Paperwork That Proves Identity and Origin
Start with where your bird came from and who it is. Keep the breeder, rescue, or shop details, the transfer or adoption paperwork, the hatch date and species, colouring, and any closed leg band number or other identification recorded exactly as written. File any sexing certificate, previous veterinary reports, and notes on parent birds or clutch mates if they were provided. Photograph your bird from both sides on arrival, showing markings, feather condition, and the band if one is worn, because a clear dated image supports identification if the bird ever escapes and helps you notice gradual feather changes later. Store copies away from the originals if you can, since a single lost folder should not erase the only proof of your bird's background.
The Diet, Weight, and Setup It Arrived With
Record what your bird was actually eating before you change anything: the seed or pellet type, fresh foods it recognised, favourite treats, and whether it was still receiving any hand-feeding. Sudden diet changes unsettle new birds and can mask whether a refusal to eat is homesickness or dislike of an unfamiliar food, so this arrival menu is your safe starting point. Weigh the bird on arrival if it tolerates handling, and note the cage, perch sizes, and toys it came with or settled onto first. Add the room routine it met on day one, including lights-out time and household noise level. Together these details explain the settling behaviour you will see over the following week far better than memory does.
Your Own Settling Notes From the First Weeks
Your observations are records too. Note appetite day by day, droppings as they settle into a normal pattern for the diet being eaten, sleep, and how the bird reacts to hands, voices, and household movement. Log firsts as they happen: first food taken from your fingers, first step-up, first bath, first time it explored outside the cage and how it returned. Record any early concerns and what you did, including a first veterinary visit, the practice details, and the advice given. This baseline is what turns a later worry into a clear report, because saying a bird is quieter than its own normal third week at home is information a vet can use, while saying it seems quiet is far harder to act on.
Keep the File Alive Beyond Arrival
Review the record after the first month and add what arrival paperwork could not include: the foods your bird now eats reliably, its stable weight range, moult timing, training progress, and the sitters or family members who know its routine. Keep contact details current, including your avian vet and an emergency option, and note any boarding or travel the bird has done and how it coped. If ownership ever changes, this file should be complete enough for a stranger to feed, house, and reassure your bird without guessing. KinsLe organises that file through Pet Passport, keeping records together in one portable packet so the first-day baseline and everything added since can be shown at a vet visit or handed to a carer in one go.