Parakeets make excellent pets, but you will need to carry out some regular home maintenance if you want to keep your birds happy and healthy. Here is a quick look at four steps that you can take to care for your home when you have parakeets or any other type of bird.
Replace Your Blinds
When a parakeet consumes any type of metal object, it could become very sick. If you have metal blinds and your birds like to look outside, then you might want to switch over to blinds that have wooden slats. Most wooden slats are completely non-toxic as long as they aren’t covered in paint or a heavy varnish that doesn’t fully cure. Your birds could chip away at those materials over time and potentially ingest dangerous chemicals.
Clean High Perches
Even if you have decided to have your bird’s wings clipped, they could still get to the high perches throughout your home. As their flight feathers come back, they might be able to fly a few feet, and that is why all of the potential perching locations should be regularly cleaned. Keeping those areas clean will be especially important if you have decided not to clip your bird’s wings. In those perches, they could find any number of dangerous items ranging from paint chips to dead pests.
Get Your Carpets Cleaned Often
In addition to regularly vacuuming your carpets, you should also have them professionally cleaned at least once to twice a year. Carpet cleaning services are very affordable, and even if you don’t let your parakeets fly about the room freely (though you probably should) their poop travels and needs much more than a vacuum to get out of the carpet. When it comes time to have your carpets cleaned, you can take your parakeets to a room that won’t be treated to prevent unnecessary stress and exposure to cleaning solutions.
Clean and Sanitize the Curtains
While your bird will probably enjoy viewing the outside world, you should occasionally close the curtains if they are overstimulated. Unfortunately, curtains can become very dirty, and that fabric could trap dust, dander, and harmful dust mites. At least once every month or two, you should take your curtains down and wash them in hot water. You might also want to have them professionally cleaned every year.
Another important step in this process is putting away any toxic products that your birds could get into. Parakeets are incredibly smart, and they might open up and consume any dangerous products that you leave sitting out on your shelves or counters.
