Do I really want a parrot? | What kind of parrot should I get? | Where should I get my parrot? | What kind of cage should I buy? | What do parrots eat? | How do I tame my parrot? | What if my parrot gets sick? | How do I teach my parrot to talk? | Does my parrot need a mate? | Should I clip my parrot's wings?

Do I really want a parrot?
What kind of no-brainer question is that? Of course you want a parrot! They're beautiful, they ride around on your shoulder and do tricks, and they talk. They're one cool pet. Besides, a green one would match the couch...

Endearing, yes, but parrots can be a lot of work.   (Photo of Owen the Amazon courtesy of Marc Johnson of Foster Parrots.)

Before you succumb to the parrot's charms for all the wrong reasons, think carefully about your decision. A parrot is a big responsibility, a smarter-than-average bird that can be a lot of work. To care for one properly, you must be prepared to invest a significant amount of time, energy and money.

Consider a few facts about parrot keeping. Your bird will need a varied diet and a roomy cage with toys. It may never talk or learn to do tricks, but it will still need your attention. Larger species require at least a couple of hours of one-on-one time with their owners every day. Parrots live a long time. Even budgies and cockatiels can outlive a dog or cat if properly cared for. Large parrots such as macaws and cockatoos have been known to reach the ripe old age of 80.

Like other animals, parrots need to be taken to a veterinarian when they get sick. When you travel, they need a pet sitter. Like puppies, parrots love to chew--on furniture, wallpaper, doorjambs, homework, and your clothes. Unlike Bowser, they never outgrow the habit.

Parrots can and do survive multiple homes, just as dogs, cats and other animals do, but because they tend to bond to one person, they may suffer more psychologically. Unless you can commit to a parrot for as long as you both shall live--with a provision in your will, ideally--do both of you a favor and buy a canary or a pair of finches instead.

If a parrot still sounds like a good idea, lucky you. No other pet combines as much beauty, intelligence and innate uniqueness as a bird.

What kind of parrot should I get?

Most small parrots make good pets for children and apartment dwellers.   (Photo of Cocoa the Quaker parakeet courtesy of Foster Parrots.)

Let space, expense and living arrangements first help determine the best parrot for you. Most apartment dwellers, folks on a budget, or families with small children will enjoy one of the many smaller species, such as budgies, cockatiels, conures and lovebirds.

The largest parrots, such as Amazons, macaws and cockatoos, are striking in appearance and also can make loving pets.

However, they are messier, louder, more destructive, more expensive to feed and house, and capable of inflicting dangerous bites if not properly handled.

A few parrots make better aviary birds than indoor pets. Lories, for instance, have the less-than-enchanting habit of spraying liquid droppings up to six feet away. Still, many lory fans are willing to purchase or rig special cages in order to keep these parrots as pets.

...but large parrots can be loud and messy.   (Photo of Psycho the scarlet macaw courtesy of Foster Parrots.)

If you're having trouble deciding, ask someone knowledgeable about parrots, such as a breeder, to advise you. If your local pet store does not know of one, it's easy to find a breeder on the Internet by typing “parrot and breeder” into a search engine such as Yahoo.

Where should I get my parrot?
The easiest, fastest way to acquire a parrot is to purchase it from a pet store. The drawbacks are that it's impossible to know for certain a bird's age, background or health. Also, unfortunately, many pet shop employees are not knowledgeable enough about parrots to offer much advice on care.

Another place to get a parrot is directly from a breeder. A good breeder can supply you with a young, tamed bird and can tell you everything you need to know about behavior and care. However, there is no guarantee that a hand-fed youngster will remain tame, and some breeders engage in cruel practices you may not be aware of. (For instance, some euthanize pairs that no longer produce up to par or have the beaks of male cockatoos surgically split so they cannot kill females in cramped breeding quarters).

Consider getting your parrot from a rescue group. Most such organizations offer adult birds to good homes at reasonable prices.   (Photo of walk-through aviary courtesy of Foundation Dutch Parrot Refuge.)

One of the best ways to acquire a pet bird is from the local animal shelter or an avian rescue group. Although their plight is not as publicized as that of unwanted cats and dogs, thousands of homeless parrots wait in these facilities for a second chance.

What kind of cage should I buy?
You should think of your parrot's cage as a temporary place to confine it when necessary, not as a permanent residence. Even so, your parrot will be spending many hours in its cage, so try to make it as roomy, comfortable, and homey for a bird as possible.

As long as the bars run horizontally and are spaced close enough to prevent your parrot from sticking his head between them, you can buy a cage as large as your pocketbook and home will allow.

At a minimum, the cage should be large enough for the parrot to flap his wings for exercise. Avoid cages made of wood or hardware cloth; the former won't last under a parrot's destructive beak and the latter is coated with zinc, poisonous if chewed. Place the cage in the living room or another room close by family activities.

Parrots appreciate a nest box they can retreat to for sleeping or privacy.

Equip the cage with two or three perches of varying diameters to prevent foot fatigue and pressure sores. Safe-to-chew tree branches make a nice alternative to commercial dowels.

Equip the cage with at least a couple of parrot-safe, species-appropriate toys to keep your bird occupied when you're not around. Many people rotate toys every couple of weeks so their parrot won't become bored. Most parrots also love wooden boxes placed inside their cages; they use these as private hideaways and as a roosting place at night.

Birds appreciate an occasional bath. Small parrots such as budgies will use the little plastic bathtubs you can attach to the cage. Ceramic dog dishes too heavy for a playful bird to tip over work well as makeshift bath tubs for larger parrots. For quick showers, use a plastic plant-misting bottle to gently spray your parrot with lukewarm water.

Line the bottom of your parrot's cage with newspaper; fancier materials such as sawdust and corn cobs not only cost extra, they can create a moist environment for disease. Ink from newsprint will not harm your parrot. However, it's a good idea to change the paper every day; not only will your bird's feet stay cleaner, it's easier to spot a change in droppings.

Experts recommend parrots get 12 hours of quiet and darkness every night. Covering the cage with an old towel or light blanket may help your bird sleep better.

What do parrots eat?
All any bird needs is seed, right? Not parrots. Although avian nutrition is still a relatively young field, experts agree that parrots need more than the box of seed you buy at the pet or grocery store. All-seed diets tend to be high in fat and deficient in vitamin A, calcium and protein. While your bird may appear to thrive on seed, eventually the poor nutrition will cause serious health problems, which may include liver disease, respiratory infections and even blindness.

A well-rounded diet for a parrot may include fruits, vegetables, cooked grains and, occasionally, bits of cooked meat.

So what's on the well-fed parrot's menu? Because the precise nutrition needs of various species have yet to be established, experts are still divided on the question. Some avian veterinarians advocate roughly 50 percent cooked grains such as rice and oatmeal, 20 percent fresh fruits and 20 percent fresh vegetables, with the remainder consisting of nuts and beans for protein. Other experts recommend a diet that consists mostly of formulated pellets such as Harrison's, with little of other types of food provided.

Healthy nonpelleted foods for your bird include whole-kernel corn, cooked pasta, plain popcorn, cooked oatmeal, barley, wheat bread or unsweetened breakfast cereals such as Shredded Wheat and Cheerios. Vegetables may include fresh greens such as spinach and broccoli, cooked yams, squash, sprouts, and carrots. Most birds love chopped fruits, such as apples, pears, plums, oranges and grapes, and bits of beef, chicken or fish.

In general, most parrots can eat just about anything that's safe and healthy for a human, as long as it doesn't contain caffeine or too much fat, salt, or sugar. However, there are a handful of dangerous exceptions: Never give your bird avocado or chocolate. Avocados contain a toxic chemical called persin, which can also sicken humans who are allergic to it. Chocolate contains theobromine, a caffeine-related alkaloid that animals cannot metabolize as effectively as humans can. Also be sure to remove all seeds from fruits; many pits are toxic to birds.

Never let your bird chew on or inhale any substance that is not healthy for humans or that you cannot identify as safe. For a complete catalog of dangers, see Hazards and our list of poisonous plants.

Start your parrot on a healthy diet as soon as possible. Fondness for a variety of foods will not only make it easier to feed, but could help save your parrot's life should it ever lose its appetite due to illness.

However, never abruptly change a parrot's diet. Gradually introduce new foods while leaving the bird's old seed diet in the cage for at least a few hours every day. As it learns to like the new menu, you can feed your bird less seed. A parrot suddenly and completely deprived of familiar foods can starve itself.

Tip for first-time parrot owners: Check your bird's seed dish daily to make sure it's full of seeds, not seed husks that have fallen into the container as the parrot eats. You can separate shells from whole seeds by lightly blowing over the dish.

To make it easier for the bird to find whole seeds and for you to check the dish's contents, fill the dish only a third of the way. Another tip: Turn commercial seed mix into a more nutritious food for your parrot by sprouting it in a shallow container of water. Refrigerate and feed a few sprouts every day. (For more on feeding your bird germinated seeds, read Sprouts are out, an article published in the September-October 2002 issue of ParrotChronicles.com.)

How do I tame my parrot?
The easiest way to enjoy a tame parrot is to acquire one that is already comfortable around people. A tame parrot should not attempt to bite or be overly skittish when you approach it and should be willing to step onto a finger or hand.

If your new bird is afraid of you, don't despair. Even a tamed bird can backslide, especially around strangers. Don't attempt to make friends right away; let your bird watch the comings and goings of its new household for a couple of days. After this settling-in period, place your hand inside the cage and say "up," offering your finger to a small parrot and your entire hand to large birds. If the parrot does not respond, gently press the back of your finger or hand against its lower abdomen to encourage it to step forward.

If a parrot has been mistreated or never handled, it may take more than a few days to tame. In some cases, earning a bird's trust may require you to spend weeks or even months providing consistent, patient, daily interaction.

Never hit or yell at a parrot or deprive it of food and water as a means of training. Birds do not understand punishment and cruel treatment will only foster distrust.

What if my parrot gets sick?
A good diet, a safe environment and plenty of rest will go a long way toward keeping your parrot well. However, chances are the time will come when your bird needs your help to recover from an illness or accidental injury. Make sure you've found a good avian veterinarian before you need one. You'll also want to line up a good after-hours emergency clinic for when your regular vet's office is closed.

You can keep an ill bird warm by placing a heating pad against one side of the cage and wrapping the cage in plastic.

Common wisdom holds that birds, being prey animals, are more adept than other creatures at hiding illness to avoid appearing vulnerable to predators. Whether true or not, it pays to watch closely for any change in your parrot's behavior in order to nip illnesses in the bud. Once far along enough to be noticed, respiratory infections in particular can kill quickly.

Do not wait even a day to see if your bird's condition improves. If your parrot seems ill, call your vet immediately and follow his or her instructions. The vet probably will want to see your bird right away.

Sick parrots sit fluffed and listless on their perches or, if an illness has progressed to a serious stage, on the bottom of the cage. A parrot with pneumonia or other serious condition may make a barely audible wheezing sound when it breathes, sneeze frequently, or have a nasal discharge. Its singing or speaking voice may sound different.

Droppings, normally target-shaped and consisting of firm white and dark green parts (urine and fecal matter), may be consistently runny or a different color. (An occasionally runny dropping after a fright or stressful event is normal.)

A small gram scale will let you track your parrot's weight.

Weight loss or gain also may indicate illness, but changes are difficult to spot before they become significant, and by then a condition may be serious. For peace of mind, you may want to invest in a small portable scale that weighs in grams (available at pet-supply companies such as DrsFosterSmith.com). Weigh your bird every six months and call your vet if weight fluctuates 10 percent or more.

Sick or injured parrots should be kept in a warm place between 78 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Incubators make good infirmaries but most are expensive, priced at well over $100. Another option is to make your own hospital cage out of plywood, with a plexiglass front and a false bottom equipped with two or three light bulbs. Experiment with air holes and bulbs until you achieve the desired temperature.

For a quick-and-dirty hospital cage, train an adjustable lamp over your bird's covered cage, or place a heating pad against one side of the cage and encase it and the entire cage in plastic wrap. Seal loosely along the bottom with towels and cut flaps in the plastic on the front of the cage for fresh air and access to the bird and food cups. Adjust the wrap as needed to maintain the desired temperature.

Place a thermometer inside your hospital cage so you can monitor the temperature and adjust as necessary. If your bird gets too warm, he will hold his wings apart from his body, open his beak to pant, or both.

Always make sure your bird has plenty of food and water to drink in his hospital cage. If he is very weak, you may want to remove perches so he doesn't fall and injure himself.

How do I teach my parrot to talk?
Even the little budgie is capable of picking up at least a few words. You can increase the odds that your parrot will talk by choosing a species known for its talkativeness, such as the African grey and yellow-naped, blue-fronted, yellow-fronted or double yellow-headed Amazon parrot. Some people swear by training tapes, which repeat words and phrases over and over. However, many parrots begin repeating words and phrases they hear their owners say frequently, such as "hello" or "come here."

A pet parrot will prefer a mate of the same species over a human companion.   (Photo of military macaws General and Mrs. B courtesy of Foster Parrots.)

Many birds need at least a few weeks to get the hang of a new phrase; some talented individuals master new vocabulary after hearing it only two or three times. At the other end of the spectrum, some birds never utter a single human-language word; these you can appreciate for their other fine parrot qualities.

Does my parrot need a mate?
Parrots that spend a lot of time with their owners and have plenty of toys and other distractions seem to lead emotionally fulfilled lives with human families. However, if you cannot spend as much time with your bird as it seems to need, a mate or a companion of the same species can be a kindness.

Should I clip my parrot's wings?
Among pet-bird grooming practices, wing clipping is perhaps the most controversial. Some owners strongly believe in leaving their birds flighted; others prefer clipping. Owners in the first group like to leave their birds' wings intact so they can fly indoors or inside an aviary. A splinter group engages in the highly controversial and occasionally deadly hobby of allowing their birds to fly free outdoors.

Allowing your bird to remain flighted has cardiovascular and probably psychological benefits. Experienced flighted birds may be able to better maneuver out of harm's way in the home, unlike clipped birds, many of which often get stepped on as they wander the floor.

On the other hand, flighted parrots also can seriously injure themselves. They may fly onto a hot stove, crash into a window or mirror, or escape outside through a door or window accidentally left open. Escaped birds can be extremely difficult to recover and often do not survive outdoors, succumbing to the weather or attack from other animals.

You may not have to restrain your parrot for a trim if it's very tame, like this lory.

If you're among the many owners who prefer to clip their birds' wings for safety, you may leave this task to your veterinarian or do it yourself. Have a knowledgeable friend or your veterinarian show you how to do it the first time. When you are ready to fly solo, you will need a small pair of blunt scissors, a towel, and, unless your bird is very tame and enjoys being handled, a second person to restrain him to prevent struggling and biting.

The helper should drape the towel over the bird's back and grasp him firmly but gently by the back of the head. Never cover your bird's head or squeeze him. Many owners have accidentally suffocated their birds by restraining them too tightly, which can put a lethal amount of pressure on their delicate air sacs.

Currently, the most popular type of wing trim is cutting all of the primary feathers - the first grouping of feathers before the wing bends - half to two-thirds of the way. A super-short variation sometimes referred to as the Wissman technique (after the Florida vet who promotes it) features cutting the first five feathers where the shaft becomes bare. Proponents of this type of cut claim birds glide better and are less tempted to chew on the shafts, which may lead to a feather-plucking habit. To provide your bird with the best possible balance, never cut the secondary wing feathers - the second set that is beyond the bend, closer to the body - and always trim both wings.

A pair of notched scissors (bottom) can be used to trim a small parrot's claws, but you may need guillotine-style clippers for larger birds.

Hold the wing by the top (never the tip) to extend it. Before cutting a feather, carefully examine it to make sure it’s not still growing in. These new "blood feathers" have a swollen purplish lower shaft, which indicates they are still being nourished by a small reservoir of blood. When cut - or accidentally broken, a fairly common occurrence among birds that flail when frightened - a blood feather usually bleeds profusely.

Bleeding usually stops on its own; if it doesn't, you may be able to staunch blood flow by using gentle pressure or by applying corn starch. However, it's best to remove the remaining feather shaft as soon as possible, since leaving it may lead to renewed bleeding later or even infection.

If it's not possible to have a veterinarian remove the shaft, you can perform this chore yourself, with care. While a helper restrains your bird, firmly grasp the feather as close to the bird’s body as possible with a pair of pliers (or tweezers, for small feathers). With your other hand, gently hold the area around the base of the feather so that when you pull the feather out, the action does not tear your bird’s skin. Extract the feather in one clean movement. Once a blood feather is removed, the bleeding should stop.

Newly trimmed birds often overestimate their flying ability, so keep your bird on low perches and in carpeted areas until he's become acquainted with his new wings. A crash onto a hard floor or pavement can result in serious injuries to the head or keel.

You will probably find that your parrot's nails also need an occasional trim. Overgrown nails can snag in your clothing and make walking and climbing awkward for the bird. For nail trims you'll need a good pair of notched or guillotine-style nail clippers, found in most pet stores.

You may be able to restrain a small parrot for unassisted trims by wrapping it in a washcloth and gently holding it between your knees.

For very overgrown nails, try snipping a little at a time, waiting a week or two in between each session. This allows the vein to recede. If you accidentally cause bleeding, use your finger to lightly apply styptic powder to the end of the nail. Styptic works by chemical burn, so never apply it anywhere else on your bird or allow him to taste it.

If your bird’s beak has grown so long that it interferes with eating or grooming, consult your veterinarian. Additional chewing materials can keep some birds’ beaks in shape. In other birds, such as budgerigars, an overgrown beak can indicate a serious underlying medical condition, such as a fatty liver.

After watching your veterinarian file or trim your bird's beak, you may be handle this chore yourself. However, bleeding can be dangerous and botched trims can leave the beak open to infection. Whomever grooms the beak should avoid using sanding tools; these loud instruments only prolong and add trauma to the procedure.

ParrotChronicles.com

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