Your new bird is a lot like a child - she's a warm, inquisitive creature who loves to play and explore. But before you let your feathered friend loose in your home, make sure her play area is safe. Follow these safety guidelines to prevent accidents:

Trim Wings and Nails

You can prevent many injuries by trimming your bird's wings and supervising her playtime outside the cage. Birds with unclipped wings are more likely to escape through an open window or suffer trauma when they fly into doors or walls. So don't feel guilty about grounding your pet - you may be saving her life.

Trimming your pet's nails will keep them from snagging in open-weave or looped fabrics - and save your couch some wear and tear. Contact your avian vet for information on trimming your bird's wings or nails.

Prevent the Great Escape

If you own a large bird, purchase a travel carrier or harness and leash for furloughs outside the house, including veterinary visits. You can easily transport your small bird in her own cage. Ask your veterinarian about pet identification, such as leg bands and microchip implants, and keep identifying photographs on hand in case your pet escapes. Placing a tape recording of your chatty bird in the window may lure your little runaway home.

Bird-Proof the Play Area

When your bird roams free, turn off ceiling fans and close all windows and doors or cover them with a secure screen. Your small pet can drown in as little as a half inch of water, so cover toilets, sinks, fish tanks, glasses, and other open water. Turn off your stovetop and cover or remove pots containing hot foods. Keep electric cords, household cleaners, and pesticides out of reach, and extinguish burning candles and other open flames.

Keep Poisonous Plants and Products Out of Reach

Some household plants - including philodendron, schefflera, ivy, and dieffenbachia - are poisonous, so call the veterinarian immediately if your pet taste-tests the foliage. To find out which plants are toxic, talk to your bird's doctor or go to the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center web site.

Your curious pet will nibble just about anything, and this pastime increases her risk of heavy metal poisoning. Products that may contain lead include paint found in older homes, curtain and fishing weights, solder, stained glass, artist paints, foils and wires from champagne and wine bottles, batteries, costume jewelry, linoleum, and certain types of putty or plaster. Pennies, certain pet carrier hardware, and some galvanized metals may contain zinc. Keep these dangerous objects out of your pet's reach.

Keep the Air Clean

Your caged bird can't leave the room to avoid offending odors, so it's your job to guard against dangerous inhalant fumes. Because of their sensitivity, canaries were once used to detect toxic gases in coal mines. Modern day inhalant dangers include fumes from paints, glues, varnishes, kerosene heaters, wood stoves, fireplaces, cigarette smoke, hair spray, perfume, room deodorizers, home permanents, household cleaners, and insecticides.

The most insidious and lethal inhalant danger comes from nonstick cookware. When overheated, nonstick surfaces, such as Teflon or Silverstone, produce an odorless, colorless toxic gas that's harmless to humans or other mammals. If you use nonstick pans, hair dryers, self-cleaning ovens, or other nonstick appliances, keep your bird in a separate well-ventilated area, and watch her closely for any signs of illness.

With these careful steps, your pet can enjoy safe playtime outside her cage.