The Real Amount of Care for a Parrot
By: Hamzah Jameel
Staff Writer
Before rushing to a breeder or pet store to adopt your parrot, first decide whether you’re ready for one. Owning a parrot means having a lot of patience and time to properly care for your parrot. Another factor to consider is the cost. You will need to purchase supplies like a cage, toys, perches, and food, as well as costly veterinarian visits. How to provide your bird with a comfortable, safe and healthy environment; you should consider the type of bird you can handle, the right sized cage, and the food you will feed your parrot.
To own a parrot you will require some basic materials: a cage, perches, toys, a tent, cage liners, pellets, seed mixes, fruits, vegetables, water, treats, AviatorHarness or AvianFashions Flightsuit, a shower perch, and an avian veterinarian. Although these materials are necessary, the most important thing you will need to successfully own a parrot is patience, love, and affection, that any pet needs.
First, choosing the right bird species is very crucial. You may want to go for a macaw and its vibrant colors or for a cockatoo and its crest, but then realize that it is too much responsibility and that it is not easy. Therefore you may consider a starter bird. If you’re looking for a companion to snuggle with, then you may consider a cockatiel or a Rose-crested cockatoo. If you’re looking for a busy bee, then you may enjoy hanging out with an Indian ringneck or with a budgie.
Second, determine the wingspan and multiply it by two. As a rule, your parrot should have enough space to flap its wings. Of course, the bigger the cage the better, but you have to watch out for bar spacing. Bar spacing should be narrow enough for the parrot to cling to, but not too wide, since your crafty bird may get its head stuck between the bars. Never get a dome shaped cage because birds feel scared without a cage corner. After that, decide on the perches and toys. You will need a few places for the bird to stand on. A rope is great to have with some wooden perches. If the weather is cold, you may get a “heat perch” to warm up your parrot. A minimum of six toys is required – two exercise toys, like swings and ladders, a few chew toys, preening or shredding toys, and one foraging toy for your bird to practice its skills in the wild. For your parrot’s comfort, you may get a tent for it to sleep and have a nap in. After getting the parrot, the cage liner should be changed on daily basis, and the toys thrown away when worn out, since parrot toys are meant to be destroyed.
Next, you must decide what to feed your bird. Seeds alone, according to recent studies, as a main-diet, have too much fat for a parrot. Feeding your parrot the right food is important. Commercial pellets should be making up to 80% of the parrot’s diet. ZuPreem, Harrison’s, or Lafeber’s are excellent choices. Make sure your parrot always has enough to eat. Next, you will have to chop fruits and cook vegetables for your parrot. Put enough fruits and veggies for a few hours, since you don’t want your parrot to eat rotten food. Then, give a small amount of seeds as a bed-time treat. Water should be available at all times and the water container should be washed, cleaned, and refilled every few hours. That way, you will minimize the possibility of fatal diseases and will enjoy a healthy companion.
Now, it is time to get your pet. Allow your bird to feel comfortable when introduced to a new environment. Don’t allow your bird out of its cage for a few days, until you are confident that it is happy there. Later, you can let your bird out. If the bird shows aggressiveness, try to use compliments and treats. When the bird is comfortable on your finger, you may start interacting with it. Once there is trust between you and your bird, you may allow the bird to fly freely outside. If you’re afraid the bird will escape, you may get an AviatorHarness or an AvianFashions FlightSuit. These two products will ensure safe outdoor flight.
Later, on a bi-weekly basis, you may be required to groom your parrot. First, you should shower it using only water. Avoid using any types of shampoo, including baby shampoo, since it can irritate the skin. Using a “shower perch,” allow a bird to receive water above its head. Do not wash under its wings, except if the parrot decides to and opens its wings. Then, when the procedure is done, dry your parrot with a towel. Don’t use a hair drier. As the nails of the parrot grow long, you may need to take your bird to an avian specialized veterinarian to clip and trim its beak. Avoid nail or beak trimming alone, since you can cut the vein in the beak or nails. Try to avoid wing clipping, because it’s neither physically, nor mentally healthy for a parrot born to fly.
Finally, you need to choose the right bird doctor. You must take your parrot to an avian veterinarian. The vet will have a general physical examination of the bird. The vet will weigh the bird and will examine its eyes, nose, tails, and feather quality. Later, he will take a fecal sample to the laboratory. After that, he will put general anesthetic on the bird and take a blood sample to the lab for further testing. Usually, blood tests do not occur annually but do occur every two to three years. Budgerigars, eclectus, macaws, conures, lovebirds, caiques, and indian ringnecks are very susceptible of polyomavirus, so it is important to discuss with your veterinarian on vaccinations.
By following these procedures you will have made the right decision about the type of bird to adopt, the environment they will live in, the grooming necessities, and how to properly maintain the health and cleanliness of your bird, insuring many years of companionship. Now that you have a clear picture of the effort one takes to care for a pet bird, are you ready for one?
Note: This is a general guideline and not a specie-specific guideline. If you want to adopt a bird, talk to an avian behaviorist or an avian veterinarian.
Works Cited (Modern Language Association, MLA)
“Polyomavirus Vaccination for Birds.” Avian and Exotic. n.p., n.d. 30 June 2014. <http://avianandexotic.com/birds/polymarvirus-vaccination-for-birds>
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AvianFashions. “Glamour Girl FlightSuit.” Photograph. AvianFashions. n.p, n.d Web. 30 June 2014. <http://www.flightquarters.com/bird-diapers/graphics/00000001/Glamour-Girl.jpg>
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