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.