Tips To Care Your Pet Parrot

By Vijayalakshmi

Pet lovers often strive to be different from their counterparts. While many of them settles for either dog or a cat, some love to try their hands in rearing something unusual. However, contradicting to the statement many of them own birds as their pets, specially parrots.

It is a known fact that parrots are known for their distinctive characters. Their affectionate behaviour, playful personality and adorable look is what makes them different from other pets. Another important feature of parrots is the fact that they are vocal just like human beings.

For those of you who are planning to keep a parrot as a pet or if you already own a parrot, you must know that a whole lot of responsibility is required for the maintenance of the bird. Not only it requires basics like good food and water but also proper taming and attention is needed. Finally, the most important aspect is parrots apart from being known as fun and entertaining creatures can live long upto 15 years.

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So, here are few simple tips to keep your pet parrot healthy and lively.

Get a large cage
It is generally known that birds like to be free and out of confinement. But considering chances of them flying away, it is best advised that it is caged. At the same time make sure that the cage for the bird is spacious enough for it to move around freely and check if the perch inside the cage is good enough for the parrot to swing. Likewise, clean the cage regularly including the food and water bowl.

Feed it regularly
When we say feeding the parrot regularly, we mean feeding it with proper nutrition. Parrots like any other birds like to feast on nuts, fruits, vegetables and grains. These not only serves as a balanced diet but also provides essential nutrients needed for your pet's growth. However, many super market stores do have packaged food for parrots. This also could be one of the best option.

Taming and training the parrot
Parrots love playing, but they are shy creatures in their initial days. It is upto you to have patience and the right knack to tame your pet so that it gets used to you. Some of the basic tips for the parrot to get comfortable is by handling it gently and placing your finger in front of it until it perches on your finger.

Teach them to talk
While we all know that parrots are vocal like humans. Parrots also have the characteristic to imitate any noise or sound they hear. Since they pick sounds, it is easier to train them, but make sure while training them you pronounce the words slowly and clearly so that they can catch the word and pronounce it appropriately.

Groom your pet parrot
Grooming is one of the most basic and extremely essential. Grooming involves trimming their nails, brushing their feathers etc. However, it is a known fact that birds do take care of themselves, so keep a bowl of separate water so that they can use it to clean themselves or even you can bathe it in a gentle manner.

Get it medically checked
Taking good care of your pet does not limit to providing fresh food and water. Taking your pet regularly to the vet to get its wings clipped rather than you clippping it. At the same time get the regular checks done for the pet as it is difficult to find anything amiss in their health as opposed to other animals.

These are some of the basic tips needed to take care of your pet parrot. Following this routine will not only give the sense of comfort to your parrot with its new home and master. But, will also make it feel fresh and playful.

Story first published: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 17:46 [IST]
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