Pets Blog

Posts Tagged ‘parrots’

A common reason for keeping a bird as a pet is to try and teach it to talk. Some types of bird are better than others, with the mynah bird and the African Grey parrot high up the list, but a lot of birds will learn to talk if trained patiently, especially if from young. You could take the easy route and buy one that already talks but then it may say things you are not especially fond of and in some cases may not pick up new words as readily, at least for a while, from you as his new teacher.

The best way to teach a bird to talk is to work directly with him. Start with simple words or phrases, and from as young an age as possible. Always use the same, calm tone of voice and repeat the word every time you deal with him. Birds seem to react well to words with the letter R in them, e.g. pretty bird. A higher tone than normal helps avoid bass tones in your voice, which some birds seem not to learn so easily from.

You may find after a short time that the bird is sitting seemingly making noises under his breath and this is usually a sign that he is practising the new sounds prior to trying them out loud. That’s a good sign; a bad practice is to swear or show too much emotion in your voice as the bird will inevitably pick up on it and you will find he suddenly starts repeating words you didn’t want him to. Should this be the case, to dissuade him ignore him completely and only praise him or give him lots of attention when he uses the words you prefer. This actually works in many cases.

If the bird doesn’t take to speaking, whistling is another alternative, from which the bird will soon pick up whole songs or melodies.

One of the behavior problems in parrots is when they bite or attack when you come near to their cage. this is a sign that you need to do something before the situation gets out of hand. Every parrot behavior problem can be fixed with the right methods.

A parrot with behavior problems could mean a lot of things. one is that you could be the one causing the bird to behave in the way it is behaving. A screaming parrot could be telling you that you have not been giving it the required attention and it needs more attention from you. Perhaps you have never thought about this – parrots love to socialize and feel safe in every home they are kept as pets. They love attention and want everyone to give them just that.

A good way to tackle a parrot’s behavior problem is training. Create time to be with your bird for training. The best time for this is before breakfast and dinner. make these training sessions regular. After some time you will discover that the bad behaviors will be eliminated.

Your attitude towards your parrot is important. how do you react when you bird offends you? Do you shout back? Do you show anger? Parrots are intelligent birds and study every move of humans. If you get angry and show anger towards your parrot, the bird will always scream and bite to show that it does not want to be in a hostile environment. Even when you are offended, try to put up smiles and leave the cage. After some time come back later and try to play with your bird and you will discover that there will be a change of behavior. A parrot needs to trust you and that trust will not come overnight. It takes time and before the time comes, you should expect all kinds of behaviors. With the right attitude from your part, things will be good at the end.

The best ways to handle parrot behavior problems are:

1. Hand treats – Move closer to the cage and offer a treat. The bird will read this gesture as acceptance and will regard the environment as friendly. This will then make the bird to respond in like manner.

2. Step up training – Move close to your bird cage and offer your hand for the bird to step upon. Invite her with the word “STEP UP” for the bird to step on your hand, possibly your finger depending on the size. Do this action repeatedly as you touch the bird’s abdomen until there is a response.

3. Talking – Start teaching your bird simple words backed with actions. Parrots are very intelligent and they learn fast. They learn every vocabulary and say the words at the right moment. Talking to your parrot creates a strong bond.

Eliminating a parrot’s behavior problem through training may not yield the desired results immediately but you need to persist. Don’t give up until you see results.

Having a healthy parrot should be the major goal of every pet owner. Pet owners should understand how to have a healthy parrot because malnutrition is a major problem being faced by parrots. Malnutrition is a major problem because majority of parrot owners do not know the feeding style of parrots. Most pet owners just love the idea of having a parrot as a pet without taking into consideration the feeding aspect.

As a parrot owner, you should know what it takes to having a well fed parrot and understand the other factors that make parrots live healthily. In addition to feeding, one of the other factors is the mental aspect. This is more than just the diet for your parrot. Parrots are social animals. They are not birds that stay on their own throughout the day. They like to play with others and keep a lively life. And when the night comes, they desire sleep.

Here are some tips on how to care for the health of your parrot:

1. Like human beings, you should feed your parrot at the right time of the day. The feeding should include a balanced diet.

2. Keep your parrot away from the kitchen at all times. This is to prevent accidents from hot kitchen items and exposure to kitchen fumes.

3. Parrots are birds very sensitive to drafts. A draft is a thread of cold air cutting through warm air, thereby increasing a parrot body temperature. Hence, you should keep your parrot in a place where there is no draft.

4. You should not spray aerosols where you keep your parrot. Aerosols are chemicals which affect the respiratory system, eyes and throat of humans. Spraying such chemicals near your parrot will cause greater effect.

If you are a new parrot owner without experience on the behavior of these pets, how can you tell if all is well with your pet? these are some signs to tell you something is wrong:

a. Changes in appearance of feathers – A change in feather appearance of your parrot may be bleeding in feather shaft, short, clubbed or deformed feathers. These changes are signs that something is wrong and you need to visit the doctor.

b. Beak changes

c. The parrot is no longer showing interest in things that normally generate interest in him

d. The parrot now perches on two feet instead of one

e. Increasing weight loss

f. The parrot stands in a strange way

g. He now uses areas of his cage that he was not used to previously

There are other symptoms for knowing that things are not going well with a parrot. The most important thing is being vigilant. take time to study your pet behavior and this will easily alert you when things are not well with him.