Posts tagged "parrots"

Lories and Lorikeets 101

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts): Jan 7th 2010 10:00AM Filed Under: Birds

Name: Lory and Lorikeet

Personality: Curious, playful, active, energetic.

Grooming: Lories and lorikeets need a waterbath attached to their cages at all times, and they typically enjoy being sprayed with water occasionally. Despite their proclivity for bathing, they're very messy. Because lories eat nectar, they have liquid droppings which can make more of a mess than some other parrot species. Cages (and the area around them) need to be properly cleaned on a regular basis.

Common Health Issues: Given a proper diet of nectar and fruit, lories and lorikeets are very healthy birds with an average lifespan of 10-15 years. The proper diet is trickier for these birds than for many parrots, though, and improper nutrition can lead to health problems. As with other parrots, they require regular interaction with their owners and a wide variety of toys to prevent boredom.

Training Tips: It's possible to potty-train these birds so you can carry them around the house without making a mess, and larger lories can be good talkers, but will require ongoing obedience training. As with most animals, training requires patience, time, consistency, and plenty of positive reinforcement.

Best For: A high maintenance bird, lories and lorikeets require families that have plenty of space as well as time to spend with them. If you're not fastidious about cleaning, it can be detrimental for yourself and your bird. And they can bite, says Mira Tweti of Playa del Rey, Calif., so they probably aren't the best choice for children.

Conures 101

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts): Jan 5th 2010 10:00AM Filed Under: Birds

conures Flickr/benimoto

Name: Conure

Personality: Though there are many species of conure, they're generally all social, active, playful, intelligent and always ready to engage. Many are also quite cuddly.

Grooming: Nails and beak might need to be trimmed, and you'll need to clip their feathers if you want to discourage flying. Otherwise, conures take care of most grooming themselves. Regardless, they do enjoy a bath, and will preen and preen and preen when finished.

Common Health Issues: These are hardy birds, resistant to disease, with a lifespan of around 25-30 years. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that they're far more sedentary in captivity than in the wild, so it's important to keep a close eye on their diet. And, like many intelligent birds, they're prone to feather-picking if not given enough attention and socialization.

Training Tips: Training a conure to talk requires quite a bit of skill, but teaching them to be handled and do tricks is certainly possible. Minimize distractions, use positive reinforcement, and remain patient and calm.

Best For: Conures will do best if kept in a busy area during the day; the more that's going on, the more entertained they will be. If the bird is well-trained and children are mature enough to properly handle it, a conure can be a great family pet.

Cockatiels 101

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts): Dec 31st 2009 10:00AM Filed Under: Birds

cockatiels Flickr/oldcockatoo

Name: Cockatiel

Personality: Cockatiels, the second most popular pet parrot (trailing parakeets), are known for being gentle, playful, sweet and affectionate.

Grooming: Cockatiels have a powder (or dander) on their feathers that they use to clean themselves. Bathing cockatiels with a mist of plain water is fine, but might not be necessary. You may need to clip your cockatiel's feathers (to keep it from flying) as well as its nails, but you should not have to do anything with their beaks.

Common Health Issues: Provided with clean air and a comfortable cage away from heat and draft, these birds are generally very healthy and should live for 15-20 years. Cockatiels' most common health problems include viral infections like polyoma and Pacheco's disease; a bacterial disease known as psittacosis; and candidiasis, a type of yeast infection. All of these can mostly be avoided with proper nutrition and care.

Amazon Parrots 101

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts): Dec 23rd 2009 5:00PM Filed Under: Birds, Exotic Pets

amazon parrot Flickr/quinn.anya

Name: Amazon Parrots

Personality: Amazon parrots are intelligent, affectionate, playful and loyal. However, emotionally, they're similar to a two-year-old human for their entire lives.

Grooming: Regular showers are required, both for the bird's health and to keep their natural musky smell at bay.

Common Health Issues: These birds are prone to obesity and hardening of the arteries as they age; they're perfectly happy being quite sedentary. While they can live to be anywhere from 40 to 80 years, obesity can reduce the life expectancy by as much as 70 percent.

Training Tips: Amazons, especially hand-reared males, are easy to train, and are great talkers. In fact, they crave the interaction and socialization that training brings. If not properly trained, they can become quite aggressive.

Cockatoos 101

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts): Dec 21st 2009 4:00PM Filed Under: Birds, Exotic Pets

cockatoo Flickr/JunCTionS

Cockatoos are intelligent, inquisitive, playful, loud, and known for being very affectionate -- so much so that they're susceptible to depression if not given proper social interaction. Common varieties of cockatoos found in captivity are Moluccan, Goffin's, umbrella, sulfur crested (greater and lesser), and bare-eyed cockatoos and can range in size from about a foot to just over two feet long. Cockatoos can live 40–80 years with proper care.

Grooming and Care: Cockatoos shouldn't need a great deal of grooming, but some of them love to bathe. You should only use pure water, as anything else can disrupt the pH balance of their feathers. You'll need to clip their nails and wings. If you have just one bird, you will need to help out with preening as well. The size of the cage depends on the size of your bird, though it's generally agreed that the larger the enclosure, the better, and it needs to be placed in an area frequented by people, away from drafts. Food and water should be changed daily, and the cage needs a thorough cleaning a couple of times a week.

Common Health Issues: One of the main problems cockatoo owners face is a certain amount of neurotic behavior, generally due to a lack of attention paid to the bird. This can lead the bird to engage in feather-picking and self-mutilation. Otherwise, as long as your cockatoo is well cared for, it should remain healthy.

How to Train a Parrot

by Rose Martelli (Subscribe to Rose Martelli's posts): Nov 6th 2009 2:00PM Filed Under: Birds, Pet Training

"Why, yes, I've read Emily Post. Why do you ask?" Flickr/Peter Fuchs

Parrots are the most colorful of house pets, literally and figuratively. A lively, happy parrot can add plenty of fun to your home. The problem is, your home is far, far away from your parrot's natural environment. Patient and persistent training is crucial to ensure that both you and your pet are comfortable cohabiting with one another.

Parrots are renowned for their amusing antics, like talking, but are equally infamous for exhibiting "bad" behaviors such as squawking, biting, and errant pooping. When you train your parrot, you must remember that a parrot isn't a toy; you can't just teach it the "fun" stuff and hope that the other behaviors will fix themselves. Parrots are also not dogs; they do not respond to punishment as a training method. In fact, parrots are even more attention-hungry than most dogs, so if you punish a parrot, it will likely see that interaction between you two as a desirable outcome and repeat whatever "bad" behavior you are trying to correct.

Before you begin, take the time to create a safe training environment for your parrot. Aim to do all of the bird's training in the same room -- one that is clean, closed off (no open windows!) and quiet. If possible, train daily, and at the same time every day, and not in the same room as your parrot's cage. Make sure to always have treats like cut-up fruits and vegetables on hand during a training session to reward the bird when it successfully learns or carries out a new command. Lastly, always approach and interact with your parrot in a calm and confident manner. Parrots can sense tension and anxiety and will react to it with biting and squawking, so even if your parrot upsets you or snaps at your during a training session, do not act out on the parrot.

So, what are the most common steps to training a parrot? Read on to get started training your parrot into becoming a well-adjusted pet!

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