Adding plants is a great way to decorate your aviary and entertain your pet birds. Plants are beneficial to birds’ health, they provide clearer air for the birds to breathe, mental stimulation and entertainment.
Picking the right plants is important, you don’t want plants that are toxic or completely unnatural to your birds normal habitat. The best place to find aviary plants is in your own garden, it’s cheap, easy and an amazing natural source.
Here are our top 3 natural plants from your garden that are great for pet birds:
#1. Petunias
Petunia Flower
A fantastic choice as they are so versatile; they come in an array of pretty colours and grow very quickly. Petunias flower during the summer so can easily be moved out of the way for another plant in the winter months, this is an easy way to give your birds a change of scenery.
Petunias provide an attractive petal which can be pecked at without causing any harm or costing you lots of money. As they grow in large bunches, they are a good way of covering bare areas of your aviary with something more interesting.
Just make sure when planting that you don’t leave any fertiliser that could harm your bird on top of the soil and that you pat a soft mulch over the top.
#2. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera Leaves
A very handy plant, you can use the gel from the leaves as a mild antiseptic for your pet birds. Dilute a small amount of gel into water and use as spray. It can be used to treat feather plucking sores, minor wounds or on healthy birds to keep their feathers nice and fresh.
Aloe Vera is not harmful to birds, recent studies have shown it can improve their immune system if ingested. This is great news as we know how much birds will love to peck at those thick leaves. The small succulents will also provide something interesting for birds to investigate at lower levels of the aviary.
#3. Bottlebrush Callistemon
Bottlebrush Callistemon Flower
A strong Australian native that can easily withstand birds perching and pecking. Bottlebrush is very easy to grow and maintain. It is also tough enough to withstand a hot Australian summer.
Birds love Bottlebrush as they provide a lot of space between their stems and branches for nesting. Adding bushy robust plants helps behavioural problems, they provide a distraction for aggressive birds and distinct areas for nervous birds to hide and feel secure. They also provide space for foraging and some birds may be attracted to the nectar that the flowers produce twice a year.
And one extra bonus plant!
#4. Dandelion
Dandelion Flower
Most of us would describe them as a weed but Dandelions are a great, budget way to add colour to your aviary.
Birds can safely enjoy nibbling on the flowers, stems and leaves. Just make sure you pick the right plant to go in your aviary, a dandelion only has one flower on a single stem, anything with a branched stem is not a dandelion.
It is also a good idea to add some greenery, grasses or shrubbery to provide a place of shelter for your birds to hide in or get some coverage. If you have space, a tree is a great addition, trees provide natural perches for your birds and shade from sunlight. A fruit tree is a great idea as that will also provide treats for your birds.
There are so many more plants not included in this list that are great for pet birds…
What plants do you add to your aviary, let us know your ideas in the comments below…
