Amboina King parrots are considered to be one of the most attractive species of parrots due to their bright and striking color combinations of their plumage. They are red in color with vibrant green wings and bright blue areas on their backs, tail and wing tips. The underside of their body is black or dark grey with pink markings and the top of their tail is mainly black with blue dashes. In terms of size the Amboina King is considered a mid-sized parrot and can grow up to between 13-15 inches. They have an average life expectancy of between 20-30 years so should not be considered as a pet lightly as they will be with their family for quite a long time. Unlike some other species of parrot the males and females look identical, so much so that you would have to conduct a DNA test to prove the birds sex and this should be provided by any reputable breeder at the time of your initial questions into whether this could be the right parrot for you and your family.

Amboina’s have a more amiable personality than many other species of parrot which can be a major plus point for many people considering adopting a parrot. Not only are they generally quieter than a lot of parrots but they are typically less destructive as well so their cages and toys will last longer, however the flipside of this is that it may take a little longer to form a bond of trust that is so rewarding. Although they are one of the quieter parrots, many of them learn to mimic sounds in their environment and they can go on and learn to talk as well although as with any species of parrot this is down to the individual bird and cannot be predicted. They don’t like intense physical contact but they do need interaction whether it is with other birds or if that isn’t possible then their human family as they are very social in nature. The best way to meet the social and attention requirements of an Amboina is a combination of toys for the bird to play with in their cage as well as one to one interaction which more than likely will be with their human family.

In their natural habitat the Amboina’s diet would consist of hard fruits, berries, buds and acorns from the surrounding trees. A pet Amboina should be fed on a mixture of fresh produce (both fruit and vegetables), pellets, seed and grain and they should only be fed twice a day.

In conclusion the Amboina King parrot makes a fantastic pet that will reward you with years of companionship and quality interaction rarely found in other pets and although they are also a little less maintenance than other types of parrot they still need lots of love care and attention in return for their engaging behavior and rewarding companionship.

The Jardine’s parrot is considered a medium size parrot growing to around 11 inches in length and has a life span of between 20-30 years depending upon its health, diet and environment.

Jardine’s are considered affectionate in nature but at the same time they are also spirited and lively so they will need some conscientious and thorough training most of the time to avoid them becoming badly behaved and ill-tempered and within the training it is widely recommended that the owner teaches their parrot to “step up”. It is also recommended that within the training they are handled by more than just one person to avoid them becoming a one person bird who becomes aggressive if anybody else attempts to pick them up or play with them. A Jardine’s parrot can develop a nipping or biting habit if they are not carefully trained and looked after but this can be corrected easily with consistent handling, although it may well re-appear seasonally if the bird is mature.

Jardine’s parrots have a high intelligence and so require frequent interaction with their adopted human family. They are acrobatic birds and enjoy learning new tricks. They are often seen running about and rolling around so are quite sturdy birds and although they fit in well with an average family environment they can have bad reactions to stress or a stressful environment, so it is good practice to move the bird around in its home environment to get comfortable in most places and also try and minimize your own stress when dealing with your parrot as they are highly intuitive and can pick up on subtle signs of stress and anxiety. A key to avoiding behavioral problems is to keep them entertained and this can be helped by providing them with a variety of toys for their amusement. Jardine’s love playing with toys and it is important that you rotate their toys to avoid repetitiveness and boredom. The type of toy is important also and you should definitely provide some toys with wood or bark on them so that they can chew and gnaw on them to keep their beak in good condition.

Jardine’s have the ability to mimic and in fact their ability is close to that of their larger cousin the African Grey. They are also accomplished whistlers but generally they are not considered loud birds but parrot standards. They have the ability to become impressive talkers but as with all parrots this comes down to the individual parrot as to if they talk and how much.

In their natural habitat they would live on a diet of fruits, seeds, some flowers and Olives. If kept as a pet, a Jardine’s parrot should be fed a balance of seeds, fruits, vegetables and pellets although care is needed when choosing the brand of pellet and seeds as the nutritional content must be carefully regulated to avoid many of the diet related illnesses the Jardine’s can suffer from.

A Jardine’s parrot will make an excellent pet for anyone looking for a parrot, as due to their size they can be housed in a wider variety of home than many of their larger cousins but also because of their engaging and comic personality which help create a unique and fulfilling bond between the two of you.

Parrots are able to distinguish many more shades of color when in sunlight and this ability helps them with their 3 primary activities when in their natural habitat, that of spotting potential danger, mating rituals and probably the one activity that is used most and that is foraging for food, it is not that easy to spot a berry or fruit amongst the dense canvas of the rainforest!!

Luckily for pet parrot owners there is a more convenient and less intrusive way to give your parrot the light it requires without having to physically transport your bird outside for hours each day and that is to place a full spectrum light near the parrot’s cage. Full spectrum light is light that encompasses the electromagnetic spectrum from near ultraviolet down to infrared, so all the wavelengths that have been found to be of use to both animals and plant life. Sunlight is considered to be full spectrum. Full spectrum is not considered a technical description; it is a marketing term which implies a particular product that is comparable to natural light. Unfortunately you cannot place your parrot’s cage near the window in order to get the benefits from sunlight as domestic windows filter out UVA and UVB rays which are essential for your parrot’s health and wellbeing.

Full spectrum lighting aids the natural synthesis of Vitamin D3 and assists the parrot to regulate it naturally. Vitamin D3 allows the digestive system to obtain calcium from their diet, helping the parrots beak and bones. Too much calcium can result in kidney problems and too little can leave a parrot with debilitating brittle bones, so for a parrot to be able to regulate their Vitamin D3 is very important and full spectrum lighting is a major contributor to aiding this process. Full spectrum lighting also has a positive effect on the glandular system of a parrot which ultimately ensures healthy feather growth and consistent molting and reproductive cycles.

The full spectrum light should be placed no more than three feet away from your parrot and be switched on for a set time at the same time each day. Due to the proximity of the light and therefore light fixture to your parrot, you need to make sure that your parrot cannot destroy or dismantle the fixture and be able to hurt themselves or chew through the electrical cable. The exact length of time that the light should be on will be dependent on the parrot’s particular breed. The reason that recommended times should be followed are to prevent any adverse behavior from the parrot such as depression or aggression. The full spectrum light may indicate the length of time you need to expose your parrot to the light for.  Most birds will be between 2 to 4 hours daily, however smaller parrots like canaries or parakeets will suffice on 1 to 2 hours and larger birds like many of the African parrots will require around 4 to 6 hours. The easiest way to make sure that your parrot gets the correct amount of full spectrum light or natural light exposure is to install a timer onto the lights plug so that you can automate the process and then that is one less thing you have to remember to do on a daily basis. You need to remember that the use of a full spectrum light is in addition to the natural daylight of your own environment as parrots require a balanced light spectrum and regular photoperiod. In their natural habitat which more often than not is near or somewhat near to the equator, parrot’s have developed and have become accustomed to between 7 to 12 hours of sunlight per day. Parrot’s use light to set their internal clock, control their metabolic rate and their endocrine system which is vital in keeping parrot’s healthy and happy.

Parrot’s are acutely affected by their immediate surroundings and it is important that parrot owners create an environment that has a positive effect on their birds, everything from cage size and location through to the variety in diet and toys to keep them healthy and happy and one of the major factors on the parrots environment is their available light and its quality so you should spend some time and effort on choosing the best light that you can for your parrot and you will be rewarded with a happy and healthy pet for years to come.

-  What size of parrot would you ideally like to own and does that match your home environment limitations?

- Do you need to consult neighbors regarding the noise that your parrot may make?

- How much time can you or your family devote to giving your parrot attention?

Inevitably the deciding factor will be how much money do you want to spend or can you afford on your parrot, not only the initial purchase cost of the bird but also the associated equipment and food you will need both now and in the future?

Once you have answered the questions above you will have some parameters to work within. You can then move onto the different species of parrots which will fit into your ideal parameters. You will need to do some detailed research on the different types, so please use this website and its resources to help with that as you can choose a species of parrot that ranges from 5 inches to over 26 inches in size and from $50 to over $1500 in cost and can live anything from 5 years to over 60 years, so there are different combinations of parrot so that everyone can find an ideal match for them.

Now that you have decided on the species of parrot you now have to locate and choose whether you wish to buy your adopted companion from the pet store, rescue center, breeder or in rare circumstances a private individual. Although you can find many well adjusted and well behaved birds at rescue centers and pet stores, the only way you can have proof of your birds history and know for sure how it has been raised and cared for is to go to a breeder who will be able to show you your parrots environment and provide detailed answers to all of your questions and this in turn will help you in raising a well adjusted, happy and healthy parrot which goes along way to fulfilling what can be a best companion parrot.

Your parrots environment is another major factor in promoting the health and good behavior of your new best companion, so make sure that you invest the time and effort in creating the best environment for your new pet companion which includes the birdcage, its’ size and location within your home, the amount and variety of toys to keep your parrot amused and entertained as well as a full spectrum light and the correct variation of diet. When you get all of this right you will be rewarded with a very engaging, highly intelligent and sociable companion. A lot of owners choose to adopt a parrot for their ability to talk or make amusing sounds through mimicking and although there are certain species of parrots who are considered more accomplished talkers than others, the ability to talk is very much bird specific as well as influenced by the way in which the parrot is trained and taught in its formative years however it is generally accepted within the parrot community that African Grey’s and most Amazon’s have the correct voice and intelligence to not only learn an extensive vocabulary but also pronounce words very well as well as the ability to mimic various other sounds.

Hopefully throughout this article you have realized that there is no one single best companion parrot but there are many choices for people to choose a parrot that will fit in with their home environment, family and friends as well as provide hours of entertainment, pleasure as well as a strong companionship bond.

The primary concern when making homemade toys is the safety of your parrot. Not only must you ensure that the toy is the correct size for your parrot, if it is too small your parrot may end up swallowing part of the toy or injuring their foot or claws on it and if it is too large there is the danger that they may end up getting their beak, head of foot actually caught in the toy. You also need to make sure that the materials you are using to make the toys are parrot friendly, which means that they haven’t been treated with any chemicals which would harm your parrot.

It may be a good idea to buy one or two machine made parrot toys from the local pet store to find out what style of toy your parrot actually likes as this can differ from bird to bird. Generally however most parrots like to have toys that will challenge them mentally but also physically, so the ability to chew and gnaw them should be incorporated into your homemade parrot toy. This can be achieved with materials like rope, cardboard, untreated wood and chain. If you use wood cut from trees, it easier just to avoid pine as unless you safely dry the wood the sap from fresh pine is toxic. For every other wood you need to make sure that you soak the wood in a diluted bleach solution, roughly 1 part bleach to 10 parts water and allow it to dry naturally and this should take care of any bacteria or fungus then proceed to heat it in your oven to thoroughly dry it out and this will not only kill most parasites but also prevent it from growing mold. Once the wood starts to split then it is ready for you to use for your homemade parrot toy. If you are going to use chain then ideally you should use stainless steel however because this may be a little expensive for your homemade toy then at least use nickel plated chain as long as you keep it dry as most other chain will be made up of some amount of zinc which is toxic.

Another suggestion that is very popular is rather than making the toy yourself or going to the local pet store is to actually visit the local baby store and pick up a variety of colorful bells and rings and other derivative toys such as plastic keyrings as they will most certainly be cheaper than buying specific parrot toys at the pet store and as they have been designed for babies they are guaranteed to be safe for your parrot.

So the important thing is to keep your parrot engaged and entertained with a variety of toys that you rotate around every few weeks as to keep up their interest and fight off boredom. Making your own toys is an easy alternative to pet shop toys as long as you follow the above safety guidelines and for your effort you will be rewarded with a happy, well behaved and thoroughly entertaining pet for years to come.

Teaching a parrot is similar to teaching a child in that you should keep the sessions short and impactive and do not let boredom or tiredness become a factor which could possibly turn the training session into a negative experience for the parrot. Other similarities include waiting to start the session until both owner and parrot are ready, make sure the location is free from any distractions and it is important that your chosen location is well lit and your parrot is comfortable in his training environment. As parrots are very intuitive the owner needs to make sure that they are calm and free of stress when they start the training as any sign of impatience of frustration will be picked up by your parrot and will have a detrimental affect on your parrots learning.

A basic tick that is the most common to begin with is teaching the parrot to ’step up’. This involves the parrot stepping onto the object that the owner places in front of him such as fingers or a forearm for larger birds. For best results a piece of food should be used to entice the bird to ’step up’ onto the desired object and the owner using a calm steady voice to say ’step up’. Once the bird has completed the ’step up’ the food is given to the parrot as the reward and positive reinforcement. This simple task will be the one most performed throughout the parrot’s lifetime.

A further trick that can be taught is to ‘turn around’. This occurs when the parrot is on its perch and you offer him a piece of food. As the parrot moves toward the food you move it slowly behind the parrot who now has to turn his head completely around to see and ultimately get the food. Some types of parrots have to be gently encouraged to complete a full turn whilst others will do a complete turn on the perch unprompted. Once the parrot has completed the turn then the food is given once again as the reward.

Probably the most popular form of training is teaching your parrot to speak which is very entertaining but also has the benefit of solving a potential problem if the bird screeches too much trying to get attention. The best way to start is with just one word containing one or at the most two syllables. The majority of owners try and teach their parrot ‘hello’ as the first word but whatever the word is, the owner repeats the word slowly and evenly until you get a response from the bird. The response may not sound like the word you are teaching the parrot but it should be given a food reward at this point as ultimately you are trying to get the parrot to respond to the human voice. Owners will then need to keep repeating this particular technique until the parrot starts to mimic the word at which point the owner can move on to a new word and ultimately increase the parrots vocabulary.

Yellow headed Amazons that are bred in captivity are freely available as pets even though they can be expensive. As well as their striking colors they are a popular parrot to own because of their vocal abilities. They are considered a close runner up to the African Grey species which is widely held as the number one talker in the world of parrots. As with many parrots, all Amazon’s have the ability to talk but not all of them actually do, this depends on each individual bird where some birds will never talk and others turn out to be great talkers. Many consider Yellow headed Amazons to be the loudest of all Amazons and being playful birds they like to receive attention from their owners and families by being loud. This loud squawking or screeching however can be trained out of the parrot with human speech training which most owners opt to do. Overall they are very active, humorous and intelligent parrots but like most large parrot species they can be destructive which is why it is recommended that owners buy quite a few chewable toys and branches. Yellow headed Amazon’s are happiest when their environment allows them to move around and fly, so an aviary is an ideal environment but an indoor cage can suffice as long as the parrot receives plenty of exercise each day. Yellow headed Amazon’s have been found to be easy to train and tame.

On average they grow to a length of about 15 inches with the female being slightly smaller than the male. Their beaks are strong, thickset and hooked which they use for cracking the shells of nuts and seeds which are extremely strong. As with most parrots they also use their beak for climbing exploring and holding objects. Amazons’ feet have 2 toes pointing backwards and 2 toes pointing forwards and they use them not only for climbing but also as a hand to hold objects especially food when they are eating.

As with all parrots their nutrition is a very important contributor to their health and happiness and in the wild they live on a diet of leaf buds, fruits, blossoms, berries and nuts and occasionally maize. It is important that owners in a home environment feed their Yellow headed Amazon a variety of fresh produce both fruit and vegetables as well as seeds, berries nuts and pellet food.

Yellow headed Amazons generally have a lifespan of between 60 to 80 years so if they are to be considered as a pet this long term commitment must be fully realized and understood but as pets these birds offer an amazing bond and relationship with their owners as well as countless hours of pleasure and entertainment.

When searching for a parrot breeder you need to place a big emphasis on their reputation and make sure they have a very good one. General pet stores or rescue groups may be a consideration but when you go to a breeder you have the facility which should always be used of finding out about the parrots history and get an understanding on how it has been raised until this point which all helps when you ultimately make the transition for your parrot from the breeders location to your home.

Bringing up a happy, healthy parrot relies heavily on the methods that the breeder employs. Feeding a baby parrot is a major part of the work that a breeder does as different species of parrots respond differently to feeding times. It is the breeders job to provide nutritious healthy food which is also safe for the parrot. Another key responsibility is to wean the baby parrots prior to them being sold to what are essentially unqualified owners, as weaning a baby parrot is a complex procedure that needs to be done by an experienced handler. The diet of a young parrot should contain warm soft food, fresh fruit or produce, pellets and seeds.

A major part of most birds lives including parrots is their ability to fly. The majority of owners choose to have their parrots wings clipped for 2 main reasons, the first is to stop their birds flying around their homes and potentially breaking valuables such as vases, pictures, ornaments and lights. The second reason is to protect their bird from injuring itself by flying into windows or other objects. However baby parrots do need to master the art of flying before they get their wings clipped and it’s in their best interest that you find a breeder who has allowed their baby parrots to learn how to fly. The development of your potential parrot and it’s emotional health rely greatly upon the environment it has been raised in and the care the breeder has provided early in its life. The advantage of using a breeder is that you can ask how the breeder has socialized the baby parrots in preparation of selling them and the more information you can get the better it will be for you and your feathered friend.

On the whole parrot breeders are legitimate, responsible and caring people who get emotional and financial reward for being involved with a baby parrot in its formative months but you must also beware that some are in the breeding business solely to make money, so you need to be somewhat cautious and remember to ask revealing questions. Certain forms of parrot transportation are illegal so you need to ask how the breeders birds are transported. You also need to know that a breeder has introduced bathing to their parrots at an early age, the best time being when the parrot is feathered partially. You should ask and be allowed to see the aviaries where the parrots have been raised and alarm bells should start ringing if your breeder doesn’t insist on using a contract for the sale, this is a prerequisite of all reputable breeders. Good breeders will be able to be contacted after your purchase to provide support and answer questions you have as a new owner. Certain species of parrot have a lifespan of between 60 and 100 years, so they aren’t a light undertaking, in fact they are a huge commitment and it is very worth your while putting in the extra effort to locate the correct breeder.

Good parrot breeders have more knowledge than your local pet stores do and if you choose to adopt a baby parrot from a breeder you stand a greater chance of getting a healthy, happy and well adjusted parrot that will last a long time.

Amongst the scientific community at this present time there isn’t enough information and research to accurately assess the diets of parrots who live long lifetimes in the wild. Experts disagree on the best or optimum pet parrot diet although there is agreement that a seed only diet is not healthy for the vast majority of parrot species. Seeds are high in fat and lack important nutrients such as calcium and Vitamin A. In fact seeds should only contribute about 10% of a parrots’ diet but natural seed eaters such as cockatiels and budgies can handle as much as 25% of seed in their diet.

A more nutritious and balanced component of a parrots’ diet are pellet foods, which are made up from vitamins and minerals, seeds, fruits, vegetables and grains. Due to their inherent high intelligence though, parrots will get bored of eating the same foods daily, they are constantly seeking stimulation. Having said that, pellet food can make up the majority of parrots’ diet, as much as 50 or 60%.

Parrots should be offered fresh produce (fruit and vegetables) and should be presented to the bird ether chopped or in large chunks for larger birds to grab and gnaw on. The ideal situation is for a parrot’s owner to offer the widest variety of diet as possible. Ideal vegetables to feed a parrot are :- corn, eggplant, carrots, sweet peppers, cauliflower, green beans, sweet potatoes and cucumber. Parrots really like fruit as well and a good idea is to try and find tropical fruits that would make up their diet in the wild, fruits such as :- papaya, kiwi, melons, mangos, pomegranates and pineapple. Additionally they enjoy: – apples, cherries, peaches, oranges, bananas and grapes. Owners should take care not to feed their parrots the pips or seeds from the fruits however as these may be toxic. Other foods to avoid as they are also toxic to parrots are: – chocolate or cocoa, mushrooms, caffeine, guacamole, alcohol and avocado. Foods with large amounts of sugar, salt, coloring, additives or preservatives should also be avoided.

Foods such as wheat, pasta, barely, cooked brown rice and oats are an excellent nutrient source for parrots as well as unsweetened whole wheat cereals and whole wheat breads.

Parrots have an intuitive as well as sensitive nature so owners need to put a lot of thought and consideration into the type of diet they provide for their parrot as most problems tend to stem from malnutrition.

As a responsible owner you should understand the importance of your parrots’ dietary requirements and cater for their complete nutritional care.

There are numerous varieties and they each may require slightly different parrot care but they all require correct healthy nutrition to maintain a high quality of life. The general diet for a parrot should contain fresh produce (fruit and vegetables), high quality parrot seed enriched with essential vitamins and parrot pellets as well as fresh water daily.

Birds generally are thought of as “dirty” pets to look after but it is really important to keep your parrots’ cage clean. Their dishes and even their perches should be cleaned on a daily basis using mild soap and water. You shouldn’t use substances such as bleach or ammonia as they can irritate and even in some cases burn a parrots’ eyes, respiratory system and skin. Parrot owners should always have clean hands themselves when handling their parrot, preparing their food and even cleaning their dishes as so to minimize bacterial infections. Parrot owners need to be aware that human saliva contains bacteria that, to a parrot are harmful, so they shouldn’t allow their parrot to perform one of their favorite signs of affection which is to place their beak in the mouth of their owner, known as “kissing”. Another important aspect of maintaining a healthy happy bird is the size of his cage, it should be sufficiently large enough for the parrot to spread its wings within his cage and also there should be enough room for up to four safe parrot toys.

Parrots can often form very strong bonds with their human owners and families and generally speaking, smaller parrots can live up to 15 to 30 years of age and their larger cousins can often live well past their 60’s, so parrot ownership can mean a lifelong commitment. To maintain a happy healthy bird one of the aspects that is very important is the social interaction they are involved in. Their cage should be located where the family spend a lot of their time and can easily interact with the bird, however even if Mom does spend a lot of time in the kitchen this place isn’t ideal due to the birds risk of chemicals and fumes from human cooking and other associated dangers.

Parrots require a constant level of grooming throughout their lives as their beaks and nails never stop growing. Their nails should be clipped around every three to four weeks depending on their length and overgrown nails can cause significant problems for a parrot, anything from toes getting caught on toys all the way up to not being able to walk properly and even falling of their perch!!!! They can usually take care of their own beak, especially if their cage has some sand in it where they can grind their beak as they forages for food. Also most owners have their parrots wings clipped every few weeks which limits their flight somewhat and this is done to prevent the parrot causing injury to itself and potentially others.

Parrots in the wild make use of rain showers to keep their feathers and plumage in pristine condition and owners can mist or bath their birds once a day using fresh clean water from a sprayer or a water bottle.

Parrots are very intelligent, sociable and full of affection and potential owners need to understand the requirement to meet each of these needs regarding their parrot care and when doing so will create an environment at home that will see your parrot live a long, happy healthy life.