Nikki Moustaki, MA, MFA, is a renowned avian care and behavior consultant, working with clients to heal strained relationships between themselves and their feathered friends. She has published 24 books on the care and training of exotic birds.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Introducing the Parrot - Your Wild Child 5

Chapter 1: Meeting the Parrots, Just the Basics 7

Introducing the Parrots 7

From pet to companion 8

A little bit of wilderness 9

Home Tweet Home: Welcoming a Parrot into Your Home 10

Making birdy comfortable 10

Parrot paraphernalia 11

Parrot Care 101: Taking Care of Your Bird 11

Health care 11

Nutrition 12

Parrot Behavior: Checking How Your Bird Acts 12

Normal behaviors 12

The parrot monster 12

Parrot Pals: Socializing with Your Bird 13

Making friends with your parrot 13

Breeding parrots: Use caution 13

A Caveat to the Wise 14

Chapter 2: Knowing What to Expect with Your Companion Parrot 15

Defining a Companion Parrot 16

Just Being Themselves 17

Recognizing the Joys of Parrot Guardianship 18

Pondering Important Points about Buying or Adopting a Parrot 19

Recognizing who's getting the parrot 19

Answering why you want a parrot 20

Factoring in the parrot's personality 20

Contemplating the parrot's home 21

Going on vacation 21

Remembering parrots have a longer lifespan 22

Dealing with allergies 22

Estimating the costs of parrot ownership 22

Being cognizant of the responsibilities of parrot guardianship 23

Spending time with your parrot 24

Preparing for mess and more mess 24

Getting used to the noise (Sorry, I can't hear over my screaming parrot) 24

Understanding What a Companion Parrot Expects 25

Tolerance 25

Empathy 26

Sense of humor 26

Attentiveness 26

Decisiveness and action 26

Constant companionship 26

A loyal friend 27

Living with a Parrot around Nonbird People 27

Chapter 3: Choosing the Right Companion 29

Keeping Certain Considerations in Mind As You Choose a Species 30

Parrots are individuals 30

The chemistry between the two of you 30

Not all species are created equal 30

Noise: deafening or extremely deafening 31

Space: Bigger is better 31

Lifestyles of the neat and messy 32

From easily affordable to taking out a loan 33

Talking ability 33

Child-friendliness 33

One, two, or more 34

Looking Closer at Species Profiles Commonly Kept As Companions 35

African grey parrots 35

Amazon parrots 36

Brotogeris 38

Budgies 38

Caiques 39

Cockatiels 40

Cockatoos 40

Conures 45

Eclectus 48

Hanging parrots 48

Hawk-headed parrots 49

Lories 49

Lovebirds 50

Macaws 51

Other parakeets 54

Parrotlets 57

Pionus 58

Poicephalus parrots 58

Quaker parakeets 59

Vasa parrots 60

Chapter 4: Purchasing or Adopting a Parrot 61

Considering Your Parrot Options 61

Comparing handfed versus parent-raised birds 62

Choosing an age 63

Contemplating degrees of tameness 66

The talker in the bunch 67

Finding the Perfect Parrot for You 68

Pet shops 68

Bird shops 69

Online classifieds 69

Reputable breeders 70

Flea markets 71

Bird shows or expos 72

Adopting a Rescue Parrot 72

Identifying which birds are available for adoption 72

Completing the rescue application 74

Being prepared for the rescue home visit 74

Looking for a Healthy Parrot 75

Bright eyes 76

Clear nose and nares 76

Beak 76

Shiny feathers 76

Feet 77

Vent 77

Attitude and stance 77

Requesting a Guarantee 77

Knowing What to Ask Before You Buy or Adopt 78

Part 2: Bringing Home Your New Parrot 81

Chapter 5: A House to Call Home: Choosing Proper Housing 83

Matching the Housing to the Species 84

Finding the Right Cage for Your Bird 84

Cage shape 84

Sturdiness and material 85

Housing bottom 86

Door types 87

Cage dangers 87

Building Your Own Cage 88

Placing Your Cage to Ensure Your Parrot is Comfortable 89

Cleaning the Cage 90

Simplifying your cage cleaning 90

Choosing the right cleansers 90

Considering an Aviary 91

The flight cage 92

The habitat 92

Chapter 6: Going Shopping: Avian Supplies and Accessories 95

Giving Your Parrot a Place to Stand: Perches 95

Wooden perches 96

Concrete and cement perches 96

Rope perches 97

Plastic perches 98

Keeping the Food and Water Accessible: Coop Cups 98

Entertaining Your Parrot: Toys 99

Ensuring safety at all times 100

Considering different types of toys 102

Creating the Right Ambience: Bird Lighting 106

Setting Up the Cage 106

Considering Play Gyms and Stands 107

Lining Your Cage: Litter and Bedding 108

Covering the Cage: Nighttime Covers 108

Preventing Mess 109

Mess accessories 110

Air filters 110

Chapter 7: Bringing Home Birdy: Making Introductions and Parrot-Proofing Your Home 111

Making the First Night Stress Free (As Much As Possible) 112

Naming Your Bird 112

Thriving on Routine with Your New Parrot 113

Welcoming Your Parrot as a Family Member 114

Being unafraid; being very unafraid 114

Introducing people 115

Introducing pets 116

Introducing other birds 118

Quarantining your parrot 119

Understanding the Relationship between Parrots and Children 119

Realizing the commitment to owning a bird 119

Establishing some basic rules 120

Familiarizing Houseguests to Your Parrot 123

Parrot-Proofing Your Home 124

Part 3: Caring for Your Parrot 127

Chapter 8: Eating Like a Bird: Proper Parrot Nutrition 129

Starting with the Basics: Water 129

Keeping everything clean 130

Adding supplements to your water: Yay or nay? 131

Recognizing a Parrot's Dietary Requirements 132

The digestive system 132

Eating in the wild 133

Identifying Nutrition-Related Disorders 134

Vitamin A deficiency 134

Calcium deficiency 135

Comparing Seeds versus Pellets: The Big Debate 136

Eyeing What the Cooked Base Diet is 138

Purchasing and Storing 138

Knowing Which Vegetables to Feed Your Parrot 140

Focusing on Fruit to Feed Your Feathered Friend 141

Being Aware of Pesticides 141

Giving Your Bird Snacks 143

Adding Table Foods to Your Bird's Diet 145

Avoiding Toxic and Irritating Foods 145

Considering Grit and Clay 146

Contemplating Nutritional Supplements 146

Feeding Nectar Eaters 148

Getting a Parrot to Eat 149

Making Some Easy Recipes 150

Parrot muffins and bread 150

Parrot mac and cheese 151

Parrot omelet 151

Parrot juice and smoothies 151

Parrot pancakes 152

Parrot grain 152

Creating a Healthy Diet Routine 153

Chapter 9: Pretty Bird! Grooming Your Companion 157

Examining What Your Bird Fusses All about: Feathers 157

Fluffing up: Your bird's feather types 158

Looking closer at feather anatomy 159

Recognizing what you can do 160

Clipping Your Parrot's Wings 160

To clip or not to clip 161

Examining how flight effects parrot behavior 161

Considering options in between 162

Dealing with clipped and unclipped parrots 163

Clipping Your Bird's Wings Properly: The How-To 164

Holding the parrot properly - Toweling 164

Clipping the flight feathers 165

Considering special circumstances 167

Clipping Your Parrot's Toenails 168

Grooming the Beak 169

Beak breaks 170

The misaligned beak 170

Bathing Your Parrot 170

Caring for Molting Parrots 173

Dealing With Blood Feathers 175

Chapter 10: Taking Care of Your Parrot: In Sickness and in Health 177

Taking a Closer Look at a Parrot's Anatomy 178

Eyes 178

Ears 178

Feathers 178

Preen gland 179

Feet 180

Beak 180

Cere 182

Tongue 182

Neck 182

Skin 182

Syrinx 182

Skeletal system 183

Muscles 183

Respiratory system 183

Digestive system 184

Circulatory system 184

Reproductive system 184

Recognizing Indications of Illness 184

Choosing an Avian Veterinarian 186

Finding a qualified avian vet 186

Knowing what to look for at the first visit 187

Divulging important information 188

Identifying Common Health Disorders 189

Nutritional disorders 190

Parasites 190

Bacterial infections 191

Viral infections 192

Fungal infections 192

Foot disorders 193

Feather disorders 193

Reproductive disorders 194

Being Aware of and Preventing Common Dangers to

Companion Parrots 194

Predators and animal bites 195

Standing water 196

Nonstick cookware 196

Household products 197

Poisonous houseplants 198

Ceiling fans 199

Toxic foods 199

Electrocution 200

Feet and doors 200

Lead and other heavy metals 200

Mirrors and clean glass 200

Night thrashing 201

Temperature changes 201

Frostbite 201

Overheating 202

Oil on feathers 202

Broken blood feathers and bleeding nails 202