So You Think You Want A Parrot? Review

I could probably write a whole book on this subject, but for now I'm going to write this review with the hope that it will help prospective parrot owners to decide if having a bird is the right decision for them.  This information is by no means an exhaustive or complete guide to owning birds, but it is some of the most important points for people to consider before bringing a parrot into their home.

Diet

Before I adopted my first parrot, I thought that I would just have to feed her dry seed mix similar to what I put outside for the wild birds.  Boy was I wrong! Companion parrots require a combination of fresh foods, high-quality seed/nut/dried fruit mix, and some owners like to supplement diets with pellets.  Every week I cook a giant pot of "parrot food" that includes 16-bean soup mix (without ham flavoring), brown rice, frozen collard greens, frozen mustard greens, frozen mixed vegetables, frozen soup mix, and frozen green beans (or zucchini, okra, etc).  That is their base diet.  They get a few tablespoons of that for each meal and then I add fresh organic fruits and veggies like apples, baby carrots, cucumbers, squash, cranberries, blueberries, grapes, papaya, mango, canteloupe, jalapeno peppers, broccoli, etc.  I usually also add half a hardboiled egg, a teaspoon of plain lowfat yogurt, or a chicken wing to their evening meal.  If you want to own a parrot and give it the best possible diet, you can plan on spending a pretty penny each week just on fresh and cooked foods.

In addition to the cooked mix, you'll also need to offer your bird a high-quality blend of seeds, nuts, and dried fruits/veggies.  I pay about $5 per pound for premium products like Bird Paradise Ultimate Blend or Tropical Carnival Large Hookbill Mix.  You'll also need to buy pellets (for daily or occasional use) and other products like Nutriberries or Avi-Cakes to use as treats and rewards.  My general estimate of feeding expenses per parrot would be about $50 each per month and that is probably on the very low end. 

Cage, Cage Time, and Toys

The best cage size for your new companion is the largest one that you have room for and that you can afford.  You really can't provide your parrot with a cage that is too big.  Plan to spend between $300 and $1000 on a new cage, depending on size, type of metal, playstand/dometop, etc.  Smaller parrots will be fine with a powder coated material, but larger and stronger birds like Scarlet, Greenwing, and Hyacinth macaws will probably require expensive stainless steel cages. 

Although we typically think of parrots living in cages, they actually require several hours of time outside their cage each day.  The change of scenery, opportunity to interact with their owners, etc. is essential for a happy and healthy bird.  I get home from work at 2pm, so I spring them from their cages and place them on their playstands at that time.  They are allowed to play, talk, flap their wings, climb around, and generally enjoy themselves between 2 and 5-6 pm.  Then they are put back into their cages with their dinner and usually eat, talk, and play until it is completely dark outside.  I try to put my parrots to bed with the sunset as that's what they do in the wild.  I don't work in the summer, so they spend much more time on their stands or outside then.  There are also days where I am just too busy to spring them from their cages, but they are very few and far between.  My crew is tolerant of spending the whole day in their cages because they are very large, full of toys, and they don't often have to deal with solitary confinement all day long.

An important and essential way to enrich your parrots cage is to provide various toys.  There are wooden, seagrass, and straw ones to be shredded and splintered into bits and groom their beaks. There are plastic, interactive puzzle toys to stimulate their minds and occupy their time.  Parrot owners need to understand that their birds will destroy their toys and that is a good thing! It keeps them happy and helps them to wear down their beaks.  Toys aren't cheap but they are a necessity if you plan to keep a parrot as a pet.  I spend about $50 per month per parrot on toys.

Lifestyle Changes

Parrots have very sensitive respiratory systems, which is why miners used to bring canaries down into the mines with them to test for carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.  Candles, incense, nonstick cookware, aerosol sprays, air fresheners (plug-in, sprays, gels), and powdered carpet deodorizers are all products that you will need to avoid when you choose to bring a parrot into your home.  I won't lie--I do use candles in the bathroom and in the kitchen, but only when the birds have been put to bed at the other end of the house with their door closed.  That is my only little "cheat", though.  I threw out all of my husband's non-stick cookware when we adopted Scarlett and have eschewed aerosol sprays, air fresheners, cleansers with harsh fumes, etc since then. 

Weekend trips and long vacations will become a bit of a challenge once you bring a bird into your home.  It is easy to find people to put food/water out for cats and dogs, but many people are afraid of birds and don't want to even try to care for them in your absence.  Because there are a few fatal avian diseases without any known cause (at this point in time), you don't want to board your companion parrots at the vet or another facility.  You need to find someone who will stay at your house or visit at least twice a day to wash out bowls and provide fresh food/water.  After owning birds for over 3 years now, we only *just* went on our first week-long vacation a few months ago to get married.  It was a challenge to line up care for the birds and involved getting four different people to stop by the house during that time.

Again, because these tropical parrots are so delicate, the newspaper at the bottom of their cages needs to be changed every day.  Cage bars should be wiped down daily, but at the very least the whole cage needs to be steam-cleaned or power washed weekly.  Food at the bottom of cages can and will get moldy pretty quickly and mold is yet another respiratory hazard for parrots: aspergillosis.  If you don't clean cages regularly, your expensive pet will become ill and possibly die.

Vet and Grooming Care

Companion parrots require an annual exam by an avian vet.  Even if you live in an area that has loads of veterinarians who deal with cats and dogs, it can be difficult to find avian vets (let alone those who are certified) in even densely-populated suburban and urban areas.  Walking in the door usually costs about $100, plus fecal exam, wing clip, nail trimming, etc.  I usually pay about $150 per well exam for my parrots, and that is without grooming.  One of my parrots became very ill last summer and spent 3 days being force-fed and hanging out in an incubator at the vets.  $800 later, she came home weak but well enough to recuperate at home.

Parrots also require regular wing-clipping and the occasional nail trim.  If you don't learn how to do that at home (or if your parrot simply won't allow it), you'll have to pay $30+ a few times a year to groom your bird.  I clip my birds wings myself and have relied on cement perches to keep their nails worn down.  My Eclectus has very long nails at the moment, though, and will have to go to the vet for a trim because I don't know how to clip them myself.

Some Problems You May Encounter With A Parrot

Having a parrot doesn't mean that you'll automatically wind up with a bird that loves to talk and do tricks for you.  In fact, many parrots who are capable of learning to say words never choose to do so.  You should never buy a bird because you want to have one that speaks.  That being said, a bird that doesn't speak doesn't even qualify as a problem in my book. 

Some parrots are very sensitive and will pull out ("pluck") their feathers if they are stressed/upset, if someone new comes into the house, if their owners go away on vacation, or simply because they are bored during the many hours that their owners are at work.  Extreme cases will actually start to chew at their flesh and mutilate themselves when there are no feathers to remove.  Sometimes this is a temporary behavior, but it also can be a permanent habit that is extremely difficult and heartwrenching to deal with.

Companion birds also have the potential to become screamers.  Some species are more prone to it than others, but any bird can start to scream if it feels bored, neglected, stressed, etc.  I adopted a Blue & Gold Macaw about 2 years ago who screamed.  He is much happier with his situation now and gets much more attention and time out of his cage.  Guess what? He still screams when he is upset, angry, frustrated, frightened, etc.  The screaming is much less than it was when he got here, but he still knows how to scream and isn't afraid to use it! Let's just say that my neighbors don't appreciate his vocalizations.  There are no laws in this town about bird noise, but that doesn't mean that there won't be any in the future.  In fact, I should probably mention that my BG Macaw lost his home because his former owners lived in a small apartment and were threatened with eviction due to his noise.  

Biting probably shouldn't be listed under "common problems" as all parrots have the capacity to bite and all bird owners will be bitten more than once during the time that they own their parrots.  There is a difference, though, between occasional frustration or over-excitement biting and the continual, constant attempts to amputate fingers by companion birds.  Sometimes, your bird just doesn't like you, your spouse, or your children.  He will do everything that he can to try to bite the chosen enemy and there really isn't anything that you can do, other than try to keep them apart.  My Eclectus hates my husband and has hated him for the past 3 years.  There's no way to get them to mend fences.  He knows when she jumps on the floor to stay well away from her because she loves to charge his feet and draw blood.  If your bird decides to dislike someone in the house, avoiding attacks and bites can become a big issue in your life.

Life Span

Well, of course it is species-specific.  Smaller birds can live between 10 and 20 years while medium and large ones can live between 30 and 80 years.  When you buy a parrot, you are going to live with the equivalent of a toddler for anywhere between 10 and 80 years.  This type of pet is extremely difficult to find a new home for if you eventually decide that the bird is not for you.  Because they require such specific living conditions, diet, environment, stimulation, grooming, and vet care, you'll have to really search far and wide to find an appropriate home for your bird if you choose to rehome it. 

Overall Life With A Parrot

Hey, my life with my three parrots is great.  They make me laugh every single day with their tricks, comments to me, and conversations amongst themselves.  I have three really good birds who are happy with their lives and their birdie companions next to them.  That being said, I devote many hours each week to preparing their food, cleaning their cages, cleaning the floors around their cages, replacing their toys, etc.  Sometimes one of them screams his head off because he is angry about something and it stresses every living creature (bird, cat, and human) in the house.  We still get a lot of enjoyment out of our 6 year old Blue & Gold Macaw, our 5 year old Eclectus, and our 15 year old Timneh African Grey.  There is a lot of sacrifice and cost involved in owning a bird, but it is worth it for us.

I don't think that owning a parrot is for most people.  So many buy birds without ever really knowing what they are in for.  This review isn't a complete description of life with parrots, but I like to think that it is a good start for those who are still considering it to really think about the possibilities.  If anyone has questions or comments, I welcome them and will do my best to respond.