All The Things You Need To Know About Parrot Care

If you are seriously considering buying a parrot, spending a few minutes reading this short article will be very worthwhile. The most important question to ask yourself before becoming a parrot owner is - Are you willing, and able, to spend the necessary amount of time to properly care for a pet parrot? Parrot care shouldn’t be taken lightly, because it is very important for the health and well-being of your pet parrot, and it takes a lot of time to do it properly.

Parrots have been popular pets for centuries now, and it isn’t hard to understand why – they come in a variety of superb colours; they have very attractive personalities; they are really bright and intelligent; they are reasonably easy to train. Unfortunately, these major pros often cause people to overlook the negative points associated with adopting a parrot, and they rush out and buy a parrot without giving proper consideration to how much time and effort is required to properly look after one. Very sadly, this often results in lots of parrots developing behavioural problems.

There are more than 350 parrot species, and even though each type has slightly differing needs, the following aspects of parrot care are required by all of them:

Cages – Having a large enough cage is the most important factor for having a mentally stable parrot. Your parrot must easily be able to fully spread and flap its wings, with plenty of room to spare. There also needs to be adequate room for five large parrot toys, without the parrot being cramped. Regularly inspect the cage for damage that could harm your bird (e.g. sharp metal edges caused by your parrot gnawing the cage).

Socialization – If parrots are left on their own, they often develop mental health problems. Therefore, it is really important that they get lots of social interaction with you and your family – treat him like a member of your family, and he will act like one! The surest way to achieve this is to position the parrot cage in the area of your home where you and your family spend the majority of your time. Note: Don’t position the cage in the kitchen, because cooking gives off chemicals that are poisonous to parrots.

Nutrition/Diet - Even though diets vary slightly from species to species, there are many common foods that are good for all parrots. Every parrot’s diet should consist of the following foods: fresh water, parrot seed (vitamin enriched), fresh fruit & veg, and parrot pellets.

Cage Cleanliness – Every day, clean the cage with water and mild soap. You should always wash your hands before you handle your parrot, or touch his food, because it is really easy to give a parrot a bacterial infection. For example, human saliva actually contains bacteria which is really harmful to parrots.

Parrot Grooming – Parrots require regular grooming. Their beaks and nails grow very quickly, and require clipping about every 4 or 5 weeks. This is vital, because long beaks and nails can easily result in your parrot getting snagged on various parts of his cage, which can easily cause an injury. You need to provide fresh water baths or sprays every day to keep your parrots’ feathers in ‘tip top’ condition.

If you are willing to provide proper parrot care, owning a parrot will be really enjoyable and very rewarding. The majority of parrots thrive in normal household environments, and they make fantastic pets and companions. However, owning a parrot is a long-term commitment, because (depending on the type you buy) parrots can live anywhere between 15 and 80 years.