Canaries are spirited little birds that are always alert and in motion. They are cheerful and always ready for action. They are very bright and colorful. Canaries need to feel safe; you can help them feel safe by keeping their cage in the same spot. They do not sing all year around and need to be able to fly around (and they love to fly).

LIFE EXPECTANCY: With proper care canaries can live up to 10 to 14 years.

CAGE: A canaries cage needs to be 32 inches high, 20 inches wide, and 40 inches long (32 x 20 x 40). Bigger is always better when it comes to cage for your canaries. Length is more important than height because canaries exercise by flying back and forth rather than up and down.

LOCATION: A canary cage can not be placed where there is a temperature fluctuation. A good spot would be one with a view of the room, not in a drafty area, quiet as possible, and they can not have anything above the cage (things above the cage will scare your canaries).

You will need a least two perches made of wood. These perches should be different thickness. One should be ½ inch thick and the other ¾ inches thick. Your birds toes should not reach all the way around the perch.

You will need three dishes for your canary. One will be used for canary birdseed, the second dish for canary gravel to help them digest their food, and the third for water. All of these dishes should be made of plastic or ceramic.

You will need to give your canary liquid vitamins in their water every other day to help them with their nutritional needs.

You will need a cuttle bone for your bird to chew on to give them calcium.

You will need to place about 1 ½ inches of corncob on the bottom of your canary cage.

You will need to clean your bird’s cage once every week, replacing the fresh corncob. Once a month you will need to clean everything in the cage (bars, sides of the cage, the entire cage and its contents). You should clean the water and birdseed dish daily when you are giving them fresh water and fresh birdseed.

You will need to buy a parakeet/canary bath that attaches to the side of the cage. Your canaries will need a bath at least once a day and should have their bath water available at all times. The baths that attach to the side of the cage will help keep down on the mess they can make.

Canaries enjoy fresh fruits and veggies but be sure you either buy a Canary book at the pet store so you understand what fruits and veggies they can have. Also the book will help you to understand proper care and the behavior of your canary.