When thinking of bird care, the bird cage is usually the first thing to come to mind. However, providing a full range of supplies for birds and their owners is much more than a cage and some seed. Despite the "bird brain" stereotype, birds are very intelligent and have a wide array of needs to stay healthy and happy.

Consumers tend to prefer a one-stop approach to shopping. To provide the optimum shopping experience, you should stock bird supplies that address the full range of avian needs. If possible, use distributors of wholesale bird supplies for a better chance at providing unique items at competitive prices. Stock your inventory based on these three basic categories:

1. Stock housing and bird cage accessories in a variety of sizes.
2. Address the bird feed, watering bottles, toys and treats needs of a wide range of birds.
3. Provide health and hygiene supplies to give your customer access to everything they need for their chosen breed of bird.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Provide a bird cage and bird cage accessories to best suit your customers' birds

Each size and breed of bird presents different housing needs. To anticipate this, stock cages in three basic sizes. Small and medium cages suffice for birds ranging in size from finches to cockatiels. Large birds, such as parrots, need large cages with exercise areas. You can also stock activity trees and play stands to provide a full range of options for large bird customers. For consumers with multiple large birds or breeding interests, offer indoor/outdoor aviaries to provide the largest space opportunities. Offer perches, feed holders, and possibly nesting boxes to round out your housing inventory.

I recommend: For small to medium birds, PetWholesaler.com provides wholesale bird cages in a wide array of colors, sizes, and shapes, as well as cage accessories, only to pet retailers. For larger bird needs, BirdCagesGalore.com provides large cages in a wide variety of styles as well as indoor/outdoor aviaries, activity trees and play stands and offers wholesale pricing to those offering bird supplies for sale.

Provide a well-rounded selection of bird feed and care supplies

To provide for the variety of feeding and maintenance needs, you will need to stock a large selection of bird feed, bird toys, and other bird care supplies. As with cages, provide a toys appropriate for each bird sizes. Other common items are cuttlebones, mirrors, chewing ropes and toys for large birds and treats of various kinds. All birds need a water bottle or dish appropriate to their size and that of their cage.

I recommend: Diamond Avian Distributors is a wholesale bird supplies distributor to retail stores and websites only. They offer a large catalog of product lines to meet a wide range of supply needs. UPCO® United Pharmacal Co., Inc. provides a large range of bird supplies with discount pricing for bulk orders.

Offer health and hygiene supplies for birds to complete your inventory

Even the best diet doesn't equal the natural diet of exotic birds and they will often need nutritional supplements to maintain optimum health. You should also provide misting supplies to meet the needs of rainforest species who need to keep their feathers damp for maximum comfort. Experiment with other grooming, cage cleaning, and first-aid products to see which sell best with your customer base.

I recommend: Windy City Parrot, Inc. offers a wide range of first-aid, grooming, and nutritional supplies for all common varieties of pet birds. You can also visit Bird.com for a variety of vitamins, supplements, and antibiotics.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For a cost-effective approach, stock a large inventory of the pet bird supplies used most by casual bird owners. Then, provide a display area or catalog of your more extensive, and more costly, offerings as a special order area. Make sure your price point is competitive enough to overcome lack of immediate availability.