Parrots make enjoyable pets and put colour and interest into your life. They are relatively easy to feed and maintain but it is wise to remember that the larger parrots live a long time and keeping one is a long-term commitment.
When your parrot first comes home, watch him closely to make sure that he is not showing any signs of illness. Things to look out for are fluffed-up feathers, resting with his head inside his wing,standing on both legs instead of one, a thin breast bone, loose droppings, heavy breathing or any discharge from his nostrils. If you notice any of these symptoms or have any other worries or niggles about your new bird, keep him warm at about 80 to 90 degrees F or 27 to 32 degrees C and place him in a quiet place away from noise or anything that might startle him. Consult your vet as soon as possible in case your parrot needs urgent treatment.
Your first purchase will be an adequate parrot cage and ideas-4-pets have lots of parrot cages to choose from. For parrots kept in the house, a large parrot cage is ideal as long as the bird is allowed some time each day to fly around the room. A word of advise - don’t leave him flying around unsupervised as he can easily get himself into serious trouble by chewing electric wires, damaging furniture and fittings or generally wreaking havoc !!
When you have chosen a parrot cage, a good idea is to fit some natural perches in it as these provide different diameters for your parrot’s feet to move to, which exercises his feet. All perches should be changed regularly and the floor of the parrot cage should be covered with shavings, sand or newspaper and changed daily to keep the cage scrupulously clean.
Try to provide your parrot with an interesting, stimulating parrot cage as parrots are very intelligent and inquisitive creatures. They should be provided with lots of climbing opportunities which could include cotton rope as well as wooden climbing frames and ladders, bells and mirrors. Many suitable parrot toys can be bought from your local pet shop and your parrot will love to play with different things to keep him amused. A bird play stand is also a good idea as this will allow him to play and hop around outside his parrot cage.
Parrots love a varied diet because in the wild they eat lots of fruits and seeds. Just like us, if we were offered the same few foods every day we would soon start to be bored of our diet and also suffer from various health problems.
Foods that should be offered on a regular basis to your parrot are canary seed, mixed millets, hemp, wheat, maize, sunflower (not too much of this as it is an oil seed and can make your parrot put weight on), oats, buckwheat, paddy rice, niger, linseed and groats.
Most parrots love oranges, grapes, cherries, eating apples, pears and bananas and you can also include some exotic fruits like papaya, mango and kiwi. Never give your parrot avocado as this is poisonous to birds. Your parrot will also enjoy vegetables like carrots, celery, spinach, beetroot, peas, beans and even lightly cooked corn on the cob.
Soaked biscuit are another favourite but we recommend that you don’t feed your parrot with scraps from the table as this is not a good policy. Larger parrots, especially macaws, should be given nuts in their diet throughout the year such as walnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, cashews and hazelnuts.
Any fruit and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before being fed to your parrot and all his dishes should be spotlessly clean so don’t place them directly under his perch where they will quickly become dirty, soiled and unhygienic .
A good quality parrot food is very convenient and will provide your bird with adequate nutrition. If in doubt about what type to buy for your parrot we advise that you check this out with your vet. As with all pets, fresh, clean water should be provided daily and again his water bowl should always be pristine.
Looked after well, your parrot will be an excellent companion and provide you with many years of love and entertainment.
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