Bringing a bird into your home should be a happy and rewarding experience. A well cared for bird will keep you entertained for years with many birds living a lifespan of between 10-80 years.

Stress can be defined as the physiological response of a bird to a situation that causes it strain or tension, such as overcrowding, too high or too low temperature and/or humidity, and the inability to hide from real or imagined threats.

Most feather problems are due to one of five things; psychological factors/boredom, nutritional deficiencies, infections, hormonal imbalances,  or parasites. Here's a list of things you should be doing to prevent feather loss.

Birds are unique in how they show and respond to disease. They have a 'preservation reflex' where they hide obvious signs of illness until they are in an advanced state and near collapse. This is why we often see birds which have chronic illnesses (parasites, weight loss) yet whose owners say 'he was fine yesterday'.

Occasionally pet owners are faced with a situation where they may need to perform a wildlife bird rescue. Here's some handy tips in case you are ever put in this situation...

Increasingly, pet birds are spending more time out of their cages as bird ownership increases, and birds become "mobile companions". Even so, correct cage selection and management are important, even if the cage is only used at night or as "home base".

A disease prevention program is of vital importance to Budgerigars especially when mixing of birds occurs - such as when new birds are added to aviaries.

When controlling disease it is important to understand how infectious agents may be spread. This can be by direct contact between birds, feather dust, air droplets or via contaminated surfaces (such as cages). Mixing of birds is probably the most significant factor for disease transmission.

Megabacteria are microscopic organisms which are forty times larger than most bacteria. They have at various times been called bacteria, fungi and lactobacilli, but are now deemed to be in a microscopic class of their own.

Also known as "parrot fever", Chlamydiosis is a disease caused by a micro-organism called Chlamydia psittaci. If inhaled, it is usually found in the lungs and air sacs. If ingested, it is usually found in the liver, spleen, intestines and kidneys.