Owning a pet parrot can be a incredibly nerve-racking event and Parrot Training is an important part of parrot ownership. Every type of parrot; cockatoos, conures, african grays or any other type of pet parrot should be trained to some extent. Numerous new bird owners may have experienced a lot of problems with your pet and you might even have been bitten or attacked by it. Family members or guests that came by may have upset the bird when they got to close to 
the cage. This is a normal reaction but it doesn’t have to be. The parrots instincts force them behave in a certain way, but it is no more than that. Behavioral patterns can be changed through the right form of training.
Parrots have very powerful beaks and can inflict a serious bite and can often cut into the skin. Teaching your parrot bird not to bite can be one of the most vital lessons for a pet parrot owner. Biting is a natural habit for a parrot, training a parrot to bite certain things takes a lot of time and commitment. By teaching your bird to stop biting your friends and family will like being around your pet. When young children are around birds it is essential that your parrot adapts to the surroundings and not bite anyone because the beak can really hurt little fingers.
Giving treats during training is a kind of reward that can be used to train parrots. Start out finding a treat that your parrot likes and offer it in your hand very slowly as not to frighten the bird. You want to be seen as a person that it can trust and that you won’t do it any harm. Always act in a positive way but be determined and strong. At first your parrot might scream at you or even try to bite you. If the parrot has a habit of biting or starts to bite, go get a thick pair of gloves before starting your parrot training so that you won’t be affected by its biting. Use this treat offering exercise for several times a day for as many days as it takes to have your parrot accept and even enjoy that you’re giving it treats.
Most parrots are very gregarious and vocal birds. When you bring home a young parrot You become part of the bird’s flock. If you observe how birds in a flock interact in the wild, you can try to communicate with your bird. Getting a parrot to do something you want is a great accomplishment, and if it does so then reward the bird. Any actions or behavior a parrot does that you dislike, remember the best response is no response. Don’t reinforce negative behavior by overreacting or the parrot will learn hoe to get your attention. Teach the bird the proper way to get what it wants. If they cannot communicate properly with you, it is very likely their response will be screaming, biting, or withdrawal.
If a young bird is purchased it must be nurtured and comforted, this is easy but can be a problem if not done properly. Start out spending small amounts of time with your new bird, don’t spend more time when the bird is new than when the newness wears off or this will cause behavioral problems. As a bird owner we must provide all the proper requirements that our new pet will need. Proper food, clean fresh water and proper sized cage are all essential for the health of a parrot. Exploration outside of the cage should be encouraged with supervision to satisfy their normal curiosity. The bird learns to not be afraid of new things and learns important skills. Exploring should only include those areas of the home that you choose and are safe and introduce new things into its surroundings to help prevent boredom. Parrot Training is time consuming and at times frustrating but well worth the effort.
Parrots as with any pet require some essential needs to live a healthy life. Proper cage, food, water and Parrot Training are a must. The Parrot must have the correct size cage, large species such as Macaws, Cockatoos and Amazons require large floor standing cages and smaller parrots such as Cockatiels, Parakeets, and Conures will do all right in a small tabletop cage, a play top can be used after the proper parrot training.
Parrots with good talking abilities include African Grey, Amazon and even some of the smaller varieties like Quaker Parrots. Most parrot species can mimic sounds they hear, like whistles and doorbells. The sound we hear as talking is really mimicry and some birds are better than others. Individual birds will also tend to prefer to mimic certain gender or individual. The best age to initiate training your bird is as early as possible or about between 4-6 months old. Start with a simple word like “Hello” and make sure to pronounce words slowly and clearly and repetition is very vital. Continuously keep lessons short, about 10-15 minutes and give play and rest time after.
Birds that are shy or skidish will be the hardest to work with, always start slow and develop a relationship with the bird first. You can’t teach a parrot that doesn’t trust you and he will refuse all attempts at training until that trust is built, this can take quit some time and each bird will be different. Start out with easy exercises in a slow and gentle way so that trust can be built or restored. Happy parrots enjoy training every day and parrot potty training is one of the easiest things that we can teach.
One of the first and most basic of parrot training lessons is the up command and is a excellent starting point with newly weaned handfed baby parrots. Start out approaching the bird slowly with an extended finger or hand and say ‘up’ as you press against the bird’s chest. After a few tries the bird will learn to step up on command. This will help in removing the bird from play areas and placing back in the cage.
Purchasing a parrot should be given a great deal of thought; parrots do not make good impulse purchases. Some of the larger and more popular parrots can be very costly. The popular talking birds like African Greys, Cockatoos and Amazons can cost upwards of $1000. The smaller birds like Conures, Lorikeets and Quakers retail in the $500 to $700 range. Hand fed birds 
should be purchased as they make the best pets and make parrot training easier, but will cost you more than older birds. Parrots require attention on a daily basis and plan on 30 minutes of your time a day to interact with your bird. Parrots are sociable birds and will require at least that much time. You as the owner will become the parrot’s companion and it is vital to spend daily quality time together to prevent negative behaviors.
