Its food bowl is full

Birds that eat seeds leave husks behind, which some people mistake for whole seeds. So bear this in mind and don’t let him go hungry.

Only putting food in the bowl

New to life and still figuring things out some young birds, particularly budgies, don’t know how to eat from their new bowls. They only know how to eat seed off the cage floor. If your bird isn’t eating from its bowl, try lowering it and/or putting a shallow saucer of food on the floor.

Where’s my water?

As with food some young birds haven’t figured out where their water is. If this sounds like your bird, try to show the water, by moving it around in the container or get a little drop to drip from the edge near him. After a while, he’ll probably get the idea.

Don’t be stingy

It’s actually safer to over-feed your bird at first, rather than risk starving him. You can reduce the amount of food once you get a good feel for how much he needs. Experiment to make sure you’re right.

I’d rather starve than touch that!

Birds will starve themselves if they don’t like a food or don’t know something is food. If you give your bird a new food, check he understands it is food. Even if he nibbles at something, it doesn’t mean he understands its food; he might just think it’s a chew toy! Make sure he’s swallowing it.

All I want is seed

A seed-only diet is insufficient. If you can’t encourage your bird to eat other things instead of seed, seek help.

Ewww, my bowl is grim

It’s important to clean water and food containers thoroughly daily; particularly because birds tend to poop in them!

Watch like a hawk

Observe your bird. Learn his body language. Find out how to tell if he’s healthy, sick or lonely. Anticipate his needs and make sure he eats and drinks. Birds can be their own worst enemies sometimes, so it helps if he has a friend looking out for him.

Beware poisons you never dreamt of

NEVER feed a bird chocolate. It’s poisonous to them. So is avocado and therefore guacamole. Also no alcohol and no caffeine, it doesn’t matter how much of a friend your bird is, you need to draw the line at a night of drinking together! Watch out for poisonous houseplants too. And finally, NEVER use Teflon cookware in a house with birds.