Before You Buy A Parrot, You Must Read This

Parrots can be one of the most entertaining and challenging pets that you will ever have.  Although they will spend a great deal of time in their cage, they can be heard throughout your household, and even outside.  You will never forget that you own a parrot and they can make your lives either wondrous or extremely stressful and challenging depending upon the type of pets that you are looking for.  Here are a few things that you must know prior to buying a parrot as a pet that may sway your decision on whether or not you would want to have one of these colorful birds in your household.

One of the most useful pieces of information to know is that parrots need to be preoccupied almost at all times.  Save for the times that they are asleep, parrots will either need your personal attention and lots of colorful noisy toys to play with to preoccupy themselves in your absence.  When choosing parrot toys, make sure that they are interesting to look at, and that they have a certain durability to them that will allow the parrot to chew on them and not break them the day that they are bought.  If you decide to let your parrot out, make sure that you are with them at all times, especially early on, to make sure that they do not bite or chew on things that you love or that could hurt them.  Choosing to chew on an electrical cord or on your furniture are habits that you should train your parrot not to do for their safety and for your personal sanity.

Parrots are also known as biters.  In the wild, parrots use their beaks as a tool to help them climb when they are roaming about.  Within the confines of their cage, or when you have let them out into your home, they will instinctively use their beaks on almost any object, including human flesh.  By training your parrot early in its life to not bite, or to not bite very hard, you can save yourself endless bleeding and replacement of furniture by training your bird properly.  Parrots can break small bones, such as the bones in your finger, especially when they are frightened or enraged.  It is simply a defense mechanism that is genetically part of them.  With proper training, and a strong relationship between you and your bird, can avert damage or injury.

Be sure to wear earplugs in your household if you decide to get a parrot that is very noisy.  Parrots such as Macaws can make horribly noisy squawks that can be heard as far as the neighbors across the street.  Therefore, before choosing a particular kind of parrot as a pet, be sure to go into the pet store and listen to the birds before purchasing.  Most parrots make a very loud noise which can be curtailed through training and bonding.  However, they will never be completely silent unless they are sick.  So, if you like a quiet household, a parrot is probably not for you.

Lastly, the most important thing to consider is the amount of time that you must spend with your parrot.  Parrots are naturally geared to spend their time with many other parrots.  They are social creatures and need almost constant interaction.  Therefore, when deciding to get a parrot, remember that you must be set aside several hours of your week in order to properly raise your parrot in your household.  Please make these considerations before subjecting yourself, and your potential parrot, to hardships that can be overcome by making the right decision.