Parrot Care Fundamentals

Parrots make wonderful companions. They are affectionate, playful and highly intelligent. With the correct care they will flourish in a home environment, provided their owners obtain the knowledge to understand and meet their needs.

Proper nutrition is the most important aspect of parrot care regardless of which species you have. Even though different species require different care in other areas, most parrot diets have many similarities.

A combination of quality commercial parrot food, both pelleted and seed, along with fresh vegetables and fruits will provide a well rounded and nutritionally complete diet.

Don’t forget that you also need to make sure your parrot has a plentiful supply of fresh water. Make sure to change it daily.

Their brilliant and vivid coloring, lovable personalities and keen intellect are what attract so many people to the parrot and draw them to adopt  one into their family.

Parrots are able and willing to form extremely strong bonds with their human companions and if you adopt one you need to be prepared for a lifelong commitment.

The smaller species of parrots have a lifespan of 15 to 30 years while the larger species can live to be 40 to 50 years old or more.

Parrots are very social…don’t forget in the wild they live in flocks! Therefore socialization is integral to your parrot’s mental and emotional health. You should make sure their cage is in a place where family members spend a great deal of their time and can easily interact with them.

The kitchen is not usually the best choice because of noxious cleaning chemicals, cooking fumes (especially from non-stick cookware) and other hazards.

Even though there are people that consider birds to be messy pets, if they are properly looked after this is just not the case. Your cage, perches and dishes should be cleaned frequently with mild soap and water.

Always avoid harsh cleaning products and chemicals. They can burn and irritate your bird’s skin, eyes and respiratory tract. If ingested they can cause severe illness or death.

It is also important for owners to wash hands before and after handling their parrot’s food, dishes toys and the parrot themselves. This is just as important for the parrot’s health as your own as it will help to prevent bacterial infections.

While on the subject, you also need to know that human saliva also contains bacteria that is detrimental to parrots so don’t let your parrot stick it’s beak into your nose or mouth!

As far as cages go, aside from keeping them clean you also need to make sure that the cage is free of hazards and an adequate size for your bird. They need to be able to spread their wings and move around freely.

There should also be enough room for a few toys without being overcrowded. Since parrots are such intelligent birds they need to be provided with toys that will stimulate their intellect and problem solving abilities.

You will need to acquire some grooming skills if you choose to own a parrot. Many people don’t realize that proper parrot care requires nail and beak trimming approximately every 3 to 4 weeks!

Make sure you stay on top of the trimming because long nails can get caught on toys, perches and fabrics while overgrown beaks make it difficult for your parrot to eat enough food to stay healthy.

While wild parrots take “rain showers” to bathe and keep their feathers in good shape, your parrot will probably appreciate a daily misting from a water bottle.

Many owners keep their birds wings clipped. This is a personal choice and they do it to prevent them from flying. Before choosing this option I suggest you do some research and consult with your veterinarian.

Caring for these magnificent birds involves a few challenges but paying close attention to your bird and learning as much as you can will go a long way towards proper parrot care.