A bird is easy to keep, popular, requires minimal space, and can be great company. If a bird is obtained at a young age, many species can be taught to sing, whistle and talk, and are regarded as affectionate companions over a number of years.

Canaries and budgies (budgerigahs) are among the favourites. They are both tough, sturdy birds, and when handled gently, are not savage or rough like some of the larger parrots.

You probably have a name for your pet, and it is quite likely the bird also knows the name. They rapidly become attached to their owners, and strong bonds can be formed between them.

Birds must have a sufficient area to allow them exercise, and it has been recognised that a pair of finches, for example, need one cubic metre of space for each pair. This allows for free flight and plenty of exercise. Often birds are kept in cages of insufficient size, which is detrimental to the bird, and retards growth.

All birds need Vitamin D which is derived from sunshine. This Vitamin supplies extra growth and development to the bones, and without it birds are prone to ricketts, a disease of the bones, causing them problems in perching and flying. If given a minimum of 30 minutes per day in the sunshine, this can nearly always be prevented. So make sure you hang the cage outside in a safe spot for AT LEAST 30 minutes in the morning sun.

However, care must be taken to prevent other birds from attacking your pet, and a good idea is to have a piece of mosquito netting handy to throw over the cage; this allows the sun to be effective and deters anything which may frighten your pet. Avoid draughts also, strong winds can very easily chill birds, and more damage may be done from this than the actual lack of sun.

The perch is an important piece of furniture in the cage. Never use a plastic or steel perch, - some birds pick at the plastic (and this can cause digestive problems) while a steel perch is the perfect way to ruin both the bird's feet and well being. Imagine how cold the steel perch becomes for the bird, so avoid this at any cost. Rough bark branches are a favourite perch, such as Grevillia or paperbark, for besides allowing the bird to be able to chew the branch (which is a favourite pastime in wild birds) it allows it to be able to find out for itself the required size of the perch on which it will be comfortable. When roosting they move up and down from large to small diameters, before choosing the comfortable place to perch.

I usually cover the entire floor of the cage with grit, that is small size river gravel containing a quantity of quartz. This is an absolute requirement to enable the bird to digest the seeds in its crop, and without grit is the cause of a majority of problems which birds encounter. "Oh! yes I give them grit" but on inquiry this proves to be shell grit or cuttle, which is only an aid to the supply of calcium for their bones etc and does absolutely nothing towards the digestion of food.

Always check your birds droppings first thing in the morning. This is an easy way to know what is being left out of the diet. Celery, apple, corn etc are welcome additives to a bird's diet, also fresh seeding grasses (providing they are not contaminated) but NEVER supply lettuce to your pet. This wilts very quickly in warm weather, and does more harm than good. Cabbage, silverbeet etc are alright, but always remember never overdo the extras, - every second day is sufficient for these.

A good clean seed mix is important, and fresh water every day is a requirement. Always avoid black sunflower, and supply grey striped sunflower instead as the oil content is much too high in the black variety. This in its turn can cause feather problems, and for more information on this, please check the Ask the Vet BBS included in this site.

Even your Pet Bird enjoys a little dirt in his life from time to time - yes it's true - a little grit is essential to the diet of all birds. Lack of grit is more noticeable in single caged pet birds and the symptoms are chewing on the perch, food contains or any material which the beak can attack.

Two types of grit are essential and each one has a particular role to play in maintaining your bird's health.

· Sand Grains or small stones found in the soil clinging to the roots of grasses or thistles are utilised by birds in their crops, to grind the whole grains for easier digestion.

· The second form of grit is found in the form of shell grit or cuttlefish and from either of these sources comes essential bone building and the egg shell builds calcium supplies.

The use of cuttlefish has a secondary effect of burnishing the beak - eliminating any extra growth as well as improving the diet. A point worth noting - how often is the pet bird less efficiently managed that the individual in a larger aviary group?

The Bird getting all the attention is the bird most often overlooked when it comes to basics.