If you are ready to welcome some pets into your home and have settled on getting a few fish and a bird, here are the two most important steps that you will need to take when you buy these creatures.
Look for vets in your area that specialise in fish medicine
It is absolutely crucial to look for vets in your area that specialise in fish medicine and to register all of your pets with one of these individuals. The reason for this is as follows; most, if not all vets are trained to treat birds. However, many do not treat pet fish.
If you pick a vet who has a good working knowledge of fish medicine, as well as avian care, then it will be a lot less complicated for you to look after your pets in the future. For example, if your bird needs to go for a check-up during the same period that some of your fish develop a fungal infection, you can take them both to the same vet, on the same day for treatment, rather than having to make two separate trips to two different vets.
This is good because it's hard to transport a fish or a bird in a car because both are extremely sensitive and will get stressed and sick if put in an environment where the temperatures change too rapidly or where there is a lot of noise. As such, by ensuring that you can have them both treated by the same vet, you won't have to undertake this challenging task too often.
Make sure that you buy a lid for your fish tank
Many people who have pet fish choose not to cover their fish tanks. However, if you're going to have a pet bird who will have access to the room in which you plan to put your fish tank, then your vet may encourage you to get a lid for this tank. The main reason for this is that if your bird goes over to the uncovered fish tank and tries to bathe in it, by standing on the edge of the tank and flapping their wings in the water, they could stress out the fish, which could then make these fish more likely to succumb to infections and other forms of illness.
Secondly, if your bird flies over to the uncovered tank just after you have dropped some fish food into it, they may eat some of this food. This could not only result in your fish not getting enough nutrients to stay alive but may also affect your bird's health and result in them needing veterinary treatment if the food contains ingredients that they are not supposed to eat.
