- Most parrots should eat primarily a pellet (not seed) diet and fruits and veggies, with the exception of certain species. But never suddenly change your parrot’s food. Transitioning a parrot is a very slow process, meaning months.
- Parrots are intelligent and require something to entertain them. Give your parrot activity toys and make them work for some of their food and treats by making them pull the treat out of containers or tearing it out of the middle of some paper.
- Parrots should live in the largest cage you have space for that is appropriate for the species (e.g. the bars aren’t so wide that a head can get stuck). And then play time out of the cage when safe.
- Parrots’ environments should be safe from injury. Their instincts are good at protecting them in the wild, not in our homes. Ceiling fans, boiling pots of water, glass window and household cleaning products are all potential dangers.
- Overheated Teflon pans can cause a parrot to drop dead in the next room. Best if you have parrots not to use Teflon. Instead, learn to cook with cast iron pans! They’re the best!
- Common medical issues of parrots include: injuries from flying into walls, toilets, cooking areas or windows, nutritional issues leading to problems like liver disease and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), respiratory infections, and behavioral self-mutilation.
6 Things Every Parrot Owner Should Know