Calgary Bird Sitting for Parrots, Parakeets, and More!
At Birds And Critters Pet Sitters, we provide carefree service for your bird so that you can enjoy your holiday or last-minute getaway without any worries. Located in Calgary, we will play with and feed your birds, ensuring they are happy and healthy while you are away. Our services are available for all species, both big and small.
What’s Included in Our Bird Caretaking Services?
We understand that each bird is different, which is why we work with you to develop a personalized daily schedule to meet your bird’s specific needs. An example of some of our general sitting services includes:
What’s Included in Our Bird Caretaking Services?
We understand that each bird is different, which is why we work with you to develop a personalized daily schedule to meet your bird’s specific needs. An example of some of our general sitting services includes:
Birds and Bird Care
Birds are now the third-most popular pet in Canada and the USA. Their popularity began in the 1980s and the early 90s. That popularity has evened out, and the source of pet birds has changed from imported birds to tamer, healthier chicks raised in Canada and the USA.
As a pet sitter, we offer knowledgeable care for birds as one of our services. There is not one set of instructions for caring for birds. We work with informed owners who understand the needs of the species they keep. That way, we can provide nectar for lories, fruits and veggies for rainforest birds, or pinkie mice and insects for hornbills.
Bird care varies widely among the species of birds kept as pets, such as parrots, finches, canaries, and even companion poultry or starlings. The anatomy of birds influences their care and handling, and we will always ask questions so that we can give your bird the best care possible.
You can trust that your feathered friend will be in good hands while you’re away. Get in touch with us today to find out daily and weekly rates. Drop Us a Line
Normal Care: Routine
To some extent, routine care for a bird will vary by the species of bird and the tameness of the bird. We will be visiting your bird at least once a day so that water bowls and feed can be refreshed. Most birds have several bowls in their cage.
At a minimum, they usually have a bowl of their staple diet, like pellets or seeds or sprouts or rice/bean mash, a bowl of fruit and vegetables, and a water bowl or water offered from a bottle. Birds naturally tend to eat in the morning and then again in the evening before they settle down to roost for the night. Companion birds in cages are often covered with a dark cloth or moved to a sleeping cage at night, so we will be making a second trip each day for those birds. We will discuss the number of visits a day that you require for your feathered friend.
Information We Obtain From a Bird Owner
One of the important things we will want to know as your bird sitter is the name of your local avian veterinarian. Not all veterinarians are trained to treat birds. Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic ((403) 240-3577) is in Calgary and specializes in birds and exotic pets and for emergencies for all animals. Western Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Centre ((403) 770-6388) is open 24/7.
Some of the important information we obtain about a bird in our care includes whether you cover the cage at night. Does the bird know any commands like the common word used to ask a bird to step onto our hand – “Up?” What other words does it understand? Is there a way to ask it to come out of its cage or to enter it? What is the bird’s diet? What words does the bird say? When we meet your bird, we find out whether we are getting the bird out of its cage or leaving it in its cage or aviary. There are few other standard commands used by bird owners, but often individuals come up with some for their birds. It is especially useful for us to know how you ask the bird to return to its cage when it is out. Some birds know the name of foods or treats and know the word “shower” and anticipate that activity.
Emergency Situation Handling
We will ask about the whereabouts of carriers so that we can use them in case of an emergency or if we need to take the bird to see a veterinarian.
NOTE: It is an emergency situation when a bird breaks a blood feather:
If bleeding from an incoming feather, called a blood feather, cannot be stopped with compression, the feather will need to be pulled to stop the bleeding. That is often the job of a professional. We have Caitlyn Axworthy, a Registered Veterinary Technician, to assist, or we will call your regular avian veterinarian and the emergency clinic.
Minimizing Disease Transmission
There is a possibility of disease transmission between birds. Vaccines have not been developed for some major bird diseases, and some bird diseases are transmitted by airborne particles that can cling to clothing or shoes. As a precaution, we change shirts between bird clients and take our shoes off at the door. We wash our hands thoroughly after caring for birds.
If we care for birds in our home, we require a health certificate dated 6 months prior to boarding from your veterinarian.
Bird Grooming Services
Bird Beak trims and nail trims are our specialty done by our Registered Veterinary Technicians that specialize in exotics. Birds And Critters Pet Sitters also offers in-home grooming services for birds that include: