By Adria Henderson

and Lisa Peterson

We recently received a phone call from one of our readers who was thinking of getting a parrot as a pet. She saw an ad in a local paper offering an African Grey Parrot at a very reasonable price to a “good” home. Knowing that parrots can be expensive she thought this would be a good way to get a parrot without incurring the expense. Never having owned a parrot before she was concerned about taking on this “second-hand pet.” 

Parrots make terrific pets if you understand the advantages and disadvantages of bird ownership. Parrots require a different kind of care. As the old saying goes, if you’ve never owned a cat you really don’t know how affectionate and wonderful they can be as pets. The same applies to parrots. With the right kind of care and treatment parrots can be loving, affectionate and entertaining.

But parrots are expensive. Some of the larger birds can cost thousands of dollars. Necessary accessories like cages and stationary perches can run into hundreds of dollars. Avian medical care is also expensive. Finding an avian veterinarian is not always easy or convenient.

Some parrots, especially Cockatoos, Conures and Macaws have extremely loud screeches. Families in apartments should not purchase these types of birds, unless you have very considerate neighbors. Other parrots, such as African Greys, the smaller Cockatoos and Amazons are not quite as noisy. Cockatiels and Parakeets are probably better choices for an apartment or condo.

Birds are messy. Parrots especially toss and sometimes fling their seed and food. They require constant clean up of their cages and themselves, usually on a daily basis. If you’ve ever had an infestation of seed moths in your house from grain you can imagine the kind of infestation you can get from a constant source of birdseed.

Loose or bagged seeds should always be checked for seed moth larvae or adults before buying. Check corners of the bagged seed for lacy, cottony webs and cocoons. In loose seed bins the cocoons and larvae can be seen in the crevices of the bins. Thalso holds true for purchasing wild birdseed, especially large bags, that may have been on the shelf for a long time. If you can see the tiny moths flying around seed areas in feed stores or pet stores it’s not a good idea to purchase seed in these stores.

Pantry Pest makes a good product that will eliminate the adults using a bio-hormonal attractive device. To get rid of the existing webs and larvae, a careful cleaning of all the nooks and crannies in your birdcage is in order. Q-tips dipped in soapy water do the job quite well. Scrubbing the rest of the cage with a soapy brush and then rinsing well will also help.

TAKE THE BIRD OUT FIRST!

In the kitchen, all boxed grain and seeds should be disposed of including the foods in your pantry.  New seed can be kept refrigerated or frozen until ready to use. If you buy wild bird food in bulk, it should be stored in a garage or shed away from your house. Microwave about a quarter pound for 30 to 45 seconds will also eliminate the pests. Pellet bird feed can eliminate some of the mess and pest problems.

Fruit flies can be a problem in warm weather.  These nasty pests will take hold if you leave uneaten and dropped fruit and vegetables on the bottom of the cage or in the feeding dishes. These fruit droppings must be removed one or twice a day, especially in the warm months.

Parrots, in addition to their seed or pellets, must have a diet that contains a good daily, percentage of fresh fruits and vegetables. A poor diet can cause numerous health and behavior problems.

A local bird rehabilitator told us a story of the Senegal Parrot who had been kept in the basement of a house for almost 15 years subsisting on a diet of wild bird food and wheat thins. The owner had died and the bird was looking for a home. The feathers on this bird had not developed properly due to poor diet. There were bare patches of skin on its body from feather picking probably as a result of boredom and an inability to bathe.

The lack of attention had caused the bird to develop an irritating habit of screeching whenever it heard any noise upstairs. After one month of a balanced diet of commercial parrot food supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables, and some attention, the bird’s feathers had brightened up and were starting to fill in. The screeching had lessened and the bird seemed to be doing fine.

 Parrots are great pets for seniors and people who work at home. Grays can learn to talk, sing and whistle while Amazons tend to be real clowns and can be great companions for the housebound. Cockatoos are famous for their ability to learn tricks.

Parrots can be especially good pets for seniors, as they do not have to be walked. The housebound can spend the time needed by parrots to develop the kinds of close relationships they prefer. They can easily be moved from room to room with you so they’re always around for a quick word or two if you’re feeling lonely. And the beautifully colored birds such as the Amazons or Rose-Breasted Cockatoos are certainly a colorful addition to your home.

Parrots tend to be given up by families for two reasons. The family didn’t do their homework and discover the downside to owning a bird or the parrot outlived the family.

Some Parrots can live 50 to 75 years. Adopting an older pet can have some problems. Many parrots bond to only one person and it takes a lot of patience to develop a relationship with an older bird. Visit with the bird before adopting it. Ask questions about its habits. Was it hand-raised? Can you easily take the bird out of the cage without getting bitten? Does the bird have a healthy appearance? Is it used to being out of its cage? Are its wings clipped?

 If you have the time to care for the bird properly and the extraordinary patience to develop a bond, adopting an older bird can be a way to get a beautiful, talking, affectionate parrot without the great expense of purchasing one.

From our readers:

I read with great interest your article published in The Newtown Bee. I agree with everything you said except the part under “riding your horse.”

I’ve bred ponies for many years and while some of them have been broken and were ridden in the past, some are just quality broodmares whose job is to breed! These ponies are very content to be lawn ornaments :)

I would also like to add that my 75-year-old mother has a 15-year-old very healthy pony that was shown then bred. The mare is now retired from both. If not for this mare, who is now a lawn ornament, I do believe my mother would fall apart! This mare encourages my mother to do her stall, groom her and love her! This pony keeps my mother active. So you see, not all horses need to be ridden to be happy, useful and a vital part of someone’s life. Some can and should be just “lawn ornaments”.

Sincerely,

Nancy Burr

Ballywhim Farm, Roxbury

You can reach us at animallifestyles@usa.net or P.O. Box 427, Botsford, CT 06404.

 

Adria Henderson and Lisa Peterson are owners/operators of Safe At Home, LLC, a Newtown-based pet sitting service.