FAQ: Health for birds

It depends on the diet and the species: a bird that gets a varied, balanced diet often needs no supplements. Ask a vet before you start giving vitamins, as too much of them also harms a bird.

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

Supplements are most often considered when a bird's diet is mostly seed, during moulting or breeding, or while recovering from illness. Whether they are really needed, and which ones, is best discussed with a vet.

Complete pellets usually already contain the vitamins and minerals needed, so extra vitamins are mostly unnecessary. Combining them with pellets carries a risk of overdose, so give supplements only on a vet's advice.

For birds there are powders and drops to dissolve in water, powders to sprinkle on food, and vitamin-enriched foods and treats. Each form is used differently, so it is important to follow the specific product's label.

In water vitamins break down faster and encourage bacteria, and it is hard to know how much the bird drank. Powder sprinkled on seed often falls off with the husks, so the form is worth choosing by the bird's diet and a vet's advice.

Yes, an excess of fat-soluble vitamins in particular, such as A and D3, can be harmful to birds. So do not use several supplements at once and do not give more than the label states or the vet advised.

Different supplements often contain the same substances, so combining them makes it easy to exceed a safe amount. If you want to combine vitamins, minerals or other supplements, ask a vet first.

Most seeds contain little vitamin A, so a seed-only diet can be incomplete. The usual solution is to vary the diet with vegetables and other bird-safe foods and to ask a vet about supplements.

A poor diet can show as dull or poor-quality feathers, a drawn-out moult, lethargy or thin eggshells. These signs can have other causes too, so see a vet if you notice them.

Moulting demands more nutrients from a bird, so a varied, good-quality diet matters especially at this time. Use special supplements for this period according to the label, and ask a vet if in doubt.

During breeding, hens need more calcium and other nutrients for eggs, and parents need more to feed their chicks. Breeders often use special supplements at this time, but they are best chosen with a vet's advice and used according to the label.

In winter indoor birds get less daylight, so some owners consider vitamin D3 or a UV lamp. Whether that is necessary for a particular bird depends on its species and diet, so it is worth asking a vet.

Water with vitamins spoils quickly and bacteria multiply faster in it, so it is usually changed at least once a day, and more often in hot weather. Wash the drinker thoroughly each time.

Ultraviolet light helps a bird's body produce vitamin D3, which matters for absorbing calcium, and birds also see UV light as part of colour vision. Birds kept indoors get little natural UV light.

Ordinary window glass blocks most of the UVB rays needed to make vitamin D3. A cage in direct sun by a window can also overheat quickly, so the bird must always have shade.

It is a lamp made for birds that gives light close to daylight, including UVA and UVB rays. When using one, it is important to keep to the manufacturer's stated distance from the bird and lighting time.

A UV lamp's UVB output weakens over time even though the lamp keeps shining. So it is replaced at the interval the manufacturer states, not when it burns out.

A short time outdoors in direct sunlight gives natural UV light, but the bird must be in a secure cage, supervised, and have shade and water. Do not leave a bird outside in hot weather or near predators.

UV light helps a bird make vitamin D3 but provides none of the other vitamins and minerals it gets from food. A lamp and a balanced diet complement each other, and supplements are a matter for a vet to decide.