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So you have decided to have cockatiels for a pet? They may not occupy a huge space and may not be as demanding as other animals, but they do have special needs that should be provided for them to make sure that they will remain satisfied and in their best health while under your care. And one of the things that you can offer these fun-loving, energetic, and smart birds are the best toys for cockatiels.
If you are looking for some of the best options, you will find some recommendations below to give you a good start.
Great things do not come in huge packages all the time. Just like these lovely creatures.
Just like the interesting colors that they have, these beautiful, little things can be outstanding entertainers. They come with a huge personality with their singing, hopping around, and all the tricks that keep them busy throughout their active hours. These are not things that they do just for fun, however. As their energy is always up most of the time, they need to be entertained to remain happy and healthy.
It does not mean that you will need much to do so, however. There are just about a great number of ways that will do the trick without putting a hole in your pocket. You can keep your feathered friend satisfied even with simple items that you can offer in rotation just to keep the bird busy and contented.
Birds, like cockatiels, in their natural habitat are always hopping around, jumping in bushes, flying off from one branch to the another, and endlessly exploring the things around them.
To ensure that your pet birds will feel the same while in their new environment, you will need to provide them with a replica of their habitat. That only means that you will have to make sure that their living space will allow them to move about without feeling restricted, instead just enjoying the things that they would naturally do as if they are still in their usual habitat.
Here are some options that you may consider when looking for toys for these birds:
Edible best toys for cockatiels. There are a lot of edible toys that you can offer to your cockatiels. Pinecones filled with fruits, nuts and seeds, organic wheat grass, flaxseed sprigs are just some of the treats that may place inside your birds’ cage and allow them to enjoy. Mineral block toys are also just as nutritious as they could also be enticing for your birds. (more…)
It is quite easy to get lost in the moment when watching birds do their tricks. Even if these fascinating creatures have so much to offer, they also get bored, especially when there is nothing or no one for them to interact with. Many birds may be observed to be active at one point and become quite unhappy soon enough. Birds, like parakeets need to have something to keep them busy while inside their cage. And choosing the best parakeet toys is one of the things that you will need think through to make sure that your birds remain occupied and happy. If not, they may just turn to their own feathers and pluck them instead.
Parakeets are one of the many small wonders in all of creation. Small as these birds may be, they bring in so much fun and comfort to those who have decided to keep them as pets. They are so adorable and are greatly admired by many bird lovers because of their interesting colors. And if you are interested in keeping these adorable birds, you may find this post helpful.
It is a comfort to note that having pets like these parakeets is not much of a challenge like having other pets. Once you understand the basic requirements in caring for these birds, it won’t be that of a challenge to take care of your own.
Below are some of the tips that you may want to consider when handing parakeets:
If you are unsure, you can always ask a trusted vet for his or her recommendations.
Many find bird watching to be a relaxing activity. For those who live within the flight path of migratory birds like the hummingbirds, who also love to provide a temporary resting place for these interesting creatures will need to create a bird sanctuary with the best hummingbird feeder. Having one will naturally attract these birds to where these feeders are, which will make it easier for you to get a better bird watching experience any time these fascinating creatures are on their way to their usual migration spots.
These little explorers migrate either to claim a usual breeding ground or to retreat with the season. So, they make their regular journey either to the north or to the south to fulfill either of these purposes.
What is more interesting is that when they do find the perfect spot, they would normally go to the same location each time they would need a safer and more comfortable place.
The journey usually takes them hundreds, even thousands of miles away, from their natural habitat. Even though they are said to be the smallest birds in the world, they can cover as much as 30 miles an hour and fly non-stop as far as 500 miles from their original location. To cover such a distance, they would need to fly for about 18-22 hours. Just imagine how much a single hummer would need to give that bird the energy that it needs to fly as far as it needs.
To do that seemingly impossible feat, these tiny creatures will double their weight in preparation for their flight. And as noted, they consume about 50% of their body weight in nectar each day. When they are about to migrate, need to fill in twice as much of that since they do not know where they will find their next meal will be.
If you plan to have those hummers drop by your backyard, you need an appropriate feeder where these birds may opt to consider as their future pit stop. The right feeder will not only attract the hummingbirds, but will also be a good accent to your backyard.
As there are many variations of feeders available in the market (either online or in local markets), it won’t take long before you can find an appropriate feeder. Hung the feeders in the appropriate locations where they can be easily accessed by the hummers. Add more feeders whenever necessary.
When setting the best rated hummingbird feeder, it is best to have them next to flowers or perching areas which the hummers are already visiting, but make sure that you can also see them even far afar. It is also a good thing to have a durable feeder that won’t break if ever it gets blown away or fall from where it is placed. (more…)
Just like any other pet, cockatiels are at their healthiest and safest when they are provided with a diet that their system requires. Offering the best food for cockatiels is essential to keep your pet bird sickness-free and be looking at its best. While in their natural habitat, these birds thrive in the wild with their kind and consume a wide variety of plants and seeds. They exist mainly with the seeds available in their surrounding. However, they also consume greens and grit. To ensure that your cockatiel is provided with a proper diet, consider this guide.
A well-balanced diet is not all that these birds need to remain well and healthy. Things like an appropriate cage, accessories, as well proper handling is necessary for your bird to stay satisfied and to be at its best health while under your care.
These birds are native to Australia. They are quite social and prefers daily interaction with their owners. And even though they are the smallest among the cockatoo family, they can grow to as long as 12 inches.
As they get along quite well with birds of their kind, it is best to keep more than one of these birds in a right-sized cage, which should be kept close to a family gathering space or a bedroom, especially if you decide to keep a single cockatiel.
These birds has a lifespan of about 15 years, so if you will be able to train them well, you will find having kept one or more of these birds a real joy. Just make sure that they are well-provided and are managed well to ensure that they would be free from any disease and live healthy for the duration of time that they spend under your care.
You can always find best food for cockatiels to offer to your bird in your kitchen. There are also a wide variety of seed mixes and feeds available in the market today that you can offer to your bird. Remember, however, that not every seed mixture is created equal.
Specially made cockatiel pellets are considered to be the healthiest feed for these birds, which are readily available in local pet stores. Whenever you decide to buy from any store, just make sure that you are getting a package that has not been kept on the shelf for a very long time. Remember that your bird can easily distinguish between fresh products from otherwise. If your cockatiel notices that they have but old seeds, they will just take them out from their tray.
Offer seeds and pellets as main diets for your birds. Keep its feed tray a quarter full every day and have the feed refreshed daily. Remove any empty seed husk from the tray as well.
Feed your bird greens every other day. They will also benefit from fruits like apples, pomegranates, mango, cantaloupes, and bananas that you may serve once every week. You can actually offer just about any fruit that your bird may desire.
Your bird will also be delighted to be provided with all other sorts of foods, such as boiled pasta with greens, nuts, sprouts, even popcorn and crackers. (more…)
Getting a horse to care for demands a lot from its keeper. It means providing the animal with everything that to perform well. And one of the things that a responsible horse owner needs to keep in mind is to provide the animal with the appropriate feed, including the best slow feeders for horses.
Horses need a continuous flow of feed through its digestive tract. A considerate amount of time without forage can cause several health issues such as colic, gastric ulcer, gorging, choking, laminitis, as well as other behavioral problems. To ensure that your horse will have a steady supply your horse with the right diet, is to allow it to have a steady access to forage throughout the day.
Slow feeders encourage grazing. While in their natural habitat, horses are designed to eat small amount of forage. They do this throughout the day. This keeps their bodies well-regulated and helps them be at their best all the time. Restricted access to grazing, will make these animals feel stressed. And before they develop other health concerns, the right type of slow feeder should be provided to them.
Slow feeders for horses, as the name implies, is a system known to horse keepers that slow down the rate of consumption of forage for horses. As the animal gets to enjoy its meal at a steady rate, it feels relaxed and encourages the animal to eat less but continuously as long as the supply is available. When used as they should be, slow feeders can reduce stress in horses.
The best method to use a slow feeder is to encourage the horse to feed off the ground. Allowing the animal to eat with its head lowered to the source of its feed is the mos relaxing position that it can enjoy its meal. There’s less to no pressure on the neck, and the animal can move freely while chewing its forage. A straight downward motion does not create any stress on the animals joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. This posture also keeps the dust from getting through their airways and also helps protect their eyes from mold spores.
Start with at least two feeders as well as the horses placed some distance apart. This will encourage the horse to move as it enjoys its meal. It also satisfies the animals curiosity and lessens squabbles among the horses.
Place some of the hay in the feeder as well as on the ground. The horse will get used to this method at its own pace, and you should not force the animal to do so. It is for the horse to enjoy every meal that you want after all.
Observe your horse while it chews on its feed. Watch out for any sign of frustration. If you notice any unusual behavior as the horse starts feeding, make sure to make adjustments with the placement of the feeder. (more…)
For all those equine lovers, understanding proper horse care is essential, especially for those who have decided to keep one or more of these majestic animals. They require more than just time, food, and shelter to allow them to be at their best every time. Many aspiring horse riders, even just those horse enthusiasts who have a few horses to care for, primarily consider horse joint supplements and feed balancers. And it is for this reason that this post will be talking about one of the supplements that should be a major consideration when looking for supplements for horses. The best oil for horses offers a lot of benefits for the equines, hence should also be a priority when looking for the best supplements for your horse.
Horse bred for racing needs a lot of energy to be at their best, especially when they are on the track. To make sure they are properly fed and get all the requirements that their body needs, owners make sure to have them fed with premium grains, chaff, and hay. Giving them as much as they need may not be so good for them, however. Feeding horses with a lot of grains may cause any of these health problems later on – colic, nervous or fiery behaviour, hindgut acidosis, tying up and may even lose its appetite.
Oil supplements for horses provide more energy than grains.
Oils have been provided as an alternative source of energy, however, as they provide about three times more energy than oats (400 ml of vegetable oil provide as much energy as 1 kg of oats). This means that if you give the best oil for horse to your, you won’t need to offer as much grains, yet your horse will still get enough of the energy that it needs to perform well.
Oils Lessen the heat load on your equine
Oils generate less heat during digestion and the metabolism process, which means you can give less of the grain that your horses would need without the oil supplement and still allow your horse to get as much energy it needs for the day. If there is less heat load on your horse, then a feed high in oils will also lessen the number of electrolytes that your horse will lose, as well as the amount of heat that it will need to stay cool. This is quite beneficial for those horses who require to train or race for some time in warm localities.
Feeding horses with high oil diets can help conserve glycogen.
Glycogen is a horse’s source of energy for its muscles when in action. Insufficient glycogen will result to the horse feeling weak and will be needing to slow down. Oils provide the fatty acids that a horse in motion can burn, hence saving its stored glycogen, which it can use during fast work.
Oil supplements also reduce a horse’s nervousness and tying up.
Horses that easily get nervous will benefit much from a high oil diet.
Providing a high oil diet for your horse
If you finally decide to incorporate some oils in your equine’s diet, make sure to add it in slowly in the feed routine. Give your horse about seven to ten days before the new diet is given in full dosage. Note that giving them too much of these oils may cause bloating, loose tools and even prevent their bodies from actually absorbing the essential nutrients in their feed. (more…)
Having a horse requires a lot of time to adequately provide proper care for the foal. You can always rely on professional horse keepers understand the essence of proper maintenance in keeping the foal in good shape and ensuring its safety and wellness. They devote much of their time to ensure that the horse is provided with the right feed, care and maintenance. And one of the primary concerns of responsible horse owners is proper horse grooming as this can help maintain the overall look of the foal’s coat. The process also allows the owner to strengthen the bond with the horse. As such, finding the best horse brushes is a general concern for horse owners.
Grooming a horse not only pertains to simply using a specific tool to detangle or shape the foal’s mane, tail, and coat. There are particular tools that are needed and are designed for specific purposes in the horse grooming process, such as follows:
Curry Comb. This is a soft rubber-toothed brush that is used to brush out the dirt and loose hair off the horse. Currying is quite comforting and enjoyable for the horse as well as for the one carrying out the task.
Dandy Brush. A dandy brush is a stiff bristled brush that is used to remove heavy dirt, dried mud, and sweat marks. This type of brush is most used grass kept horses. As this brush can be too harsh, it should not be used on any sensitive part of the horse, including its face.
Body Brush. This is a soft bristled brush and is made of horse hair. It is usually made with a flat back and broad handle. This type of brush is not intended for use on grass kept horses as it most of the natural oils that keep a grass horse warm and dry may also cling on the bristles if used to brush a horse’s coat, mane and tail.
Hoof pick. A hoof pick is either made of metal of plastic or may also come with a stiff bristle brush at the end of the tool. This tool is designed to clear mud, rocks, snow and other foreign matter from the horse’s hooves.
There are so many options when it comes to best horse brushes, and you may think that as they were made for the same purpose, they may just do the same job quite well even no matter how much they cost, which materials they were made, or how each of these brushes were designed.
They are less expensive than other horse items that are sold in tack stores. That does not mean that you should not think twice when finding the best brushes that you would need to keep your horses well-groomed. (more…)
Professional horse riders know for a fact that even a trusty steed can run as long as its feet can endure. Making a horse endure the heat of the sun and race or run for some time will soon cause swelling and inflammation to the overly used soles and feet of the foal. Choosing the best ice boots for horses is the one thing that you can do to help your trusted foal to feel better after a long ride. There are many different variations of ice boots that you can provide for your horse. What would be best suited for your foal will depend on several factors, including the type of activities that your horse performs, the kind of horse that you own, as well as your personal options when looking for one.
Horse ice boots and gel wraps can be used to prevent injuries, help cool down after an exercise, and be a form of therapy after an injury.
Domesticated horses are kept in stables and will require to be let out in the sun and ridden for some obvious health reasons. Walking around, training, or racing will allow your trusted steed to develop its leg muscle, as well as maintain its overall health. While doing its regular routine, much of its weight is carried by its feet, however. Allowing it to run for long hours may cause its feet to swell.
Fortunately, you can let your foal to wear ice boots after an exercise as this can lessen the stress on its joints, ligaments and tendons. It relaxes recently worked out muscles. It also acts as a cold compress and stimulate the lymphatic system and relieve the swelling and inflammation. It is recommended to have the horse wear the boots for about 20 minutes at most.
Ice boots for horses can also be used to help relieve the effects of acute injuries as well. They are not designed to be used if there is an open wound as the friction between the ice boots material and the skin may only aggravate the condition. Leaving the wound uncovered will help it stay dry and heal quicker, on the other hand.
Do you need to have your horse’s feet iced after each ride?
Icing a horse’s feet is necessary as a preventative measure, therapy, and a help to cure an existing health condition. It is most important to use post exercise and post riding, especially while in a very humid and hot condition. Having ice or gel wrapped around its legs can help cool down the horse’s internal body temperature.
Since much of the body weight of the horse (about 60%) is carried by its front legs, the muscles on these legs can easily get sore and suffer the most from strenuous activities. The impact of landing on those legs are usually heavier and is not evenly distributed to all fore legs, the muscles on these front legs can easily overheat.
Not every activity will require icing of the horse’s legs, however. Light groundworks will not necessarily deliver as much impact on the legs of your horse, as opposed to other strenuous activities such as training, racing, and other similar activities. (more…)
Horses, like dogs, have always been a good companion to humans. Many have opted to keep these animals for entertainment and sports. But whatever the kind of horse or for whatever activity they are intended to engage in, providing adequate and proper care is of utmost importance to make sure that the foal will remain at its best while under the care of its owner. And part of the care that should be provided to a horse requires that the responsible owner knows some of the best horse grooming kit as these can greatly help you with the task of keeping your horse happy and healthy.
Keeping a horse clean regularly is necessary for some obvious health reasons. Horses, unlike other animals, cannot groom themselves. They will need your assistance to have them tidy and smelling great. It is not enough that you provide the best stable and bedding for them. Daily grooming is as important as regular cleaning up of the horse’s stable as this will help ensure that your horse is in tip top shape all the time.
You can not just let your horse do its daily routine and wait for a couple of days before grooming the animal. Especially those horse that are regularly let out for riding activities as foreign matters and injuries can easily affect their overall health if taken for granted. No matter how long it takes to groom your horse, it still is an important aspect of providing adequate care for the foal and should always be a priority.
It is also during the process of grooming, the owner deepens the bond with the foal, so if you are still yet to tame a horse or would like to ensure that your horse is well kept, make it a priority to ensure that your horse is properly groomed. Even you have assigned someone to provide professional grooming services for your horse, it is just as important that you spend time to check on your horse to see if the horse was bathe and groomed properly.
It is inevitable that you locate the best spot where the horse should be groomed. There should be enough space and where the animal will not be able to create a huge mess while being cleaned. Have the foal tied securely as this will help limit its movement within the area. It would also be helpful to have all the necessary tools and supplies within reach while grooming as this will not only save time but will make the process a lot easier to accomplish since everything that are needed for the purpose are already there. (more…)