Parrot Types

If you have spent any time at all researching parrots then you have definitely discovered that there are a huge number of parrot types.  Not only that, but each parrot type has its own unique personality, life span, and behavior.  If you want to have one as a pet, it is your job to wade through all the options and find that perfect parrot.

Nearly all parrots display bright colors.  Some are large and glorious, others are small and cuddly, but they are all lively and happy if they are treated right.  As you know, some parrots have the ability to learn how to speak, which can be very entertaining (the African parrot is consider the best speaker)

There are parrots that are bright yellow, light green, ocean blue, completely grey and everything in between.  Some parrots are high-strung and need lots of attention, while others are low-key and easy to maintain.  There are parrots that make great pets and adopt your family as their flock and there are other parrots that are fiercely independent and do not want to be kept as a pet.  Most parrots love company and attention.  It makes them feel relevant and loved.

Across all parrot species the parrot diet is pretty much the same: fresh vegetables and fruits, parrot pellets, and seeds.

Parrots are sensitive to their surroundings and how they are treated.  If they are being treated or fed poorly the may get into the wrong state of mind and become unhealthy.  At this point, most parrots become cranky and even start plucking their own feathers out.  There are too many parrots for me to talk about all types in this article, but what follows is a short list of the most popular parrots.

African Parrot: The African Grey Parrots are in the top five of the most popular parrots of all time.  They are very intelligent and if trained properly they will be able to carry on a conversation with humans.  They are expensive to buy, but they are worth every penny if you love parrots.

African Parrot

Conures: These parrots can be independent and have opinions of their own.  They are usually very friendly, intelligent and playful.  In the wild, they rarely fight with other parrots.

Sun Conure

Macaws: These parrots are very colorful and intelligent and they think themselves to be quite glorious, meaning they are flamboyant.  It is their flamboyance that usually captivates people.  Unfortunately, if Macaws are not well trained they can be very embarrassing.

Two Blue And Yellow Macaws

Cockatiels: Generally, these parrots are very easy to take care of and almost always in a good mood.  This makes them ideal for a first time parrot owner.

Lutino Cockatiel

Parakeets: There a huge number of different parakeet breeds; nearly every differently colored parakeet is a unique breed.  Parakeet literally means “small parrots”.

Green Parakeet

Budgies (Budgerigar): These yellow and green parrots are native to Australia.  Usually, they are friendly, entertaining and lively.  They make great pets.

Five Colorful Budgies

Cockatoos: These parrots bond very easily with humans, especially their owner whom they interact with most often.  They have a kind disposition and they are usually very cuddly.

Sulfur Crested Cockatoo

No matter the parrot type you choose you will have to meet the parrot lighting requirements to make sure your bird stays healthy.

Ryan Benson is the author of The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In it you will find out raise and keep a healthy, happy parrot – required reading for anyone who is considering a parrot.

Parrot Info For Beginners

Parrots, like any other pet, need you to take care of them. This article is a general overview of all the things your parrot needs from you; this parrot info will help you raise a happy and healthy parrot.  You can find specific details on each point in other articles on this site.

After you have picked out the parrot that you want, you need to start thinking about a cage for your feathered friend.  There are people who let their parrot fly freely around their home and do not believe in keeping their bird in a cage.  That is the most natural way to do things, but perhaps not the best way, if you care for the condition of your home that is.

The size of the cage is important because you want to make sure that your bird has enough space to move around. Ideally, you would determine the biggest cage you can afford and fit into your house and buy that.  The bigger the better; the more your parrot can move/fly/hop around in their cage the happier they will be.  Here are some minimum cage sizes for popular parrots:

Cockatiels: 22” high by 17” wide (bar spacing of 1/2” to 5/8”)

Conures: 24” high by 22” wide (bar spacing of 5/8” to 3/4”)

Yellow Amazons (Yellow Parrot): 32” high by 23” wide (bar spacing of 3/4” to 1” with bar width of 4 millimeters)

African Grey (African Parrot): 32” high by 23” wide (bar spacing of 3/4” to 1” with bar width of 4 millimeters)

Macaw: 36” high by 24” wide (bar spacing of 1” with bar width of 5 millimeters)

Cockatoo: 36” high by 24” wide (bar spacing of 1” with bar width of 5 millimeters)

In essence, the cage is there to protect the parrot.  If you have other animals in your home the cage will protect your parrots from them.  Also, by keeping your parrot in a cage you are saving it from common obstacles in your home that could harm him.  Most notably, flying into windows.  You have to make sure that the cage is sturdy and strong enough to withstand the inevitable falls that will occur.  Also, parrots love to perch, so make sure that there is at least one perch in the cage.  Perching probably reminds them of sitting on tree branches in the wild.

A well-designed cage will afford your parrot easy access to drink and food.  Speaking of drinking and eating, the parrot diet is one of the most critical components of a parrot’s health.  If you do not give your parrot nutritious food then it will suffer, it may become grumpy and perhaps develop behavioral disorders.  For example, a malnourished African Grey often resorts to self-mutilation (feather picking).  Make sure you understand your parrots nutritional needs and that you meet them.  Make sure that you change the water daily and that the water container is never empty.

In the wild, a parrot is able to clean itself whenever it feels dirty, but in your home you have to bathe your feathered friend.  Luckily, most parrots love taking baths so it is really easy to do.  A lot of owners of large parrots put them in the shower every night and the parrot really enjoys itself.  If your bird does not like bathing then you may have to spray it with warm, clean water.  Warm water is preferred because parrots are susceptible to cold too. After a good bath let your parrot dry off in a warm, comfortable place.

Parrots love to play and socialize.  When they are in the wild they live in flocks with friends and family.  They have nothing do all day but play, sleep and eat.  In your home, sleeping and eating are probably the easiest items to take care of, but do not forget to play with your parrot.  Do not be afraid of physical with your feathered friend, some owners even cuddle with their birds on a semi-regular basis.  It makes the parrots feel warm, loved, and appreciated.

Now that you have read through what your parrot needs from you, you can decide if you are able to provide these things to him.

Ryan Benson newest book is called The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In it you will find critical parrot info to help you raise and keep a healthy, happy parrot – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

Proper Parrot Feeding

There are hundreds of parrot breeds and they all have different characteristics, but one thing remains the same: their diet.  Proper parrot feeding is important, no, critical, to the happiness and well-being of your feathered friend.  Feeding them the wrong food can shorten their lifespan or make them irritable and grumpy. On the other hand, feeding them the right foods will make sure that they have the best chance of being healthy and happy.  We all want happy parrots, right? Right!

There isn’t a prefect diet for your bird, but there are some items that absolutely must included in their diet.  Proper parrot feeding starts by considering what parrots eat in the wild.  Once you figure that out, you will have a good idea what to feed to your bird.  Luckily, instead of figuring it out for yourself, you just need to read what I have written below. Don’t you just love the internet?

Parrot Feeding

Your parrot’s diet will be composed of fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds and parrot pellets.  Keep in mind that your parrot will probably get bored of you just putting the food in front of her and she may stop enjoying feeding time.  To make eating more exciting you can hang foods from different parts of the cage so your parrot has to travel around to gather its lunch.

Parrots love fruit.  Here is a partial list of fruits your parrot will probably like:

• melons
• pineapple
• mangos
• kiwi
• pomegranates
• papaya
• bananas
• grapes
• cherries
• oranges
• apples
• peaches

Make sure that you remove any seeds or pits from the fruit you feed your parrot because they be toxic to your bird.

Vegetables your feathered friend will probably like include:

• sweet potatoes
• corn
• green beans
• carrots
• cucumber
• eggplant
• sweet peppers
• cauliflower

Here are some foods that are toxic to your parrot meaning you should NEVER them to her:

• cocoa
• chocolate
• guacamole
• avocado
• mushrooms
• alcohol
• caffeine
• anything that contains lots of food coloring, preservatives, sugar, salt, grease or other additives

If you are a responsible parrot keeper and you value your parrot as a member of your family then you will feed your feathered friend a balanced diet.  It is the cornerstone to having a happy bird.  With time you will begin to notice what your parrot’s favorite foods are and you can then use those favorite foods as rewards for teaching tricks or speech.

Ryan Benson newest book is called The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In it you will find critical parrot info to help you raise and keep a healthy, happy parrot – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

Choose the Perfect Parrot For You

Parrots are considered to be one of the most intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom. In fact, their intelligence level is equivalent to that of a 2 year old human. This means that parrots will be able to entertain you with their wit and playfulness, but not every parrot will suit you.  Just like there are some 2 year old children that drive you up the wall, there will be some parrots that can do the same.  For this reason, you want to make sure you acquaint yourself with your parrot a little bit before you purchase it, so that you can find the perfect parrot.

First, you will want to figure out what breed of parrot you would like and whether it will fit your lifestyle.  There are hundreds of different breeds and they have different personalities, different colors, different needs, and different life spans.  The only thing that is consistent across all breeds of parrot is their preferred diet.  The more you know about the different breeds the better you will be prepared to choose.

The most popular parrot is the African parrot because it is lively, playful and easily learns to talk.  The African Grey also bonds closely with your family, but sometimes it will only bond closely with one member of the family.  In that case, it may be aggressive to other family members, or just indifferent to them.

Another breed of parrot you may want to consider is the Blue & Gold Macaw.  They will grow to be quite large, but they are still very active and playful.  Because of its size and playfulness, it may cause some damage if you have it wander around outside of its cage.  It will not cause damage on purpose, but it might knock things over by accident. The Blue & Gold Macaw is also very affectionate.

If you like the personality of a Blue & Gold Macaw, but you want a parrot that is a little more low-key, then the Greenwing Macaw might be the perfect parrot for you.  The Greenwing Macaws are very talkative and larger than the Blue & Gold Macaws, but they are less active.

Cockatoos are a good choice for families with small children because they are relatively small and pretty easy to care for.  So, if you let them loose in the house for exercise they will not be able to knock your infants over by accident. They are also not as loud as larger parrots.  Their small size also means that it will be easier to find suitable cages for them.

A sub-breed of the Cockatoos is the Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo.  It has distinctive yellow crests and cheeks.  They are small and easy going, but they are still active and entertaining.

I recommend you put a lot of thought into choosing the perfect parrot for your family.  Investigate all of the different parrot breeds and get a mental picture of your perfect parrot.  Here are some things to consider:

1. How big do you want your parrot to be?
2. How long should he live?
3. What colors do you find most appealing?
4. Do you want him to be able to talk?
5. How active and playful should your parrot be?

You can add any characteristic you want to this list.  Once you have this list completed, find the breeds that meet your needs and learn more about those.  Eventually, it will become very clear what your perfect parrot is. Get as much information on different parrot types as you can.

Ryan Benson newest book is called The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In it you will find critical parrot info to help you raise and keep a healthy, happy parrot – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

Finding A Parrot Breeder

Purchasing your parrot from the right parrot breeder is critical.  The breeder hatches and raises the young birds and it is trauma in those early years that will cause problems for your parrot in the future.  Some parrot breeders are only in the game for the money and they do not take care of the hatchlings properly.  Yet other breeders love working with parrots and they are passionate about raising them to be happy birds.  It is your job to sift through the different breeders and find a responsible one to purchase your parrot from.

Here is a short list of questions you need to ask the breeder and things you need to investigate.

1. Ask, or better yet, observe the types of food the parrot breeder is giving to the baby birds.  The baby parrots should be getting safe nutritious food including fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, pellets and soft warm food.
2. Ask if they allow the baby parrots to learn how to fly. This is important, even if you plan on clipping your bird’s wings later on.  By learning how to fly the birds are able to develop their motor skills and increase their balance.  Both of which are very important for adult life, even if their wings are clipped.
3. The best time to start bathing a parrot is when they are partially feathered. Ask the breeder when they start bathing their baby parrots.
4. A good parrot breeders will allow you to see their aviary.  When you are there you will want to pay attention to how clean everything is kept and how the birds are handled.  You will be able to tell by the way the breeder talks about the birds whether or not they are passionate about parrots or if they just want a paycheck.  If you think they just want a paycheck then I suggest you be on your way to see another breeder.
5. Make sure the parrot breeder has completed many successful transactions in the past.  There are legal and illegal ways to sell and transport parrots.  You want to be sure the breeder you are working with is on the up and up.
6. Good breeders will make themselves available to you before and after a sale to answer any questions you may have.

If you do not want to buy your parrot from a breeder then you can still purchase one at the local pet store.  However, keep in mind that a good breeder will better understand the needs of a parrot than the average teenage kid that takes care of the birds at the pet store.  Buying from a good breeder increases the likelihood that you will get a perfect parrot that is well-adjusted, happy and healthy.

Before you go out to buy a parrot do some research and frequent the pet stores just to play with the parrots and get to know them.  That way, when you are visiting with breeders you will understand the birds better and you will have a bit of a gut instinct to help you decide which breeder to work with.

Owning a parrot is a long-term commitment since they can live to be between 15 and 100 years old (depending on the species). Make sure that you are ready for this kind of commitment.

Ryan Benson is the author of The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In this eBook you will find information on how to keep your parrot healthy after you buy it – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

Yellow Parrot

The Yellow Headed Amazon Parrots (sometimes referred to simply as Yellow Parrot) are found in the coastal regions of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize.  They prefer tropical or subtropical habitats including mangrove swamps, savannas, rain forests and even agricultural land where there are trees for nesting.  Unfortunately, deforestation is threatening the natural habitat of these gorgeous birds.

Their popularity is partly due to their attractive colors and markings.  They have a bright yellow head atop a mostly green body and each wing has a bright red patch.  Most Yellow Headed Amazon Parrots in the market are bred in captivity and can be quite expensive to acquire.  Another reason they are popular is because they can learn to talk, but the African Grey Parrot is still considered a better talker (the African Greys are actually considered the best talkers among parrots).  Not all Amazons will talk, but they are all able to talk if they want to.  The best way to encourage talking is to give them lots of attention and training.  Entertaining them is quite fun because they are funny, intelligent, active and playful birds, so giving them lots of attention will be easy.  A yellow parrot can be pretty loud, but you can reduce its tendency to screech by teaching it how to talk; hopefully yours will learn.

Yellow Headed Amazon

Being such active birds, Amazons appreciate an environment where they can fly around.  An enclosed aviary would be ideal, but not everyone has that much space. Luckily, these parrots can become accustomed to living in indoor cages if the owner lets them get plenty of exercise (outside of the cage) during the day.  The owner should also provide lots of the chewing toys so they can entertain themselves.

The good news is that Amazons can be easily trained and tamed, but the bad news is that they are destructive sometimes.  They do not cause trouble on purpose, but they are large birds and they may get into things they shouldn’t be in while they are out of their cages.

Female yellow parrots are slightly smaller than the males, but they can still grow to a length of 15 inches (38 centimeters).  They have a short, hooked beak that they use to crack the shells of hard nuts and seeds. Amazons also use their strong beaks to explore, grasp and climb (this can also be destructive when they are exploring your house during exercise time).

A yellow parrot has a varied diet in the wild that includes blossoms, leaf buds, nuts, fruits and berries.  There have also been reports of Amazons ravaging crops like corn.  Most Amazon owners feed them nuts, seeds, berries, fresh fruits and vegetables and parrot pellets.  Nutrition is critical to the overall health of Amazons and any other parrot for that matter; check out my parrot feeding page for more information.

Two Yellow Headed Amazon Parrots

If you are thinking about getting a member of this species you need to consider how long they can live: 60-80 years.  That is definitely a long-term commitment and these are very fun and entertaining birds, so they become part of the family. If you are not ready for such a long commitment then I would choose a parrot with a shorter average life span. If you like the yellow parrot then you may also like the crimson wing parrot.

Ryan Benson is the author of The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In it you will find out raise and keep a healthy, happy parrot – required reading for anyone that is considering a yellow parrot or any parrot for that matter.

Teach Your Parrot Tricks

As you probably know, parrots are very intelligent.  Researchers have determined that parrots have the intelligence level of a small child, which means that you are able to teach them things.  Some people love the idea of having a parrot because they can teach her to do parrot tricks. It might seem like the fun is only one-sided, but learning tricks is actually healthy for the parrot because it will help them to be more sociable and behave better. Not to mention that they love all the time you spend with them while you are teaching them.

It is important that you keep the training sessions short so that you do not tired your parrot out too much.  If you train the bird until she is exhausted it will be a negative experience for her and she will not want to be trained again.  It is best to train in a quiet room that is free of distractions.  Also, make sure that the room is well lit (parrot lighting is key) and that your parrot feels comfortable in the room.  Make sure that you exercise patience when you are training your feathered friend because if you are impatient you will stress your bird.  That creates another negative experience for them.

An easy parrot trick to teach your bird is how to “step up”.  It is a very useful thing to teach your bird because you can use it to tell them where to go if you need them to move.  Once your feathered friend knows the trick you can simply place your finger in front of the bird’s feet and in a calm voice say to it ‘step up’ and it will climb onto your finger.  If you have a larger bird (like a yellow parrot) you will want to guide your bird onto your forearm rather than your finger.  To teach your bird to do this you can entice them to move forward with a piece of food.  Once they move forward a little bit, give them the food as a reward to reinforce the behavior.  Keep repeating this process until the climb onto your arm.

Teaching your parrot to “turn around” is another favorite.  This one is also pretty easy to teach. Again, you will be using food as incentive.  When your parrot is standing on its perch offer the food it and when it reaches for the food move the food around to its back.  This will force the bird to turn its head and if you move it far enough it will force her to turn on the perch.  Keep reaching around until your parrot has made a full turn and once it has, give her the piece of food.  Some parrots will immediately do a complete turn, but others will require a little more coaxing.

If your parrot screeches too much you can actually solve the problem by teaching her how to speak.  Talking and screeching are usually used to get your attention, but talking is much easier on your ears.  There are different ways to teach a parrot how to speak, but here is one that works pretty well.  Start with a word that contains only one or two syllables (people often start with “hello”).  Slowly repeat the word to your bird over and over and when it makes a noise in response, give it a piece of food.  The noise does not have to sound like the word you are teaching, we just want your parrot to respond to your voice by making a noise.  Repeat this same activity for the same word every day until your parrot starts to mimic it.  Once you have taught it one word you can move on to another.

Ryan Benson is the author of The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In it you will discover the many other things you can teach your parrot to do, besides just parrot tricks – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

Parrot Diet

When it comes to parrots there are many different shapes and sizes, but the parrot diet usually remains the same.  A healthy diet is critical to the overall health and longevity of your bird.

Parrots have not been studied enough in the wild to know exactly what their diet is in all stages of their lives and currently the “experts” cannot agree on an ideal diet for pet parrots.  However, they all agree that for most parrots, feeding them only seeds is not healthy, even if the seeds are high quality.  Some parrots do well on a strictly seed diet, but that does not mean that their diet is balanced.  It just means that parrots are very hardy and can survive on the minimum if they have to.  To support this conclusion, you will find that seeds are too high fat and deficient in Calcium and Vitamin A.  In the wild, parrots do not eat seeds exclusively and seeds should only make up about 10% of your parrots diet.  If you have a Cockatiel or Budgie, both eat a lot of seeds in the wild, you should make sure that seeds do not make up more than 25% of their diet.

Parrot pellets are a good option, but can quickly bore your parrot.  These birds are smart and they crave stimulation from everything, even their food, which can make parrot feeding a challenge for you.  Pellets are nutritious and balanced.  They contain seeds, grains, minerals, and vitamins.  Pellet food can be used as the base diet for your parrot, but pellets should not make up more than 50-60% of their diet.

Don’t be afraid to offer your parrot fresh vegetables and fruits.  You can chop veggies and fruits up for smaller birds or serve them in large chunks for large birds to hold and chew on.  A simple trick to stimulate your parrot and make foods a little more exciting is to hang pieces of fruit and vegetable from the side of the cage.  That way they have to do a little work to get their food and it keeps them from getting bored.  The best way to make sure your parrot is healthy is to provide a well-rounded diet of seeds, pellets and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Some vegetables that make up a healthy parrot diet are green beans, cucumber, eggplant, carrots, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers and cauliflower.  They like a lot of other vegetables, so that’s a good start.  As for the fruit, do a little research and find out what types of fruit are found in their natural habitat and try to buy those fruits for them.  The fruits you find your research will probably include melons, kiwi, papaya, mangos and pomegranates.  Make sure that your parrot does not eat the pits or seeds of the fruits because those can be toxic to your feathered friend.

Other foods that are toxic to parrots include cocoa or chocolate, guacamole, avocado, mushrooms, caffeine and alcohol.  Also avoid feeding them foods that are high in sugar, salt, grease, food coloring, preservatives and other additives.

If you want to incorporate more grains into your parrot diet you can try oats, wheat, barley, cooked brown rice and pasta. Those are all great sources of nutrients.  Some parrots also like unsweetened whole wheat cereals and whole wheat breads.

Parrot owners have to assess their parrot diet very critically because these birds are very sensitive to the foods they eat.  The majority of problems in parrots can be traced back to malnutrition; for example, an African parrot may start plucking its own feathers. An experienced parrot owner will tell you their bird’s diet is paramount and that a parrot’s nutritional needs must be met at all times.

Ryan Benson is the author of The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In it you will discover the best foods for your parrot and how to make sure they are happy and healthy – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

Parrot Care

For generations, people have welcomed parrots into their lives because of their high intelligence, spectacular colors and charming personalities.  You will encounter a few challenges when introducing your parrot into your home, but with proper parrot care you will have a happy, healthy bird.

Keeping your parrot properly nourished is one of the most important things you can do provide your bird good quality of life.  The parrot diet usually consists of pellets, fresh vegetables and fruits and high-quality vitamin enriched parrot seed mix.  Also be sure to change your parrot’s water everyday.

Parrots are actually not the cleanest pets, but it is important that you keep their cages clean.  Clean the dishes, perches and other surfaces in the cage daily using mild soap and water.  Do not use cleaning products, such as, bleach, ammonia and mold and mildew cleaner because they can burn or irritate your parrots eyes, skin and respiratory tract.  Make sure that you regularly inspect your parrot’s cage to make sure there are no sharp points and other unsafe conditions.

When handling your parrot make sure that you wash your hands first because they are very sensitive to bacterial infections. Take the same care when you are preparing the food for your parrot.  Human saliva also contains a lot of bacteria and can be harmful to your parrot so make sure that you do not allow your parrot to touch your nose or mouth with its beak.  This may be difficult because some parrots like to show affection to their owners by kissing them.

Providing your parrot with the proper cage size is also a corner stone to your parrot’s well being. Your parrot needs to be able to spread its wings inside its cage and there also needs to be enough room for 3 or 4 parrot safe toys.

Parrots are capable of forming very strong emotional bonds with their owners and, depending on the species, they can live 15 to 100 years.  So these are truly life-long bonds, sometimes for both you and the parrot.  In order to maintain a high quality of life for your parrot you have to socialize with it.  To make this easier, place the cage in an area where your family spends a lot of time and no one has to go out of their way to interact with the bird.  The kitchen may seem like the ideal place, but it really isn’t because of the toxic chemicals and hot oil from cooking.

When thinking about parrot care you may not have considered grooming.  Throughout their lives they require a certain amount of grooming especially their beaks and nails which never stop growing.  Normally, their nails and beaks are clipped every 3-4 weeks. If the nails are allowed to grow out of control they will catch on perches and toys and that can lead your parrot injuring himself.  In the wild, the parrots interact with hard surfaces such as rocks and tree limbs which trim their nails and beaks naturally.

Many owners also have the wings of their parrot clipped every few weeks because they are afraid their parrot will fly around the house and break things.  In the wild, parrots clean themselves in rain showers, but in your home you can bathe or mist your parrots with fresh, clean water.  Do this daily.

You will soon notice that parrots are affectionate, playful and really intelligent.  To be a good owner and to exercise proper parrot care you have to understand your parrots needs and how to meet each one.  If you succeed in caring for your parrot properly he will love living with you. The amboina king parrot is catching on in popularity, find out more info here.

Ryan Benson is the author of The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In this eBook you will find information on how to care for your parrot and make sure that it stays healthy and happy for life. – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

Select Parrot Breeders Wisely

Parrot breeders breed and raise parrots which means that they have a critical role in the development of these birds.  They play the role of surrogate parent to the parrot.  This means you have to find a parrot breeder who has a good reputation because the way the parrot is treated when it is young has a direct affect on the birds personality as an adult.  Pet stores and rescue groups are a great place to buy a parrot, on the other hand, a good breeder will provide you with a complete understanding of how the bird was raised and the bird’s history. That is something you will not get a pet store.

A parrot breeders methods will have a large impact on whether or not the parrot will be healthy in adulthood.  Proper parrot feeding is probably the most important duty of a breeder.  Breeders provide the parrot babies safe and nutritious food while they are being raised and then wean the baby parrots before they are sold.  A young parrots diet should include pellets, soft warm food, seeds and fresh produce.

Flying is very important for a parrot, but most owners clip their wings because they do not want the parrot to fly around the house breaking things. Ironically, a parrot must learn to fly before its wings can be clipped.  Therefore, you should find a parrot breeder that allows the baby parrots to learn how to fly.  Learning how to fly also allows them to learn how to maneuver and land which is also very important when they are hopping around and walking.

The ability of an adult parrot to socialize and be emotionally healthy depends largely on the quality of care it received in its early life with the breeder.  When you are buying from a parrot breeder you will be able to ask them what they do to encourage the baby parrots to socialize.  This is another question that cannot be answered for parrots you find at a pet store.

Some breeders, as with anything, are just in it for the money and those are the ones you should avoid.  Most parrot breeders love to breed and raise parrots and it shows through their level of caring and responsibility to the bird.  I’ll say it again, make sure you find a breeder who has a good reputation.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you are speaking with parrot breeders. There are legal and illegal ways to ship parrots so make sure the breeder knows the rules. Also, make sure that you make a purchase contract because it is a very important transaction and you want to both sides to clearly understand their responsibilities.  Good parrot breeders will allow you to view their aviaries and they will be available to answer your questions both before and after the purchase. Be sure to ask the breeder when they introduce the baby parrot to bathing (the best time is when the baby is partially feathered).

If you buy a parrot from a responsible parrot breeder you will be more likely to get a happy, healthy and well-adjusted bird.

Keep in mind that buying a parrot is an important decision and comes with a long commitment.  There are species of parrot that live to be between 60 and 100 years old.  These birds are worth the effort and you will not regret your decision. The yellow parrot is a popular choice these days.

Ryan Benson is the author of The Ultimate Parrot Training Secrets. In this eBook you will find information on how to keep your parrot healthy after you buy it – required reading for anyone that is considering a parrot.

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