Adopting a bird means accepting a lot of love and a lot of responsibility for the welfare of your bird. How well you choose your bird room supplies will make a profound difference in your bird's longevity and quality of life. Here are 5 things your bird deserves to have in its room.

Safe Cage-A safe cage is one that will not allow your bird to ingest harmful paints, varnishes, or finishes when licking or chewing. It also has the bars spaced properly so that feet, beaks, and necks can not get caught and cause harm when your bird tries to escape.

A cage made of stainless steel will give the most service for the money. It is strong against even bone crushing strength of some parrots, is easy to clean, and looks great with no maintenance. Even though stainless cost more initially, it will save money long term because it will last.

Properly Sized Cage-The bigger the better is an adage that definitely applies to size of your bird's cage. Make sure the cage will allow your bird to fly for short distances without wing damage. It also needs to be tall enough to allow your bird to fly to perches at different levels within the cage.

Play Area Outside the Cage-Regardless of the type of bird you adopt, they all need to spend several hours a day outside the cage. This gives them the opportunity to really fly and exercise their wings.

It's also a great way to keep them stimulated intellectually and emotionally healthy. Designate an area and use perches made of various materials, brightly colored toys, and floors and walls that are easy to clean.

Stainless Steel Dishes-A double set of stainless steel food and water dishes will go a long way toward keeping your bird healthy. With steel there are no worries about your bird being able to damage the dish and choke or injure itself on small pieces.

Stainless will not absorb any of the food or food coloring and makes the room and/or cage look nicer. Having at least two sets of dishes means there is always a set ready for use while the others are being washed and sanitized, and of course they are dishwasher safe.

HEPA Air Purifier-Because your bird will shed feathers, and send dust and dander airborne for its entire life, your air is going to contain more airborne pollutants than are good for you and your bird.

Birds have really small air passages, and unless you take steps to remove the pollutants before they stop your bird from being able to breathe well, your bird will experience a shorter life span and a quality of life that is not so good.

A high efficiency particle arresting (or HEPA) air purifier is a must for any bird in captivity. Removing airborne pollutants makes the air cleaner and reduces the chances of your bird developing disease and infection. Humans can come and go from the bird room, but in most cases the bird is confined to one room.

So it will count on you to provide clean, particulate free air. Taking this proactive step will also eliminate airborne contaminants that can cause humans problems as well.