Now you have to start training your bird.  Whenever you see your bird shifting his weight or squatting (which are usually signals he is getting ready to relive himself), you will give him a verbal command.  It is very important that you identify the specific behavior your bird exhibits when he needs to go to the bathroom as it may be different for every bird.  You will need to consistently give the “go potty” command every time your bird begins to relieve themselves, so you need to have a large block of time devoted to training your bird.  The command you use is up to you, but usually something along the lines of “go potty” works well.  Also keep in mind that every bird has a different potty schedule.  Sometimes parrots can go to the bathroom every 20 minutes.

Once your bird makes the association between your command and his going to the bathroom, you can practice the command once he is out of the cage.  Play with your bird out of the cage and pay attention to when he exhibits his potty behavior.  When you see this behavior, put your bird back into his cage and give him your special command (“go potty”).  When your parrot goes to the bathroom in his cage, praise him and reward him with his favorite treat.  Repeat this process many times in a row, to really get your bird to understand his new trick.  Once your bird has consistently relieved himself in his cage instead of on you, you will have officially trained your parrot!

Now you will need some yummy pet bird treats.  Parrots love the Extreme Fruit and Nut Big Bites Bird Treats, pictured above.  There is a variety of nuts as well as fruits in this mix that your parrot will love.  The Extreme Fruit and Nut Big Bites Bird Treats is the perfect “special treat” food.  If your bird does not like nuts, try the Fiesta Yogurt Dip – Parrot 3.5 oz treat.  The Fiesta Yogurt Dip – Parrot 3.5 oz has real fruit pieces that are covered in yogurt.  Delicious!

• Keep your bird’s cage in a place where your family often frequents.  If your family spends a lot of time in the family room, put your bird’s cage there!  If you work out of your house, keep your bird with you in your home office.  If you and your family are gone for most of the day, be sure to make sure your bird feels like a part of the family when you are home.

• An easy way to prevent boredom is to frequently rotate the toys that are in your bird’s cage.  Also check your bird’s toys for large amount of wear and tear.  Birds can injure themselves on worn down toys, so be sure to replace the most worn down ones.  The most worn down toys also give you insight into which toys your bird plays with the most.  If your bird likes hanging toys, like the Triple Moon Toy for Birds – Large, shown to the right, be sure to provide your bird with a variety of hanging toys.  If your bird likes having a mirror in his cage, give him a new and different mirror like the Hall or Mirrors Bird Toy.   If your bird likes swings in his cage, give him the Pet Bird Swing.  This swing has 4 different perches on it, which will provide your bird with more entertainment than the usual bird swings.

• Spend one on one time with your bird each day.  Some birds like having their heads or back scratched.  If your bird likes this type of attention, be sure to give it to him!  But also be sure to change up your one on one time.  Your bird will be bored if you just scratch his head for a few minutes every day.  Your bird would love if you taught him new tricks!  Basically, the more you switch it up the better.  Sometimes your bird does not feel like being outside of his cage.  You need to pay attention to your bird’s mood.  If he seems anxious or fidgety during one on one times, he probably feels like napping or just hanging out by himself in his cage.

Smaller birds (for example: parakeets), usually like to take a bath right inside their cage!  You need to supply them with little bird bathtubs.  I bought my small bird the Insight Bird Bath for Small Birds, shown to the right.  This bird bath fits in most small and medium sized bird baths.  Another type of in-cage bird bath that may fit larger birds is the Insight Inside the Cage Bird Bath for Pet Birds.  Your bird will love taking baths in either of these bird baths!  If your bird is too large for a in-cage bath, he may enjoy sitting in the sink and letting a gentle stream of water clean him.

Some birds do not enjoy baths, nor do they enjoy getting soaking wet.  They may prefer to be misted with warm water.  To properly clean pet bird’s feathers, you can use Feather Glo Bird Bath Spray.  It is specially formulated to prevent feather picking because it cleans your bird’s feathers without stripping away the healthy oils.  It is a non-irritating formula, and it will not irritate your bird’s eyes.

The best thing to do is give your pet bird the opportunity to experience all the different methods of bathing.  Then, you will be able to see which method of bathing your pet bird prefers, and you will be able to provide your bird the necessary supplies!

Keep in mind that you never need to add soap to your bathing bird’s water.  All birds need to get clean is plain water.  Soap can can wash away protective oils  in their feathers, which will cause your bird to pick at their feathers.  Also, your bird should take a bath early in the morning so they will be dry when its time to go to bed.

The main problem with wing trimming is that it is easy to injure a bird’s wings.  If you are not careful, many accidents can occur.  In most situations, it would be preferable to have your veterinarian to clip your bird’s wings.  However, if you are an experienced bird owner, it is possible to safely trim your bird’s wings.  Remember, you should always have a partner helping you out!

Here are the steps you need to take:

1)  Find an area where you can lay your bird on his back and spread his wings out.

2)  After your bird is wrapped in a towel and laid on his back, spread out one wing.

3)  Check for blood feathers, which are feathers that are currently growing in.  You need to wait until these feathers are fully grown in until you clip them.  If you accidentally cut them, your bird will bleed.  If bleeding occurs, you can use Antiseptic Quick Blood Stopper Gel to staunch the flow of blood.

4)  Clip each fully developed flight wing at the tip.  You will cut to the length of the feathers above the flight feathers.  You will be cutting the first 6 to 8 feathers on each wing.  The exact number of wing feathers you will be cutting depends on the type of bird you have.  Birds that are long and lean have more flight feathers.  Short birds have less flight feathers.

Now for the tools:

You will need to purchasing clipping scissors, like the Bird Wing Clipping Scissors.  These scissors have a comfort grip handle and stainless steel sheers.  The sheers are short so you will be able to have full control over which feathers you intend to clip.  The tip is rounded so you will not poke or prod your bird.  The Bird Wing Clipping Scissors are the best scissors for clipping your bird’s wing feathers!

Cleaning the cage is easy enough.  You can put the empty cage into a shower and turn on the water to high heat.  Blast the inside of the cage to loosen stains for about 5 minutes.  Then you can take a  chore boy or scrubber sponge to remove any remaining dirt.  Once all dirt is gone from the cage, you need to disinfect the cage.  Follow the instructions exactly as they are on a bottle of disinfectant.  Rinse the cage thoroughly after using any disinfecting product.  Before you put your bird and his accessories back in the cage, use a product like the Natures Miracle Deodorizing Cage Wipes, shown to the right, which will leave your cage smelling fresh and clean.  It will also ensure that any remaining bacteria is wiped away.

There are daily activities you can do to maintain a clean environment for your bird.  When you feed your bird in the morning, you can take a quick moment to tidy up the cage.  You could use the Natures Miracle Deodorizing Cage Wipes every day, to quickly wipe away dirt and odors.  You can also use Perch Cleaner for Pet Birds to scrub away any droppings that might be covering the perch.  It is a hand held brush that comes with metal bristles that make cleaning the perch a quick and easy task.  You do not want your bird to have to walk in his own waste.  Maintaining a cleanly cage daily will mean it will take less time for you to clean it on the weekend!

Another daily activity every bird owner should be responsible for is cleaning the cage tray liner.  If you use an absorbent cage liner, your bird’s cage will remain cleaner throughout the day because it absorbs urine, so the bird does not have to walk in it.  A good brand of liners are the Absorbent Cage Liners for Birds – 7 pack.  These thick liners do not leak, so they make for incredibly easy clean up.  You can cut it so it properly fits your bird’s cage.

Basic requirements 
1.  a clean cage
2.  a healthy diet 
3.  activity and attention
4.  exercise  

There are many starter bird cage sets available that will contain all the accessories necessary for a happy bird. 

The Advantage Starter Kit for Medium Birds shown above includes everything, except the bird and food. Included are seed & water cups, treat cup, calcium block, comfort perches, wood ladder, spinning play links, rings, swing, mirror with beads, rope toy.

Your bird should be feed a good-quality  cockatiel seed mix.  A seed diet should be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis to prevent your bird from becoming overweight.

Cockatiels like to be played with, petted and talked to. It is important to keep toys in the cage because they can become bored and even depressed if they have nothing to do.

Your cockatiel should be let out of his cage everyday for at least an hour. You bird should be allowed to walk around, sit on your shoulder or even fly around.

The average life span of a cockatiel is over 10 years and up to 20 years.  Take good care of your pet and  he can live a long healthy life.

• An easy way to make your pet bird’s day more enjoyable is to add a hanging toy to your bird’s cage.  Choose a toy like the Bodacious Bites Buffet for Small and Medium Birds or the Bodacious Bites Voracious for Large and Extra-Large Birds to keep your pet bird busy.  Both are great for helping to keep your pet bird’s beak trim by enticing them to chew.  It is a good idea to choose the toy according the size of your pet bird. 
• Another fun way to keep your pet bird entertained during the day is to place a mirror in your bird’s cage. A mirror is fun for your bird to look and will help make your bird think he or she has another bird friend.  The Hall of Mirrors Bird Toy is great for use in any type of wire bird cage and perfectly sized for smaller sized birds.
• To add more fun and interest to your pet bird’s cage, use a perch like the Oval Perch for Pet Birds, which allows your pet bird to swing.  You may also want to place simple straight perches at varying heights around the cage to give your pet birds different places to fly to in the cage, which also helps to exercise your pet bird. 

Fresh fruit and vegetables are great for your pet bird’s diet and should be given to your pet bird everyday.  They are high in nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, and help to keep your pet bird healthy.  Many fresh fruits and vegetables are not only very nutritious for your pet bird, but can also be fun for your pet bird to play with after meal time is over.  For example, a corn cob is great for your pet bird to chew on and helps to keep your bird entertained  for hours.  Offer your pet bird fresh fruits or vegetables by hand or place them in a small pet bowl, such as the Chew Proof Bowl by Super Pet, that is made to be chew proof.  This bowl is great for giving your pet bird small pieces of fruit, vegetables, and also pasta and beans. 

Your home cooked meals are also great for your pet bird and many birds will find them to be irresistible.  Pet birds love to eat home-cooked meals that consist of rice, beans, pasta, and more.  Try a variety of beans to find out what your pet bird likes and offer a variety of beans or pasta on a regular basis.

Another great form of food for your pet bird is pellet food.  Pellet food is formulated to meet the daily diet requirements of your pet bird.  The type of pellet food you choose depends on the type of pet bird that you have.  ZuPreme has a great selection of pellet food for a variety of pet birds, such as the ZuPreme Fruitblend Premium Bird Food.  This tasty pellet food is fortified with several vitamins and minerals and helps to maintain your pet bird’s health.

Prevue Pet has a great selection of fun pet bird toys that are designed for a variety of different sized pet birds.  Each line of toys by Prevue Pet has a fun theme with safe parts and vibrant colors.  The toys have exciting pieces with different colors, shapes, and textures to help stimulate your pet bird’s mind and to help keep his or her beak in great shape.  The Tropical Teasers are a variety of fun, stimulating pet bird toys that have a fun, tropical feel and lots of interesting objects.  The Chime Time pet bird toys all have fun chimes that birds love to play with and an assortment of other fun objects to nibble on and play with.  The Bodacious Bitespet bird toys consist of wooden shapes and a variety of shells that are fun for your pet bird to nibble on and help to keep your bird’s beak trim. 

All of these toys by Prevue Pet are safe for your pet bird to play with and great for hours of stimulation to help prevent boredom in the cage.  Whether your pet bird loves the sound of the chimes, colorful shapes or wooden objects, he or she is sure to love one of these fun toys by Prevue Pets.