The Top Five Things You Need to Know About Parrot Care

If you are seriously considering buying a parrot, spending a few minutes reading this article will be very worthwhile. The most important thing to think about before you go ahead and buy a parrot is – Are you willing, and able, to devote the required amount of time to properly care for a pet parrot? Parrot care should not be taken lightly, because it is very important for the health and well-being of your pet parrot, and it requires a lot of time in order to do it properly.

Parrots have been popular pets for centuries now, and it isn’t difficult to understand why – they come in lots of superb colours; they have very attractive personalities; they are very bright and intelligent; and they are relatively easy to train. However, these big plus points often cause people to overlook the minus points associated with owning a 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 developing behavioural problems.

Although there are lots of different parrot species (over 350 in fact!), and each species requires slightly different care, there are certain common ‘parrot care’ factors that are important to all of them:

Parrot Cages – Nothing has a bigger impact on a parrot’s mental health than the size of its cage. It needs to be easily big enough to allow the parrot to fully spread out and flap its wings. There also needs to be enough room for five large parrot toys, without the parrot being cramped. Regularly check 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 suffer 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 best way to ensure this happens is to place the cage in the part of 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.

Nutrition/Diet – Although diets vary slightly from species to species, there are lots of common foods that are good for all parrot types. Every parrot’s diet should consist of the following foods: fresh water, parrot seed (ideally enriched with vitamins), fresh fruits and vegetables, and parrot pellets.

Cage Cleanliness – Clean the cage daily, but be sure to 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 actually contains bacteria which is really 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 important, 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 also need to provide fresh water baths or sprays every day to keep your parrots’ feathers in really good condition.

If you are willing 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 realize that owning a parrot is a long-term commitment, because (depending on the species you buy) parrots can live anywhere between 15 and 80 years.
John Barlow is a parrot enthusiast. For more great information on parrot care visit http://ParrotCareAdvice.com.