Monica Vakulskas, age 10, of Sioux City, Iowa, for her question:
How can I care for my net canary?
He may or may not be an opera singer, but in any case a canary bird is a treasure. He knows you and shows you his affection. His bright eyes watch you and when you chat with him he flutters with joy. He is happy when you are and when you are sad he cheers you up and plays amusing games to make you laugh. Chances are, sometimes he warbles a song to remind you that somewhere a crystal clear stream is bubbling gaily through a ferny forest.
Tending a canary bird can be the happiest chore in the world. First you set up 'a suitable home for him. Then every day you do a'few simple things to keep him healthy and happy. He is happiest if you stuff these duties with friendly affection. A canary is a great one for friendly affection, slightly on the playful side. He also loves a little chatty conversation.
It is wise to buy a special canary bird cage at a pet store. It has a solid oblong floor about 15 inches long and nine inches wide. The walls and roof are made of smooth wires, set so that he can see out without getting out. The floor has a removable tray. Every other day you slide it out and clean up his litter. He loves to wash himself, so provide him with a canary sized bathtub. Add fresh water before you clean his floor, then you can remove the splashed and stray feathers with the rest of his litter.
Aside from his bathtub, he also needs a dish of fresh water and a small pan of special canary gravel. Like everybody else, he should be trained to a regular feeding schedule. It is best to give him one meal a day, ~. the morning. At the same time throw out yesterday's drinking water, polish up his dish` and fill it with a fresh. supply for today.
A canary is by nature. a seed eater, though he needs a small daily helping of salad. His best basic groceries are seed mixtures from the pet store. His salad may be a shred of celery. broccoli or carrot stuffed between the wires of his cage. He also needs calcium for his bones and feathers. This problem is solved by fixing a bit of cuttle bdfb on the side of his cage. He enjoys pecking at it so you have to fireplace it every month or so. For between meal snacks, it is a good idea to hand a ball of seeds in his cage.
Your primrose pet also needs his exercise to keep fit. He loves to jog on a little ferris wheel or teeter totter on a little see saw. He is enchanted by bright objects, so just for fun you may hang a shiny ball in his cage. However, don't crowd in too many toys for him. He needs room to flutter about without bashing into his furniture.
At night, you place a cover over his cage and he soon falls asleep. Maybe he shares the living room where you spend the evening. If so, be sure to cover his cage when darkness falls outdoors. No matter what he thinks about it, canaries need to go to bed early.
Nobody knows when the first canary decided to adopt a human family. But this was centuries ago and his ancestors have long since forgotten how to take care of themselves in the wild. So don't get the notion that your primrose treasure feels cooped up in his cage. He's used to it. In fact, it is very risky to let him free to fly even around the house.