In just 2 minutes this Senegal parrot does an amazing 20 tricks from fetching a ball, playing skittles, playing dead, and even making a coin dissapear…

Parrots really are amazing birds, but this is almost beyond belief - proof if ever it were needed that parrots are incredibly intelligent as well as being excellent companions!

If you want to learn how to train your parrot, check out the articles on ths site and my book Parrot Care Made Easy.

Try as you might, there comes the time, every so often if you own a pet that he gets lost. And even the best-intentioned parrot parent may discover that his precious Polly is lost. Instead of wasting time beating yourself over the situation, take action quickly to find her. It might not easy, but then how hard can it be

A large Macaw is not exactly indigenous to many areas of the world. If a large, brightly colored bird flying around may attract some attention.

Initially, you’ll start the search for your pet parrot right in your own neighborhood. Let your neighbors know– and especially the neighbor’s children – that your parrot has escaped. Let everyone know what your bird looks like. If you have a photo of him, allow them to view this. When you go searching, take along one of his favorite toys or even a treat he likes. Make some sounds that he would recognize as well.

Place your parrot’s cage outside so that if he flies past he can easily see it. You may find this difficult to believe but your parrot is scared. He’s not used to being out in the open . But even more so he’s not used to those particular surroundings, either. And he may even be too frightened to call out for you. But, he can recognize his home and his toys.

If you have more than one bird bring out the bird outside, but be sure to keep him in his cage. (The last thing you need at this point is two lost birds.) Perhaps the presence of his friend will be familiar to him to coax him to come home.

This old adage absolutely does not apply to birds. Never withhold food from your parrot because you believe he’s too ill to eat. In fact, the opposite is true. When he’s ill try to get your parrot to eat anything. Entice him with all his favorite foods if you have to.

The digestive tract of a bird is unique in the animal kingdom. Knowing how it works is crucial to being a good parrot parent. If it appears that your parrot needs to eat almost constantly, your observation is right on the mark. A parrot is in danger of starving if he doesn’t eat for more than a day. In fact, your new parrot pet can’t go without food for more than 35 to 35 hours. And this is if he’s healthy. If he’s sick food is even more crucial to his well being.

If you’ve never owned a parrot before this may sound a little strange, but a healthy bird rests on one foot. (The exception to this is the young parrot. He needs to use both feet to keep his balance.) If your parrot is sitting on both of his feet or closing one or both of his eyes, he probably isn’t feeling his best.

You can also tell quite a bit about a bird’s health from his appearance. A bird’s plumage should just look healthy. The coloring should be bright, the appearance should be smooth. Additionally, he should be able to keep himself clean. There should be no dirt hanging for his feet or his beak.

If you have any doubts about the general overall health of your bird, take him into your veterinarian. It’s better to catch any health conditions in its early stages than before the problem becomes larger. And if there is no problem, then you’ve gained some peace of mind in the process.

If you have any doubts about the general overall health of your bird, take him into your veterinarian. It’s better to catch any health conditions in its early stages than before the problem becomes larger. And if there is no problem, then you’ve gained some peace of mind in the process.

If you can’t get in to see your vet immediately, one of the steps you can take to help ease a potential health crisis is to place your bird in a warm draft-free environment. A room that has a temperature from any where from 86 to 88 degrees would make him feel like he was right back in the tropics of South America. But also keep in mind that these birds can’t stand to be confined in small areas. So if you can find a larger room (like an attic or shed) it would suit him just fine.

One thing you want to avoid is your bird sitting in a draft. That isn’t at all healthy for him. And you also want to keep in mind that your bird is a tropical bird. Warm weather is his friend.

In order to keep your parrot healthy, you’ll want to try to check his perch with some regularity various types of bacteria and insects. Parasites, believe it or not, are very often the cause of avian illness.  

If you decide to adopt a baby parrot, you’ll soon discover that you can choose from either one who has been raised by his biological parent or one who has been hand raised.

A parent-raised baby parrot normally has been bred in an aviary in which purposeful adult  breeding is conducted.   The eggs are laid, then incubated and the chicks are fed in a closed nest box.  The result very often is a young bird who retains many of the behavior characteristics of his wild cousins.

This chick may never be actually handled by a human as they are weaned from their parent.  In fact, very often the only interaction this chick may have had with people is not a favorable one.  Usually, a parent-raised chick has no concept of people until he’s caught in a net or being held down with a thick glove or a towel.

Is it any surprise that when he finally gets to the your house that he squawks, claws or maybe even bites in an aggressive manner?  This little guy not only needs plenty of love, but he needs a knowledgeable, experienced handler to help him through this very frightening period.

Very often this type of bird isn’t even destined to be a pet, though.  More than likely this young chick finds itself as part of the next generation of captive breeding pairs.  Not only is he ensuring the demands of the pet trade are met in a humane way, but he’s actually playing a large role in making sure his species doesn’t suffer from extinction.

Start his education when he’s a baby and you’ll discover that you’ll have a parrot that really never stops learning new words, phrases and even sentences, regardless of his age. Some owners report that those birds who have started young enough never really stop learning.

Sagacity. It’s just another word for judgment. Who would even think that parrots possess some sort of sense of judgment? But they do. If you decide that the parrot is the right pet for you, you’ll discover just what scientists mean by that.

The same sense of judgment, which they use as pets, the experts say, they also exhibit in their natural habitat. They use this trait, as a part of a large flock, in keeping predators away.

And then there those glorious feathers! If the bird has brilliant colors, hues of reds, yellows, blues, greens, chances are it’s a parrot. Of course, there are exceptions to this as well but these are few and far between.

And then there is the size factor. If all parrots were the same size perhaps it would be easier to distinguish a parrot. But this family of birds comes in a wide variety of sizes including the tiniest of Australian Paroquets, or lovebirds, which can’t be housed in a normal barred cage. These birds are so small they would slip right between the rungs.

The parrot also comes in the extra large size – as in your classic Macaw.

Enjoy the site, and contact me with any feedback!

Dave Barry