Birds are curious pets which will become excited when the Christmas decorations come in and their habitat is transformed, therefore you must keep in mind a few safety tips before letting your pet out of its cage.

• The Christmas tree should be admired by your bird from a far because it can pose a hazard to a curious bird: ornaments can contain lead and/or small/sharp parts that can be harmful if swallowed and tinsel can cause crop impactation if ingested. Prevent your free-flighted bird from landing on the Christmas tree because it might cause it to fall over, and take into consideration where you place the tree … if your bird appears afraid of the tree, don’t place it near your bird’s cage.

• Have fun watching your bird tear open a cardboard box or brown paper bag to find a gift inside, which offers a fun foraging activity! Eggnog is not only too fattening for a bird but it also contains milk and birds are lactose intolerant. Candles and other fresheners can omit fumes that can irritate your bird’s respiratory system (unless you order candles that are certified as bird-safe). Mistletoe and mistletoe berries can be toxic to birds.

• Since most companion parrot species are native to mild climates it is safe, to surmise that they do not take well to cold extremes, so let your bird observe your snow play from a cozy perch inside your home. Some people, especially, macaw owners, don’t need to buy a nut cracker because their birds can crack a nut in one bite. Let your bird partake in your Christmas Caroling, even it whistles along instead, and add “bird-flair” to your snowflake cutouts by allowing your paper-loving bird to make its mark.

• Fruitcake has the moniker as the “gift that keeps on giving” (because people hand it off to someone else) but your bird might appreciate its taste and texture even if you don’t. Chocolate and alcohol should never be offered to a bird because they can be toxic.

• Make sure every guest in your home knows what’s allowable and what’s not allowed in regard to your bird. Let them know that some foods and objects can be harmful to birds and that they must ask for permission before offering your bird food, picking up your bird or taking it out of the cage (some birds are phobic of visitors and some can sense the timidness of a non-bird person trying to handle them). Keeping your bird locked in its covered cage for an extended period of time is unfair to the bird, especially it is used to your daily interaction. Instead of “exiling” your bird until guests leave, use this as an opportunity to teach the nonbird people in your life about the wonderful companionship pet birds have to offer.

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