School is starting up soon. The holidays are right around the corner. Life can get busy and stressful. If you are thinking about getting a parrot to make sure you have enough time for him/her. Here are some items to ponder to determine if getting a parrot is fair to the bird:
Parrots are pets, not accessories. “People should not buy a uniquely colored bird because they match the curtains,” says Dr. Harrison. Parrots take more time and effort than most people realize. “You can’t just put them in a cage with a food puzzle and leave them,” he says. An intelligent bird can be included in family outings. “Ideally, the bird should be taken on a harness or put in a crate” for outings to the grocery or the park, says Dr. Harrison, “just the way you would with a good dog.” He adds, “Birds can be just as relaxing as a therapy dog if they are raised correctly.” Just be sure that if you are taking your bird outside, the harness fits your bird securely, as birds can slip out of them easily and fly away. You will also want to practice with your bird wearing the harness inside first before taking him outside.
The way a parrot is raised impacts his personality. A bird’s personality is shaped by his environment, says Dr. Harrison. “Birds will imprint on what they are around when they are young,” including humans, toys or even a mirror. This can cause the bird to rely on that object or person to an unhealthy degree. Instead, he says, parrots should be raised by other parrots, with consistent human interaction. Furthermore, Harrison says that birds raised together in the same cage will bond more with each other than with their human, and may become distressed when separated — thus, a single bird or multiple birds in separate cages within the same household may be ideal.
Parrots can suffer from separation anxiety. “When people first get a bird, they give them too much attention,” says Dr. Harrison. “Instead, parrots should be taught from the beginning to be content with separation.” When you arrive home, don’t make greeting your bird a priority; say hello and move on. “In addition, break up your daily routines so the bird doesn’t anticipate when you are coming back,” says Dr. Harrison, who suggests varying arrival and departure times each day.
Keep your parrot busy throughout the day. Like all pets, parrots love toys. especially anything they can tear apart, like tree branches. But Dr. Harrison cautions that toys should be made of “cotton or hemp instead of nylon to lessen the chance of it getting twisted on toes.” He also recommends changing your parrot’s toys two to three times a day and using different shapes and colors to keep him interested. But Dr. Harrison suggests avoiding very bright toys. “Bright colors are not natural,” he says, and they can make birds nervous, especially when first introduced.
Allow your parrot to spread his wings. “It’s not natural for birds not to fly,” says Dr. Harrison. If possible, use an aviary large enough for your bird to fly in; at the minimum, the enclosure should be large enough for the parrot to stretch his wings out fully. If letting your bird fly is not feasible, there are other ways to exercise your parrot. “You can teach your parrot to exercise himself on a Ferris wheel,” says Dr. Harrison. Your parrot can flap his wings going up and relax them going down. You can also teach him to do jumping jacks and raise his wings up and down. Dr. Harrison recommends at least one exercise session per day and ideally three sessions of 15 minutes each. “We take our dogs out on walks every day,” he says. “In the same way, our birds need exercise and interaction.”
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