197293 1156 Pets Birds true Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:33:09 -0700 /system/videos/5/93/72/19/197293.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals How To Choose and Prepare a Birdhouse http://www.howcast.com/videos/197293-How-To-Choose-and-Prepare-a-Birdhouse http://www.howcast.com/videos/197293-How-To-Choose-and-Prepare-a-Birdhouse/edit approved 144 640 360 <object width="425" height="273" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="howcastplayer"><param name="movie" value="http://www.howcast.com/flash/howcast_player.swf?file=197293"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.howcast.com/flash/howcast_player.swf?file=197293" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="273" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" ></embed></object> 5 foveacon http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/Picture_11_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png 452 false false false 75758 1 26 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/26.jpg Find store Birdhouses are sold at lots of different places—hardware stores, pet stores, and gardening stores are the likeliest bets. Find a store that you know will have a good-sized stock and a wide selection.

]]> 75759 2 38 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/38.jpg Choose wood Make a beeline for the wood houses. The best choice will be a house made of durable cedar or cypress, and will have a rough surface, which gives birds a foothold as they enter and exit the house.

]]> 75760 3 49 Tip Make sure the interior of the house is untreated and unpainted. Chemical fumes can harm birds—and anyway, birds don’t give a hoot about interior decoration.

]]> 75761 4 58 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/58.jpg Choose the right roof Choose a house with an angled roof, so that predators can’t sit on it—they could spook Mom and Dad into leaving home. And avoid metal, which attracts too much heat.

]]> 75762 5 68 Tip Never use a birdhouse with a perch below the entrance hole. Predators may perch themselves on it and wait for the birds inside to come out.

]]> 75763 6 76 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/76.jpg Carve grooves After bringing your new birdhouse home, use a whittling knife or sharp penknife to carve grooves below the entrance hole on the inside and outside of the house. This will provide added traction for little bird toes.

]]> 75764 7 89 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/89.jpg Ventilate It doesn’t need air conditioning, but be sure your birdhouse is well ventilated. If they aren’t there already, drill small holes along the edges of the top walls.

]]> 75765 8 98 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/98.jpg Allow for drainage If the birdhouse needs them, you should also drill small holes in the corners and middle of the bottom, to allow drainage and keep the nest aired out.

]]> 75766 9 108 Tip Lightly rubbing the inside of the birdhouse with a bar of soap will help repel insects.

]]> 75767 10 113 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/113.jpg Check entrance hole Make sure the entrance hole in the house is large enough for the birds in your neighborhood to come and go comfortably. If not, get out your trusty knife and perform some more repair work.

]]> 75768 11 124 Step http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/197293/124.jpg Hang Hang your birdhouse in a safe, cat-free spot and start watching to see when your new tenants move in! When the season is over, clean out the birdhouse and save it for next spring.

]]> 75769 12 134 Fact Ostriches, which can weigh up to 300 pounds, lay their eggs in a communal nest scraped into the ground.

]]> 1156 23216 How To Clip a Bird's Nails 2726 HowcastGuide Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:15:51 -0700 7 damonzwicker ]]> 146 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/4/16/32/02/23216.flv bird birds clip nails Pets Birds 1 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/23216/Picture_9_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/23216-How-To-Clip-a-Birds-Nails 1156 217158 How To Choose the Pet Bird That's Right For You 327 HowcastGuide Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:02:11 -0800 2 foveacon ]]> 140 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/1/96/64/30/306496.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals, pet, chose, choosing, bird, perfect, right, best, pick, picking, decide, deciding, buy, buying, purchase, purchasing Pets Birds 1 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/217158/ChoosePetBird_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/217158-How-To-Choose-the-Pet-Bird-Thats-Right-For-You 1156 217436 How To Care For a Hookbill Bird 1162 HowcastGuide Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:17:37 -0700 8 sarit ]]> 196 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/4/40/27/23/232740.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals, pet, birds, bird, hookbill, hook, bill Pets Birds 1 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/217436/Picture_2_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/217436-How-To-Care-For-a-Hookbill-Bird 1156 217448 How To Train Your Bird To Talk 1907 HowcastGuide Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:44:31 -0800 7 Andrew_Iyageh ]]> 158 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/1/45/27/28/282745.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals, bird, birds, pet, train, training, parrot, parrots, talk, talking, teach, teaching, speak, speaking Pets Birds 2 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/217448/TrainBirdToTalk_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/217448-How-To-Train-Your-Bird-To-Talk 1154 131143 How To Protect Your Furniture From Pets 2312 HowcastGuide Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:48:37 -0800 6 KeithMcKellar ]]> 114 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/5/43/11/13/131143.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals Pets General Pets 2 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/131143/Picture_4_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/131143-How-To-Protect-Your-Furniture-From-Pets 1154 181643 How To Cope When a Pet Dies 1532 HowcastGuide Fri, 15 May 2009 08:04:48 -0700 10 michaelrsanchez ]]> 94 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/0/43/16/18/181643.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals Pets General Pets 4 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/181643/Picture_1_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/181643-How-To-Cope-When-a-Pet-Dies 1154 194728 How To Take Care Of Your Pets During the Summer 1485 HowcastGuide Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:16:49 -0700 10 sen1710 ]]> 126 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/2/28/47/19/194728.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, dogs, Cats, lizards, hamster Pets General Pets 6 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/194728/Picture_2_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/194728-How-To-Take-Care-Of-Your-Pets-During-the-Summer 1154 230011 How To Select the Best Pet For You 1815 HowcastGuide Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:47:24 -0700 1 rachybop ]]> 116 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/5/98/38/26/263898.flv selecting,picking,choosing,best,pet,cat,dog,perfect,animal,family,match Pets General Pets 0 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/230011/choosepets_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/230011-How-To-Select-the-Best-Pet-For-You 1155 142284 How To Attract Birds and Butterflies To Your Backyard 1337 HowcastGuide Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:48:31 -0800 12 Saysa ]]> 98 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/2/84/22/14/142284.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals Pets Backyard Wildlife 2 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/142284/Picture_7_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/142284-How-To-Attract-Birds-and-Butterflies-To-Your-Backyard 1155 150955 How To Attract Hummingbirds To Your Yard 2379 HowcastGuide Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:04:57 -0800 10 bry9000 ]]> 144 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/0/55/09/15/150955.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, pets, animal, animals Pets Backyard Wildlife 1 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/150955/Picture_3_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/150955-How-To-Attract-Hummingbirds-To-Your-Yard 1155 174438 How To Make Your Backyard a Bird Haven 2487 HowcastGuide Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:20:12 -0700 14 texcuda ]]> 131 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/5/38/44/17/174438.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, Essential Skills, Learn to, environment, ecology, eco-friendly Pets Backyard Wildlife 5 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/174438/Picture_1_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/174438-How-To-Make-Your-Backyard-a-Bird-Haven 1155 177052 How To Make Hummingbird Food 2154 HowcastGuide Fri, 01 May 2009 10:33:08 -0700 4 Equilibrio ]]> 73 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/1/52/70/17/177052.flv DIY, Instructional, tutorial, Do It Yourself, Tips, bird seed, pet food, birdcage, Sanctuary, garden Pets Backyard Wildlife 0 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/177052/Picture_5_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.png http://www.howcast.com/videos/177052-How-To-Make-Hummingbird-Food 1155 218054 How To Make an Easy Birdbath 742 HowcastGuide Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:47:13 -0700 3 marisadeluca ]]> 76 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/0/06/63/23/236306.flv pets, backyard, wildlife, making, constructing, building, easy, simple, fast, bird Pets Backyard Wildlife 1 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/218054/make_an_easy_bird_bath_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.jpg http://www.howcast.com/videos/218054-How-To-Make-an-Easy-Birdbath 1158 3120 How To Talk To Your Cat 35530 HowcastGuide Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:37:24 -0700 68 Blairgbob ]]> 118 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/5/20/31/3120.flv animal, animals, cat, communicate, communicating, communication, DIY, Do It Yourself, Essential Skills, Instructional, kitten, kitty, Learn to, pets, speak, speaking, talk, talking, Tips, tutorial Pets Cats General Cats 15 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/3120/15_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.jpg http://www.howcast.com/videos/3120-How-To-Talk-To-Your-Cat