The family Psittacidae or parrots is one of three families of true parrots of the order Psittaciformes.
All of the parrot species in this family are found in tropical and subtropical zones and inhabit Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean Islands, Africa and India.
In the wild, they usually live in the hollows of trees and rocks or in bushes, laying eggs on quite harsh and barren surfaces.
When captive-bred, these birds may prefer to lay eggs inside vertical or horizontal wooden nest-boxes.
The nest-filling is not always necessary, but it is advisable for some species such as Agapornis or Cockatiels to encourage the hatch by pre-building the nest partially, e.g. by putting a layer of corn cobs or wood shaving on the bottom of the nest-box and adding a handful of nesting materials for psittacids.
It is also good habit to add a nesting material holder inside the cage to help the bird finish the nest upon its wish.
In the wild, birds build their nest with the materials they find in nature such as twigs, blades of grass, tufts of animal hair and other materials: anything they need to make the nest warm and comfortable to host the clutch.
This is not possible for captive-bred birds. For this reason, it is important to provide them anything they need to build their nest and encourage the brooding. To do this, we may suggest to hang a nesting material holder inside the cage. Among all the models available, you will find the most suitable to your needs.
During our over 35-year-experience we have been studying, testing and developing over 30 compositions of fibres and products for any species of birds bred in captivity. By browsing through our website you will find, next to each product, indication on what bird species it is most suitable for.
The presence of mites in the breeding farm is probably the most annoying problem bird breeders are going to face sooner or later.
For this reason, we have developed a specific line of products to help breeders prevent and defeat this parasite. We have chosen some fibres selections and improved them with a 100% natural active formula which acts as repellent against red mites.
When prevention is no longer possible, it is necessary to treat cage and breeding farm with specific products. Our proposal for that is DIATOSAN: a 100% natural product made of diatomaceous earth. This product, suitable not only for birds but also for dogs, cats and other small animals, is available in comfortable dispenser bottles and can be used in nests, on the bottom of cages and directly on the feathers of birds, carefully avoiding the contact with eyes and nose.
Please note: for better efficacy, it is very important and necessary to clean and disinfect cage and breeding farm thoroughly before use. Only after, use the fibres with active formula, Diatosan or the combination of both to keep the annoying mites away.
It may happen that unfledged birds are not fed by their parents. It may also happen that the last born in the clutch are not fed by their parents because of their eldest brothers.
In these cases, it is necessary to intervene by feeding them with special feeding tubes.
Sisal Fibre proposes two types of high-quality feeding tubes, practical, recommended from a hygienic point of view and also time-saving when feeding the birds.
The series of pressure-clip tubes can be applied to a common syringe for human use.
The series of screw-clip tubes can be applied on ‘luer-lock’ syringes, which can be easily found in all pharmacies, but can also be used on common syringes without the safety advantage of screwing.
For both series, two inner diameter sizes are available:
• 2 mm for large-sized canaries and undulati;
• 1 mm for small-sized canaries and exotic birds
If the nourishment is to be administered with great accuracy, we recommend that the thinner tube be used along with a small-sized syringe.
The tube may also be used for medicament administration to sick birds, particularly if they refuse to drink the water which has been added to the medicine.
