Buzz
Parrots are incredibly intelligent birds and make fantastic pets, but there are some important things to know about them and their care needs before you decide to bring one into your home. Unlike domesticated animals like dogs and cats, parrots retain much of their wild instincts and behaviors. Additionally, not all parrots are the same, so it's important to research the specific type you plan to keep. Finally, parrots generally live much longer than most other pets. Smaller parrot species like cockatiels or parrotlets can live 20-30 years, while larger species like macaws, amazons, and cockatoos can live 60-80 years.
Steps
Prepare a Home for Your Parrot
Choose an appropriate cage. Square or rectangular cages are better suited for parrots, as round cages can make them feel unsafe due to the lack of corners. The cage should be spacious enough for your parrot to climb and move around comfortably. It should also have room for perch branches, toys, food and water bowls, and a resting spot for the bird. Cage sizes should be chosen based on the size of the parrot:
- The smallest cage size for small parrots is approximately 60cm wide x 60cm deep x 60cm high.
- The smallest cage size for large parrots is approximately 1.5m wide x 1.8m deep x 1m high.
- Bar spacing for small parrots should be about 1.2cm apart.
- Bar spacing for large parrots should be about 10cm apart.
Place the cage in a room where your parrot can engage with its surroundings. Parrots are social creatures. In the wild, they live in flocks and interact constantly with their peers. When isolated, they may develop separation anxiety. Parrots prefer environments where there are people and activity.
- If you have other pets, ensure that the parrot’s cage is placed in a room that they cannot enter when you are away. Keep an eye on the other pets when they are near the bird’s cage and ensure they are not allowed to enter the room if they cause the parrot stress.
Ensure a consistent temperature. While birds can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, the ideal range for a parrot is between 18.5°C and 29.5°C. Avoid placing your parrot in rooms that are too cold or turning off the heater at night in winter. Temperatures below 4.5°C can be hazardous for parrots, especially for more delicate ones. Rounder parrots can experience stress if temperatures rise above 29.5°C. If it’s necessary to keep the parrot in a warmer environment, ensure the room is well-ventilated to avoid heat buildup.
Place your new parrot in the cage. First, close all doors and windows to ensure safety. Then, determine whether your parrot is friendly or aggressive. Slowly open the cage and extend your hand towards the parrot. If the bird is calm, you can continue moving your hand closer. However, if it shows aggression, opening its beak and attempting to bite, you’ll need a different approach.
- If the parrot is not aggressive, move your hand towards it, positioning your fingers (or your arm if it’s a larger bird) slightly above its feet. If your parrot is trained to step up, say 'step up' and it will perch on your fingers or arm. Gently remove the parrot from its cage and place it in its new cage, ensuring the perches are positioned just above your hand. Once the bird steps onto the perch, you can close the cage and allow it time to adjust to its new environment.
- If the parrot is aggressive or untrained to step up, you’ll need to quickly grab it and place it in the cage. This will not harm your relationship with the parrot—it will get over it. Be decisive and act quickly, ensuring the bird doesn’t escape. If the bird flies around, its fear will increase, making it harder to catch. It’s best to use your bare hands, but if you’re worried, you can wear thin leather gloves or use a towel. Try to grab the parrot by its neck, just below the head, as this will minimize the risk of bites and prevent the airway from being blocked. Once caught, quickly move the bird to the cage, ensuring it doesn’t escape.
- No matter how you place the parrot in the cage, give it some time alone to settle. It may eat and drink less during the first few days, but ensure its food and water are familiar to it. Give it time to calm down and adjust to its new home before interacting further.
Feed the Parrot
Change the parrot's diet. Parrots require a varied diet to ensure they receive all necessary nutrients. It’s best not to limit their food to just seeds and pellets, although a mix of seeds and pellets from pet stores is fine for their basic diet. Here are some other food options to include in your parrot’s diet:
- Offer your parrot fresh vegetables and fruits. Wash them thoroughly before serving, just like you would for yourself. Many parrots enjoy grapes, bananas, apples, carrots, berries, leafy greens, various squashes, cooked beans, and more. Be careful not to overfeed fruit, as it contains natural sugars.
- Some parrot species, like macaws, love cracking open nuts to access the meat inside. You can offer your parrot pine nuts, walnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- Avoid giving your parrot foods containing caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, sugary or salty snacks, fried foods, raw or dried beans, rhubarb leaves, dill, cabbage, asparagus, eggplant, and honey.
- Never feed your parrot avocado or onions! Both are toxic to parrots. Avocado can cause sudden heart failure and even death in parrots.
Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinary surgeon at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Veterinary surgeon at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Dr. Pippa Elliott, a veterinary surgeon, advises: "When feeding your parrot seeds, you may notice it picking only the tastiest seeds to eat. This can lead to nutritional imbalance. If necessary, you should train your parrot to eat a balanced pellet diet to prevent this issue."
Feed your parrot in moderation. The food and water bowls should be at least 600 ml for small to medium-sized parrots, and 900 ml for larger parrots. Young parrots just weaned, as well as chicks, require extra food due to their high metabolic rate and active lifestyle.
The parrot's water bowl should be large enough for it to bathe in. Birds often drink from the same water they use for bathing, and this is perfectly normal. Avoid adding vitamins to the water, even if instructions suggest doing so. The reason is that birds drink very little water, and it’s difficult to track how much they consume. Additionally, adding vitamins can cause bacteria to proliferate quickly in the water.
Avoid using non-stick pans and cookware. This is especially important if you keep your parrot in or near the kitchen. The chemicals used in non-stick cookware can be fatal to parrots when heated to certain temperatures.
- Second-hand cigarette smoke is harmful to both parrots and humans. If you smoke and own a parrot, do not smoke indoors.
Maintain the health of your parrot
Clean the bottom of the birdcage every two days. Replace the bedding, discard seeds, shells, gravel, broken toys, etc. It's best to clean up (dispose of the messes, which doesn’t take much time – such as removing branches, etc.) every day.
Wash and replace food and water bowls daily. Remove the old food and water from the bowls, clean them, and add fresh food and water every day.
- Dispose of perishable foods like cooked beans right after the bird eats. Parrots are susceptible to bacterial infections, so keeping the cage clean is essential.
- Make sure to use bird-safe disinfectants to clean the cage weekly. These can be found at pet stores. Regular disinfectants for humans can be too strong and harmful to parrots.
Visit the veterinarian regularly. Some parrots are completely healthy throughout their lives, but whenever your parrot has a health issue, you can seek advice from a vet about preventive care. Ensure the vet is experienced in treating birds, or else you may waste money. It's recommended to schedule an annual health check for your bird.
Monitor your parrot's health issues. A healthy parrot is typically active and alert, usually standing upright and highly energetic. If the parrot shows any signs of illness, you should take it to the vet. Some common signs that your parrot is unwell include:
- Deformed, sunken, or ulcerated beak
- Difficulty breathing
- Stains around the eyes or nose
- Changes in the shape and texture of its droppings
- Weight loss or loss of appetite
- Swollen eyes or eyelids
- Feather issues, such as self-plucking, feather loss, or thinning
- Drooping head, lethargy, or excessive silence.
Training and Communicating with Your Parrot
Learn the proper way to approach the parrot's cage. Start by approaching the cage slowly and quietly. At first, avoid making eye contact with a frightened parrot, so it doesn't feel threatened. If the parrot tries to bite you, flails around in the cage, or shows signs of extreme discomfort when you approach, you need to let it get used to your presence:
- Leave the room so the parrot can't see you. Then slowly return, and when the parrot shows signs of discomfort, stop and stand still. Don’t approach any further and wait until the parrot calms down. Once it has settled, try moving closer again. If the parrot reacts in the same way, stop and wait until it’s calm again. You may need to repeat this several times before getting close to the cage.
Identify the parrot's favorite treat. Training your parrot is essential for communication. To figure out what your parrot likes, try offering various seeds, fresh fruits, and dried ones. A new parrot might not be used to some foods, so give it a few days to discover its favorites. Once you know what it loves, reserve these treats for training sessions, not for everyday feeding.
Train your parrot to step out of the cage and return. The first step in training is to offer your parrot food from your hand. This could take anywhere from a few seconds to several weeks. Simply approach the cage with its favorite treat in hand and wait for the parrot to come over and eat.
- When the parrot is comfortable eating from your hand, start using a clicker command. Click right before offering the treat. Repeat this every time you feed your parrot to help it associate the click sound with the reward.
- Use a stick to train the parrot to move to different areas of the cage. First, let the parrot get familiar with the stick by allowing it to approach, then click and reward with its favorite treat. Teach the parrot to move closer to the stick each time you click and reward. If the parrot stops paying attention to the stick, it might be full, and you should wait until it’s hungrier to continue.
- Use the stick to teach the parrot to step onto your hand or onto a perch you’re holding. Eventually, you’ll be able to let the parrot out of the cage for further training or to clean the cage.
- Keep training sessions short (10-15 minutes each), and try to train your parrot only once or twice a day.
Tame your parrot so it allows you to pet it. Many parrots enjoy being petted and stroked. Start by gently approaching the parrot's beak. When the parrot becomes comfortable with your hand near its beak without attempting to bite, it’s a good sign that it will accept more physical contact. If the parrot seems ready to bite, stop immediately and keep your hand still until it calms down. Once the parrot no longer tries to bite when your hand is near its beak, pull your hand back and reward it with its favorite treat.
- Repeat the same process when touching the parrot’s body. Gradually move your hand closer to its body. If the parrot seems uncomfortable, stop and wait. Continue this until it allows you to stroke it. At that point, reward it with its favorite treat.
Nói chuyện với vẹt. Một số vẹt “nói” giỏi hơn những con khác, nhưng mọi con vẹt đều có khả năng bắt chước tiếng người. Cho dù chú vẹt có giỏi lặp lại lời bạn đến đâu, việc nói chuyện với nó là một phần quan trọng đối với sức khỏe tâm lý của vẹt, vì vậy bạn nhớ nói chuyện với nó thường xuyên.
- Gọi tên một số đồ vật: khi cho vẹt ăn vài món nào đó , bạn có thể nói, “táo” hay “chuối”.
- Liên hệ một số từ với các hành động của bạn. Khi bước vào phòng, bạn hãy nói “Xin chào, Hoa” (hay bất cứ tên nào của bạn) hoặc “Chào buổi sáng!” Khi rời khỏi phòng, bạn nói “Tạm biệt” hoặc “Chúc ngủ ngon”.
- Chú vẹt của bạn cũng sẽ rất thích nghe bạn nói chuyện (nói với nó hoặc có thể chỉ nói một chiều), nghe bạn hát, nghe âm thanh khi bạn xem tivi, hoặc nghe nhạc.
- Một số con vẹt có thể học lỏm nhiều câu, do đó bạn nên cẩn thận đừng nói tục hoặc la hét bên cạnh nó, trừ khi bạn muốn nó lặp lại những ngôn từ không hay đó.
Chọn đồ chơi bổ ích cho vẹt. Đồ chơi kích thích tinh thần và giải tỏa sự nhàm chán cho vẹt. Bạn nên cho vẹt nhiều món đồ chơi với nhiều loại chất liệu, màu sắc và âm thanh. Nên quay vòng thay đổi đồ chơi hàng tuần để vẹt khỏi chán với một món đồ chơi ngày nào cũng giống ngày nào. Sau đây là vài lưu ý về đồ chơi cho vẹt mà bạn cần nhớ:
- Chọn đồ chơi nhỏ, nhẹ và gương cho vẹt nhỏ.
- Vẹt to thích dùng mỏ, lưỡi và chân để chơi những món đồ chơi dày hơn.
- Chim thích nhai. Một phần trong hành vi bản năng của chim là xé các vật. Bạn nhớ kiểm tra đồ chơi thường xuyên xem có hư hại không và vứt đi nếu chúng bị nứt hoặc vỡ thành mảnh nhỏ vốn có thể làm vẹt bị thương.
Học ngôn ngữ cơ thể của vẹt. Nói chung, vẹt đứng thẳng, lông xẹp xuống là đang cảnh giác hoặc sợ hãi. Vẹt thả lỏng, lông hơi xù lên là biểu hiện đang vui vẻ. Vẹt đứng trên một chân và lông phập phồng có thể là biểu hiện nó không khỏe. Toàn bộ lông dựng đứng lên hết mức thường có nghĩa là vẹt đang tán tỉnh hoặc sẵn sàng chiến đấu. Lần lượt duỗi từng bên cánh, hoặc lông đuôi vẫy nhẹ là nó đang khỏe mạnh và hạnh phúc. Một số vẹt khi vui vẻ còn ngọ nguậy lưỡi hoặc gật gù mỏ khi nhìn thấy thứ mà chúng thích thú.
Lời khuyên
- Nhiều con vẹt thỉnh thoảng thích được phun sương nhẹ. Dùng bình xịt và chút nước ấm để xịt cho chú vẹt của bạn được sạch sẽ.
- Đừng quên rằng chim thỉnh thoảng cũng thay lông và chú vẹt của bạn rụng vài chiếc lông là bình thường. Nếu lông vẹt bắt đầu trông có vẻ không đều hoặc có những mảng trụi, bạn nên đem vẹt đi bác sĩ thú ý.
- Cần biết bạn phải bỏ bao nhiêu công sức cho chú vẹt của mình. Vẹt là loại thú cưng đòi hỏi nhiều công chăm sóc, do vậy bạn cần đảm bảo có đủ thời gian và công sức cho nó.
- Các diễn đàn vẹt là một ý tưởng tuyệt vời để thu thập kiến thức và trò chuyện với những người yêu vẹt khác.
- Sử dụng các cây đậu có đường kính và độ nhám khác nhau để luyện tập cho chân vẹt. Cây đậu phủ cát có thể giúp chim mài móng và mỏ một cách tự nhiên.
