How to Care for a Canary

Canaries are known for their beautiful song that males use to attract mates or establish territory. They require less handling than most other hook bills, but can be taught to perch on their owner's finger. They generally grow to 5 inches tall and live for up to 15 years. Read on to learn how to care for a canary.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Enclosure
• Substrate
• Food and water dishes
• Perches
• Bird toys
• Bathing dish

1. Use a bird cage that is at least 14 by 16 inches and 17 inches tall. The bars spacing should be a half-inch apart. Buying a bigger cage usually leads to a happier bird.
2. Cover the bottom tray of the cage with corn cob which is an easily cleaned substrate.
3. Locate the cage in an area of your home away from drafts and direct sunlight.
4. Place three dishes for food and water inside your canary's cage. The first dish is for commercial pellet or fortified canary seed. Fill the second with clean non-chlorinated water. The third dish holds fresh fruits and vegetables which are needed daily.
5. Affix several perches inside of the cage so that droppings do not fall into the food or water dishes.
6. Put several bird toys inside the cage of your canary to entertain your bird. Canaries are especially known for loving swings.
7. Provide a larger dish with lean lukewarm water for bathing. If your canary will not bathe in the dish, use a spray bottle to mist the feathers.
8. Take your canary to a veterinarian to have nails trimmed and for annual checkups.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wish to enjoy the song of your canary, purchase a male because females do not sing.
• Use a cement perch to help maintain the length of your birds nails.
• Provide cuttlebones for good nutrition.
• Do not feed your canary avocado, chocolate, caffeine or alcohol as these substances are toxic to your bird.
• Avoid any chemical contamination in the area of your bird. They are very sensitive to fumes and can become very sick or die from small amounts of them.