There are many species of birds that can swim, for example we see ducks swimming. In fact, there is an old saying, “He took to it like a duck takes to swimming”. In Germany as well as many other places you can see beautiful white swans swimming in the lake. Penguins can swim. So it seems only natural that people would think that birds can swim.

If you own a pet parrot you will undoubtedly realize how much your bird loves water. Many pet parrot owners will bring their large parrots as well as small parrots into the shower with them and the birds seem to love this. There are actually special perches that can be purchased which will stick to the shower wall in order for your pet parrots to shower with you. I would advise buying these as it is much safer than having a pet parrot such as an african gray parrot or blue and gold macaw sitting on your shoulder. We never advise that any parrot be allowed to sit on your shoulder for reasons dealing with dominance issues. It can be extremely serious if your beloved pet parrot becomes frightened or angry and decides to rip out your eye or take a chunk out of your cheek. Never let a pet parrot rest above your eye level.

It is true that birds do love water and bathing is essential for them to keep themselves clean and healthy. Pet Parrot care is not complete without making sure that your pet can easily bathe him/herself.

Pet Parrots should not be allowed in water which is above their belly. The more shallow, the better. They can do quite a good job of cleaning themselves without too much water.

Pet parrots cannot swim. Their feet are designed differently from ducks and swans. They are not webbed so they cannot paddle themselves through water like their cousins can, therefore please do not allow your pet birds near water deeper than their underbelly and watch them closely. Good grooming is necessary for pet parrot care, so water is necessary, but just be careful and follow the advice above.

Below is a video I found that you will probably find useful regarding bathing your pet parrots:

Technorati Tags: large parrots, Parrot Care, parrot dominance, Pet Parrots, small parrots

The first thing you will need to pay attention to is your Christmas tree. Whether you purchase a real tree or use an artificial Christmas tree there are dangers with both. Pine Needles and Berries are poisonous to pet parrots. Although there are other alternatives, always remember that most Christmas trees have been sprayed with pesticides which bring their own problems if your pet parrot should nibble on it. Trying to keep your pet parrots away from the Christmas tree can be a never ending job.

Another thing to take into consideration is your Christmas decorations. Things such as tinsel and angel hair can easily get caught in your pet parrots’ throat and cause severe GI damage. Also watch out for breakable Christmas balls that go on the tree. Although many Christmas decorations are made of plastic in this day and age, there are many of us who have well worn vintage Christmas decorations that have been passed down from generation to generation as family heirlooms. These glass decorations break so easily and a good nip from a birds beak can break it into smithereens in no time flat.

With all of the Christmas lights, wires and extension cords there are many dangers for your pet parrot to get into trouble with. Be sure to hide these well away from the birds reach so as not to electrocute your pet parrot inadvertently.

Last but not least don’t forget about any holiday plants you may bring into the house. The famous Holly and the Ivy are poisonous to your pet parrots as well as Pointsettias. Keep these well away from your pet parrots.

As you can see, there are many dangers lurking for your precious pet parrots at this time of year. Be sure to make your Christmas safe, not only for yourself, but for your fine feathered friends as well.

Above all else, have yourself a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, large parrots, Pet Parrots, small parrots

Pet Parrots are such a joy to own. Who hasn’t passed by the sign “Pet Parrots for Sale” and not start toying with the idea of actually owning a pet parrot of your own. They are so lovable and entertaining. If you can find a pet parrot that talks it is even more fun.

Choosing which type of pet parrot to buy is always a dilemma for many people. The large parrots are so exotic looking and so many people are drawn immediately to these large parrots. Small parrots are not as exotic looking and so many people will pass them by without giving them much thought at all.

Some small parrots make perfect pets and some of them even talk!

Which are the best small talking parrots?

I would suggest that you purchase a small male budgie if you want a small talking parrot for you and your family. Budgies are often overlooked but they are really great little talkers if you take the time to spend teaching them. Of course, there is never any guarantee that any pet parrot will talk, male budgies do have a good chance. The younger you can get the bird, the better chance you have of getting your small parrot to talk, generally speaking.

Besides their talking ability, choosing budgies as a small pet parrot is easier in the sense that they are easier to take care of than their larger pet parrot counterparts. They are also much quieter than the large parrots. If you live in an apartment then it would be one of the best choices you could make.

I can speak from personal experience. Every male budgie that I have owned which I bought while they were very young, have always turned out to be a good talker. Maybe this is why I always recom

mend the budgie when people ask me for the best small talking parrots.

These days, there is so much choice in color also. No longer do we have to stick with a plain green budgie, although they are really cute too. There are so many lovely budgies on the market in this day and age that I am sure you will find one that you can truly fall in love with.

Therefore, In my humble opinion, the best small talking parrots are definitely male budgies.

Technorati Tags: budgies, large parrots, parrots for sale, Pet Parrots, small parrots, small talking parrots

To summarize we said:

1. Make Sure that the Parrot Cages are Big Enough
2. Dont Let Your Parrot on top of the Cage to Play
3. Don’t buy Round or Cylindrical Cages for your Pet Parrots

Today we want to talk about perches for your parrot cages as well as whether we should have the grid at the bottom of the cage.

First, let’s talk about perches for the parrot cage. These perches come in a variety of styles and sizes and it is generally best to consider buying at least two different types of perches. One of course would be the regular wooden perch which should fit the width of your parrot cage. When choosing wooden perches make sure that they are thick enough for your pet parrots to stand on easily. You don’t want a thin perch if you have a large parrot. The thinner perches are fine for small parrots such as lovebirds or budgies, but you will need a larger perch for African Gray Parrots or Macaws etc.

Be sure to place the main perch along the width of the cage and make sure that they are not directly above the food dishes. There is nothing more unsanitary than having your pet parrots drop their excrement into their food or water dishes. Also, make sure that the perch is placed far enough away from the edge so that your bird will not be rubbing it’s feathers against the bars of the cage when sitting relaxed on the perch.

Besides the plain wooden perches it would be a good idea to get a branch like perches also. These are comfortable for your pet parrots because the width of the perch varies giving your bird a bit of relief from their feet always being in the same position all the time.

I do not recommend that you buy the concrete perches. These are sandy like perches and can be very irritating on the feet of your pet parrots. Stay away from them. Even though the pet store owners may tell you that it is good for keeping your pet parrots nails trimmed, it is not worth the problem of having sore feet. You can always get the avian vet to clip your pet parrots nails once in awhile if you are worried about doing it yourself.

Just a word of caution about nail trimming. Do NOT try and trim the nails yourself if you are not sure what you are doing. If you trim them wrongly, you may end up having your bird bleed to death. Get  your avian vet to show you how to do it correctly if you plan on doing this yourself.

I also want to talk about the grid that comes with some parrot cages. There is a bit of a debate over whether we should use them or not. I personally find them to be a pain in the butt because when the bird defecates it ends up getting stuck on the grids. I tend to take these out when I purchase a cage and just line the bottom of the cage. Then when the bird defecates I can just remove the liner on the bottom and presto! Clean cage bottom

Lastly, I want to talk about parrot toys. Just be sure not to buy a mirror when purchasing your parrot toys. WHY? Because your pet parrots may fall in love and bond with the bird in the mirror not realizing that it is actually him in there. The bird in the mirror is a perfect companion as far as he/she is concerned. He/she does everthing that your pet parrots do. Ahhhhhhh, wouldn’t life be lovely if our companions did exactly what we wanted them to do…….oh, I’m dreaming now…lol

So, I hope these tips will help you when you finally decide to purchase a pet parrot and your parrot cages.

Technorati Tags: african gray parrots, parrot cages, Parrot Toys, Pet Parrots, small parrots

Firstly, I would like to mention that whether you decide to own a small parrot or a large parrot they will both require a good amount of attention given to them. Generally the rule of thumb is: The bigger the pet parrot is, the more attention that pet parrot will need. This doesn’t include the goffin cockatoo though. He is a much smaller parrot than the rest of his cockatoo family, but like all cockatoos even this small parrot will require lots and lots of attention. A cockatiel, on the other hand requires about as much attention as a pet budgie.

I am not talking about run of the mill budgie that can be picked up at the local pet shop for a dime a dozen. Many of these small parrots are bred only for the money and not much care has gone into familiarizing them with people to be sociable. Here again though, I don’t want you to think that these small parrots cannot make good pets. They too need attention and the more attention you spend with your pet parrots, the tamer and more sociable they will become.

When choosing a small parrot the first thing you should make sure of is that the small parrot is hand-fed. Many breeders will take the time to hand feed their fledgelings until they are able to eat on their own. By hand feeding these small parrots, they get used to being held and have very little fear of human hands or faces. They will willingly come up on your hand and spend some time chatting away with you and playing silly games.

Small parrots should be chosen if you meet the following criteria:

• You are young -under the age of 21. Small parrots are best for this age group as they are easily handled and if the young person gets bored with them then it is not such a hassle to either take care of the parrot yourself or find a good home for it.

• You are older – over 50. Remember that large parrots can live a very long time and may become heartbroken if you were to pass on before they do. Small parrots have much shorter life spans and so the chances of you being well enough and able to care for him is greater.

Which small parrots would be the best choices for you?

• If you want a talking parrot that is small then I would suggest that you choose a male, hand-fed budgie from a reputable breeder or pet store.

• If you don’t care if your small parrot talks then love birds are cute little birds. They can be a little devilish at times though. They tend to try and escape every time they get a chance.

• Cockatiels are lovely little birds and the males can generally learn to talk a little. Their speech is more like a whistle but it is identifiable.

Remember

• No pet parrots are guaranteed to talk, whether they are small parrots or large parrots.

• You will be much happier and it will be easier to teach your small parrot to talk if you find yourself a male bird rather than a female.

• It is much easier to keep a hand-fed bird tame than it is to tame a non hand-fed small parrot.

• A large parrot may not be advisable depending on your age bracket.

Small parrots are adorable

Remember: Good things come in small packages.

Technorati Tags: Large Parrot, Pet Parrots, small parrots, talking birds

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!

Technorati Tags: parrots for sale, Pet Parrots, small 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.

Technorati Tags: large parrots, Parrot Care, Pet Parrots, small parrots