Parrot Care Made Easy

• Quaker *Parrot Training* – Hop Up (Step Up)

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

There are two sub-species of African Grey Parrots – the Timneh African Grey, and the Congo African Grey. The Timneh is slightly smaller than the Congo, and grows to be about 10 or 12 inches long. It is a charcoal-grey color, with a maroon tail. Like all African Greys, the Timneh African Grey originates from Central Africa, and it can live for anything upto 60 years.

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

The Senegal Parrot is a member of the Poicephalus parrot species. They originate from West Africa, and they are a small-to-medium sized parrot, which grow to be about 10 inches long. In the wild they normally live for about 25 years, but in captivity they have been known to live for upto 50 years.

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

The African Gray Parrot is a very striking parrot which originates from Central Africa. It is widely recognised as being one of the most intelligent of all parrots, and the best talker. It is a medium-sized parrot, which grows to be between 10 and 14 inches long. It is a very long-living parrot – 60 years old is not unusual!

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 ™

The ever popular Eclectus Parrot originates from Australia, New Guinea, and a few other South Pacific islands. They are medium sized parrots which grow to be around 12 to 14 inches long (i.e. from the top of their head to the tip of their tail). They typically live to be anything up to 20 years old. They are very beautiful looking parrots, and, for a change (in the bird world that is), the female is prettier than the male!

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

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

No-one knows exactly how many species of parrots there are, but we do know that there are more than 350. Parrots belong to a group of birds called Psittacines, which all share the following characteristics:

• 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!