It is very important to quarantine any new birds that you want to ad to your house if there are parrots already there. New birds pose a risk of disease that can spread to your healthy parrots in no time.

Its always wise to take the precaution to isolate any new additions to observe them and take them for a vet check. After an adequate quarantine it will be safe to introduce a new parrot to your other birds.

It is suggested that you quarantine new birds for 30 days. Some people say

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more. House the new ones in totally separate room. I have usually quarantined them for 30 days, with vet wellness visit early on. If you use a carrier from your previous birds for the new ones, make sure you clean it VERY well before using it again. Ask vet about the birds health, and their suggestion. Also, feed & handle your birds first. Then the new bird. Do not mix cleaning supplies like sponges, towels, etc. If new bird climbs on your shoulder, change clothes before handling your birds. Obviously wash your hands continuously. And use hand sanitizer. Until you are sure your birds will be safe, do not take a chance bringing any germs to them, in any way, from new birds. It sounds like a lot of work, but, disease & contamination can spread like wildfire. And can kill your birds!…More at Hahns Macaw Cage – Bar Spacing ? – Parrot Forum – Parrot Owner’s …

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.

Cockatiel Care

Most Cockatiel owners will tell you that Cockatiels do make wonderful pets and have sweet demeanor. Cockatiel care is very important for a healthy pet.  As with most other parrots, the manner in which the bird is raised, handled, and kept is an important factor in determining the temperament of the bird. Cockatiels that are handled on a regular basis will become and stay tame quit easily.
As with most pet parrots the well-socialized birds are gentle and friendly.

cockatiel care

Some cockatiels enjoy physical contact from there human friends, lending themselves well to taming. Many cockatiel owners develop regular bonding rituals  with their birds, engaging in preening, scratching, and even petting. Cockatiels that wish to be petted will often lower there head or nibble at the owner’s fingers to indicate that it wishes to have its head and neck scratched (two places it can’t easily scratch on its own), and will emit a low squawk to show its pleasure. Cockatiels which are hand-fed and purchased from a young age are more readily suited for physical contact.

Cockatiels are very calm birds and once they are out of their adolescent stage and settle down a little, I have not found them to be very messy at birds all.If feed pelleted diet so there are no seed hulls to scatter there will be very little mess.  While you have to expect some mess with any type of bird (or any pet for that matter), after years of keeping birds, I have learned some ways to get around the mess. First of all, keep your cockatiel cage clean by changing the paper on the bottom every day. This will help keep debris to a minimum, and always let your cockatiel out of its cage when changing the paper. Some birds will flap their wings in the cage and spread debris, but if you let them out daily the will flap at that time and not make a mess. Another tip to keep the area clean is never fill your birds food dish all the way to the top. You are just asking for trouble if you do, If pet even places one foot in a full dish pellets or seed, there is bound to be scattered all over. Cage skirts that can be fitted to your bird’s cage will contain a large portion of the mess.
Cockatiels are generally hardy and have the potential of live 20 — 30 years with good care. While the average life span is probably less than 10yrs, simply because people do not take care of them properly, there have been accounts of cockatiels living 38 years. Good cockatiel care is essential in order to keep a cockatiel in good health. A correct diet is the most important element in keeping a pet a cockatiel in good condition. With the development of various pelleted diets, there is absolutely no reason why every pet cockatiel should not be on a good diet today. Even if your cockatiel eats a pelleted diet, it is still necessary to offer fresh fruits, vegetables, greens and other foods every
day.It ia also important to offer fresh, clean water at all times to your bird. Make sure you clean and scrub those food and water cups with soapy water.Keeping the cage and food dishes clean is just as important as the diet.

The paper cage lining should be changed at least once a day, more often if necessary if fresh foods are fed. The cage should be washed completely every week or so depending on how dirty it gets. Perches of different diameters and shapes help prevent foot problems. I make sure that all of my birds have a variety of perches and at least one flat porch in their cage.

Keeping a cockatiel healthy psychologically is as important as its physical health. Providing a playground that will enable your pet to be out and away from its cage is very important. A wide array of suitable toys rotated on a
regular basis should be considered a necessity, not a luxury. And most importantly, time spent with the owner on an every day basis will enable your cockatiel to develop into a happy, well- adjusted pet

Keeping companion parrots as pets can be particularly fun especially if you get one that can talk and learn words. African Grey parrots are such a type of companion parrots that can start to learn to talk. There are some that have been reported to have vocabularies up to 950 words! That may be a lot of 

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talking for a parrot.

When you take your companion parrot home, make sure to ease them into their new environment. Some companion parrots can get perturbed when their routines are modified around. If you have one that is taking some time to get changed, be assured this is standard. They can eventually get used to you and their new home, but they may make things a little fascinating for a while until they do especially if you have one that talks. Again, just be patient and everything will return to normal shortly enough….More at Essential Information Regarding Companion Parrots « Cupless Joe

There are many different types of parrots as pets. African Grey parrots and Amazon are some of the most popular types of parrots as pets, but they are not the only kinds of parrots. The variety of parrots is incredible. There are lovebirds, Quakers, and cockatoos to choose from as well. Parrots as pets are very popular due to the fact that most of them can talk. You should be aware that not all species of parrots can talk. In fact, some cannot talk at all. You should also be aware that parrots can be very loud and noisy animals. They usually make a serious of clicks, squeals, and shrieks. Parrots are capable of mimicking sounds that they hear often such as the ringing of a telephone, beeps, and alarms. They are even capable of reproducing or mimicking video game sounds.

Some parrots have even shown the same intelligence level as a toddler. These parrots have a sense of humor, understand shapes, as well as colors. You need to provide your parrot with a few accessories in their cage so that they can keep themselves entertained when you are not around to socialize with them. A few accessories you may want to consider can include a perk, a mirror, and a few toys. Birds that are not entertained or socialized with enough will start plucking out their own feathers and show other signs of self-destructive behavior….More at Parrots As Pets – All you need to know about Parrots As Pets

Wishing all of our readers a very happy holiday season!

"Sunny" is 6 months old. There are many people in my household and he only bites two people. My husband and my sister. We can't figure out why he just bites them and I would love to get the bird to be nice to them so they can enjoy him too.

When Quaker Parrots don’t master cooperative behavior as well as limitations associated with suitable conduct by the time they attain sexual maturity, they are often totally unmanageable. As a matter of fact, Quaker Parrots may actually discover cooperative behavior optimally soon after weaning. Or else it’s extremely simple for them to acquire territorial and hostile actions throughout the developmental time period occasionally known as the “terrible twos” (this generally hits Quakers from about 12-18 months, however is visible sooner).

We cannot deal with bad conduct in Quakers with punishment. We have to assist the bird to create productive habits to guarantee it’s happy lifestyle.

Just about all habits are composed of a number of habits which are regularly reenacted. Co-operation may be habitual. Biting and going after could be habitual. A companion Quaker parrot that understands to repeatedly interact personally will be less probable to express hostility towards people or to try and control people within the surroundings. To be able to produce excellent habits and also to generate a routine of cooperation in the bird’s conduct, we practice a few active exercises — step-ups and the towel game — most times in neutral territory.

STEP UPS

To be able to assume the parrot to respond dependably in the cage or some other established area, the quaker should first be patterned using typical and varied step-up exercise to cooperate in neutral territory. A bird that won’t cooperate in neutral territory will most likely typically refuse to cooperate in their own territory. In the bird’s first days in your home, daily step up exercise includes:

* stepping the bird upward from a new fixed perch to a hand

* stepping the parrot up from hand to hand

* stepping the bird on and off hand-held perches

Afterwords once the parrot is producing it’s regular Quaker tendency to guard the parrot cage or whenever it’s feeling feisty for any additional reason, the behavior of co-operation is usually preserved, without having fear of nipping, by managing the bird with handheld perches. Hand held perches might be from time to time required or necessary for some people in the bird’s established territory, as a typical Quaker Parrot may act like a total brat towards most people in the cage and a perfect little bird away from it.

My cockateil started laying eggs. Her and Dad were sitting. Mom laid egg #5 and then died. (Egg Binding problems?) Have Exact to feed and syringe etc. How can I make an Incubator and Brooder or is there another way I can help out Dad? Grandma gave me the birds and she thought they were not a mated pair. Surprise!

Fruit, juices, bread etc.? I have a green cheek conure and he eats his pellet food and some millet spray, seeds etc.

What should I avoid giving him?

I fill my bird’s food dishes up to the top every morning. I have two African Grey Parrots. They pick at it and eat on it all day. They throw half of it out. My question is: Do you leave food out for parrots all day? Or do you pick the food up and give it to them on a schedule? If so, how often should I feed them? They are sooooooo messy with their food. They are on a pellet diet and that is what I have trouble with. I also switch out fruits and veggies and I will make them eggs, pasta, rice, etc. but they gobble that stuff up. It is the pellet food they like to play with and make a mess out of.
Oh, it also makes cleaning thier cage a mess. They poop all of the time and everywhere.