Parrots For Sale

Parrots are birds made up of approximately 372 species. They are found in most of the tropical & subtropical regions. The order is sub-divided into three super families that is the Psittacoidea "true parrots", the Strigopoidea also New Zealand parrots' and the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos). Parrots exhibit pan-tropical distribution as other parrot species inhabit the temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. Australasia and South America have the largest variety of parrots.

Types of Parrots For Sale

• African Greys for sale
• Caiques for sale
• Cockatiels for sale
• Conures for sale
• Derbyans for sale
• Eclectus for sale
• Hawk Headed Parrots for sale
• Lories for sale
• Lovebirds for sale
• Parakeets For Sale
• Poicephalus for sale
• Rosella for sale
• Pionus For Sale

The relationship between man and birds began a long time ago with birds being the first pets over 4000 years ago. From the ancient Egyptian scripts there are images of birds, including the parrot, being kept as pets. The Greeks kept pet parrots in highly prized metal cages since they were of high value. Wealthy households in the Roman Empire kept parrots as pets and slaves were responsible to teach them how to talk and fend for them.

The behavior of a parrot will be affected to a large extent on how it is treated. An abused parrot will often be scared. Neglecting your parrot will make it become mean and even violent. A parrot that is treated well will be friendly and fun-loving. Complete disregard of an animal may have permanent damage to it. A mistreated parrot will need special training to survive in human settings.

Training a parrot will augment its habits. A parrot can be trained to talk, to perch or even ride a bicycle. Employing the right training techniques will help tame a parrot's bad behavior but it will not affect its personality or temperament. A parrot's temperament will determine how it behaves. Parrots will generally be friendly but this may vary depending on existing circumstances.

Parrots are very attentive and lively as they are very keen to everything that is happening within their surroundings. They have close connections with humans as they interact and are able to express their emotions from being sad to feeling excited.

What do parrots eat?

Parrots should be fed at least once per day. A parrot mix or pellet may be obtained from pet shop but this will be short of other nutrients. You may feed your parrot on seeds, grains, pellets, vegetables and fruits to give it a healthy diet. Peanuts should be selected from human shops as the ones from pet shops may cause poisoning caused by aflotoxin due to presence of fungus in them. Parrots should not eat chocolate or avocado as it is poisonous to some birds. It is important to carry out research on the best diet for your parrot as it varies depending on the kind of species.

Parrot Caging

Buying a cage is the first important task to do before even deciding the type of parrot. As there are no standardized cage designs, selecting a cage that has a simple design will ensure that it is easy to maintain and clean. Since the parrot will spend most of its time in the cage, it is important that the cage should be spacious enough to at least enable it flap its wings. As the cage will need regular cleaning, the floor of the cage should be covered with something easy to change. Old newspapers are the best floor covers as they are cheap and available in large quantities. While wood shavings or shredded paper can be used, they are easily blown by wind causing a mess within the cage.

The cage should be located in a well-ventilated room free from fumes and gases. Since birds are sensitive, if the room is contaminated with fumes you will have to move the cage to another location. Fumes from aerosol sprays, cooking gas, cigarette smoke, products used for cleaning, new paints etc may be fatal to birds. Avoid positioning the cages in the kitchen as the fumes arising due to cooking every day will affect the bird. Do not place the cage near windows or close to doorways as this may cause a draft.

Parrot toys

Parrots need constant stimulation and attention. Other species like the cockatoos and African greys may harm themselves if they get bored. Toys, will therefore keep them occupied. A bored parrot may become depressed and scream a lot. There are a wide variety of toys to choose from at pet shops. The best toys to select are the toys from nature products such as hemp rope and wood. These toys are made to be chewed and destroyed by pets. There are also a variety of free and cheap toys that you can use for your bird. Old telephone books, paper towel rolls, and small boxes make great toys for your bird to chew on.

Veterinary care for parrots

Parrots should be taken to the vet for regular checkups. Beak & nail trims and trimming flight feathers are standard items for domestic parrots. You don't need to cut flight feathers but it will stop the bird from flying into windows or prevent the bird from hurting itself. You don't want to cut all the flight feathers, just enough so the bird can't get a lift but can still glide or fly safely to the ground. This will help detect early signs of illness and ensure the bird is in constant good health. The vet may take blood or culture samples from the vent or its beak for testing. Ask the vet to inform you on the test that are being undertaken to have an understanding of your bird's health condition. Detecting signs that your parrot is ill may be tricky as birds tend to hide that they are sick until at an advanced level. Being able to recognize these signs of illness in your parrot will help you get it medical attention quickly.

List of common signs of illness to parrots.

• Change in odor, color or dropping consistency
• Change quality or quantity of feathers due to self-mutilation
• Presence of dirt on the feathers or around the face
• Discharge from the vent, eyes and nose
• Fluffy feathers
• The bird is unable to walk or hold its head up
• Lack of appetite
• Strained breathing
• Oversleeping
• Change in attitude or behavior

How long do parrots live?

A parrot's lifespan may go as long as you live. However, a parrot's lifespan while in captivity will be shorter compared to parrots in the wild. A pet parrot's life span will depend on the nutrition, veterinary care and mental health. Parrots will have different life spans depending on the type of species. While in captivity a parrot can live 40 to over 100 years depending on the type of species.

When you believe you are ready to get your first parrot, it is very important to thoroughly research the type you want. You have to remember that these birds do have a long life span. A parakeet can live to 20 years, a macaw can live to 50 years old. This is a long time to care for an animal. The cage for your bird should be as big as you can afford. This will give lots of room for the bird, multiple perches, food and water bowls, toys and a hut or box for them to sleep and hide in. A parrot will need a lot of toys to play with.

The toys should be rotated weekly so that they will not get bored with the same toys. Make sure to buy or make toys of the appropriate size for your bird. You have to watch for parts that they can get their head or toes stuck. Some types of parrots will be afraid of a new item in the cage and will need to be slowly introduced to the new toys. The water should be changed daily. It is not a good diet to only feed seed. Seed is like candy and will shorten their life span if it is their only food source.

Parrots are highly social creatures by nature and need the time and attention of their owner to live a happy life. If this is not done, the result can be a bird that screams for your attention and love, starts feather plucking, self-mutilation, or may become wild and will bite when handled. Many parrots will benefit from you training them to do tricks or to talk on command. A parrot does enjoy learning new behaviors. Some examples would be training an amazon to step-up on the hand with a verbal command, training a cockatoo to use birdie roller skates, or a parakeet to ring a bell for a certain treat. The behavior being trained does not have to be anything difficult. The training sessions only have to last about 10-15 minutes a day. But to succeed in training, you have to be patient and consistent. A parrot can be a very rewarding pet for some people but remember a parrot is not for everyone.