Features of keeping a canary at home

Canaries are distinguished by their special charm and pretty appearance. These small birds, which do not need complicated and expensive care, are considered unpretentious and unpretentious. However, you need to know about the peculiarities of keeping, feed the pets with good food and monitor their health.

Despite the fact that canaries do not require special care, they still need to provide good conditions in which they will live long and not get sick. First of all, it is important to find the right cage for these adorable birds. For canaries, structures made of wood or metal are well suited, as well as options in which 3 walls are made of plexiglass.

The cage in which the canaries will live must meet a number of requirements.

• Dimensions. It is important to pay attention not only to the material from which the cage is made, but also to its dimensions. The minimum size of the "house" for birds is 36x16x24 cm. Such a cage is suitable for keeping only one individual. Usually, only singing males are kept alone.

If we are talking about a pair of canaries, then they will need a cage with a minimum size of 50x25x30 cm. If you plan to keep several pairs of birds, then you will have to look for more spacious dwellings for them. Rodent houses are not suitable, because in such cages there is often too much distance left between the rods, through which the birds can fly out. It is necessary to select only designs for birds.

• The form... It is necessary to keep canaries at home in a cage that has either a rectangular or square shape.Round structures look interesting and spectacular, but it is not recommended to populate birds there, since they feel very uncomfortable in cages of such a structure.
• Doors... To keep canaries, you should select cages in which there are 2 doors. One of them should open outward or rise, moving along the rods. Another door is needed so that you can hang the bird bath.
• Bottom. A pallet must be present in the design of the bird cage. This detail will facilitate the process of cleaning the house, while you do not have to constantly disturb its inhabitants with your actions, unfastening the bottom.

Keeping a canary at home involves the selection of a cage made of suitable material.

• Wood... Wooden cages are one of the most popular and most suitable designs. They are environmentally friendly, can be entirely made of wood (together with rods) or partially. Most often, of course, only the frame part of the structure is made of wood, and the rods are metal. The cages are made from ash, oak or beech. These are the most expensive but the most comfortable dwellings for birds.
• Metal with plastic. Metal cages with plastic pallets are popular today. They are sold in many pet stores and are in high demand. There are chrome-plated, galvanized, or models with painted rods. Since canaries do not gnaw anything like mice or rats, it is permissible to choose cages with any type of rods.
• Plexiglass... Cages made from this material can be seen in many pet stores - it is in them that birds are displayed on display for sale. Three walls of such structures are made of plexiglass, and the front wall and roof are made of metal rods. Due to the presence of 3 closed walls, the garbage around the cage is almost not scattered, but at the same time the birds have enough light and air. In such a design, a convenient pallet for cleaning must be provided. On sale, such cells are not very common, so they are ordered from a master or made by hand.

It is equally important to choose the right place to place the cage correctly.

• It must be placed in a well-lit space., preferably closer to the window. However, care must be taken to ensure that the birds are not exposed to direct sunlight.
• The canary cage can be placed on the nightstand or on a separate table near the window. You should not place these birds in a place where there are drafts, otherwise they may catch a cold and eventually die. This must be remembered when you are going to ventilate the room. Ideally, it is recommended to choose a place so that, when opening the window for ventilation, the cage would not need to be moved to the shelter.
• Under no circumstances should you put a cage with canaries in the immediate vicinity of heaters or under an air conditioner.
• You should not place a bird's dwelling in an area where people constantly walk: they will bother the birds. The place where the canary cage is located should be cozy, quiet and calm.

In the room where the birds live, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of 16 to 18 ° C. The cage must be placed in such a way that the birds have free access to oxygen. The humidity in the room should never be high. Avoid sudden temperature fluctuations, as they can be very bad for the health of canaries.

With the onset of the summer season, it is advisable to move the bird cage to the balcony / loggia or garden. These birds love to take air baths.

If you want canaries to live a long time and feel comfortable, you need to take care of their correct, balanced diet. Let's consider in detail what and how to feed these birds.

• It is necessary to select specialized food for canaries, moreover, it is not allowed to replace it with other feeds (for birds of other species).
• During the periods of molting and nesting of birds, it is important to feed with special food. Thanks to such a diet, the canaries will more easily survive these events.
• In ready-made mixtures it is recommended to add sunflower seeds or crushed buckwheat grains.
• Canaries need soft food therefore, a couple of times a week they should be given a boiled egg. Fresh cottage cheese is a good alternative.
• Greens will certainly add a healthy variety to the diet of little birds. In summer, they can be given dandelion leaves, sorrel, young plantain. When the fall-winter season is outside, the birds will gladly feast on carrots, apples or bell peppers.
• Top dressing will also be useful. Canaries can be given coarse river sand. Before placing it in a cage where birds live, it is imperative to disinfect it. It is enough to scald the sand with boiling water several times.
• Canaries need calcium. You can take care of its content in the body of birds by giving them chalk or ground egg shells. A convenient solution is to hang the chalk on small hooks.
• Canaries need charcoal as an effective medicine. A pharmacy product is ideal for this.
• For top dressing, you must prepare a separate feeder. The content in it must be changed at least once a week.

Canaries need to be properly looked after, to monitor their health. A must-have procedure for these birds is bathing... It must be carried out at least 2 times a week, when it is winter outside. In the summer season, the birds need bathing every day. For this, a special small bath is used, into which warm clean water is poured, and then briefly placed on the bottom of the cage or suspended from a frame base.

Ptah is taught to swim gradually. The first "bath" procedures can be started only from the age of one month. Bathing is not allowed during the incubation period.

It is important to monitor the condition of the birds' claws. If the claws are too long, then they will prevent the canary from standing normally on the floor. From time to time they need to be carefully trimmed using small nail scissors or tweezers. Cutting the claws should not be too short, as this can lead to pain.

Canaries should be released to fly every day. Before releasing birds, you must:

• close all windows and doors;
• remove all animals, if any, from the room;
• remove sharp and hot objects.

Canaries especially need careful grooming when they moult. At this time, it is required to provide the birds with nutrient-enriched food.

It is necessary to clean the cage at least 2 times a week. It is desirable to install additional lighting nearby. All feeders, drinkers and perches must be treated with boiling water.

In the role of a disinfectant, only herbal infusions or potassium permanganate are suitable. To prepare the tincture, it is advisable to use field chamomile. All processed components must be thoroughly dried before reinstalling, and white paper should be placed on the bottom of the cage. It must be changed at least 2 times a week.

Canaries are prone to some serious diseases that need to be noticed and treated properly.

• Eye inflammation. It manifests itself in the constant humidity of the eyes of birds. If the disease is mild, the birds should carefully rinse their eyelids with boric acid (solution) or chamomile infusion. If the form is severe, then they resort to instilling antibiotics in the eyes.
• Diarrhea... Expressed in loose stools. With such a problem, the bird must be given strong tea or antibiotics diluted in boiled water. You can give the birds activated charcoal.
• Cold. With a cold, birds will cough, sneeze, breathe heavily, and discharge from their nose will appear. The eyes of sick individuals become cloudy. In this case, the treatment is carried out by infrared radiation, and antibiotics are introduced into the drink.
• Obesity. It is expressed in low mobility of birds, weak molt. In this case, the canary must be fed only with millet and released to fly daily.
• Smallpox. With this disease, yellowish nodules appear on the head, breathing becomes intermittent. There is practically no chance of saving the birds. The sick individual must be removed from the rest, and the cage must be thoroughly disinfected. In order to prevent smallpox, canaries need to be vaccinated intradermally in the wing fold zone. It must be carried out in early summer and repeated once a year.
• Diseases of the legs. In this case, characteristic whitish growths are formed on the legs of canaries. To cure pets, you must use streptocide or tar ointment.
• Ticks. With this ailment, the birds noticeably weaken, they constantly rush to clean the plumage. Ticks can be removed using insecticides.

Canaries are sexually mature when they are one year old. The breeding season is in the spring season. For birds, it is imperative to install a special nest in the cage (it should be purchased at a pet store), and also give along with it all the necessary building materials: hay, pieces of paper napkins. A couple of weeks before installing the nest, the birds should be given a boiled egg with carrots and an admixture of crushed chalk every other day.

Usually there are from 3 to 6 eggs in a clutch. Canaries incubate them for about 13-14 days. Chicks hatch completely naked, blind and defenseless. The female is engaged in their feeding, the male practically does not take part in this. While feeding the chicks, the canaries should be given not only grain every day, but also a boiled egg mixed with crackers.

After 7-9 days, the chicks begin to open their eyes. Full plumage of chicks occurs in a month. After the same time, the birds acquire "adult" sizes. By the age of 40, young males start singing, but until the end of their songs "will be formed" no earlier than 9 months.

If you decide to have adorable canaries at home, you should take on board some useful tips and tricks on their content.

• If you are a canary breeder, then it is worth knowing that from the moment when the female laid the eggs and until the chicks leave the nest, the cage should not be moved to another place. Otherwise, the bird may stop incubating and feeding the offspring. Cleaning at this time must be done carefully. You will have to do this less often: once a week.
• Picking up a canary cage it is necessary to ensure that the gap between the bars is no more than 1 cm. (the maximum value is 1.2 cm.). If you do not pay attention to this parameter, the bird will easily squeeze its head between the rods, risking getting stuck and dying.
• The canary will be able to grind its claws in a natural way on a wooden perch. This will not happen on plastic parts, as a result, the claws will grow too long and the bird will need to be caught to trim them.
• In the fall season, only 1 drinker can be supplied for 1 or 2 birds. With the onset of summer, it is advisable to add a second one, since birds drink liquid in large volumes than in the cold season. If there are more than 2 individuals in the cage, it is better to hang several drinkers.
• It is necessary to ensure that the top of the bathing suit and its pallet snap into place as efficiently as possible. If the fastenings are not reliable enough, there is a risk that the bottom will fall through under the body of water and a bathing bird. To make the bottom and top of the swimsuit more reliable, it is worth fixing them using small screws.
• Don't put the canary cage on the windowsill even if direct sunlight does not hit the birds. This zone will be hot in summer and cold in winter. In such conditions, the birds will be uncomfortable and even dangerous.
• If you are trimming canary claws, this should be done with the utmost care. It is important not to touch a blood vessel during these procedures. It is very clearly visible, as it shines through the light bird claws.
• Rough grabbing with hands can lead to death of canaries, long transportation in a very tight and stuffy container. A sudden change of feed in a new place can also lead to the death of the bird.
• If you let the bird fly indoors, in no case should you leave buckets or basins with water in it.
• It is advisable to change the liquid in the bath and drinker more often. It is recommended to do this several times a day.
• If your pet flies too rarely, it is necessary to reduce the portions of food, otherwise the canary will inevitably begin to fatten, which will have a bad effect on its health.
• In the room where canaries fly there should be no poisonous plants, any toxic substances, too small objects.
• Breeding canaries you should be aware that in colored individuals it is necessary to separate chicks with a pronounced dark or light color of feathers.

For how to care for a canary, see the next video.