Pets Blog

Buying a parrot is like buying a car. There are many things you need to consider before buying a parrot. These factors are to help you be happy as a pet owner. failure to consider these factors could turn you to a pet lover to a pet hater.

1. Other pets you have – If you have other pets like cats and dogs, you need to consider if a parrot is the best for you as well. Keeping cats, dogs and parrots together in the same house could signify danger for the parrot because the bird could easily be seen as prey by cats and dogs. In addition, birds do not mix with cats and dogs. parrots only flock together with pairs.

2. Size of your home – You need a big room if you want to have macawas, African greys, amazons and cockatoos. These are big parrots and require large cages to keep. If you have a small apartment, you may consider smaller parrots like lovebirds, conures, lorikeets, quakers and cockatiels. these are small parrots and require smaller cages.

3. The amount of time you have – parrots are social birds. They flock together with pairs in the wild. Having a parrot in your home means that you should devote some time to the bird on a daily basis. Parrots need training to talk and this requires time on your part. For instance, parrot training requires a minimum of 45 minutes in an isolated place to train how to talk and master some tricks. If you are the busy type, a parrot may not be the right pet for you.

4. Your budget – Parrots are expensive. the talking ones like the African greys and amazons cost more than $3000. The ones that are not too known for talking, like the quakers cost less than $900. The choice depends on your budget and what you want in your parrot.

5. Family member’s tolerance – Your ownership of a parrot should depend on the tolerance of your other family members. Parrots, especially the lovebirds scream and make a lot of noise. They also chew all kinds of things they set their eyes upon, up to household furniture. Will your family members be able to tolerate all these?

6. Children in the house – Parrots could be aggressive sometimes when provoked. They can injure by biting. If you you have children in the house, you may need to consider your decision before buying a parrot. They can easily attack children.

7. Your age – Parrots live generally have a lifespan of between 60 and 100 years. If you are already more than 50 years old, the bird is likely to outlive you.

Considering the factors mentioned above will help you make useful decisions about whether the parrot is good for you as a pet or if you should just consider any other type of pet. However, a parrot in the family is always a good companion.