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 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.