June 18, 2009
- I think a budgie is perfect for a first time parrot owner. What do you think?

June 18, 2009
- Could definitely make the British basketball team!

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In their natural habitat (Parakeets originate from the Australian grasslands) they eat a staple diet of fresh greens, berries, and fruits – i.e. the foods that are readily available. Therefore, these foods should form a large part of your Parakeet’s diet. A good combination is as follows:

• 50% cooked beans, cooked rice, cooked pasta, and seed.
• 45% fresh fruit (pips removed) and vegetable (e.g. apple, banana, grape, broccoli, carrots, yams, spinach, dandelion greens etc…).
• 5% eggs, fish (no bones), and well cooked meat.

DO NOT give your Parakeet any kind of dairy products, because they are lactose-intolerant.

DO NOT give your Parakeet chocolate or avocados – it could kill him!

Only leave fresh Parakeet food (i.e. fruit, veg, meat etc…) in the cage for a few hours, because it quickly deteriorates, and it can attract pests such as flies. Empty and refill the seed cup daily – it is easy to think it is full, when in fact all it contains is the hulls of eaten seeds. Parakeets aren’t greedy parrots, so you don’t need to worry about over-feeding them with seeds. Make sure your pet’s water supply is regularly refreshed.

photo credit: MinivanNinja

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Like their larger parrot cousins, Canaries should regularly be given fresh fruit and vegetables (except avocado, which is poisonous to parrots). Ideally, you should feed them this every day, but you don’t need to go overboard with the amount – one small piece of fruit or vegetable is ample. Simply serve the fruit or vegetable raw and washed, with all pips/seeds removed.

Canaries also need some protein in their diet, and a perfect source of protein is a hard-boiled egg. Half an egg is more than enough, and you can leave the shell on as well, because parrots often like eating it. You should feed your Canary protein about once or twice a week. Note: Be careful not to leave the egg in the cage for more than an hour or two, because harmful bacteria can develop very quickly on eggs.

A key Canary food that is often overlooked is cuttlebone. It’s a vital source of calcium for your pet, and, as such, should be left in your pet’s cage permanently.

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You will probably find that your Cockatiel isn’t all that interested in the usual parrot toys that you find on the internet, but he instead loves anything that he can chew on. Some people recommend giving Cockatiels simple things such as the card tube inside a toilet roll, but I personally don’t think this is a good idea, because your Cockatiel will naturally swallow some of the card, which won’t be great for his digestion.

The best Cockatiel toy as far as I am concerned is cuttlefish. Your bird will really enjoy chewing it, and it has the added advantage of keeping his beak sharp enough to crack seeds, but not that sharp that he rips up everything he comes into contact with. You will obviously need more than just this to keep him stimulated, so my advice is to search the internet for ‘Cockatiel toys’, and mainly choose toys that are designed to be chewed.

photo credit: Arcadiareptiles

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Macaws love hanging toys, and any kind of toys that they can climb on, such as parrot towers. They also get a great deal of mental stimulation from treat-stuffed toys, which need to be dismantled to extract the treats. Another great choice is foot toys, because they will help your Macaw with his co-ordination.

A simple online search for Macaw toys will provide you with more choice than you know what to do with. However, one word of caution when choosing parrot toys – make sure they are made by a responsible, and reputable parrot toy manufacturer. The reason I say this is that it has been recently discovered that a number of toys on the market have been made from materials that are poisonous to parrots.

photo credit: Just chaos

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Cage Size/Style
Although budgies are only a small parrot they need a reasonably large cage, because they are pretty active. The minimum size of cage you should consider is 20 inches wide, by 12 inches deep, by 18 inches high. The best style of cage is one with horizontal bars to help them to climb up the sides, with gaps between the bars that are no more than 1/2 inch wide.

Budgie Cage Accessories
Budgie cages need to contain a lot of perches of varying sizes and textures. This is important because it will help to keep your budgie’s legs, feet and beak very healthy and very strong. Budgies also like toys, so make sure there are a few in the cage to keep your pet entertained – budgies love toys!

Cage Location
Budgies (like most parrots) are very sensitive to smells/aromas that are found in most normal homes (e.g. certain cooking smells). In the worst cases, exposure to some of these smells could kill your budgie. Another thing that budgies are really sensitive to are drafts. For these reasons, you need to pay careful attention to where you locate the budgie cage – don’t locate it in the kitchen, and don’t place it in a draft.

At Night
Budgie cages need to be covered at night. The complete darkness that this affords will enable your budgie to get a proper rest. Another benefit of covering the cage is that it will stop any drafts from disturbing your pet’s important overnight rest period.

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June 4, 2009
- Simple tip for storing bird seed

June 4, 2009
- Looks a bit scary to me!

June 4, 2009
- A new one on me!

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Parakeets
Parakeets originate from South Eastern Asia. They range in size from 7 to 12 inches long. They come in a wide range of colours, such as dark green, white, yellow, light blue, violet, and a variety of combinations of these colours.

Cockatiels
Cockatiels originate from Australia. They grow to be about 12 or 13 inches long. The most common colours are:

• Grey on the body, with a yellow (male) or grey (female) head, and black feathers underneath the tail.
• White or creamy yellow body, with orange patches on the cheeks.

Parrotlets
Parrotlets originate from Central and South America. They grow to be no more than 6 inches long. They come in a variety of colours, including blue-green, bright green, and dark green.

Conures
Conures originate from South and Central America. They grow to be about 11 inches long. They come in a variety of colour combinations, including:

• Predominantly green, with a red head and wings, and yellow tail.
• Predominantly lime green, with a tan head, and a light maroon tail.
• Predominantly yellow and red, with a dark head.
• A breast made up of several bright colours, with a tan head, and a lime green back.

Lovebirds
Lovebirds originate from Africa. They grow to be about 5 or 6 inches long. They are primarily green, but they come in a multitude of colour combinations, that are too numerous to mention.

Macaws
The Macaw originates from Central and South America. They vary a great deal in size – anything from 12 to 39 inches long. They come in a wide variety of colours, which is clearly indicated by the names given to some of the Macaw species (e.g. Blue and Gold Macaw, Red and Yellow Macaw, Greenwing Macaw, Maroon Macaw, Red and Blue Macaw, Red Fronted Macaw etc…).

Amazons
Amazons originate from Central and South America, and some Caribbean Islands. They vary in size from 12 to 16 inches long. They are mainly green, with various colour combinations on the cheeks, crown and shoulders.

Cockatoos
Cockatoos originate from Australia, and North Western Asia. They vary in size between 12 and 27 inches long. The most common colour is white, but there are some variations that are tinged with pink or yellow, with a different coloured crest.

Caiques
Caiques originate from the Amazon Rainforest. They grow to be about 11 inches long. They come in a variety of colour combinations including yellow, white, blue, green, black, and orange.

Poicephalus Parrots
Poicephalus parrots originate from Africa. They vary in size between 5 and 13 inches long. They come in a variety of colour combinations including:

• Green and orange, with a grey head.
• Grey, with a blue or green chest, and yellow markings on the head and wings.
• Fawn brown, with a red chest (male) or with a orange or green chest (female).
• Emerald green, with black wing feathers, and red or orange markings on the head, wings and socks.
• Olive green, with a wine coloured head.

So there you have it – a really brief overview of the various types of parrots. Hopefully, If you are looking for your first parrot you will find this information to be really useful.

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You must ensure that you feed your pet fresh fruit and vegetables every day. These foods should be raw, washed, cut into small pieces, all pips/seeds removed, peel/skin left on, and served at room temperature.

Note 1: Do not leave fruit and vegetables in the cage for more than a few hours, because they will probably attract flies, and just become generally unpleasant.

Note 2: Do not give your bird avocado, because it is poisonous to birds.

In the wild cockatiels eat protein in the form of insects, so it’s a good idea to occasionally include some protein in their diet. You don’t have to feed them live insects, but things such as beans, cooked meats, and eggs are good alternatives.

So, there you have it, there isn’t just one type of cockatiel food that is best – your bird needs a variety of foods to remain healthy. However, because a lot of baby parrots are fed only seed by breeders, they might be reluctant to try new things such as fruit and vegetables. This means you need to be persistent and patient, and only introduce one type of new food at a time, and resist the temptation to introduce anything else until your parrot has started eating this new food.

photo credit: Frazzled Jen

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Size/Style
Cockatiels need to have a large bird cage, because they are very active parrots, which like to do a lot of flying and climbing inside their cage. The minimum size you should consider is 20 inches wide, by 20 inches deep, by 26 inches high. The best style of cage is one with horizontal bars to assist in their climbing activities. The gaps between the bars should be less than 3/4 of an inch.

Cage Accessories
Cockatiel cages should contain lots of perches of varying sizes and textures. This will help to keep their legs, feet and beak healthy and strong. You should also make sure that it contains several toys to keep your pet amused.

Location
Strong smells such as insecticides, smoke and air fresheners etc… can very easily damage a cockatiel’s respiratory system, and may even kill him. Something as simple as over-heating a Teflon pan can give off a gas that is fatal to cockatiels. Therefore, where you locate the cage is really important. You need to ensure that it is located away from any such odors, and also away from any drafts, because cockatiels like to keep warm.

At Night
Make sure your cockatiel cage is covered to prevent any drafts, and to allow your cockatiel to get a good night’s rest.

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If you choose a parrot cage that is too small, your parrot will become stressed, which could result in unwanted behavior, such as aggression and feather plucking. The bigger the cage the better – you cannot pick a parrot cage that is too big. Note: Baby parrots may be intimidated by a large cage, so it is best to also have a small cage to start off with.

The best way to determine the MINIMUM size of cage is as follows -

• When on any perch, your parrot’s head must not touch the top of the cage, and his tail must not touch the bottom or the sides.
• When in the middle of the cage, he must be able to fully stretch out his wings without touching the sides of the cage.
• He must be able to fly from perch to perch. Parrots fly horizontally, so it is preferable for your cage to be wide rather than tall.

The other main considerations when buying parrot cages are -

• Is it made from strong enough materials for the type of parrot you own?
• Is it made from materials that could poison your parrot (e.g. rust can damage your parrot’s crop)?
• Are the gaps between the bars small enough to prevent your bird escaping, or getting his head stuck?

If you stick to the simple guidelines above your parrot will be more than happy with his home.

photo credit: Orin Optiglot

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• Parrot training sessions should be kept short (i.e. 10 minutes at the most). Any longer than this and you will over-tire your bird, and he will equate training sessions with a negative experience.
• Do the training somewhere that is quiet, well-lit, and without any distractions.
• Don’t commence the training session unless you are feeling relaxed and patient. If you are stressed your parrot will pick-up on it and become stressed as well, which means he won’t learn anything.
• Begin by teaching your parrot how to step-up onto your hand or arm, because this is something that he will have to do often if you plan on handling your parrot – which you should be.
• Begin your ‘bird talking’ teaching as soon as possible. Just pick a simple word (e.g. hi), and repeat it over and over to him. Be patient, and only teach him one word at a time.

If you are patient, parrot training isn’t difficult, and it will be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for both of you. Your parrot will pick things up very quickly, and you will naturally form a strong bond with him. Enjoy!

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If you visit some of the online parrot forums, you will probably see a debate about whether or not mirrors make good toys for your budgie. Some people think they are great, because their budgies spend hours looking at themselves in them. Other budgie owners think you should never give a budgie a mirror, because the reason a budgie will spend hours looking into a mirror, is that he is waiting for a response from the ‘other bird’ that will never actually materialize. This can lead to frustration, and possibly long-term mental health problems.

My opinion is that mirrors aren’t a good idea for any pet bird. I once made the mistake of showing my pet cockatiel his reflection in a mirror, whilst he was stood on my shoulder. The minute I removed the mirror, he started circling around my head, and ‘dive bombing’ me. I can only assume that he thought I had harmed his new friend.

In conclusion, if you stick to the usual budgie toys, such as swings, bells, ladders and rings, your budgie will be ‘happy as Larry’ – even if he is called Fred!

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May 31, 2009
- Interesting parrot training article involving the rare Cape Parrot, and a trip to protugal.

May 28, 2009
- It’s not the parrots that should be behind bars!

May 28, 2009
- And I thought only cats had nine lives!

May 25, 2009
- The famous Budweiser talking parrots ad. Funny.

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The Blue Fronted Amazon is predominantly green, but they have blue feathers on their forehead – hence the name. They also typically have yellow feathers on their face, and on the top of their head.

They enjoy human interaction, but they will often only bond with one person. They can also keep themselves amused when you aren’t around, provided that they have sufficient toys to play with. Many of them will become really good talkers, but some of them won’t talk at all. However, regardless of whether or not your pet becomes a talker, you can virtually guarantee that he will be good singer and mimicker, and he will enjoy using this talent frequently – you have been warned!

If you like a fun and playful parrot, the Blue Fronted Amazon is a good choice of pet for you. They are born performers, which explains why this species is so often used in bird shows.

photo credit: Zemlinki!

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The following is a list of the parrot accessories you must have as an absolute minimum. Some of these items might seem obvious, but I have included them for completeness. None of the items on this list should be viewed as being optional.

• A cage that is big enough for your parrot.
• A travelling cage that is big enough for your parrot.
• Perches of various thicknesses and textures.
• Food and water containers.
• A bird bath, or a water spray.
• A selection of parrot toys.
• A parrot stand or parrot gym.

Don’t be a skinflint when it comes to buying parrot accessories, because it will have an adverse impact on the health of your parrot. After the cage and food, the biggest cost will probably be parrot toys, because they constantly need replacing. Therefore, if you are interested in saving some money, and you enjoy making things, you will probably find the book below to be very useful.

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You probably don’t realise it, but having perches of various sizes and textures contributes greatly to the health of your pet. The two main benefits are:

1) Constantly having to re-adjust his feet to remain balanced will stimulate and strengthen your parrots’ leg muscles, and keep his feet healthy.
2) The rough textures will naturally keep his beak and claws trimmed.

For the greatest health benefits, put parrot perches of different sizes and textures in your parrot’s cage. I bet you didn’t realise just how important choosing the right type or parrot perch is!

photo credit: The_Gut

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Parrot stands come in lots of different designs and sizes, so you obviously need to pick one that is appropriate for your bird. My advice is to buy one that has a number of different components to keep your pet amused – don’t just buy a glorified perch! You can get them with a variety of toys and puzzles attached, which your pet will love. A built-in mess tray is also a good idea, for obvious reasons!

Whatever you do, please don’t buy cheap parrot stands. At best, they will wear out really quickly, and therefore not provide good value for money. At worst, they will be made from inferior materials that could actually harm your bird.

photo credit: Arcadiareptiles

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Tips

1. Do not make all of your parrot’s toys available to him at once. If you do this, he will quickly become bored with them. The best thing to do is to only put 2 or 3 toys into his cage, and rotate them with different toys every few days.
2. Don’t overload the cage with toys, because you will make it difficult for you parrot to move around – he may even injure himself.
3. Check the condition of the toys frequently to make sure that they are safe for your parrot, and immediately remove any that aren’t.

The different categories of parrot toys you can choose from are:

• Activity toys.
• Climbing and swinging toys.
• Foot toys.
• Chewable toys.
• Foraging and puzzle toys.
• Preening and shredding toys.

Most parrot toys aren’t expensive, and they really make a big contribution to the mental health of your pet. Therefore, my advice is to make a commitment to buy one new parrot toy every couple of weeks.

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There are lots of differing opinions amongst parrot experts regarding what is the perfect parrot diet, but all of the experts agree that variety is key. The general consensus is that a good parrot diet should consist of about 10% parrot seeds, 50% parrot pellets, and 40% fresh fruit and vegetables.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are a particularly important element, because, as well as being tasty and nutritious, they also add a certain amount of stimulation at feeding time, due to the fact that your parrot will often have to use his claws to hold the pieces of food.

Carrots, cucumber, sweet peppers, green beans, corn, cauliflower and eggplant are all great vegetables to give your pet.

Kiwi, papaya, banana, pineapple, mangos, apples, oranges, cherries, peaches and grapes are all great fruits to feed your parrot. Just be careful to remove any seeds or pips, because they could be toxic for him.

If you feed your parrot the types of parrot food listed above, you will have a very healthy bird. Be warned – please resist the temptation to feed him ‘human treats’, such as crackers and chocolate, because he will very probably eat them, even though they could kill him!

If you want some great ideas for healthy parrot recipes, the Healthy Bird Cookbook by Robin Deutsch is well worth a read. It’s received tons of rave reviews on Amazon, so lots of other parrot owners like it too!

photo credit: Adam Tinworth

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May 25, 2009
- Useful parrot training video which teaches the step-up, and also how to get your parrot to hop onto your shoulder.

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Parrot Care Snippets From Around The Web – May 25, 2009

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Parrot experts are divided about whether or not (other than size) there are any real differences between these two sub-species of African Grey. Therefore, any differences that do exist are really subtle, so they shouldn’t have any bearing on whether you choose a Timneh or a Congo – they both make fantastic pet parrots!

African Grey Parrots are renowned for their high-intelligence, and their fantastic talking abilities. They make really good pets, because they are very sociable birds, which thrive on human attention. However, these attributes can also lead to problems, because if you don’t give an African Grey the amount of attention it requires, it will become very bored, which can very quickly develop into behavioral problems. So, if you want to avoid your pet becoming aggressive, or plucking out his feathers, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time interacting with him.

Whether you choose a Timneh African Grey, or a Congo African Grey, you won’t be disappointed. Give him the care and attention he requires, and you will have a loving and amusing companion for many years.

photo credit: diana_dee_sophia

Post from the Parrot Care Made Easy blog. The resource for all things parrot - e.g. parrot training, parrot food etc...

Timneh African Grey

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They have grey feathers on on their head, and down to the top of their chest. On their lower abdomen is a yellow, or orange-yellow, v-shaped section. The upper abdomen is bright green, the underside of the wing and tail is a bright yellow, and the upper tail feathers are brown-green.

The Senegal Parrot is very similar to the Conure Parrot in that he is a very playful and fun-loving parrot. This means that Senegals need lots of toys to avoid them becoming bored. Even though they are quiet by parot standards, they do make a variety of noises, and they often become good talkers. They are very popular pet parrots, because they enjoy human-contact, and are usually very affectionate to their owners.

photo credit: Tam1963

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One important thing to be aware of regarding African Grays, is that you should only buy one of these parrots if you are willing to spend a lot of time interacting with him. This is because their very high-level of intelligence means they can become bored very easily, and this boredom can result in lots of behavioral problems such as aggression, biting, and self-mutilation.

On the other hand, if you can provide them with the attention they require, African Grays make very rewarding pet parrots. They love and thrive off human interaction; they usually become fantastic talkers; and they will provide you and your family with hours of fun and amusement.

photo credit: τoo swεετ ™

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They are very good mimics, which usually (but not always) means that they become good talkers. They can occasionally be a bit noisy if they are not given enough fuss and attention by their human family, but on the whole they are a reasonably quiet parrot. Note: Having more than one eclectus usually increases the noise level significantly!

Eclectus parrots normally have very few behavioral problems, so they are usually a joy to own. However, like most parrots, they are more than capable of nipping you, if they haven’t been properly socialized by the breeder, or if you aren’t treating and/or handling them correctly.

If you are looking for an intelligent, affectionate, and pretty ‘feathered companion’, you won’t go far wrong with an Eclectus Parrot!

photo credit: BékiPeti

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Sun Conures originate from South and Central America. They grow to be about eleven inches long, from the top of their head to the tip of their tail. Their bodies and heads are predominantly bright orange/yellow, but their tails and wings can come in a variety of colours.

Conures are often referred to as the ‘clown’ of the parrot world, because they have big, fun-loving personalities. They are very playful, and always on the go, and need lots of toys to keep them amused. They can be quite noisy, so you need to be prepared for that, but the benefit of this is that they often make very good talkers.

They are usually very happy to be handled, and they are very affectionate. However, they are strong-willed, and they can be stubborn, which means you have to be gently firm when training them. Be prepared to be nipped, but you will usually be given a warning by your Conure, which takes the form of ‘beaking’ (i.e. holding your flesh in his beak, without applying any pressure).

photo credit: Moosh Be

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Sun Conures

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• A curved beak.
• An erect stance.
• Four toes on each foot – two at the front, and two at the rear.

The Psittacines group is sub-divided into the following main types of parrots:

• Parakeets.
• Cockatiels.
• Parrotlets.
• Conures.
• Lovebirds.
• Macaws.
• Amazons.
• Cockatoos.
• Caiques.
• Poicephalus Parrots.

Even though the above birds are all parrots, their size and characters vary enormously. Therefore, if you are in the market for a pet parrot, it is very important for you to take a bit of time to study them properly, to find out which is the perfect parrot for you, for your family, and for the size of your home.

Trust me – this small investment of your time will pay very large dividends!

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