Copyright (c) 2010 Kaye Dennan

Owning a parrot as a pet requires setting up a very good, healthy parrot diet so that the parrot does not become sick and die in just a few years. Parrots have long life spans. especially the larger species, and if you feed your parrot properly, you should enjoy many years of friendship.

Size of your parrot.

Getting the diet sorted out is not difficult to do. It is just a matter of listing a diet that is suitable to the parrot. Parrots of similar size eat similar diets, so the main consideration you need to make initially is the actual size of the parrot you have or that you intend to purchase.

For example, you most certainly would not expect an African Gray Parrot to eat the same diet as a budgerigar. Their size difference is huge and this will obviously affect the size of the food they eat. Larger birds can eat larger and harder foods like macadamia nuts because their beak is bigger, hard and much stronger.

Parrot diet variety.

A parrot loves to have variety in their diet. In his natural tropical environment, a parrot eats tropical fruits, flowers, leaves, fruit and nuts, so you can see how a range of foods is essential for his good health. Variety is essential not only for the health of the parrot but because if the parrot gets bored there is a good chance he will stop eating (just like we do if we are served the same food day in, day out), but also because it gives the bird a range of vitamins.

Vitamins in the parrot diet.

Once certain way to make sure that your parrot is getting a range of vitamins, is to feed it pellets. Nearly everyone who is involved in keeping parrots agrees that pellets are essential to the good health of a pet parrot, but where there is some discrepancy is the amount that it should be fed. Some say that pellets should be up to 90% of a parrot’s diet, but others say that it should only be 30%-40% of the diet. This is something you will have to work out yourself and obviously as long as you are giving it the lower amount and it is eating a lot of other food then at least it is not starving. It will be a matter of adjusting the percentage of pellets according to other food that you will be feeding it.

Other foods to feed the parrot.

If you can find organic food to feed the parrot then he will be better for it! Your parrot will be so much healthier for being able to eat organic food. There is a wide range of food that the parrot will like, such as: mango, pineapple, kiwi fruit, melons, green peas and beans, cauliflower,corn, sweet potato and sweet peppers.

Having water available for your pet parrot.

Parrots need to have water available but it is not a good idea to have a bowl of water because once it is a few hours old it will start growing bacteria as food and droppings land in it. A water bottle is a much healthier way to give your parrot its water requirements.

Once you have decided what to feed your pet parrot, make a list so that you can try all the items out in your parrot’s diet. You may find that some are not so popular, but keep trying them now and then anyway.

For more information about caring your your pet parrot visit http://petparrotsecrets.com

Copyright (c) 2010 Kaye Dennan

A parrot has a number of different physical features that are special to its breed. Parrot owners will know many of these traits but for those that don’t, let’s have a look at what to look for in a parrot. It will be much easier to recognize a parrot when a person knows these physical traits of a parrot.

Parrots belong to a family called Psittacidae, and are often identified as climbing birds. Within this large, extended family are different branches, including the parrot proper as one branch is referred to: Cockatoos, Macaws, Lories and Parakeets.

One amusing feature of a parrot is the way that it tips its head to the side to look at different things. To watch a parrot do this is quite fascinating.

Each member of the parrot family has a tongue. The tongue is soft, thick and fleshy and it’s really quite mobile. In the parrot, the tongue is actually one of the sensory organs, much like it is for us. The parrot tastes, touches and swallows with this organ. Each member of the parrot family also has a complex larynx with three distinct muscles. And this not only helps to distinguish them as parrots but it allows them to “parrot” us humans quite well.

And, of course, each parrot has a beak and make no mistake about it b because you don’t want to get a nip from an angry parrot. Their beaks are large, thick, hard and fairly solid. The beak is also a very valuable tool he uses in climbing and walking.

His eyes are on either side of his head. Because of this he cannot clearly see small objects which are held close to him without turning his head to one side. It’s that inquisitive cock of its head that makes the parrot so delightfully wonderful – and at the same time makes him look so intelligent as if he is querying what he is looking at.

The eyes of a parrot are formed quite differently than ours. The upper and lower lids of his eyes form a single rounded continuous eye lid for his eyeball. You will notice that he seldom winks like you or I do because he doesn’t need to. The parrot possesses the power to contract his pupil at will, independent of the presence of light or dark.

He uses this power, most notably, when he’s angry, fearful or struck by some other strong emotion. As the bird ages the color of his iris deepens.

The ears of a parrot are small, oval openings which are located right above their eyes. You can’t see them very easily because they are covered by feathers, and they’re placed beyond the border of the cere – or wrinkled skin around the eye.

Generally these colorful birds have short wings but some varieties of the Macaw are the exception to this rule. They have long wings covered with long feathers.

The body of the parrot looks quite bulky and with their short legs they appear to have difficulty in walking around.

Parrot tail feathers differ widely in length, some short and stubby and on other parrots they are long and elegant. Most parrots have 12 tail feathers.

This beautiful creature has short legs with four toes, two facing forwards and two going backwards. But these toes are one of their most important features. Their toes give them the ability to climb well and with ease. When he walks he has a waddling gait.

Another feature of the parrot’s toes is that he uses then when eating. He uses them much like fingers holding his food firmly with the toes of one of his feet and placing the food in his mouth. The second foot is then used to balance him while eating. The legs are muscular and are covered with strong scales. This helps him to hang on to a perch without much thought and very little effort. Aided by its strong hooked claws he can easily perch on branches and keep his balance.

Knowing all about a parrot’s features makes it much easier to distinguish between a parrot and other bird species.

Kaye Dennan is a parrot expert from way back. When becoming a parrot parent it is best find out as much as you can and you can sign up to my ’10 Secrets to Caring for a Pet Parrot’ FREE mini-course and get more information on keeping a happy healthy pet parrot at http://petparrotsecrets.com

If you are looking for a pet that can live and last for so many years, then you should consider buying a parrot for a pet. Because of their friendly nature and interesting personalities, a wide variety of parrots have been in the pet trade for parrot lovers to enjoy.

But, owning a parrot entails great responsibility. You must be able to give proper care and attention so your pet parrot will enjoy long and healthy life.

Taking care of parrots

Parrots are known for creating close bonds with their owner or the ones who handle them. If there were one person that must understand the bird well, that should be the parrot breeder.

Parrot breeders are significant figures in the lives of parrots because they play a major role in taking care of them. In the lives of parrots, the parrot breeders are foster parents because they take care of the bird from the beginning.

Since the parrot breeders are the ones who look over the well-being and welfare of parrots since birth, the overall health and personality of the parrot depends on the methods of breeding they use. Future behavioral patterns, ability to relate, levels of socialization and emotional health of the parrot will also greatly depend on the kind of care it received from its breeder.

One of the major responsibilities of parrot breeders is feeding the parrot. Since there are different parrot species, parrot breeders will have to learn how to respond properly in feeding in each kind. Aside from knowing the kinds of food and the right diet for each kind of parrot, the proper way of feeding should also be paid attention, too. Parrot breeders should know the proper way of feeding each kind so as not to put the baby parrot in danger.

Aside from feeding, “weaning” and “bathing” are other major responsibilities of parrot breeders. Because of the great responsibility a parrot breeder must take into consideration, not everyone can be a parrot breeder.

Time, energy, commitment, patience, and resources should be considered to be successful in this endeavor. Since time and dedication is quite crucial in obtaining healthy, non-hybridized specimens of parrots, interested parrot breeders should prepare themselves for this tedious but rewarding task.

There are actually a long list of parrot and tropical bird breeders available on line. Whether you are located in United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Australia, or in any of the states of United States, there is a directory of seasoned parrot breeders who understand the needs of the parrots very well. You might want to visit these sites in order to ensure the well-being of your parrot.

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