Why You Will Enjoy A Social Parrot
- Image by olivcris via Flickr
If you have a social parrot I am sure you will be enjoying its lively company.
Parrots are such fun with all their antics of mimicking people and also mimicking what people say. It is hilarious to see a parrot owner stop in their tracks when a parrot has said something and they think that it is their partner or one of the children. Parrots can get the wording down pat and they intonation exact.
Unique amongst other birds, parrots carry a charming demeanor with humans due to their ‘just about human’ mannerisms, aptitude to mimic speech and the colorful outline of their feathers.
If you live in an apartment you may be lucky enough to be able to keep a parrot. Parrots are really beautiful birds that if treated right will be very friendly and a delight to have around.
Why should you consider a social parrot
Intelligence: A parrots ability and inquisitiveness to observe and learn things around them makes them very captivating and charismatic. A social parrot bonds with their owner really well and constantly learns from their behavior and talking patterns, almost to a fault. These birds can surprise you when they mimic what you do and say, making them human-like with their antics. You definitely cannot expect your dog to look up to you and say “Good morning”! Or yell out, “Turn the TV off!”
Social Parrots: It is fun to train a parrot because they are eager to learn new things. Since these birds are usually not too large in size they need less physical training than do larger creatures such as dogs or cats! They love to be around the family and have the freedom to fly around the house.
Easy care: Parrots are relatively easy to care for when compared to your four legged pets. Social parrots can be left outside their cages when you are out for your work and housebreaking can easily be done with some patience. Parrots do not need daily walks and exclusive training, making it easier for people to conveniently clean the cage once a day rather than taking their pets outside for walks every few hours.
Low food cost: Parrots need fresh fruits and vegetables, but you eat them too. Hence, you can simply stretch out your budget for them and this is just enough to keep them happy all day. But ensure that you do not give them anything toxic. Along with their fruit and vegetables, they do need about 30% of their diet as seeds and pellets because this is where they get a lot of their essential nutrients.
You will have a bundle of laughs if you have a healthy, happy parrot for company as they love to interact with their owners.
Flying Habits of a Parrot
- Image by IRGlover via Flickr
The sight of a parrot flying has always fascinated the human mind and this mystery was not solved until lately, thanks to technology and research that gave individual definitions to gliding and flight. Did you know that not all birds fly, and that gliding and flying are two separate actions altogether? Flying is a rather energetically expensive venture and demands special adaptation by a bird. A bird that does not need to fly will lose its flying potential, like birds that do not have predators or have very few places to fly might lose their aptitude to fly.
A parrot flies for a number of reasons and the most crucial being to escape predators. Flying helps a parrot to a great extent to build its nest, hunt for food and search for its resting place. Most of the birds fly to relocate themselves into a better seasonal climate.
Wonder how a parrot flies?
Parrot flying can be a wonderful site but not many know that this flight demands and requires a complex set of feathers which has been segregated to the primary and secondary. The primary wing or the feathers are the outer section on the parrot or in case of other birds. These primary feathers are stirred backward and forward in a figure-eight pattern so that it can actually propel trust.
Parrots love to fly and it is in their nature to want to fly, but pet parrots who will be let out of the cage need to have clipped wings so that they will fly away. In saying that they still need to be able to coast to safety if going from a high perch to the ground so they do needs some feathers untouched.
The secondary feathers maintain a role of producing a lifting affect to the bird’s body while it is pushed through the air. The secondary feathers are located on the inner circle of the wing and play a major role to push the bird off the ground. Birds with smaller wings need to fly faster while birds with larger wings like a parrot flying needs more time and effort to get them off the ground.
What is the difference between gliding & flying?
Many see their parrot flying in the air, but it might be actually gliding and to know the difference one needs to observe its flight movements. When a parrot stretches its wings out for a longer period of time without any moment in the air, it tends to glide rather than making an effort to fly. Parrots have a tendon that attaches to the secondary wings and allows the bird to stay off the ground and glide itself through the air.
Since, parrots are prey to many predators; they are very well equipped with the art of flying and these remain to be their basic instinct.
Most of us clip our parrot’s feathers so they do not go far. Parrot flying is an important part of your parrot’s enrichment and provides it a great stimulating and natural work out which contributes to its happiness as well as its behavioral patterns. Parrots enjoy flying, and helping it to fly better can be the biggest treat you can give your pet. Seeing your parrot flying is definitely a very exhilarating sight for many owners, but the fear of their precious flying away is a major concern for many pet owners.
Ensure Your Parrots Diet Is Balanced
- Image by SantaRosa OLD SKOOL via Flickr
Having a parrot as your pet can be one of the most pleasurable experiences ever, but with it comes a little responsibility too. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not care enough about a parrot’s diet and assume that parrots can eat anything they get offered. On the contrary, an imbalance or an incomplete diet is one of the major reasons that pet birds fall prey to many diseases and early deaths.
A parrot should be given a well-balanced diet with nutritional variety in their foods formulated particularly for their eating habits. Parrots are very choosy on whatever they eat and might not enjoy the same food every day. This is why owners should give a good combination of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and little treats that they can to keep the bird more interested in eating and lead a healthy life.
Pellets: pellets for parrots are specially formulated and contain a good and balanced combination of various nutrients required to keep your parrot healthy. However, your parrot should be given other food along with these pellets so that they can be interested in whatever they eat. These pellets have a good variation of nutritional supplements that some foods might not provide, and this can keep the bird healthy.
Vegetables: vegetables are yet another great balanced parrot diet, and owners should include a lot of orange and yellow vegetables like corn, carrots, green leaves, sweet potatoes and broccoli. Parrots love to see colors and get more attracted to them, so you must make sure that your vegetables are presented well with a variety of colors and diversity of cooking methods, so that your parrot may enjoy their veggies.
Seeds: beans, seeds and legumes are some of the essential nutritional parrots diet that should be given to them on a daily basis. It does not matter whether these seeds are cooked or sprouted, but parrots should consume these beans to remain healthy.
Grains: sprouted up grains should also be an essential part of your parrots diet and should be given to them five days a week. Pasta or even whole wheat bread along with whole grain cereals can also be an important element of your parrots diet. Some of the grains that your parrot might enjoy are brown rice, millet, wheat and oats.
Fruits: these are one of the most enjoyable treats for a parrot and can be fed to them a couple of times a week. Tropical fruits or even fruits like apples, banana, peaches and oranges are sufficient. It is important to remove the pits and seeds from the fruit to avoid any potential toxins.
A parrot’s diet should have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that give it a balanced nutrition making it more interesting as well as nutritional for the bird. Pellets play a vital role in providing a balanced diet to parrot but adding a lot of vegetables and grains occasionally can keep the food getting interesting. A little experimentation and care on your side can make the bird a lot happier as well as healthier.
Parrots as Pets
There can be no greater joy than enjoying a social parrot as a pet. Unique amongst other birds, parrots carry a charming demeanor with humans due to their just about human mannerisms, aptitude to mimic speech and the colorful outline of their feathers. Parrots are very social and love to interact with people around them. Keeping a parrot at home, not only brings you a couple of pleasurable moments, but brings you great benefits that you might have ever fathomed.
If you live in an apartment, and cannot keep a dog or a cat to take them for daily walks but need something that can be a great companion yet a very loyal pet, then choosing a parrot is the best call. Parrots are really beautiful birds that bring you a bundle of joy and give you enough and more reasons to enjoy them as a pet.
Why should you consider a social parrot to be more capable than any other animals?
Intelligence: parrots rank on top of the list when it comes to smartness in the animal kingdom. Their ability and inquisitiveness to observe and learn things around them makes them more captivating and charismatic. A social parrot bonds with their owner really well and constantly learn from their behavior and talking patterns. These birds can surprise you when they mimic what you do and say, making them human like antics. You definitely cannot expect your dog to look up to you and say “Hello”!
Social Parrots: as said earlier, parrots are very social and it is fun to train birds that are eager to learn new things. Since these birds are small in size by comparison to a lot of other pets, they need less physical training than larger creatures. Parrots are the right choice if you want to give your child or yourself company on your daily errands to the department or grocery store.
Easy care: Parrots are relatively easy to care for when compared to your four legged pets. Social parrots can be left open outside their cages when you are out for your work and housebreaking would not be an issue at all. Parrots do not need daily walks and exclusive training, making it easier for people to conveniently clean the cage once a day rather than taking their pets outside for walks every few hours.
Hygienic: parrots know how to take care of themselves and it requires minimum efforts to keep them clean. With this characteristic, expensive haircuts, flea baths and smelly shampoos that are needed with long haired pets, can be kept at bay!
Low food cost: Parrots need fresh fruits and vegetable, but you need them too. Hence, you can simply stretch out your diet for them and this is just enough to keep them happy all day. But ensure that you do not give them anything toxic. Along with these you also need to feed them a good mix of grains and pellets.
A social parrot at home is an immeasurable pleasure for the members of the family as well as your neighborhood. It will always be a delight to see your parrot being talked about in the neighborhood and especially among children.
