Are you a finch lover? This plain-English guide explains the different species and helps you prepare to bring a finch home, with expert advice on everything from housing and feeding to health care and hand taming. You'll also see how to spot a sick finch, handle emergencies, and keep your finch calm and content.
Friendly advice on proper finch care Of all the birds kept as pets-16.5 million in American homes-none are as widely diversified as finches, which hail from nearly every corner of the globe. This fun, practical guide provides finch owners and those deciding if they want to bring a finch into their home with expert guidance in raising this delightful bird. It covers choosing the right species of finch, health care, housing and supplies, feeding, training, and how to have fun and maintain the best relationship with a finch.
"Filled with the information every bird-owner...needs." Joel Murphy, DVM, ABVP, author of How to Care For Your Pet Bird Praise for Birds for Dummies(r) "Squawk about this! A lighthearted...informative book about the care and maintenance of our fine-feathered friends." - Gary A. Gallerstein, DVM, author of The Complete Bird Owner's Handbook "At last - a book that contains more than just pretty bird pictures. This was fun to read. It is clear, concise, factual, useful, and understandable." -Linda Biggi, owner, Bird Gardens Full-color guide to pet birds inside! "You will not be disappointed." Walter Rosskopf, Jr., DVM, Dipl. ABVP Certified in Avian Practice Get the word on birds! From finches and canaries to conures and macaws, this friendly guide describes the species that make the best pets, explains how to select the bird who's best for you, offers tips on bonding with your feathered friend, and provides expert advice on feeding and grooming. Discover how to: Choose the right bird for your budget and lifestyle Create a bird-friendly environment Minimize noise and mess Keep your bird groomed, fit, and healthy Bond with your bird Get smart! www.dummies.com Register to win cool prizes Browse exclusive articles and excerpts Get a free Dummies Daily(TM) e-mail newsletter Chat with authors and preview other books Talk to us, ask questions, get answers
Create a "home tweet home" for this colorful, lively bird This plain-English guide helps readers find the right parakeet and offers expert advice on feathering his nest, from setting up the cage and selecting foods to keeping messes at bay. Readers will discover how to groom a parakeet, recognize the symptoms of illness, and keep a parakeet safe from other pets. They will also see how to teach a parakeet to talk, understand parakeet behavior, and find an avian veterinarian.
Your one-stop guide to caring for your avian companion Pet birds are intelligent, affectionate, and rewarding companions. No matter what bird you choose, you need to set up a happy home for him with the right stuff. You also need to keep your bird healthy by performing routine care and knowing what a healthy bird looks like and how he behaves. This friendly guide describes the birds that make the best pets, explains how to select the bird that's best for you, offers tips on bonding with your feathered friend, and provides expert advice on feeding and environmental enrichment that will keep these intelligent pets engaged. Benefit from a full-color guide to pet birds Choose the right bird based on your budget and lifestyle Create a bird-friendly environment that minimizes noise and mess Bond with your winged pet If you’re ready for your love of birds to take flight, this book has everything you need.
Natural-born charmers, cockatiels are small colorful parrots native to the Australian desert. When raised by people, they’re usually calm and cuddly and have an inquisitive, adventurous disposition. Cockatiels are just large enough to be handled easily, but they’re not so big that they require a great deal of space in your home. And while the cockatiel’s gentle nature and captivating personality encourage you to form close and lasting relationships with them, taking one into your life brings with it a host of specific requirements and responsibilities that you really need to be aware of before you take the leap into being a cockatiel owner. Written by a leading national expert on companion birds and a lifelong cockatiel owner and breeder, Cockatiels For Dummies is your total guide to adopting, caring for, and forming a loving relationship with one or more of these diminutive parrots. It gets you up to speed on how to: Decide if a cockatiel is right for you and your family Select a healthy cockatiel Provide a suitable indoor environment Supply a satisfying and nutritious diet for your pet Train your cockatiel Communicate with your bird through body language Interpret your bird’s moods Breed cockatiels for fun and profit Author Diane Grindol provides loads of sensible, easy-to-follow advice along with fun facts, trivia, amusing and informative anecdotes, and tips on how to have a great time with your feathered friend. Among other important topics, she fills you in on what you need to know about: The pros and cons of pet stores versus breeders when choosing a cockatiel Assessing a bird’s health and disposition and getting a health guarantee Feeding, grooming, caring for, and socializing your pet Exercising your cockatiel Training your bird to be a great companion Keeping your little pal happy and healthy for life A fun guide for you and your cockatiel, Cockatiels For Dummies is the only book you’ll need to help you have the best possible experience with this smart, perky, incredibly loveable avian breed.
This book presents a detailed guide to hand-rearing techniques for raising young birds, providing complete coverage of a wide variety of avian species and taxonomic groups for all avian care professionals. Chapters are written by expert rehabilitation, aviculture, and zoo professionals, and include useful references and bibliographies for further reading and research. Each chapter provides valuable information on appropriate intervention, housing, feeding, and care. Hand-Rearing Birds, Second Edition presents 50 chapters, including 12 new chapters on species or groups of species not featured in the previous edition. It also features color photographs that help illustrate many concepts pertinent to birds. This important reference: Offers a detailed guide to hand-rearing techniques including species-specific guides to caring for and raising young birds Covers a wide variety of avian species and taxonomic groups Discusses how to examine a chick to identify problems such as hypothermia, dehydration, injuries, and common diseases, and what to do Combines information on the science and skill needed to successfully hand-rear birds Presents full-color photographs throughout Hand-Rearing Birds, Second Edition is an essential resource for avian rehabilitators, breeders, veterinarians, and zoo staff.
National bestselling book: Featured on Midwest, Mountain Plains, New Atlantic, Northern, Pacific Northwest and Southern Regional Indie Bestseller Lists Perfect book for the birder and anti-birder alike A humorous look at 50 common North American dumb birds: For those who have a disdain for birds or bird lovers with a sense of humor, this snarky, illustrated handbook is equal parts profane, funny, and—let's face it—true. Featuring common North American birds, such as the White-Breasted Butt Nugget and the Goddamned Canada Goose (or White-Breasted Nuthatch and Canada Goose for the layperson), Matt Kracht identifies all the idiots in your backyard and details exactly why they suck with humorous, yet angry, ink drawings. With The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, you won't need to wonder what all that racket is anymore! • Each entry is accompanied by facts about a bird's (annoying) call, its (dumb) migratory pattern, its (downright tacky) markings, and more. • The essential guide to all things wings with migratory maps, tips for birding, musings on the avian population, and the ethics of birdwatching. • Matt Kracht is an amateur birder, writer, and illustrator who enjoys creating books that celebrate the humor inherent in life's absurdities. Based in Seattle, he enjoys gazing out the window at the beautiful waters of Puget Sound and making fun of birds. "There are loads of books out there for bird lovers, but until now, nothing for those that love to hate birds. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America fills the void, packed with snarky illustrations that chastise the flying animals in a funny, profane way. " – Uncrate A humorous animal book with 50 common North American birds for people who love birds and also those who love to hate birds • A perfect coffee table or bar top conversation-starting book • Makes a great Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthday, or retirement gift
Thinking about getting a ferret? Want to make sure you’re giving the ferret you already have the best possible care? Ferrets For Dummies helps you decide whether a ferret is for you and give your little fellah a healthy, happy home. It’s packed with practical information on feeding, housing, health maintenance, and medical care. This friendly, plain-English guide gives you the authoritative information you need in a cut-to-the-chase, quick-reference format. You’ll find the latest on appropriate diets for ferrets, dental hygiene, common ferret diseases and infections, and designing and establishing an enjoyable and enriching environment for both your ferret and yourself. You’ll also get solid tips about how to get to know your ferret and introduce it to other family members and how and when to give your ferret and his cage a good cleaning. Discover how to: Choose the perfect ferret Ferret-proof your house Handle ferret first-aid Make foods your ferret will love Deal with behavior issues Select terrific ferret toys Interpret your ferret’s actions Find the best vet for your ferret Travel with your ferret Make sure your little friend doesn’t get bored Decide whether to breed your ferret Complete with helpful lists of ferret myths and misconceptions as well as recipes for meals your ferret will gobble up, Ferrets For Dummies is the resource you need to keep your ferret happy and healthy for years to come.
Provides information on how to take care of and raise a parakeet as a pet, covering such topics as choosing a parakeet, nutrition, health care, housing, training, and behavior.