How to care for a parrot

• Give him fresh fruits and vegetables. Rinse them properly as if you were preparing them for you and your family. Most parrots love grapes, bananas, apples, carrots, berries, greens, all varieties of cooked squash, peas, green beans, and many others. Be careful not to give him too much fruit, because they contain sugar.
• Some species, such as macaws, like to open walnut shells to eat what they contain. Give your companion pistachios, pecans, and macadamia nuts.
• Avoid giving caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, sweet or salty snacks, fatty foods, raw or dried beans, rhubarb leaves, dill, cabbage, asparagus, eggplant, or honey.
• Never give avocados or onions to a parrot! These 2 foods are toxic to him and the avocado can cause immediate cardiac arrest and death.

For small and medium-sized birds, food and water containers should be at least 600 ml. Large birds must be at least 900 ml in size. Weaned birds and chicks need extra amounts because of their higher metabolism and activity levels. 

Your companion must be able to bathe in it. Birds drink the same water they use for bathing, which is normal for them. Do not add vitamin supplements to the water even if recommended. Birds don’t drink much and you’ll have a hard time knowing how many supplements they’ve taken. It can also cause bacteria to form rapidly in the water.

This measure is even more important if your bird is in or next to the kitchen. The chemicals used to make nonstick products can be deadly to parrots when heated to a certain temperature.

• Second-hand smoke is as bad for parrots as it is for men. Do not smoke in the house if you have a parrot.

 It is always preferable not to put a grid at the bottom of the cage and to place corn cob litter, pellets, or wood chips in which the bird will play (cockatoos, kakarikis, cockatiels … like to scratch the bottom of their cage). Remove and replace coatings. Discard damaged shells, seeds, gravel, toys, etc. It is best to clean the cage once a day, targeting stains that do not require too much time such as droppings on perches.

 Once a day, take out the bowls of water and food, clean them and fill them with fresh food and fresh water.

• Throw away leftover foods that rot quickly, such as cooked beans, right away. Parrots are especially susceptible to bacterial infections, and you should definitely keep their cage clean.
• Use a special bird disinfectant to clean the cage once a week. This kind of product is sold in pet stores. Conventional disinfectants are too potent and potentially harmful to your parrot.

Some parrots remain healthy for the rest of their lives, but when they do get sick, it is often found that a preventive veterinary consultation could have prevented the problem. Make sure the veterinarian you go to specifically treats the birds. Otherwise, you risk paying for nothing. Routine visits will be scheduled annually.

A healthy parrot is alert, stands up straight, and is active. If yours seems sick, see a veterinarian. The signs that should alert you are:

• a deformed, balding, or ulcerated beak
• difficulty breathing
• spots around the eyes or nostrils
• feathers that change their appearance or texture
• weight loss or loss of appetite
• swelling of the eyes or eyelids
• it chews or pulls out its feathers or loses feathers
• He lowers his head and is lethargic or too calm

At first, approach slowly and quietly. If your bird is fearful, avoid looking it in the eye so it doesn’t see you as a predator. If he tries to bite you, struggles in his cage, or seems particularly uncomfortable, try to get him used to your presence first.

• Get out of the room and come back and, when it starts to make noise, stop and don’t move. Stay where you are and wait for it to calm down to keep approaching you. If he gets upset again, stop and don’t move until he regains his composure. Continue like this until you are close enough to the cage.

Training is necessary for the socialization that the parrot requires. To find out which foods he prefers, give him nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruits, and seeds. Maybe your bird is not yet used to these foods so, observe it for a few days to find out which ones it prefers. When you have found out what it is, do not add these foods to your daily diet, but reserve them for training.

The goal is to teach him how to get out and return to his cage. The first step is to have him eat treats in his hand, which can take a few seconds to a few weeks. Simply approach the cage with a treat in your hand. Wait for your companion to approach in turn and eat what you give him.

• Introduce the clicker when it is used to eat in your hand. Click just before offering him a treat and do it each time so that he gets used to hearing the click before eating.
• Use a telescopic dressing wand to lure your parrot into certain parts of the cage. Pass the wand between the bars so he can approach it then click and give him a treat. Train him to track your movements by clicking and giving him a treat each time. If he no longer follows the wand, he may be full and you will have to wait until he is hungry again to resume training.
• Use the wand to teach him to ride on your hand or on a perch. After a while, he will agree to follow you out of the cage to continue training or allow you to clean it.
• Each session should last between 10 and 15 minutes at a rate of 1 or 2 sessions per day.

The beak is the best place to start. If you can approach your hand without him trying to bite you, it means that he accepts that you touch him. But not all parrots like petting and not all are colonial: South American species are mostly able to accept the hugs of their congeners as well as many humans. African species will often have a congener and a reference human, even if some form very strong links with several. Slowly bring your hand close to its beak and, if it seems to want to bite you, stop right away. Stay still until he calms down. If it doesn’t bite you when your hand is near its beak, walk away and give it a treat.

• Proceed in the same way to touch his body. Approach your hand slowly and, if it seems to get upset, stop and wait for it to calm down. Go gradually until he lets you touch it. When he agrees to you touching him, give him a treat.

Talk. Some parrots are more talkative than others, but all are anatomically capable of imitating the human voice. Even if he doesn’t learn as quickly as you’d hoped, it’s important for the emotional well-being that you talk to him on a regular basis.

• Teach him the names of certain things. For example, when you feed him, say “apple” or “banana”.
• Associate words with what you do. When you enter the room, say “Hello, Alex” (or whatever you want to call) or “Hello!” When you leave, say “Goodbye” or “Good night.”
• Your companion will also enjoy listening to you chat (even if it’s with him and you’re the only one talking), listening to you sing, listening to the TV when you turn it on, or listening to music.
• Some parrots retain many phrases, so avoid yelling or saying insults in his presence if you don’t want him to repeat them.

Not only do toys help your bird’s mental stimulation, but they also keep it from getting bored. They must have different textures and colors and make varied noises. You have to change them every week so that he doesn’t get bored. There are other things you need to consider regarding your parrot’s toys.

• For small birds, give preference to small light toys.
• For large birds, choose thick toys, as they like to handle them with their beaks, tongues, and paws.
• Birds love to chew and they naturally tend to damage objects. Check toys regularly and throw away any that are damaged or could break into pieces that could hurt your parrot. 

 Generally, a parrot that stands straight with smoothed feathers is suspicious or frightened. Loose and slightly ruffled plumage indicates joy. If your companion stands on one leg and curls up in a ball, it means that he is not feeling well. If he raises all his feathers, it usually means that he is courting or that he is ready to fight. If he stretches one wing and then the other or wags his tail slightly, it means that he is happy or healthy. Some birds wiggle their tongues or move their beaks up and down when they see someone they like.