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African Grey Parrot Centre ™ Articles

6 Things to Consider Before Buying a Parrot

July 31st, 2010

1. How much will the bird cost?

The price of a parrot varies in large bounds in dependence with the species. You can buy for example a budgie for less than £10. The price of the cockatiel varies between £15 and £25. An Amazonian parrot and grey parrot can be purchased for about £300 – £600, cockatoo for £500 …… and the price of some parrots reaches £8,000! This is one of the initial questions which you have to answer.

2. How much space will the bird need? : Six things to consider before buying a parrot

Larger birds and even some of the small ones are very active physically and need big cages and space in which to play.

3. Is there any free time for the bird? : Six things to consider before buying a parrot

Probably this is the most important question. Birds are intelligent, playful and mostly “social” creatures. Will you have time to play with your bird? To care properly of it? Will it have the chance to be a part of your family? Consider the fact that birds live fairly long. A small parrot cockatiel lives for 20 years and more! Amazona or African grey parrot can live for 50, 60 and there are documented cases for birds that lived up to the respectable age of 100 years! Can you devote to this? It is not unusual to inherit birds for previous generations. Don’t buy a bird if you think that you will soon get bored of it.

4. How noisy is the bird? Will the neighbours murmur? : Six things to consider before buying a parrot

Budgies and cockatiel are comparatively quiet. They are suitable to look after in a flat. Moluxco cockatoo could live in flat just if you have neighbors around you and six floors above / below you that like listening screams to cracking their ear – drums. The African grey parrot tends to be one of comparatively non-noisy parrots. Certainly, there are individual differences between birds. Somewhere there could be cockatoo, that don ‘ t make noisy to heaven. If really there could be found such, an enterprising person could make a fortune of it. Remember that noise is a subjective and relative sensation. A bird can be considered as “non-noisy” only at the background of another one,considered as noisy.

5. How “destructive” could a bird be? : Six things to consider before buying a parrot

Do you possess peerless old furniture? Rare books? Remember that these birds have strong beaks,. Some of them are less inclined to “nibbling” than others, but nibbling is completely natural behaviour for them.

6. Does the parrot need special food? : Six things to consider before buying a parrot

Lory parrots, for example, need a specialized diet. Do you have an opportunity and means to provide it? Once you have made a preliminary investigation and have decided what kind of parrot you want, you can go looking for it and buy it. NEVER, NEVER BUY A PARROT IMPULSIVELY!


About the Author

www.kokkada.com


Disadvantages Of Having Parrots For A Pet

July 31st, 2010

Parrots can be pretty hard to take care of. Unlike other pets that can be left alone in their cages, parrots are restless creatures who you have to check up on a couple of times every day. Here are just some things that parrots can do to your home.

1. Disadvantages Of Having Parrots For A Pet : Parrots can be pretty messy

If you are the type that would like the house to be spotless, try to reconsider getting a parrot or any pet for that matter. Parrots can be really messy, even a small parakeet.

Their food can be flung everywhere even when they are inside the cage. Your floor can be filled up by pellets, seed, and nutshells. Sticky foods may also be plastered on the walls, on the bars of the cage and even at the ceilings. Foods will literally be everywhere.

Another problem that you may have are their poop, which you really have to clean everyday. And they are not that disciplined to only poop in one place. They actually poop everywhere, in bars, in their food dish and even with the toys that you give them. They may even poop in between bars, which may end up on the floor and sometimes even on you.

If you have a cockatiel variety or the grey breed, you will also have to contend with the powder that they have on their feathers. The feathers will stick everywhere. So, you really have to dust everyday.

Because of this, you have to scrub the cage, their dish and the whole of the area at least once a day to prevent bacteria from settling in and of course the bad smell.

2. Disadvantages Of Having Parrots For A Pet : Parrots chew on everything

Parrots love chewing wood. In fact, owners of parrots often give them wooden toys to play and chew with inside their cages. Parrots however are not satisfied with just these toys. When they get the opportunity, they will chew on everything that they get their hands on. They will puncture your clothes, your furniture, even your books.

This can be really frustrating especially if you are the type of person who wants a clean house. Parrots are not recommended in homes that have dainty and fragile furniture. They should also not be placed in areas where they can break things and chew on antiques.

Be careful with wearing jewelry because they will sure to grab it or chew it. Parrots love shiny things. They can claw the stone right out of your favorite jewelery


About the Author

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on Pet Parrot & other useful information, please visit pet-parrot.articlekeep.com


What You Should Know Before Buying A Pet Parrot

July 31st, 2010

Parrots are great animals. In fact, as a pet, parrots can be pretty entertaining especially with children who just love their mimicry. But like other kinds of pets, parrots are not all sweetness and light. They can also be a bother especially when you are not really much into pets.

Here are some things that you have to take into consideration before buying a parrot for a pet. Read on and think long and hard about each item. Remember that parrots are not exactly cheap. Once you buy them, you won’t have any choice but to take care of them.

1. What You Should Know Before Buying A Pet Parrot : Parrots are noisy

Mimicries may seem cute for a while but after several weeks of non-stop noise, it would eventually become a bother. If you are the kind of person who values your peace and quiet at home, parrots are not the pets for you. Their songs are not the same as the musical sounds that some birds make. The larger the parrot bird that you have, the louder the sound that they will produce.

Do you know that they can even scream so loud, you’d be running for cover? Your neighbors will even hear it. A normal parrot will probably scream at least two times a day. A screaming match will probably last for about five to fifteen minutes.

2. What You Should Know Before Buying A Pet Parrot : Parrots love to play with things

Remember that parrots cannot tell the difference between a wooden toy that they are allowed to play with and a priceless wooden furniture that your great great grandparents bequeath you. They can chew at it and you won’t be able to do anything about it.

And sometimes, they won’t even be content with furniture. They can also chew computer and electric cords, books, papers and virtually everything that they can get their claws on. Wallpapers, clothes can also be clawed on. So, be very careful.

3. What You Should Know Before Buying A Pet Parrot : Parrots can bite

They may seem docile creatures but they are actually not. Parrots can bite and they can claw. Even small birds can do this like the parakeet. And this is not just the ordinary bite that will not result to a big wound. They can actually draw blood and rip the skin.

Some who bite really hard can even break the small bones. This is not to say that parrots are mean creatures. They are just scared of people they do not yet know. Their defense mechanism is of course to bite.


About the Author

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on Pet Parrot & other useful information, please visit http://pet-parrot.articlekeep.com


How To Select The Right Parrot

July 31st, 2010

Pet parrots are very common today in family households. People are drawn to their lovable nature, their curious facial expressions and of course their amazing ability to talk. Before making a choice to buy a parrot you first need to find out all there is to know about them.

How To Select The Right Parrot : Cleanliness

Are parrots clean animals? All that needs to be said is that a parrot is an animal that eats and then makes waste. Unfortunately parrots do not have the ability to clean up after themselves, otherwise they would make a great investment. It is important to make sure that the parrot cage is kept clean most of the time as when left unclean your parrot may become subject to infectious diseases.

How To Select The Right Parrot : Noise Factor

Another trait that all parrots have in common with one another is their sometimes unbearable screaming. However this like many other things can be trained and in time eventually controlled with a series of hand signals and gestures. This will take a lot of time but there are parrot training courses out there to help you along the way. Also it is better to start your parrots training while they are still young as parrots like humans learn faster during their younger years.

How To Select The Right Parrot : Interactivity

Parrots are very intelligent and social animals. If you keep the bird alone in his cage it will get bored and develop behavioral problems. It is suggested that you are better off purchasing more than one parrot for this reason alone. Remember if you are attempting to train your parrot, behavioral problems are the last thing you want to have to deal with.

How To Select The Right Parrot : Age

How long do parrots live for? Some can live for up to 75 years. It is amazing to think that such a small animal like a parrot can have this kind of lifespan. It must be because they are always happy! In fact in many cases parrots have out-lived their owners and therefore needed a new place to stay. Try to take this into consideration before bringing that new parrot home to the kids because more than likely one of them will be taking over the duties of cleaning and caring for it when you are gone.

Remember a parrot is an animal and therefore should be treated like an animal. No matter how well you train it to speak, it will never have the ability to understand what it is saying. However with all this said if you decide to go out and buy a parrot as a pet, you are making a very sound decision indeed.


About the Author

Dane Stanton is the owner of ParrotTrainingReview.com which is an extensive review of the top parrot training courses on the internet. Find which course is best for you and your parrot!


Choosing the Best Parrot Cage on the Market

June 19th, 2010

The cage is your beloved parrot’s home. Any living being should have good home so you have to be sure that you can provide your parrot with the best conditions. Also if you choose the parrot cage wisely than you will avoid some parrot care problems that can appear in the future.

The parrot cage should be the largest expense after practically buying the parrot. So if you are going to spend some money then be sure to spend them on a good deal.

The parrot is going to spend a lot of time in the cage so you’ll have to choose the right one for your pet. There are three parrot care issues that you should take in consideration when you are decided to buy a parrot cage. The most important parrot care issue is you bird’s safety. There are many cases where parrots got injured or killed because of their cage.

I will try to discuss al this three parrot care points that you should have in mind when you are going to buy a parrot cage.

Safety – Like i already said safety is the most important thing when choosing a parrot cage. You can find Knock down cages on the market. You you buy one of those than you’ll have to examine it very good to see if there are any pieces that can be easily removed by you parrot. If there are than i don’t advice you to buy this kind of parrot cages because the little pieces can be swallowed by you parrot.

The majority of parrot cages i saw in pet stores are built from different metals like wire, stainless steel, zinc. From what i found so far the wire parrot cages are the most economical. but you mustn’t forget to inspect the cage regularly for broken welds or broken wires.

You can find metal parrot cages at a medium prices on the market. This parrot cages are built in a variety of metals shapes and colors.

The most expensive parrot cage that you can find in your search is the Stainless steel cage. The advantages of this type of parrot cages is that they will never rust or cause metal poisoning. So i think that if you are ready to make a good deal, buying a stainless steal parrot cage would be the perfect choice. Even if it’s expensive i can ensure you that you’ll never have to replace it.

One important safety issue is the bar spacing. When you buy a parrot cage make sure that the bar spacing is smaller than you parrot’s head. This way you can be sure that your pet’s head won’t get stuck between the bars.

Size – another important aspect for a parrot cage is it’s size. The best thing you can do is to go to a pet store and buy the largest parrot cage that you can find in your budget range. A big parrot cage gives more freedom to your parrot and it will have a happier life. Keep in mind that the width of the parrot cage is more important than the height. Mostly, your parrot will fly from side to side.

The components of the parrot cage is the last but not least of the important aspects when buying parrot cages. Swing out feeders are a good way to feed your parrot especially the aggressive ones.

You can also buy food dishes for you parrot cage. This accessories also come in different styles and colors.

Try to find a parrot cage that has an entry door big enough to get the bird out easily. Remember that parrots are very smart so they can learn how to open the cage doors. If this happens then you will have to take some security measures and ad some new components so the parrot won’t be able to open the door anymore.

Also try to look for a parrot cage with removable litter trays. This way You will clean the cage with no effort and your bird won’t reach the old left over food.

In conclusion if you want a happy and healthy parrot you must provide him with a good home. If the parrot cage meets all he parrot care aspects that i mentioned above then you can be sure that your pet will live healthy in peace.

Looking for great information on parrot care problems? Then you must visit us at the best parrot care site on the Net and don’t forget to check our parrot cages section.


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