Magpies (Copsychus Sularis) have become a growing favourite of bird enthusiasts everywhere. They’re spunky personalities and doll-size figures makes them the more irresistible to not love. Despite being uncommon to catch from the wild in Asian countries, these long tailed black and white birds are independent and relatively low maintenance to care.
One of the most time and effort inducing care magpie breeders would invest on is knowing the right nutrition they’d need. Regardless of the end goal of the breeder’s journey, most bird enthusiasts are committed to raise healthy birds.
When magpies are at the prime of their health, they would tend to be more vocal than their unwell counterparts. These bird songs, along with their strengths and glowing exterior, are small determining features that puts them on a higher market and social value than the rest. If you’re looking to impress or provide the best for your bird companion, be sure to read through this article to find out 7 ways to encourage magpie vocalisation.
1. Feed Them The Right Nutrients
Perhaps the most obvious care breeders would need to invest on would be feeding them the right nutrients that fulfils their daily sustenance requirements. There are numerous ways to feed your birds the right way: as it depends on the breeder’s commitment, financial, and time preferences and circumstances.
Some breeders, who would prefer to raise their birds organically, often resort to a more natural diet. In this case, breeders would feed their birds a wide variety of small insects and worms. However, breeders who value convenience would prescribe their birds to processed feed that is packed with nutrients and vitamins.
2. Clean and Sunbathe
Aside from prescribing them to clean eating, magpies would also appreciate if breeders clean their fur and sunbathe them as well. My cleaning their fur with warm water and organic soap, breeders would have cleanses all attached potentially harmful bacterias from their exterior. If this is left untreated, these harmful bacterias could spread and foster into dangerous illnesses – which could get in the way of them being vocal.
There are many ways to bathe your magpies, but generally, breeders would first rinse their bodies with warm water and gently scrub their fur with organic soap. If you are unable to access organic soap, over-the-counter pet soap should be sufficient – or no soap should be fine as well. After bathing them gently, be sure to sunbathe them to dry the waters off. When their furs are soaked and humid, they are much more prone into fungal infections.
Considering the quality of the sun rays, most breeders would try to catch up with the ideal time of day to sunbathe their birds. In this case, breeders would usually practice their showering routine at around 8 am to 10 am.
3. Vitamin Supplements
Some breeders would prescribe their birds with extra vitamin supplements to speed up their process of vocalisation. Breeders could purchase these vitamin supplements in your nearest pet shop, or have them accurately prescribed from medical professionals. However, for the sake of avoiding any potential complications, it is advised that breeders follow the latter choice. Every bird may require different needs, so its unwise to uniform their vitamin intake.
However, if you’re highly committed into raising healthy birds but do not want to break the bank for extra supplements, some breeders opt for a more organic choice. An extra boost of vitamins could be found in organic fruits and vegetables such as bananas, apples, and tomatoes.
4. Cleanse Their Living Spaces
As smart breeders, you should be able to get into the root of where these magpies are prone to sicknesses – that could be preventing them from vocalising sooner. In such case, this is usually caused by their unsanitary environment. Therefore, smart breeders should make it a habit of sanitising their magpies’ living spaces to prevent bacteria and fungal infections.
Often, your local pet store would provide custom soap and/or antiseptic used to clean their living spaces – but cleaning them with water should be just fine. Be sure to get to every corner of their living spaces to ensure that it is free from harmful bacterias.
5. Dedicate Quiet Living Spaces
Magpies are known birds that are prone to stress when relocated to crowded areas. Stress could contribute a potential delay in vocalisation, so it is advised that smart breeders build their cages in calmer areas. Aside from delayed vocalisation, stressed magpies are much more prone to harmful illnesses that could have dangerous effects on the long run than their calmer counterparts.
However, there may be given situations where placing them in noisier circumstances could be of benefit for the breeders and their magpies. Competitive breeders who are raising magpies to compete their bird songs with others should be trained to adjust in noisy environments. Shy-er magpies may not perform well in noisier areas.
6. Influenced and Learn From Others
Breeders could speed up magpies’ vocalisation by stimulating them to learn from others. Mingle magpies with other vocalising magpies to encourage them to do the same. Though there are no specific rule that should be practiced in this interaction, most breeders would place their magpies near each other during afternoon due to the ideal temperature that encourages learning in comfort.
7. Hang Their Cages
Breeders should make it a habit to hang their cages every morning from 6-7am. This practice is for magpies to receive the right nutrients and vitamins only found in sunlight. After their sunbathing, breeders would bathe them to wash away the sweat and bacterias that might linger in their fur.
So here are 7 ways to encourage magpie vocalisation. Note that every magpie is different and the results will not be uniformed. Each magpie requires different needs from the others, so it is wise that breeders do more prior research and consult medical professionals for tailored advice. Good luck!