FAQ: Bowls & Feeders for birds

These are dishes or toys from which the bird has to pull out, uncover or search for its food, for example with lids, little drawers or filler. They add interest to life in the cage and reduce boredom.

A bird needs to be introduced to such toys gradually, and until it has learned to reach the food easily, keep its usual bowl next to them. It is important to make sure the bird gets enough food every day.

Lories are often given nectar in shallow bowls or special nectar drinkers, separate from their water. Nectar sours quickly, so the dishes need washing every time the food is changed.

Nectar goes off within a few hours in a warm room, so it is usually changed several times a day. Old nectar and its residue on the dish walls can make the bird ill.

Compartments let you keep seed, pellets or supplements apart in one dish, so they are handy in small cages. Each compartment still needs regular cleaning, and moist food should be kept apart from dry.

Some birds happily drink running water, but a fountain needs taking apart and cleaning often, as biofilm builds up in it. The cable must be out of the bird's reach, and the usual drinker should stay until the bird learns to drink from the fountain.

Undamaged food-grade plastic is generally safe. Chewed dishes are the risk, as the bird can swallow bits of plastic and bacteria collect on scratched surfaces, so such dishes are better replaced.

Birds see colours well, so a dish of an unusual colour can put some of them off at first. If the bird avoids a new dish, introduce it gradually or choose one in a similar colour to the old one.

Ducks and geese need deeper drinkers so they can dip their whole head in and clean their nostrils and eyes. They splash a lot of water, so the drinker is worth standing on a base that drains well, and it should be changed often.

Woodpeckers, nuthatches and other birds that cling to trunks like fat holders fixed to a tree trunk or post and vertical peanut feeders. It matters to them that there is something to grip with their tail and feet.

Hanging a feeder from a branch is easy, but cats and squirrels reach it more easily. A separate stand with a baffle lets you choose a safer spot and protect the feeder more easily.

It is a metal pole pushed into the ground or set on a base, with hooks for several feeders and sometimes a bath. It can be moved, so it is easy to find a spot where birds feel safe; it just needs to stand firmly in the wind.

A larger feeder holds more food, but if few birds visit, the food goes stale and damp. The capacity is worth choosing by how many birds come and how often you can refill and clean the feeder.

Yes, a tray fixed under the feeder catches most of the fallen husks and seeds. The tray needs regular cleaning, as wet food that collects in it goes mouldy.

Sunflower husks and droppings build up under the feeder and suppress grass growth. Husk-free food, a husk tray and moving the feeder from time to time help.

In winter it is easiest to bring the feeder indoors, wash it in warm water and dry it well. While it dries, a spare feeder can be hung out so the birds are not left without food.

No, zoogidas.lt sells nothing – the site compares prices from Lithuanian online pet shops. Once you choose a product, you buy it on the shop's own website.

The site collects prices from Lithuanian online shops about daily, so the same product can be compared across several shops. Each product shows when its price was last checked.

The product page on zoogidas.lt shows the price history, so you can see whether the current price is higher or lower than before. That helps you decide whether to buy now or wait.

Each shop sets its own prices and discounts, so the same product can cost different amounts. That is why it is worth comparing several shops' offers before buying.