple Body Systems of Pet Birds
Routine jobs
Beak, nails, baths, cage, perches and sleep
Log an item and the note beside it tells you how. Each has a repeat time you can change.
Beak
Look only. Do not trim a beak at home. If it looks overgrown, take your bird to the avian vet, because overgrowth can point to poor care, poor diet or liver disease.
Nails
Trim only when nails get too sharp or too long, and leave enough for a stable grip. If you trim at home, keep styptic gel ready to stop bleeding.
Wing feathers
Your choice with your avian vet, so this item starts off. Flight is natural and good exercise. If you choose a trim, have a professional do it, on both wings, after a young bird has learned to fly. A trim does not guarantee no flight.
Baths
At least once or twice a week, even in winter, and rainforest species may need one daily. Plain water with no soap or additives, in the morning or several hours before bed. Skip it if your bird is cold or sick.
Cage and bowls
Every day, change the cage paper and wash the bowls in hot, soapy water. A thorough scrub at least once a month: wet the cage first, because dry sweeping puts dust in the air. We advise keeping your bird in another room, away from cleaning fumes.
Perches and feet
Natural branch, sisal rope or perches of different widths, with the foot wrapping 2/3 to 3/4 of the way around. Plain dowels and sandpaper covers can cause painful sores, so look under both feet and show any sore to your avian vet.
Toys
Change or move toys regularly to keep your bird interested. A safety check looks for soft plastics, soft metals that bend, anything with lead or zinc, openings that can trap a foot or neck, and parts your bird can swallow.
Light and sleep
Most birds do best with 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night, in a dark, quiet place. Long days under house lights or a television can cost them sleep. Ask your avian vet about sunlight or a UV bulb made for birds.
Sources: Association of Avian Veterinarians · Merck Veterinary Manual, Management of Pet Birds · Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine · CDC, Birds: Healthy Pets, Healthy People
Checklists
New bird, bird-proofing, travel and emergencies
The app remembers how far you got for each bird.
New bird
For before you buy and the first weeks at home: what to ask the seller, finding an avian vet, the first visit, quarantine, setting up the cage and perches, and a first weigh-in.
Bird-proofing your home
Go room by room. It covers fumes and non-stick coatings, windows and mirrors, ceiling fans, open water, cords, metals, plants and other pets. It does not cover every danger, and the app says so. Teflon and birds.
Travel carrier
For vet visits and trips: a secure, well-ventilated carrier, a cover, a seat belt, and what to bring for the vet, including recent papers from the cage floor. Going abroad? It reminds you to check permits first.
Emergency kit
Phone numbers first, then the supplies. Know where the kit is and replace expired items each year. Ask your avian vet what to include, and only use what they have shown you how to use.
Questions
