Before you bring
your new parrot home you should be prepared for at least the basic things
you will need to care for him. These are things we do not normally
think of when purchasing a parrot as a pet. These go beyond the obvious
cage, toys, and play set or extra perch.
When purchasing the cage
all will agree the bigger the better for large parrots. They need
room to turn around without brushing their wings against the bars or toys
in the cage. Do not clutter their cage with too many toys as this
may cause injury.
Our
parrots are on the Harrison's
Pellet diet along with Nutri-Berries,
Avi
-Cakes, some mixed seed for color, alonng with fruits and veggies .
Fresh fruit is essential for parrots. They need the nutrients for
healthy feather formation and all over good health. Some parrots,
like our Goffin (Fluffy), refused to try anything. It took
several months before she found she actually liked some fruit. She
doesn't like to touch things that are mushy so it took me hand feeding
pieces of fruit to get her interested.
Don't give up when they balk
at their fruit dish. Offer fresh fruit, everyday, in small quantities.
That way you won't be wasting as much fruit or driving up your grocery
bills.
Rotating the fruit, every
other day, is a good way for them to try new foods or at least check out
the colors if they aren't eating them yet. {grin}
Make sure all fruit is washed
thoroughly before giving to your parrot. Scrubbing them with a food
brush and then wiping them dry with a paper towel is usually a good way
to protect them from insecticides and germs.
Our parrots also enjoy the
canned large chunk fruits. Fruit naturals with no sugar added and
no preservatives. If you are unable to get fresh fruits or
want a day off from cutting up fruits this is a great idea.
Fruits
our parrots will eat
Apples
Bananas
Cherries(without pits)
Grapes
Kiwi |
Lemons
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Plums |
Veggies are also required for parrots good health. I have found that
our parrots took to the veggies even better than the fruits.
Show me a parrot that doesn't
like corn and I'll show you a parrot that hasn't tried it yet. As
least that is what I have found from our parrots and others that I know
of.
Offer fresh corn on the cob
cut in pieces that they can hold onto. Charlie our Amazon loves her
corn over anything else that is offered. Some days I do not offer
it to her because I know she will fill up on the corn barely touching the
other veggies. As with humans corn is hard on the digestive system
so limit the amount given to no more than a half ear per day.
The important thing is to
"offer" fruits and veggies everyday because they can be very picky eaters
and they do require these to survive a long healthy life.
Ok, so I cheat!
When out of season it is difficult, and can be very costly, to purchase
fresh fruit and veggies. During that time we use frozen veggies.
They are already cut up which is really a treat for the cook. {grin}
Microwave them only long
enough that they are not frozen. Checking on them to make sure they
do not overcook and become mushy. Parrots eat better if they can
hold their food. Once they are cooked if you run a little cold water
over them it removes the residue sometimes left after cooking.
Our parrots love fresh Kale.
In the summertime I wash it thoroughly then lay it across the top of their
cages. They love the droplets of water as they climb to the top of
their cage to eat the Kale.
Some Of The Veggies Our Parrots
Will Eat
Beets
Beans
Carrots
Cucumbers
Corn
Mixed Veggies
Peas |
Celery
Kale
Lettuce
Sweet Potatoes
Spinach
Cauliflower
Broccoli |
One quick tip when cutting
up fruits and veggies. Cut up enough for 2 or 3 days, then put them
in separate plastic bags for each of the birds. This way you get
a couple days without K P duty and your babies will still get their fresh
foods. Never keep them more than a couple of days in the plastic
bags. Rule of thumb. If you would not serve it to humans
please do not serve it to your parrots. They deserve the same.
Cleanliness
is important for all pets especially parrots. They are very susceptible
to disease if their surroundings are not kept clean.
Never leave soiled food or
water in their cage. Remove any soiled food or water immediately!
If food falls to the bottom of their cage pick it up before it is soiled
with droppings.
Each night we clean cages,
perches, play areas, dishes, and wash the floor with a disinfectant.
We use Avinol-3 that is purchased from our vet. This can be very
tiring and time consuming. That is why if you are a parrot owner
it is best to have only as many as you can care for efficiently and properly.
If
the time you need to spend keeping their area clean is more than the time
you can spend with them, you have too many parrots. I say this from
experience. It isn't fair to you or your parrots.
This is not as big a problem
with the smaller parrots and birds. Finches, parakeets and cockatiels
do not require as much time because they do not make as much of a mess.
I think paper towels were invented for parrot people. I know since
we started using them for our parrots over 10 years ago stock has surely
gone up!! They are great for everything.
Using paper towels to wash
and dry bowls I feel is more sanitary. If you have a dishwasher
you can save time by putting all washable items in there. Over time
you will find that cutting corners is a nice way to spend more time with
your parrots.
I purchased two sets of all
dishes so I am able to have one set clean and ready for their cages while
the dirty ones are washing in the dish washer. Trust me this does
cut down some time and every little bit adds up.
Keep a dust pan close by for quick pick ups of dropped pellets, seed or
peanuts. Oh did I say peanuts? {grin} Well they are extremely
fattening, but our parrots get one or two a day as a treat.
A clean spray bottle is good to keep on hand to spray your birdies with.
Especially in the summer when the days are warm they enjoy a quick spray
to cool them off. This is usually followed by a trip to the water
dish for a bath. Be sure to change water when they are finished.
Sometimes, even after cleaning and disinfecting, a good diet of fruits,
and veggies your parrot may still show signs of being ill. They may
be sluggish or not eating. Not wanting to play as normal or stays
to themselves without much sound.
These can all be signs of
illness. Birds don't show their illnesses openly so if you feel your
parrot is ill it probably is. Don't wait for illness to be full blown
call your vet. He/she will know if you should bring him in for a
checkup.
Most birdies love to look out the windows. We open our windows in
the spring and summer for fresh air. Make sure there are no chilly
drafts coming directly into the room. Birds can take cooler temperatures
but not cold drafts. This can cause them to become ill and die.
Our parrots love to watch
and talk to the birds flying by their rooms as well as the children playing
outside. If there is a lot of traffic or activity outside that disturbs
them it is better to keep the curtains or blinds pulled until it settles
down to their acceptance.
Another good practice is
to keep them caged if you are going to be out of the room.
They may get nervous from the loud outdoor sounds. A startled bird
can fall from their play area or cage very quickly causing even minor injuries.
Be extremely careful with
blinds.
The
pull cords can be a birds worse nightmare. If a bird gets tangled
in the cord they can be pulled from their cage causing severe injury or
death by hanging.
There
are several good books dealing the with the proper care and raising
of birds. Many lessons are learned from people like you
and I that are learning from experience on the do's and don'ts for our
feathered friends.
Read all that you can and
then live it. Some things never change from bird to bird while others
are so different that the books can not begin to discuss each one independently.
You will find this when you read about your species and wonder why your
parrot hasn't shown the capabilities that others of the same species are
dealing with on an everyday basis.
Enjoy your babies for what
they offer you. Don't expect them to respond immediately. It
may take months for a bird to learn one sentence, then without warning
start speaking on a regular basis.
On the other hand it may
never speak again. My Goffin mumbles a few words (screaming is another
story) but her blessing asset is that she is so sweet. I know I can
pick her up at anytime without the worry or pain of being bitten.
This is a fair tradeoff (for me) if she doesn't desire to speak yet.
After all Fluffy is only eight years old...she's still a baby ;)
No matter how cute they are
be extremely careful when choosing toys with moveable pieces. Something
as seemly harmless as toys with bells attached can cause severe problems
for your birdies. Small bells with clappers are a piece of cake in
my Cockatoo's beak.
Fluffy accidentally got our
cockatiels
bell. After playing cat and mouse, fun time with it, she proceeded
to tear it apart. I didn't find any problem when she was playing
cat and mouse, she wasn't doing any harm, but when she got serious her
beak was suddenly wedged in between the clapper where it is attached to
the bell. If I were not sitting near by and saw the problem I'm sure
the outcome would have been much worse...within a few minutes of high anxiety
(on both parts) the beak was released undamaged. This was an
error of judgment on my part :( Needless to say no more bells with
clappers, unless the clappers are removed before giving them to the parrots.
We learn many things by experience.
And just when we think we know it all, they turn around and fool us again.
With proper food, a large
cage, a play set or play area and bunches of love you and your new parrot
will share a life of commitment together.
Prepare For Success!! 