Bird Cages: Cleaning and Maintenance

If you consider yourself to be a loving and responsible bird owner, then you must thoroughly clean and maintain your bird’s cage on a regular basis. It’s essential for the health and safety of your bird. It can be done quickly and easily as long as you keep up on it. Follow my instructions and you’ll be done in no time!

First make sure that you have all of the proper equipment. You will need a bird cage cleaner, wire brushes, some bird cage paper and a bird play pen. Next remove your bird from his or her cage. Place the bird in a safe area that isn’t near open windows or doors. Also remove any perches, bird toys or food dishes from inside of the cage. The cage should be completely empty. Next check to see if the cage has a bottom that will detach. If so, remove it and dump the waste into a trash bag. If the bottom isn’t detachable, then turn the cage upside down and let the waste fall into the garbage. Shake the cage to make sure that you’ve gotten everything out. Now place the bird cage in a large sink. Run extremely hot water over the cage. Then use a non-toxic bird cage cleaner and scrub the cage with a wire brush. Scrub thoroughly until all of the excess is removed. Rinse the bird cage. You can do this in your shower or in a very deep sink. Dry the cage thoroughly with a dry towel and reassemble the cage. Now scrub any perches, toy or food dishes carefully and thoroughly with the bird cage cleaner as well. Rinse them and dry. Now line the cage with clean bird cage paper and replace all of the toys, food dishes and perches.

Parrot Care Tips – The Five Things You Must Do

If you are seriously considering buying a parrot, taking the time to read this article will be very beneficial. The key thing to think about before you go ahead and buy a parrot is – are you willing to devote the required amount of time to properly care for a pet parrot? Parrot care should be taken very seriously, because it is very important for the health and well-being of your pet, and it requires a lot of time to do properly.

Parrots have been popular pets for centuries now, and it is easy to see why – they come in a variety of colours; they have great personalities; they are very bright and intelligent; and they are reasonably easy to train. However, these pros often cause people to overlook the negative points associated with having a pet parrot, and they rush out and buy a parrot without properly considering how much time and effort is required to properly look after one. Very sadly, this results in lots of parrots acquiring behavioural problems.

Although there are over 350 species of parrot, and each species has slightly different parrot care needs, there are certain common ‘parrot care’ factors that are important to all of them:

Cages – Nothing has more of an impact on a parrot’s mental health than the size of its cage. The cage needs to be easily big enough to enable your parrot to fully spread out and flap its wings. There also needs to be enough room in the cage for five large parrot toys, without the parrot being cramped. Frequently check the cage for damage that could harm your bird (e.g. sharp metal edges caused by your parrot chewing the cage).

Socialization – When parrots are left on their own, they often experience mental health problems. Therefore, it is very 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 best way to ensure this happens is to place the cage in a location in your home where you and your family spend the majority of your time. Note: Don’t put the cage in your kitchen, because cooking often gives off chemicals that are toxic to parrots.

Food – Even though diets vary slightly from species to species, there are many common foods that are good for all types of parrots. Every parrot’s diet should include the following foods: fresh water, parrot seed (vitamin enriched), fresh fruits and vegetables, and parrot pellets.

Cage Cleanliness – Clean the cage every dayeach day, but only use water and mild soap. You should always wash your hands before you handle a parrot, or prepare his food, because it is very easy to give a parrot a bacterial infection. For example, human saliva contains bacteria which is very harmful to parrots.

Parrot Grooming – Parrots require a lot of grooming. Their beaks and nails don’t stop growing, and require clipping approximately every 4 or 5 weeks. This is essential, because long beaks and nails can easily result in your parrot getting snagged on various bits of his cage, which can cause an injury. You also need to provide water baths or water sprays every day to keep your parrots’ feathers in really good condition.

In conclusion, if you are prepared to provide the proper parrot care, owning a parrot is really enjoyable and rewarding. Parrots thrive in normal household environments, and they make fantastic pets and companions. However, please remember that adopting a parrot is a long-term commitment, because parrots can live anywhere between 15 and 80 years.

Buying a bird cage? Keep these tips in mind?

Some species of pet birds even have specific needs when it comes to appropriate dimensions and type of bird cage. However there are some general guidelines, which would help you choose a new home for your winged friend.

First off, one must decide where will your new bird cage be placed and buy according to the area you have reserved. It is preferred that the area is a fair distance away from any circumventing air drafts coming from windows or other openings. However, one should keep in mind that in order for a pet to become an active part of any family and develop a social relationship, bird cages should be placed in an active part of the home.

When you have reserved the right spot for your new bird cage, it is important to choose a cage of the right size and dimensions. When it comes to bird cages, bigger is always better, as long as the bar spacing is appropriate for your bird. While birds like a Finch or a Canary can be placed inside a small cage, other larger birds need more room to walk around with ease and fully extend their wings. One should also remember that food bowl, bird toys and bird perches will take a substantial amount of space inside a cage and this has to be taken into account.

The bar spacing of a bird cage is very important for your pet’s safety and security. One should look for a small bar spacing in order to prevent the smaller birds such as parakeets to squeeze through or become stuck in between the bars. When it comes to larger birds such as a parrot, bar separation can be wider and preferably have a horizontal orientation to allow birds to climb on the sides of the cage and exercise.

When it comes to shape and style, one should try and avoid round, cylindrical bird cages, as studies have shown that these can affect a bird’s psychological health. As most birds get most of their exercise flying within a cage from side to side rather than up and down, the length of bird cages is more important than the height. If you’re considering placing bird toys then one should try and find a cage which complements the activity resulting from the use of this toy.

If your new bird cage is to become a prominent part of your home decor, you should get the best quality cage you can find. It needs to be sturdy and solid, and have no loose parts or cutting edges. Stainless steel is often the preferred material as it is non-toxic and would pose no threat to the bird’s health. It is also easy to clean and will not chip away. As a bird cage’s primary function is to protect its host, one should avoid features such as fancy scroll work or designs which could increase the risk of a bird’s head, wings or feet to be caught in.

A well-built bird cage gives bird and owner many years of use and enjoyment. One must remember that just like us, a bird will appreciate a nice living environment, given it will spend most of its time in the same location.

Shop and buy small, medium, and large bird cages for you pet parrot and pet birds. All types and sizes of parrot cages and bird toys for your pet birds – http://www.birdcagesrepublic.com/

What Do Parrots Eat – Parrot Dietary Needs and Classifications

Hello fellow Parrot owners -new owners -and hopeful owners. Thanks for visiting the “What Do Parrots Eat” information article. If you are here I will assume that you are new to Parrots or something along these lines. Personally, I have seen many people have a tough time figuring out the best possible diet for there new Parrots.

The best thing I can say is, try to figure out the EXACT species of your parrot.

Usually the pet store will provide you with this information. At least they should -but hey, there are other ways to get your own Parrot. I cannot really get into each and every Parrot species right here, but what I do want to do is show you the different dietary needs of some of the basic parrot species.

Although there are around 300 different Parrot species, we can really narrow things down , and come up with the more important needs of Parrots in general.

Feeding pet birds the right foods is important for their health. A balanced diet based on sound bird nutrition recommendations is the key. Balancing a parrot’s diet from the beginning may prevent many health and behavior problems. But it’s never too late to get your pet bird on a firm nutritional footing. It is something you will want to do since an unbalanced diet is a main cause of disease and early death in pet birds. Malnutrition is a human-made disease. Fortunately, it is also preventable.

Learn What Parrots Eat - And more. Not only can you have a firm grasp of the parrot’s dietary needs, but you can learn to train your Parrot to speak. Be Friendly, and to avoid the Parrot biting that has been known to happen quite frequently.

Types

1. There are three basic forms of “base diets” that make up the majority of a pet parrot’s food intake: seed-based diets, formulated (pelleted) diets and cooked diets. Each has advantages and disadvantages, seed-based diets are not recommended for most species because they are deficient in several important vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamin A and calcium. Seed-based diets do have the advantage of being readily accepted by nearly every parrot. Formulated diets meet basic nutritional needs that are shared among all species, but additional supplementation — usually in the form of fresh foods — are necessary to maintain the health of most species. Cooked diets may be prepared from scratch or purchased in ready-to-cook packages. These diets contain the necessary fruits and vegetables that most parrots require but spoil quickly and are not always nutritionally complete.

Considerations

2. When choosing a diet for a pet parrot, it is important to consider any species-specific nutritional needs, if that information is available. Unformtunately, the nutritional requirements of parrots are not well-known, except for the most commonly owned species. Most parrots do well on a formulated diet that is supplemented with fresh fruits, vegetables and, in some cases, nuts. Amazon parrots, cockatoos, and Eclectus parrots should be fed few, if any, supplementary nuts because they are prone to obesity when fed a calorically dense diet.

On the other hand, macaws and conures of the Aratinga genus require more fat than is typically included in a formulated diet, making the addition of nuts in this case very beneficial. Hyacinth macaws, in particular, require a large amount of nuts in their diet to maintain their health; in the wild, these birds subsist only on the nuts of the queen palm tree.

Eclectus parrots are unusual in that they should not generally be fed a formulated diet; in the wild, they are almost entirely frugivorous. They have an unusually long intestinal system and can absorb excessive amounts of vitamins if they consume a nutritionally dense diet. This species requires a large quantity of fresh produce fed daily along with grains and a small amount of protein-containing food such as cooked legumes.

Misconceptions

3. One common source of confusion in feeding pet parrots is the species’ recommendations on packaged bird foods. Unless the package specifically states that it is formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of particular species or group of species, the recommendations reflect the size of the pieces of food rather than nutritional content.

This is especially true in the case of formulated diets; pellets sold for budgies are nutritionally identical to those sold for macaws or cockatoos. The pellet size chosen should be based on what the parrot prefers (and is therefore more likely to consume) rather than on what the package indicates.

Most conures, for example, prefer pellets sold for large parrots because they tend to eat while holding the pellet in their foot. On the other hand, small parrots that eat by picking food up directly with their beak may be unable to eat very large pellets.

Small pellets rarely present problems, even for very large birds, and can help reduce the amount of food that is dropped and wasted.

To really get a better understanding of Parrots in general you should really consider getting yourself a Parrot upkeep and training guide. There is nothing better than ALWAYS having a reference guide when owing a Parrot. Not only for knowing what your Parrots need to eat and other dietary supplementation, but because these are such special bird’s/pet’s.

These bieds have been known to live for 60 years! Deciding to learn everything possible right from the beginning will undoubtedly give you such a great chance to have a string healthy Parrot for a  very long time.

Not to mention, these Parrot’s can do so much in the way of speaking and other very special thing’s. They will be your best friend for life -so please, considering grabbing your own Parrot training guide.

You can see some of the best Parrot training and upkeep guides here:

The Ultimate Guide To Raising Parrots – Parrots Secrets Guide

The Ultimate Guide To Raising Parrots – Parrots Secrets Guide

 

For Guide:

 

http://parrotssecrets.blogspot.com

 

 

Introduction:

 

 

These are the Parrot “secrets” pet stores don’t want you to know!

 

“Who Else Wants to Quickly and Easily Have the Perfect Parrot: Healthy, Happy, and Thriving For Years to Come?”

 

 

Some amazing facts about parrot care… and why you shouldn’t even think about getting a parrot until you read every word of this letter!

Parrots get sick easily. In fact, most parrots in captivity live just a few years! But most diseases are 100% curable if you know what they have, and which medication to give them.

Parrots CAN live for up to 60 years…but improper diets drastically cut the longevity of your parrot – by not just years, but decades!

Parrots thrive — both physically and emotionally –when their diets are properly administered…unfortunately there is a ton of *wrong* information out there on how to do this!

From: Michael Joseph, Tuesday 3:23 PM

Dear Friend,

Did you just get a new parrot and have no idea how to care for it?

Do you own a parrot who “looks” sick, and is plucking his feathers constantly?

Are you interested in learning the best, fastest and easiest way to care for your parrot so that he lives a long and healthy life, without spending a lot of money on supplies?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then this may very well be the most exciting message you’ve read all day. Here’s why…

You’re about to discover a proven system for optimizing your parrot’s physical and emotional health as well as his energy level. This system works whether your parrot is healthy or sick.

 

Here’s the thing: Parrots are very delicate creatures

They get sick easily, and they can die easily. What you probably don’t know is that sickness and early death can be totally prevented by providing them with the proper nutrition and attention from the very beginning!

When you know how to meet your parrot’s nutritional needs, you can sit back and relax because your parrot will stay healthy.

What most people don’t realize is that proving your bird with the proper diet is extremely easy to do. I know, because…

 

I’ve been caring for and breeding parrots for over 25 years!

 

In that time, I’ve developed a foolproof ‘formula’ for feeding parrots, setting up a healthy cage environment with perfect health and diet conditions that maximize your parrot’s health and energy for years to come, and virtually eliminate any chance that your parrot will ever get sick.

I’ve compiled all my knowledge into an easy to follow, downloadable guide called “Raising Polly: How-to Raise a Healthy, Happy, Well Adjusted Bird.” It’s everything you needed to know about pet parrots.

This system is guaranteed to teach you everything you need to know about parrot care and greatly reduce the risk that your parrot will face those emotional problems that beset so many of these birds who are kept as pets.

I know that’s a bold promise and it might sound a little “over the top” …but it’s true, and I can back up every word.

 

For Guide:

 

http://parrotssecrets.blogspot.com

Difference Between Congo & Timneh African Grey Parrot

Physical diff between Congo & Timneh:

Timneh African Grey is a smaller version of Congo African Grey. Some people are of the view that in a beauty contest between Timneh (TAG) and Congo (CAG), there would surely be two winners. But I have a different view. As far as beauty and looks are concerned, the Congo Grey Parrots are much ahead of their cousins. No doubt that Timnehs is at the same footing when pet potential and talking ability is in issue, infect they are keener to interact with guests and are more playful and affectionate and less shy as compared to Congo Grey. But particularly talking about beauty, I think Congos have got the edge.

BEAK
Timneh Grey Parrots have smoky colored beak on the bottom, and a horn colored upper beak.
Congos have a solid black beak.

EYES:
Both Congo and Timneh have black eyes until the age of 6 months, and after this time a gradual change in eye color begins including gradations of light grey and yellow. The eye colour of the adult grey is light yellow iris.
The eye area of both the species is of bare white skin.

SIZE:
Congo Grey Parrots are larger than Timnehs.
The Congos vary in size from 12-14 inch from beak to tail.
Timneh Grey Parrots vary in size from 9-11 inch from beak to tail, depending on the frame of each bird.

WEIGHT:
Diet is a great factor considering the weight of the Grey Parrots. Normally Captive Parrots have more weight than parrots in wild, as they can have ample food and balanced diet.
Congo Grey Parrots vary in weight between 400-650 grams depending on diet of individual bird.
Timneh vary in weight between 275-400 grams.
Today we can see many African Grey Parrots who are bigger and larger in size than normal. This is most likely the result of improved nutrition practices.

COLOUR:

The Congo Grey Parrots have shades of light grey on their bodies. Their head and neck feathers are delicately edged with white-grey, giving them a lovely and sophisticated look. They have a solid black beak and a beautiful bright red tail. These birds are also known as “Red-Tailed Grey”
The Timneh African Grey Parrots have deeper shades of dark charcoal –gray color on its wings and back. The have the same brushed white feathers on their head and neck. Timnehs have a dull maroon to burgundy colored tail.  The baby’s tail feathers are typically maroon-brown but can be dark grey with no hint of maroon. They have smoky colored beak on the bottom, and a horn colored upper beak.

FEET:

Both Congo and Timneh have black feet. Congo Grey Parrots have a very dignified walk, often take small steps, on the other hand Timneh Grey Parrots normally scoot (walk quickly).

Temperamental difference between Congo and Timneh

There is always a debate over the topic that whether there are temperamental differences between the Congo Grey Parrots and Timneh Grey Parrots. Both Congo and Timneh are shy, cautious birds and can be temperamental. The Timnehs are known for their good temperaments and are often said to be less shy than their larger cousins. But this can not be said to be a fact . There is always a lot of individual variation between the African Grey Parrots of both sub-species. I personally have a Congo Grey Parrot who loves to be a part of family conversation and loves to talk in front of guests, and fears very little in life, on the other hand my 4 years old Timneh Grey Parrot has never spoken a single word in front of guests and is always quiet contended to sit in its cage while strangers are around him.

INTELLIGENCE

As far as intelligence is in issue, both the subspecies are equally intelligent and require a lot of attention from their owners and they usually have a close bond with their caretaker. So if you are planning to own African Grey Parrot of either specie, you must be ready to give quality interaction time for everyday of its 50-65 year lifespan.

TALKING ABILITY

While talking about talking ability of African Grey Parrots, both the subspecies have the potential to speak and inmitate human voices and other household sounds, like telephone ring, microwave oven beeps, door bell etc. Both (Congo and Timneh) can imitate hundreds of human voices and can use then in context. So as far as the vocabulary is concerned both the species are on the same footing, the only difference is the quality of voice.
The Timneh does not have variety in its voice. Whatever it speaks it will be in the same childlike voice. In other words you can say that Timneh can imitate “words” but not the voices.
But on the other hand, Congo is much talented one. It not only imitates the words, but has the capacity to imitate the voice as well.
So you will see Congo saying a single word “Hello” in different voices i.e of a woman, a child or a mature old man.
Congo Grey Parrots and Timneh Grey Parrots appear to have the same talking ability, with the Congo voice slightly louder than Timnehs, as it could be expected from a larger parrot.
Congo African Grey Parrots usually do not start speaking its first word until its first birthday, many may start speaking even earlier than that,  depending on individual bird. On the other hand Timneh generally start talking at the age of 6 months and can string words together at the age of one and half year.
So the Timneh Grey Parrots can start speaking at the age of 6 months, a full six months sooner than the Congo Greys.
I personally had a Timneh Grey Parrot named as “Timi”, who started to say “Hello” at the age of exact 4 months.

HUMAN BONDS

As far as our African Grey Parrots are concerned, we socialize them very well. And most of them can happily go to any person, as by regular interaction and affection this thing has been inculcated in their minds that humans are their best friend.
However according to some experts There is some difference between CAG’s and TAG’s , switching bonds from one human being to another.
A recent survey shows that Congo Grey Parrots have a reputation of changing their human bonds from one person or caretaker to any other family member. And Male Congo Grey Parrots are more known for changing human bonds as compared to Female Congo Grey.
A very few of the Timneh Grey Parrots are reported to change their bond from one human being to another, they often add other members of the family into a multiple bond. But the results of these surveys show mere “trends” and can not be considered as “Proven Facts”.
Timneh African Grey Parrot are typically a more difficult bird to raise, and many owners have a hard time with them. But once they are trained and tamed, they can become our best friend for the whole of their life.

Feather Plucking

It is a fact that African Grey Parrots are notorious feather pluckers. Although many other parrots also pluck their feathers but African Grey Parrots are more known for it.
More Congo Grey Parrots are reported to be prone to feather plucking than their smaller cousins. Timnehs have not much tendency to pluck or bite their feathers. It might be because of the reason that Timneh have a more stable personality than Congo.
It can not be deducted that only Congos have nervous energy, feather plucking depends upon many factors.

BREEDING

Timneh have a lifespan of 40-60 years. They reach sexual maturity around 4-5 years of age. They can breed twice a year if their first clutch is wasted, but usually they breed once a year, but all this depends upon each pair and their compatibility. They lay 2-5 eggs with the interval of a day or two between each egg. The babies are hatched after 28-30 days, and become independent at 12-14 weeks.
Congos have a lifespan of around 60-70 years. They reach sexual maturity at about 5-6 yerars of age, in wild they normally breed once in a year but can breed twice. The hen may lay 5 eggs which will be incubated for 28-30 days.
Both subspecies lay eggs in high tree opening above the ground. The responsibility of the male is to feed the female, and both (male and female) feed the chicks.

CONCLUSION

To conclude I can say that both the subspecies (Congo and Timneh) have the same stable personalities. However there may be some small differences in their temperament which can be justified by the fact that there is a very different natural upbringing between the two subspecies.