HOW TO HIRE · PETS · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a bird sitter in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
No licence applies to bird sitters. Here is what to ask and write down.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a bird sitter in five steps
- Find experience with your birdsBudgies, parrots, finches or backyard hens each need different care.
- Write the routineFood, fresh food, water, cage cleaning, out-of-cage time.
- Agree visitsOnce or twice a day, and what each includes.
- List warning signsFluffed up, not eating, droppings changed — and your avian vet.
- Sort keys and updatesKeys tagged without your address, messages after visits.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
No licence or register applies to bird sitters who care for your birds in your own home, in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Defra's licensing guidance for England says businesses that look after dogs in the owner's home, such as sitters and walkers, need no licence; the boarding laws cover giving animals accommodation, which a home visit does not.
The checks that matter are insurance, references, a meet-and-greet and your written instructions. gov.uk →
Boarding birds is not licensed
The boarding laws cover cats and dogs: England's 2018 Regulations license boarding for cats and dogs, and the 1963 Act in Wales and Scotland defines an animal as a dog or cat. A sitter who takes birds into their home needs no licence.
If your birds would stay elsewhere, visit and check the set-up. legislation.gov.uk →
Animal welfare law
While your birds is in their care, the bird sitter is legally responsible for it: the Animal Welfare Act 2006 counts a temporary carer as responsible (section 3) and makes it an offence not to meet an animal's needs (section 9) in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have matching duties in their own Acts.
Ask what they do if your birds stops eating or seems unwell. legislation.gov.uk →
Insurance
No law requires insurance for a bird sitter. The usual cover is public liability plus care, custody and control of the animals; ask whether vet bills for your birds are covered while it is with them.
Ask for the insurer's name and the policy dates.
VAT
Caring for birds is standard-rated, so VAT at 20% applies to each feeding visit and to cage or aviary cleaning. Once taxable turnover is above £90,000 a year, registration is compulsory, and the VAT must then appear as its own line on the bill.
Ask for the VAT number, and see the bird-visit price and the 20% VAT printed apart. gov.uk →
A good answer: Specific experience — parrots and hens are very different.
A good answer: Food, water, cleaning, social time, a health check.
A good answer: Only as you agree, with windows and doors secured.
A good answer: Signs such as fluffing up, sitting low, not eating.
A good answer: Your avian vet, named in the notes.
A good answer: Yes, with keys covered.
A good answer: A named backup.
Getting the quote right
- Who actually attends your birds — the sitter you met, or cover staff, employed or subcontracted
- Price per visit and visits per day
- Cage or aviary cleaning
- Extra for hens or medication
- Holiday rates and cancellation
- The VAT number, and VAT on the bird care given as its own line
Walk away if
- No experience with your kind of bird
- No questions about diet
- Out-of-cage time with windows open
- No insurance
What a bird sitter costs: £10–£20 per visit
Bird care is priced per visit, by the number of birds, cage or aviary cleaning, and visits per day. Bird Care price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Bird sitters near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- MeetThe sitter meets the birds and learns the routine.
- HandoverKeys, food and vet details.
- VisitsFood, water, cleaning and company.
- Health watchBirds checked each visit.
- ReturnNotes and keys handed back.
- Avian vet
- A vet experienced with birds.
- Fluffed up
- Feathers puffed for long periods; can mean illness.
- Out-of-cage time
- Supervised time outside the cage.
- Aviary
- A large outdoor or indoor bird enclosure.
- Pellets
- Complete bird food.
- Care sheet
- Your written routine.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a bird sitter: questions people ask
No. No licence applies to bird sitting in any UK nation, and boarding birds is outside the cat and dog boarding laws.
None is compulsory; public liability, animal care and key cover are normal.
Yes, while in charge; welfare law in each nation requires an animal's needs to be met.
£10–£20 per visit, typically around £17. The bird care price guide explains what moves the figure; enter your postcode above for prices from bird sitters near you.
At least daily; parrots and hens often need two visits.
Tell the sitter in writing. Reasonable care and skill is still owed under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in pets
Bird sitters near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- gov.uk (Defra) — dog day care licensing guidance
- Animal Welfare Act 2006, section 3 — responsibility for animals
- Animal Welfare Act 2006, section 9 — duty to ensure welfare
- Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, section 24
- Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, section 9
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, section 5
- Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, schedule 1
- gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
- mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
- nidirect — small claims process
- VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register