Posts Tagged ‘parrot’

Parrot Breeders Have An Important Role In The Early Years Of A Parrot

Copyright (c) 2010 Kaye Dennan

Parrot breeders play an important part in the first stages of a parrot’s life. Breeders have a very dominant role in the weaning of a parrot onto food. Care and patience is need during this time and if it is not done correctly the long term health of the parrot can be affected due to bad eating habits.

During the first few months a parrot learns to behave either the right way or the wrong way according to how it is being treated. Have you ever considered how long a parrot lives for, because some of them live to 60 years old and others even up until 100 years? Well they do, so you can see why those first few months, and even years, are important to instill good behavioral habits.

Parrot breeders.

When looking to purchase a pet parrot make some enquiries about parrot breeders and find one that has a good history and one that demonstrates good behavior towards parrot breeding. If buying the parrot from a pet shop see if you can get some information about the breeder and watch to see how the parrot behaves in the shop before you purchase it. The behavior you see will give you some idea as to how the parrot is going to act at home.

Getting a weaned bird.

How and what a young parrot is fed in the early stages of its life is very important so you want to know that the parrot breeder has taken care over the diet of the parrot you intend to buy and that they have started feeding it the diet that it should have. A young parrot should be eating warm soft food, fresh food, pellets and/or seeds before you get it home.

Caring for a pet parrot starts at the beginning and a parrot breeder needs to make sure that right at the beginning the parrot diet is correct. Some parrots are a bit fussy but with perseverance a varied diet can be achieved. Something that is great about having a pet parrot is that it does like a wide variety of food. They like fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, rice, pasta and also included in their diet should be at least 40% of pellets.

Clipping the wings of a parrot.

Some breeders will clip the wings on a parrot very early in its life, but preferably the bird should not have its wings clipped, and has been allowed to learn to fly and to learn to land safely on its feet then it is much more likely to be a happier bird. Even in your home the bird will flutter around from one thing to another so it needs to be able to land safely and securely without tumbling over.

Let’s face it, a bird is a bird, no matter whether it has had its wings clipped or not, so from an emotional point of view the bird needs to have learnt why it has wings before they are clipped.

Commitment of parrot breeders.

Before purchasing your parrot ask the breeder if you can have a look at the aviary. Some may be hesitant of this, but if they are genuine they should not have a problem. If the breeder will not let you look at the aviary, walk away from the purchase because there could be serious problems within the aviary. Because of the length of time that you own the parrot and be caring for him, it is really helpful if you can build a strong rapport with the parrot breeder. During the parrot’s lifetime there may be problems that you come up against and it is really handy to be able to approach an experienced person to help you care for the parrot.

There are of course, times when people buy a really exotic parrot and cannot meet the parrot breeders, but in most cases it is possible and I would definitely go down this path when purchasing a pet that I intend to have because you do keep them for such a long time.

rspb/defra video which was broadcasted on watchdog. this video proves rspb/defra have tried to frame bird breeders

Yahoo Answers:

Question by Tolga K: where can I find parrot breeders in Florida?
I would like to buy African Grey Timneh female baby parrot and I would like to buy her from a breeder in FLorida. Any help is appreciated.

Best answer:

Answer by Sapphyre
Hi
Since i live in Florida for over 10 years I have meet a lot of breeders, the best place I have found is a wholesale breeder in Miami, here is their link, I think I have a few more for ya.

http://www.birdwholesalers.com/

What do you think? Answer below in the comments!
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day nineteen | give the parrot a cracker


Image by I Are Rowell
day nineteen | give the parrot a cracker but I wont guarantee that he’ll eat it.

Barbs and I visited the San Diego Zoo and we spent about 3 or 4 hours there but we still didn’t get to see everything.

The new Elephant Odyssey is a really great exhibit where they allow you to see the Elephants much closer than before. It’s also the same with the lions :]

This parrot was just chillin near the Childrens section of the zoo and ,although you can’t see it, there is a squirrel stealing the parrot’s food.

Homemade Parrot Treats

Commercially available parrot treats look very appealing, but unfortunately they are usually designed to appeal to the parrot owner more than to the parrot’s nutritional needs. Very often they contain too much artificial colorings and preservatives.

But the good news is you don’t have to depend on pet shop supplies to give your bird healthy, tasty treats.

Parrot treats can be very simple, like fresh millet, dried fruit on a skewer or pieces of fresh coconut hanging from the cage (don’t overdo the coconut though as it is still a nut and as such contains more fat than fruits), or require a little more preparation. Here are some more elaborate ideas of homemade parrot food your pet bird will probably love:

Parrot treat recipes:

1. Fruity muffin

1 pack Hodgeson Mills Corn Muffin Mix with whole wheat flour (has lower sodium than Jiffy’s)
3 eggs (with their shells) 1 mashed ripe banana
1 mashed and peeled yam 1 chopped and seeded apple
2 cups pitted fruit (peaches, apricots, papaya, nectarines)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup varied nuts and seeds (almonds, pumpkin seeds, …) 1 jar of fruity baby food

Mix everything and bake on 350°F for about 30 to 40 minutes. Be careful to let it cool before feeding a piece to your parrot.

NOTE: You can use 2 cups of corn meal flour, 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder instead of the muffin mix if you prefer.

2. Spicy muffin

1 pack Hodgeson Mills Corn Muffin Mix with whole wheat flour
3 eggs (with their shells)
1 mashed and peeled sweet potato
2 cups fresh vegetables: spinach, broccoli, green peppers, peas
1 grated carrot
1/4 cup seeded jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup carrot juice
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 jar of veggie baby food

Here again, mix everything and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes.

TIP: You can cut individual portions and freeze them and then thaw one daily or every other day.

Why a spicy muffin? Well, parrots have a less developed a sense of smell and taste than we do, so using spices in moderation can be a good little extra, and you have no doubt already noticed that your bird sometimes soaks some of his food in water to bring out the flavor. Chilies are also rich in vitamins A and C so it’s healthy too not just tasty!

Fun and training

Part of the treat is the way to find the food: having your bird forage for it will make it just that much more fun. You can also make the treat playful: for instance romaine lettuce does not have a high nutritional value but can be used to wrap other foods for fun foraging rumps and to entice your bird to try new fruits or veg.

As its name implies, a treat is something out of the ordinary, a special extra not to be substituted to a regular diet. Which makes it great as a training reward. For training reinforcement you can use seeds (if your bird has a balanced parrot diet rather than mostly seeds), low fat cheese (many a parrot are cheese junkies, so that’s a safe way to let them indulge from time to time), or pieces of spicy muffin.

You can grow grass shoots from your birds seed – its a source of LIVING green plant food that my budgies and cockatiels love. Healthy and stimulating – more interesting for the bird than pecking seed from a cup! Easy to do, and fun to watch your birdies enjoying! This is a type of environmental enrichment/ captive foraging.

Yahoo Answers:

Question by jahangirjt: can i feed my cockatiel superior parrot food?
i always feed him cockatiel mix but wantied to try this parrot food for larger parrots. is it good for him and will he eat it ?

Best answer:

Answer by Lynn D
It may be too large, but he’ll eat what he can.

Keep in mind that each food mix is formulated for the dietary needs of each specific bird. It may not have a balance of what your cockatiel needs. So it’s not advisable.

What do you think? Answer below in the comments!
Find More Parrot Food Articles

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Top 10 Parrot Training Rules

Parrot training is also owner training in a way, as training your parrot teaches YOU quite a few things at the same time! For one thing, training a parrot means you’ll have to improve your teaching skills (my day job is teaching children part-time and that takes quite a bit of practice too!), and work on your patience. It is normal for a bird not to understand what we want to teach him instantly, but training parrots should first and foremost remain a game.

1. Find the right reward.
2. Respect the moments when your bird is not interested by a training session.
3. Choose a place where the bird feels at ease and secure, a place he knows and likes.
4. Always reward every action when you want to teach him a new behavior in order to encourage him.
5. Observe the motivation of your parrot and end the training session before the bird gets restless or bored.
6. Training should be a game for your pet, therefore there shouldn’t be any sort of punishment when he gets things wrong.
7. Keeping your patience can be tough, but it is necessary to adapt to the learning rhythm of your bird and not to go too quickly, otherwise he may become confused.
8. Always make sure that the behavior or trick you teach him has been 100% learned (i.e. he gets it right 100% of the time) before moving on to something new.
9. Be in a good mood throughout the session, because your bird can feel your emotions. He will learn better if this is an agreeable experience for you!
10. End all training sessions on a very positive note. This way your parrot will be left with a good memory and he’ll be willing to practice again for the next session.

As a last recommendation, a sound human relationship is based on trust and mutual respect. When it comes to creating a relationship with your pet, these principles hold true.
Parrots need to feel safe in your company, and it is your job to win your bird’s trust, and do everything in your power not to lose it.

Animals do not behave as humans do, and we must not interpret their behavior using our human frame of reference, but rather keep in mind their specificity. This will help us not to mistake what is normal behavior for parrots from bad or problematic behavior.

Yahoo Answers:

Question by Arnold R: parrot training?
how can I get my parrot to stop yelling?

Best answer:

Answer by Marilyn B
you probably can’t. Maybe you can give him more attention if he is alone a lot. Cover him up if he is yelling at night. Try teaching him or her something new. It also depends on the type of bird, some birds are very vocal.

Give us the benefit of your knowledge and add your own answer in the comments!
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A man and his parrot

Image by stevewhis
Visitors to Seattle’s Pike Place Market are used to seeing strange sights. In this case, a man with his parrot (and I’m sure he would correctly on species, etc) – don’t they make a nice pair?

Some Great Parrot Cages Tips

Bird Comfort

The size of the cage, its bar spacing and thickness depends on the size of your parrot.  A cage must be large enough to enable your pet to spread both its wings freely and hop around in the cage.  Make room for toys and other stuff in your bird’s cage to enhance your bird’s environment. The larger the cage size, the better.

It would be advisable to look for the largest cage with 1/2 inch spacing.  Ensure that the bar spacing is smaller than your bird’s head to prevent it from becoming trapped in the bars.  A good space for medium birds is 1 3/16, and for larger ones, 1 3/8 is good.  Horizontal bars allow birds to climb around the cage.  Also, the strength of the bars is especially important for big parrots.

Place the cage in an area of the house where your parrot can see and interact with the family.  It is best to place the cage in an area with a partial view out a window so that your pet can avoid unwanted/frightening views unless, of course, the view is of a quiet garden offering green and trees.

100% Safe

A locking mechanism should be present on entry doors and feeder doors, to prevent accidental escapes.  Parrots are highly skillful in finding ways to get out.  Quick Links (the-c-type links) can be used to prevent parrots, from escaping.  Larger birds may require padlocks.  Some cages provide locks not only on the door of the cage but also on the back of the dishes.

The cage should have neither sharp edges nor blobs of weld or spots of rust which can cause metal poisoning to your bird.  Of course it will need to be strong enough to withstand the most powerful beaks.

Easy to clean

The cage should have easy to clean, removable grids and litter trays with removable seed guards to avoid the mess outside the cage.    You will need to consider a cage which has the hardest and strongest oven baked powder coating which will withstand the everyday repeating cleaning process.

Easy and safe to move

You will need to move your bird cage for cleaning and to custom your parrot to accept changes.   For those reasons you need to make sure the wheels of your cage will not come off.  Cages with small rubber/plastic type wheels very often come off after a week or so as the wheels cannot support the weight of the parrot cage.  You need quality designed very smooth, easy roll wheels that are heavy duty and practical with no hard plastic, so no scratches to your wooden or tiled floors.

Birds at Play

The cage should provide not just a secure home for the bird but also a great place for the parrot to play and to hang out   Choose a parrot cage which offers a removable play top and a landing platform, so, there will be no need for you to buy and accommodate a separate play stand.  The landing platform is very useful when you are trying to get your parrot back into its cage.

A Look Inside the Parrot Place – Part III
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Yahoo Answers:

Question by gohermurad: What is the best place to keep a parrot’s cage?
i have a parrot and i have a problem with him….he remains quiet in my room but when i bring its cage outside he starts to be more active and makes different sounds. My cage also has shade.so where should i keep it?

Best answer:

Answer by MRHickey
I would not keep the bird outside as the environment can be too harsh. I would put the cage in an area where the animal will be able to see more people. I keep my bird in the living room where there is the most activity and she can see out a window. I take her outside occasionally but I don’t leave her out there, there is too much of a risk of harsh weather changes.

Parrots are social, the more they can see the happier they will be. I hope this helps, placement of the cage will affect a lot of the behavioral traits of the bird.

Good luck

You Have Another Answer? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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