Posts Tagged ‘parrot care’

Best Companion Parrot

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Friendly ParrotWhen it comes to parrot ownership many people ask me and want to know which type of parrot makes the best companion parrot. Unfortunately this question although simple has a very complex answer which actually is made up of many variables that can alter the outcome a great deal. What may be an ideal companion to one owner may well be different to another parrot owner. You need to ask yourself some initial questions and then set some ownership parameters. Just a few questions that you need to consider are:-

-  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.

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Homemade Parrot Toys

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Homemade Parrot ToysA major part of keeping a pet parrot healthy and happy is keeping them engaged and occupied both physically and mentally. This is achieved through interaction with the owner and their family but also through toys. Parrots need their toys changed around frequently to avoid repetitiveness and boredom and also because many times the toys themselves will end broken through the parrot chewing, gnawing and playing with them. This is totally natural and actually encouraged, so it is a good idea to always have some reinforcements on hand. If you always turn to the local pet store this can soon start to add up to a not inconsiderable expense, so the alternative is homemade parrot toys.

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.

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Parrot Tricks

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Parrot TricksParrots are highly intelligent and intuitive. These birds have been monitored and tested for their cognitive and intellectual abilities and the results have shown that they possess a similar intelligence level to that of a young human child. For many owners part of the appeal of parrots is the ability to teach them tricks. Teaching new parrot tricks is not only entertaining for both the owner and the parrot but it has the added benefit of helping improve the parrots behavior and it has a positive effect on the sociability of the bird also.

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.

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Parrot Diet

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Parrot DietThere are numerous varieties and species of parrot but one component that they all share is that feeding them a healthy balanced diet helps them have a better quality of life and helps them live longer.

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.

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