There are many bird owners that prefer not to clip the wings. Parrots that are allowed to fly definitely get more exercise. This also benefits them psychologically as well. There are some people that believe in letting their birds fly wherever they want even outdoors. However, this is not advised and not recommended for the average bird owner. If you decide you want to clip your bird’s wings you can either do it yourself or take them to a vet. It’s easy to trim a bird’s wings after you become accustomed to it. It also can save you a lot of money in vet bills plus less trips to the vet. If you want to learn how to do it yourself, watch someone who knows what they’re doing a few times before doing it yourself.

The first thing you will need are a small pair of blunt scissors, a lightweight towel and someone else to hold the bird if you don’t want to hold them yourselves. The other person should place the towel on the back of the bird and hold them firmly but gently by the back of their head. Don’t cover the bird completely with the towel or squeeze them because that will cause their air sacs to collapse and they could suffocate.

Be sure to trim all the primary feathers. The first group is right before the wind bends approximately half way. Never trim or cut the secondary feathers, which are the feathers past the bend closer to the bird’s body. Trim both wings exactly the same length for balance. Extend the wing by gently grasping the edge. Never touch the tip of the feathers. Before trimming take a close look at the wing to be sure it’s not still growing in.

The “blood feathers” are usually swollen and are a purplish color at the lower shafts. This is a sign they is a reservoir of blood in them. If they are cut or broken, they will bleed profusely. The bleeding usually stops by itself. However, if it doesn’t you can stop the bleeding by apply gentle pressure or using cornstarch. After the bleeding stops, quickly remove the shaft of the feather. If the shaft remains, it will start to bleed again later. If you can’t stand to remove a feather, a vet can do it. If you can do it either you or your helper should restrain the bird and remove the feather. Get as close to the bird’s body as you can using a pair of pliers or tweezers. Gently hold the area towards the base of the feather so when the feather is removed it doesn’t tear the bird’s skin. Remove the feather in one movement. After the feather is removed, the bleeding will automatically stop.

After the bird’s feathers have been trimmed, be sure to keep perches low over carpeted areas until the bird adjusts to their newly trimmed feathers. Until they adjust, birds will sometimes crash to the floor, which can result in knee or head injuries.

Many birds also need their nails trimmed regularly. If their nails become overgrown, they will snag clothing or they will have difficulty in walking or climbing. To trim their nails you will need a pair not guillotine or notched style nail clippers. You can find these in any pet store. If the nails are overgrown only snip off the tips. The vein is visible especially in bird’s that have light colored nails.

Wait approximately two to three weeks before trimming the nails again. This gives the veins time to recede so you can trim the nails with nicking the vein. If while trimming the nails you nick the vein, you can stop the bleeding by using styptic powder and applying it with your finger. Styptic works by using a chemical burn process so be sure you never apply it to an area where the bird can get to it and taste it.

If you have a bird that has a beak that has grown long and it is hard for them to eat or groom themselves give them something hard to chew. This wear down the tip as they chew.

For birds such as budgies, an overgrown beak means a serious medical condition for example an enlarged liver. In this case, you should consult your vet.

Beaks should only be trimmed when everything else fails. Your vet may advise on using a sanding tool, however, that will terrify your bird. You can also try to clip the beak. When clipping the beak only slightly and barely trim the area to avoid hitting the vein. If the beak bleeds, it can be difficult to stop and the open beak can be prone to infections.

There are several great bird diets that are on the market today. However, you should be aware that parrots don’t like dry pellets.

If you have a parrot that won’t eat formulated food, you can feed them people food but it must be healthy. Don’t try to feed your parrot gummi bears, potato chips or quesadillas. Parrots cannot have sale, sugar are large amounts of fat.

The best diet for a parrot is half cooked grains such as oatmeal or rice, approximately 20% fresh fruit, 20% fresh vegetable and approximately 10% beans and nuts.

People foods is ok for parrots such as cooked pasta, whole kernel corn, cooked oatmeal, plain popcorn, wheat bread, barley or unsweetened no sale cereal such as Kashi. You can teach your parrot to like broccoli, spinach, squash, cooked yams, carrots or sprouts. All bird love pears, apples, orange, plums, and grapes. They also like chicken, cooked beef or fish.

If your bird has been only eating seed, you can slowly convert them to a better and healthier diet. Be sure to start this as soon as possible since developing a taste for a wide variety of food can help save their lives if they get sick and lose their appetite.

The best way is to gradually give them new food and leave the seed in the cage for several hours every day. As they learn to like the new food, they will eat less of the seed. Never take the seed completely out of the cage when introducing new foods because they will feel deprived and starve themselves.

A good tip if you have a cockatiel or budgie is to check the seed dish every day to be sure they have seed. Be sure it’s seed and not seed husks. Seed husks will be in the dish since they fall from the bird’s mouth as they eat. The best way to tell if it’s husk or seeds in the dish is by lightly blowing over the dish. This also helps the bird to find the fresh seed. Fill the cup only a third.

Never give any bird chocolate or avocados. Avocados contain persin, which is a toxic chemical. Chocolate has theobromine, which is similar to caffeine, which animals cannot digest. Also, be sure to remove seeds from any fruit you give your bird. Pits can be very toxic to birds.

There are many other dangers as well. For example, parrots will chew electrical cords so be sure to keep them out of reach never let your bird chew on any type of plant or if outdoors shrubs as well. If you know the plants and shrubs are safe then it’s ok, however, if in doubt take a look at our list of toxic and safe plants.

Be sure you know the warning signs of poisoning. Birds that have been poisoned will have seizures and even vomit. When a bird vomits, it will whip its head from side to side. If they pump their head up and down, that is the motion they use to regurgitate food and also affectionate behavior so no need to worry about that.

If you think your parrot has been poisoned or they have eaten or inhaled a harmful substance, you should call your vet or the point control center. The phone number for the ASPCA is 888-426-4435. A vet toxicologist will be available to give you instructions on what you need to do. Be sure you have your credit card handy since the fee is $60.

Never place the bird’s case near a drafty or sunny window. Birds are very susceptible to sunstroke and heatstroke just as any other animal.

Birds that become overheated will pant with their beak open and may even hold their wings slightly away from their body. Be sure your bird has cool water to drink and shade.

Be sure to keep the lid down on the toilet to prevent accidental drowning. Turn off all ceiling fans when you have your parrot flying around the house. And never use mousetraps or flypaper.

Regarding store bought toys be sure you check on the toys you put in your birds cage. Check for unraveling on rope toys as this can wrap around your birds foot or neck, which can cause them to strangle or your bird to chew off a toe.

Toys that you should not buy are chain links and jingle bells. These toys can snare your bird’s toes or beak. If you give them a plush toy keep an eye on the toy since you bird may eat the plus material.

Parakeets also known as budgies are great too. However, they don’t live as long as they used to due to over breeding. Unfortunately, they quite often develop malignant tumors after only a few years.

Lovebirds, Quakers, and conures are great choices if you have limited space.

Macaws, cockatoos and amazons have beautiful and exotic plumage, are very affectionate and talk.

The biggest hooked beak birds of all times are parrots. However, they are very aggressive and can give a very serious bite.

Lorikeets and Lories have needs that can be very challenging. When they are in the wild, they love to eat nectar. When they are caged birds, they require a special diets and also special cages to hold their droppings. They can spray up to approximately 6 feet away. However, there are some people that prefer Lories because of their comical personalities and their devotion.

If you would like to read more about the various types of parrots and the stories of their owners you can always search online. The more research you do the better your chance of finding the right bird.

Once you have decided on the type of bird you wanted you have two options of where to buy them. You can buy them either from a breed or a pet store.

Pet stores are the fast and convenient way to buy birds however usually the employees aren’t very knowledgeable to answer any questions you might have. Also if you buy a bird from a pet store it is impossible to know the age, health or background of the bird.

If you buy your bird from a breeder, they are able to tell you anything you want to know about the behavior and care of the bird. They also sell younger birds that are more tame. However, there is never a guarantee that hand fed birds will remain tame. There are some breeders that have cruel practices.

There are thousands of bird rescue groups where you can adopt a bird. These organizations sometimes have actual buildings where you can see the birds, however most of them have foster homes where they care for thousand of parrots that are unwanted.

If you can’t find a rescue organization near you try checking out your local animal shelter. Some shelters that have dogs and cats also have a few birds that are up for adoption.

Sadly, many people think that owning pet parrots is one of the easier choices to make for a family pet rather than say, a dog or cat. They erringly think that parrot care is not as time consuming as if they owned a pet dog, but surprise! Pet Parrots generally require more parrot care than a pet dog would need.

Let’s just take a moment to think about the comparisons here.

Dog Care vs. Parrot Care which is easier?

Dogs need to be walked a few times per day

Parrots need to be let out of their cages a few times per day

Dogs need to be brushed and bathed

Parrot Care involves bathing your pet parrots a few times a week

Dogs need to run

Pet Parrots need time outside their cage to exercise and fly (if their wings are not clipped)

Dogs eat out of their food dishes

Pet Parrots love to throw their food around. It’s a foraging instinct that they have. Be sure that you will be picking up a lot of food from the floor if you own pet parrots.

Pet Parrot Care involves a lot of diversity in the parrots diet also. It’s not enough to just give you pet parrots bird seed. They need fruits and vegetables and some pet parrots may even need more specialized food such as suet. Parrot Care is a lot more involved when it comes to feeding than it is with a pet dog.

Pet Parrot Care may involve wing clipping. This is something you should discuss with your avian vet. Many people prefer to clip their pet parrots wings in order to ensure the safety of their pet parrots. This is something you can learn to do yourself, but it can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Only certain feathers will need to be cut from your pet parrots wings and you must take care not to cut any blood feathers.  You will definitely need to know what to look for when doing this so you must take great care not to injure your pet parrots.

If you decide to get this done at the avian vets then it will cost you money. This will need to be done at least twice a year, along with nail trimming. Be sure to add this to your list of things to do for Pet Parrot Care.

Pet Parrots can get caught in drafts and or get sick from toxins in the home very easily. Once the bird appears sick then it is a good chance that it is too late to even save the bird.  You will have to get to the avian vet as quickly as possible. Pet Parrots are much more delicate than pet dogs and therefore Parrot Care is a little more demanding and more expensive.

Avian veterinarians are specialist in Parrot Care and usually charge more than a regular animal veterinarian will cost.

Pet Parrots are also very intelligent creatures and need constant stimulation to keep them occupied. This means lots of time socializing with family and plenty of time playing with parrot toys. You will need to keep the cost of parrot toys in your Parrot care budget because they go through toys very quickly because of their strong beaks. They will rip apart anything made with wood and this is to be encouraged. They are used to doing this in the wild and so it should not be stopped just because they are now a family pet. Pet parrots need lots of parrot toys and these should be changed about regularly to keep up the interest in them by your pet parrot. Introducing new pet parrots toys will be discussed in another post as it needs to be done with care.

These are just a few things to think about when considering parrot care. If you don’t think you have time for all that is involved then perhaps you should consider getting a cat instead.

Pet Parrots

This particular story about my African Gray Parrot took place many years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday! It had been a very hard week for me. Everything was going wrong and I felt like pulling out my hair. Have you ever had a week like that?

Anyways, it was a Friday night and I was supposed to go to Prayer meeting with my husband and the children were going off to Youth Night at the Church. Well, I was so exhausted I felt like crying. I decided it would be best if I just stayed home that night and enjoyed the quietness of having the house to myself. I just needed to take a nice long bubble bath and relax with a nice cup of tea and enjoy the evening reading. This was my plan

We had recently moved into a duplex on the upper floor, so to get to my apartment you would have to come in through the main door downstairs (which I always locked) and come up the stairs to my apartment. This door leading to my apartment was NOT locked.

Back to the story: Once the husband and kids were gone I had locked the door downstairs(at least I thought for sure I had, but like I said, it was a crazy week). I took my nice bubble bath and made my tea and was sitting quietly in the living room reading my book.

To my surprise there was a knock,knock, knock at the door. Who could it be? I am sure I locked the door downstairs!

I waited and listened and there it was again: Knock, knock, knock.  Now who on earth would be visiting me on a Friday Night at this hour?  I started to get very nervous. All kinds of things were rushing through my mind. I then got up the courage to go and open the door. I finally figured that if it were a burglar they probably would not have knocked. If they did knock they would not have been polite enough for me to make the decision to answer the door. They would have thought I was not there obviously if there were no answer. So I decided to go and open the door.

What a surprise I got! There was no one there!  Now I know that they would not have had the time to go down the stairs and leave by the time I got to the door. This was a very perplexing situation. “Hmmmmmmmmmm” I thought to myself, I wonder what happened there. I know it was someone knocking. I had heard it happen twice now and it was definately the wooden door upstairs as I recognized that hollow sound it makes when you knock on it.

Rather confused I sat down to continue reading my book and well, you probably guessed already, I heard the knock again. Knock, Knock, Knock. I was very confused. I got up again and behold, no one was there. I finally sat down again and this time when I heard the knock, knock, knock I looked over at my African gray parrot and saw that it was him making the noise. Here he was sitting on his perch nonchalantly chewing on one of his nails and sure enough he was doing an exact replication of the knock of the door. What really surprised me was that he did it in such a way that it actually sounded like he was throwing his voice because the knocking seemed to be coming from the front door and not from the bird cage.

I just had a great laugh thinking that this little African Gray parrot could have me looking so stupid going back and forth to the door thinking it was somebody there.

It certainly made my day and my whole attitude had changed. It was so funny. They say that laughter is the best medicine and this little guy had made my day, never mind my day, he had made my week!

Talking Pet Parrots can be such a wonderful diversion when things are going wrong in our lives. I was so lucky to have had him for the time that I did. I loved him so much!

I hope you have enjoyed my little story about my pet parrot.

If you have any funny stories about your pet parrots that you would like to share be sure to leave a comment in our comment box.

It is always a very good idea to think about buying pet parrots before you actually buy them. Research is always a necessary part of the process if you want your pet parrots to live a good, long, healthy life. There are many things to take into consideration before you actually bring your pet parrots home to roost.

Some of the obvious things that need to be considered of course are the cage for your new parrot. Whether you plan on buying a large parrot or small parrots this will play into the equation. Obviously the larger the parrot the bigger the parrot cage you will need and the more money you will spend.

The same goes for parrot toys. The larger parrot toys will cost more money and be chewed through much more quickly than if you were to purchase parrot toys for smaller parrots.

The cost of food and parrot care will also be less exuberant if you were to buy a smaller pet parrot. They don’t eat as much and the smaller parrots tend to do nicely with seed.

The large parrots have large beaks and will break through their parrot toys easily and of course, because of their size will need more parrot food. This just stands to reason.

Another thing to consider when thinking about purchasing pet parrots is your location. If you live in a house then it may not be a major problem, but large parrots tend to scream a lot and therefore are much more likely to disturb  your neighbors. I don’t know of any apartments that will allow a large parrot as a pet. These dwellings are just not suitable for large parrots such as the African Gray Parrot or Macaw, or Cockatoos.

If you are purchasing the parrot for a pet for a child then beware that a large parrot can do more harm with it’s beak than a small parrot can do. If children are involved I generally suggest that you stay with the small parrots.

A small male budgie, for instance, will generally talk and has a pleasant little personality. They are very friendly creatures and a delight to play with and watch. You can teach a budgie or Parakeet the same words and tricks that you could teach a large parrot and they are easier to keep clean.

Let’s face it, parrot care can be overwhelming when you consider that the larger the parrot the more stuff will be flung onto your floor and around the cage. With a budgie or parakeet you can pretty well contain the mess with a covering that goes over the bottom of the cage. This will not stop all of the mess but it will keep it done to a reasonable limit.

For small parrots, these little guys are really delightful and they now come in a variety of colors. I personally love the blue ones, they are almost a teal blue…very beautiful. But, perhaps you would prefer a yellow budgie or white or harlequin, it really depends on your taste.

Since this is a blog post and not a book I will end here and just summarize what I have said.

1. Small parrots make better pets if you live in an apartment
2. Small parrots are easier to keep clean
3. Small parrots are less expensive to maintain

I would just like to make mention though that if you want your little guy to talk then you should be sure to get a male budgie. I also recommend that no matter which pet parrots you choose that you find yourself a hand-fed, young bird.

I know you will love having these small parrots or large parrots for a pet. They are so adorable!

Pet Parrots

Many people see pet parrots which are owned by others or on videos, such as YouTube.com and immediately start to get ideas in their head about how much they too would love to have such a sweet companion in their own home.

Pet Parrots are truly adorable and they do make great companions, but….and a big but….what you see in your friend’s home or on videos is not exactly what you will get when you purchase your pet parrots.

The majority of persons who have purchased pet parrots in the past can tell you that they require a lot of time and attention devoted to them. In many instances, you will need to train your pet parrots (see our recommendation on the right of this blog post) if you wish them to become a loving member of your family. Sadly, it is a very common thing to see pet parrots purchased and then left by them-selves in some basement covered up to help deter their screaming. Here are just a few things you should be aware of before purchasing your pet parrots.

• The Larger they are, the more time is required with them.
• It is imperative that you spend a scheduled time each day with your new pet. Pet Parrots love schedule. They need to know what is going to happen when, in most instances.
• Ask Yourself “Are you a scheduled type person?” if you are more of the laid back type, you may end up with a bird that is confused and lonely.
• Screaming can truly become a big problem if you don’t know how to train your bird properly. Pet Parrots are loud to start off with, especially the Large Parrots.
• All Birds love to greet the day and give their adieus to the evening sun. Be prepared for the noise. They cannot help this, it is in their genes and punishing them in any way for this is not being realistic.
• If your pet parrots are not getting enough quality time with you they may start to pluck their feathers. Feather plucking can get very obsessive and so you will need to be sure that your pet parrots have lots of social time and plenty of parrot toys to play with.
• Be prepared to be buying plenty of parrot toys as they chew through them very quickly.
• Most pet parrots are very intelligent. Especially known for their great intelligence are the African Gray Parrots. They are known to have very great vocabularies and a very high I.Q. The more advanced pet parrots like these will require much more from you as they will get bored very easily if not stimulated. This can cause a very great demand on your time.
• A smaller bird may be more suitable if you are looking at pet parrots but don’t have the time necessary to give as much attention to. Male budgies for example can very often be taught to talk and are not as noisy as their larger parrot counterparts. Because of this, they may be the best choice especially if you live in an apartment.
• Bearing in mind the volume that pet parrots can reach, it is always best to keep in mind that the larger parrots are not suitable for apartment dwelling. You will definitely need a house if you plan on buying pet parrots such as the African Gray Parrot, the Cockatoo, or the Macaw, for example.
• Pet Parrots like to bite. The bigger their beak the more damage they can cause. If you get the proper training with pet parrots before you purchase them, then this training will help to dissipate the likelihood of a major problem.
• Most Pet Parrots like to bond with one person. They may change their allegiance from time to time but generally they bond with only one person in the household. This person may not be the one who is actually doing all the work for the bird. Just because you are there everyday, talking to your pet parrots, feeding them and playing with them, this is not a guarantee that they will choose you as their favorite. To help inhibit the over bonding of your pet parrots to any one particular person in the household it is important that all individuals of the family spend time with your new pet parrot daily.

Pet Parrots vary in size and the larger the parrot, the larger the chunk from your pocketbook. Smaller species of the parrot family, such as budgies will cost your anywhere from $20.00 – $100.00 dollars, depending on whether they are hand-fed or not. Large Parrots, such as African Gray Parrots, Cockatoos and Macaws can cost about $2-3,000 dollars at the time of this writing. (August 2009).

When considering the purchase of pet parrots the cost of the actual bird is only a part of the equation. There are some basic things that are necessary no matter which type of pet parrots you plan on buying.

Parrot Cages: This is the next most expensive item necessary for your pet parrots and one that you should research very carefully. You will want to have a bird cage which is the right size for your potential playmate. Since you are planning (hopefully) on keeping your new little friend for a long time, you will want something that is not only large enough but also sturdy and easy to keep clean. A parrot cage that has a sliding tray at the bottom are the most convenient. This way you can just slide out the tray daily and clean the debris.

You will also want to look for a parrot cage that has water and feed dishes which are accessible from the outside of the cage. Especially when you bring your pet parrots home, they will require a certain amount of time alone to get used to their new environment. You will want to be able to change their food and water dishes daily without disturbing your pet parrots or making them too anxious.

I always suggest that you purchase the very best and largest cage you can afford for your pet parrots, because they can live a very long time. Some African Gray Parrots have been known to live to 75 years old. This is not the place to skimp on your pet parrots new home.

Parrot Toys of course are also necessary to keep your pet parrots busy and entertained. Again, don’t hold back on buying good parrot toys for your pet parrots. The little plastic ladders from the dollar store can become very dangerous if your bird were to break it and ingest the pieces. Always buy quality materials and you will save yourself money in the long run.Remember, Parrots like to chew everything so be safe with what you buy for parrots toys.

One last thing I would like to mention before ending is that you need to allow extra money for visits to an avian veterinarian. This should be one of the first priorities when buying your pet parrots. You need to be sure that they are in good health, and many people also want to have their pet parrots DNS tested to find out if they are male or female. Male parrots are generally the best talkers if you are looking for a talking parrot. Even little male budgies can be taught to talk also, so don’t give them up when considering pet parrots. If your budget is limited these little parrots can add many years of love and companionship just like their large parrot relatives.

I highly recommend that people purchase the course here below. It will save you a lot of problems when purchasing your pet parrots. Parrot care is a lot more involved than just providing toys for your parrot. You really do need to be informed on how to properly train your parrots, whether they are large or small and this DVD below is an excellent source to help you. Consider it one of the many expenses necessary for proper pet parrot care.

Large Parrots

Pet parrots definitely come in a variety of sizes to meet every fancy. I don’t know about you, but many people are curious to know the size of particular parrots and their age expectancy before deciding on which pet parrots to think about.

Some pet parrots are very large but if you live in an apartment and want a smaller parrot then it is best to find out which pet parrots are better for apartment dwellers.

I have made up a list that will help you if you are deciding on which pet parrots to look into based on size and life expectancy.

Pet Parrots Based on Size: Largest to Smallest

(The Canary is not part of the parrot family but I have added it so you can get an idea of the size of the Pacific Parrotlet)

If you plan on buying a pet parrot then I strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with proper pet parrot care. The Parrot Training Videos below will help you to learn to handle all types of parrot behavior. Please consider purchasing these DVD’s as part of your pet parrot care.