1. Companion Birds

2. Companion Birds Increasingly popular Great responsibility
16 million pet birds
Great responsibility
Specific nutritional and housing requirements
Lifetime commitment
Many species live 50 to 100 years

3. 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
Alex the African grey

4. Companion Birds Psitticiformes Passerines Most common companion bird
Over 300 species
Parrots
Macaws
Cockatoos
Passerines
Mostly songbirds
About 5,400 species
Finches
Canaries

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

6. Feathers Made of keratin Provide waterproof covering Facilitate flight
Arranged in tracts or pterylae
Unfeathered areas are apteria

7. Feathers Calamus (quill) Rachis Barbs and barbules interlock
Below skin level
Hollow central stalk
Rachis
Above skin level
Barbs and barbules interlock
Blood feathers
contain artery
Molt regularly

8. Feathers Contour feathers Down feathers Powder 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

9. 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

10. Beaks Consist of bones and keratinized covering
Grows throughout life of bird
Replaces wearing at tips
Upper jaw (rhinotheca)
Lower jaw (gnathotheca)

11. Skeletal System Light weight Maintain strength Most are pneumatic
Hollow and filled with air spaces connected to the respiratory system

12. Digestive System Two-part stomach
Proventriculus (glandular stomach)
Gizzard (muscular stomach)
Terminal end of digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts is the cloaca

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. Aviaries

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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