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.

Train Your Parrot to Talk in Five Easy Steps!

There are few things more entertaining than hearing a parrot talk. You may think that teaching your parrot to talk is impossible. It’s not! Despite what many people think, speech training is actually a very simple process. Follow these five easy steps, and your parrot will be chattering away in no time!

Step 1: Earn Trust. Any good parrot training regimen begins by earning the trust of your bird. It’s imperative that you lay a solid foundation for your relationship. Bonding with your bird takes time and patience, it’s not something that can be hurriedly accomplished. Move slowly. Allow your parrot as much time as is needed to feel comfortable in your presence. Once you bond with your parrot, he will strive to please you.

Step 2: Choose a Word. Choosing a good word or phrase to start with is key to the speech training process. Try to pick something that is not too difficult for your bird to pronounce. It’s easiest for parrots to make hard “B”, “D”, and “P” sounds, and more difficult for “S” and “M” sounds. So, for example, you might start with “Pretty Bird” rather than “Mommy”. Starting out with a word or phrase that can be more quickly picked up by your parrot is encouraging to both of you.

Step 3: Daily Training Sessions. Repetition, repetition, repetition! Spend at least one hour per day doing training sessions. During these sessions, spend quality time with your parrot, and repeat the word or phrase that you’re trying to teach them very often. Each parrot learns at its own pace, so it may take quite a few sessions to see progress. Be patient, and be sure to conduct your sessions in the same way each day. Speak in low and calm tones, and be sure not to do anything to startle your bird.

Step 4: Rewards. When your parrot does make his first attempt at speaking in your presence, reward him! Show him that you are very proud of him, and heap on praise. Food treats are great motivators as well, so you can offer a little tidbit of a favorite food. It’s essential to reward your parrot each and every time, to encourage speaking as a habit.

Step 5: Build Vocabulary. Once your bird begins talking, your options are limitless! Continue your daily sessions, introducing a new word or phrase each time the parrot masters the previous one. Continue to give rewards, not only for the new words, but for the previously learned words as well. If you’d like to extend your training further but do not have time in your day to have longer training sessions, there are CDs available commercially that you can play by your bird’s cage at low volume, specifically designed to teach them new words and phrases. Remember, however, that they are not a replacement for one-on-one interaction.