Читать книгу Birds For Dummies - Gina Spadafori - Страница 7

Introduction

Welcome to Birds For Dummies, the only book you need to turn your admiration and appreciation of birds into a lasting, loving relationship with an avian companion!

Many people purchase birds for their status, for their beauty, for their song, or even for how well they match the furniture! But no one wins when someone picks a pet for the wrong reasons or has odd ideas about what it takes to properly care for a new family member.

This book has everything you need in order not to end up in that group of uneducated bird owners. Whether you already have a bird or you’re thinking about getting one, this book is your guide to caring for your bird for years to come!

About This Book

Birds are not simple creatures. They have needs and desires (some people call them demands!), and many are highly affectionate and social. Some birds can test your tolerance when it comes to noise and mess. You need to know all this going in, along with which bird to buy, where to buy one, and how to deal with the inevitable behavior problems that challenge nearly every bird owner from time to time.

Successful bird lovers are knowledgeable, realistic, and flexible, and most of all, they have a good sense of humor. If that description fits you, you’ll be rewarded by sharing your life with a marvelous feathered friend. We want you to be among the successful bird owners, and every line in this book is part of our heartfelt effort to help you be exactly that.

This book is a reference, which means you don’t have to read it from beginning to end. Instead, you can dip into the book to find the information you need, whenever you need it. Also, you don’t have to remember what you’re reading — there isn’t a test at the end.

If you’re short on time, you can skip anything marked with the Technical Stuff icon, as well as text in gray boxes (called sidebars). This information is interesting, but it’s not essential to your understanding of the subject at hand.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and you want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

Finally, a word on gender: We use male and female pronouns to refer to pets. Although many bird owners don’t even know the gender of their birds (see Chapter 3 for more on that subject), we think using the word it for any living being sets up an association that’s just not right. Animals aren’t things like a piece of furniture or this book. They’re living, thinking, loving beings — hes and shes. We alternate the use of the male and female pronouns throughout the book, but in any given reference, you can rest assured that the information applies to both genders, unless specifically noted otherwise.

Foolish Assumptions

As we wrote this book, we made some assumptions about you, the reader:

 You already own a bird or you’re considering adding one to your home.

 You may have no experience with birds, or you may have lived with them for years. Either way, you’re sure to find valuable information to make life with your avian companion even better!

 You’re interested in being the best bird owner you can possibly be.

Icons Used in This Book

Every For Dummies book has little pictures in the margins called icons that help you navigate through the book. Here’s a rundown of what each icon means.

The Tip icon flags especially useful clues to make life with your bird easier or help your pet be happier and healthier. It highlights time-savers and money-savers, too!

If we think something is so important that it deserves restating or remembering, we flag it with the Remember icon to make sure you don’t jump over that vital information.

The Warning icon denotes some common mistakes bird owners make, along with advice for avoiding them. Pay heed! Some of these errors can be deadly to your pet.

We’re bird experts, and sometimes we like to get a little technical. When we do, we use the Technical Stuff icon. You can safely skip anything marked with this icon without missing the point of the subject at hand.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the material in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this product also comes with some free access-anywhere goodies on the web. Check out the free Cheat Sheet for information on what to buy for your new bird, signs of a healthy pet bird, and a schedule of routine care. To access the Cheat Sheet, go to www.dummies.com and type Birds For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

If you’ve never had a bird in your life and you’re just starting to entertain the idea of adding one, you may want to start at the beginning of this book. If you already have a bird, you can skip around, checking out the chapters that address your needs at the moment. Either way, let the Table of Contents and Index be your guides.