Companion parrot: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Congo African Grey pet on a perch.JPG|right|249px|thumb|[[Grey parrot]] on top of itstheir cage.]]

A '''companion parrot''' is a [[parrot]] kept as a [[pet]] that interacts abundantly with theirits [[human]] counterpart. Generally, most species of parrot can make excellent companions, but must be carefully managed around children and other common pet species like dogs and cats as they might be hostile towards them.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fabclinicians.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Bird-multispecies.pdf |title=Multi-species household |via=fabclinicians.org |publisher=Fellowship of Animal Behavior Clinicians}}</ref>

[[Image:Black-headed Caique (Pionites melanocephalus) -cage bars.jpg|left|thumb|[[Black-headed parrot|Black-headed caique]] in itstheir cage]]

With the right home, parrots have the potential to make excellent, highly interactive, affectionate, and entertaining pets prized by their owners, but should not be considered easy care or low-maintenance pets. Tame companion parrots require daily attention and interaction with their owners, and need to be housed in a [[Cagebird|cage]] at least large enough to allow the bird to spread itstheir wings and move about comfortably. Companion parrots also need to be fed a diet that includes fresh vegetables and fruits, and a smaller amount of seeds and grains; dietary requirements vary with species and activity level.

Other elements essential to a companion parrot's well-being include appropriate toys to chew up and play with; veterinary care; and social time out of the cage whenever possible—preferably on playgymsplay gyms or other out-of-cage perches. The largerLarger parrots can be expensive to care for, messy, destructive, and loud, and some individuals may exhibit some aggressive behaviors during adolescence. Like dogs, parrots require some amount of basic training and proper early socialization to mature into good companions. Their intelligence means parrots learn new behaviors—both good and bad—easily.

Many birds end up having to be rehomed because their owners did not realizeadequately understand the level of care required when they purchased the bird, did not understand how loud they can be, or did not understand how to properly socialize and train their bird. This is especially true for macaws and other species with dramatic, beautiful colouring, as well as cockatoos due to their intensely affectionate demeanor. These traits unfortunately make them tempting impulse purchases, leading to hundreds of macaws and cockatoos being put up for adoption.

In more recent years,{{when|date=June 2023}} pellets or formulated diets have become very popular, especially in the US. They offer an advantage over a seed-based diet in that a parrot cannot pick out and eat only its favorite (usually fatty) seeds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://birdcareco-shop.com/pellets-for-birds-yes-or-no/|title=Pellets for birds - yes or no|website=birdcareco-shop.com|access-date=2019-12-10 December 2019}}</ref> The majority of avian veterinarians will recommend a pelleted or formulated diet, and will extensively discuss with owners what their bird should and should not eat.<ref>Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice) [http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-care/what-to-expect-from-your-avian-vet.aspx "What To Expect From Your Avian Vet"].</ref> However, although these offer an easy alternative to other foods, they are not the best for many species.<ref name=":0" /> Many pellets contain artificial food dyes and preservatives that may be harmful;<ref name=":1" /> however there are "no-color-added" options available on the market.<ref>Susan Chamberlain [http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/polly-doesnt-want-cracker.aspx "The Truth Behind Popular Pet Bird Food Myths"]</ref>

Most pellets contain soy, which is not a part of a parrot's natural diet; however, the diet of wild parrots cannot be replicated in captivity. Avian veterinarians and nutritionists agree the pelleted and formulated diets are the best base diet for pet birds. Although pellets may be advertised as a "complete diet," there are dozens of species of parrots commonly kept as pets, all with varying nutritional needs.<ref>Donald J. Brightsmith & Debra McDonald. [http://www.beaksup.com/articles/Scarlet%20Macaw%20Diet.pdf "Scarlet Macaw diets in Tambopata, Peru: studying wild parrots to improve captive bird nutrition"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707220112/http://www.beaksup.com/articles/Scarlet%20Macaw%20Diet.pdf |date=7 July 2011-07-07 }}. Retrieved on 2009-12-17 December 2009.</ref><ref>Carol Highfill. [http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww72eiii.htm "Different Species, Different Diets Environment, Climate, Evolution"]. Retrieved on 17 December 2009-12-17.</ref> There are still many birds which develop problems such as vitamin toxicity, fatty liver disease or gout, despite being on a pelleted diet.<ref>Bill and Sandy Harrison. [http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww47e.htm "FEEDING OUR BIRDS Part I - Nutritional Needs"]. Retrieved on 17 December 2009-12-17.</ref>

A common mistake made by owners feeding pellets is over-supplementing them with fresh food. As a pellet is, essentially, a supplemented grain, supplementing them even more "dilutes" the diet, making the pellets less efficient and the diet unbalanced.<ref name=":1">Malcolm Green. [http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/Pet_arts/PelletsOrSeed/POS.html "Pellets - Yes or No"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410072937/http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/Pet_arts/PelletsOrSeed/POS.html |date=2009-04-10 April 2009 }}. Retrieved on 2009-04-10 April 2009.</ref> The best diet for a bird should be determined by an avian veterinarian.

[[Image:Juvenile White-bellied Caique - pet in a harness.JPG|upright|thumb|right|A pet juvenile [[whiteblack-belliedlegged caiqueparrot]] wearing a harness out-of-doors]]

Many of the larger parrots are unsuitable in an apartment setting due to noise level. Although all parrots will make some noise, species that are generally less noisy include parrotlets, budgies, cockatiels, ''[[Pyrrhura]]'' [[conures]], ''Pionus'', caiques, greys, and usually ''Poicephalus''. Many of the other species of [[conures]] can be loud birds. [[Cockatoos]], and many macaws and amazon parrots can be very loud, though normally only at certain times of the day and some birds will learn to scream for attention.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/parrots-as-pets/|title=The Truth About Parrots as Pets|website=IDA USA|language=en|access-date=2019-12-10 December 2019}}</ref>

Parrots use their hooked beaks to help them to climb around, as well as to shell seeds and nuts. It is normal for a parrot to use its beak to explore and to get around; it is common, for example, for a parrot to rest its beak on a person's hand to steady itself as it steps up. Many parrots also like to gently beak or attempt to preen their owner's hands. However, even tame parrots can bite humans, particularly if confused or frightened, so it is wise to keep larger birds caged around small children they are not familiar with. Large parrots such as macaws and cockatoos have powerful beaks designedthey use for crushing large nuts.<ref name=":0" />

While many parrot species do well with well-behaved children, and can be excellent family pets, they are generally not a good ''child's'' pet due to their potential lifespan and care required. Parrots require consistent daily care and attention and are also longer lived than most other companion animals. Lifespans range from around 15 years for a budgie or lovebird, to 20–30 years for a cockatiel or small conure, up to 80 to 100 years for amazons and macaws—although a more reasonable lifespan for larger parrots is estimated at 50–60 years.

There is a small industry in breeding parrots for the pet trade. Breeders may range from small hobby breeders caring for just a pair or two to large breeding farms that may house hundreds of pairs. When chicks are small, breeders may put a specially made closed [[Bird ringing|bird ring]] (bird band) on one of their legs with identifying characters stamped into the plastic. A closed ring would not fit over the foot of an adult parrot, so its presence proves that the bird was banded when it was a young chick.

Some breeders leave the chicks in the nest longer and thus have to use an open band on the bird's leg. However, some breeders do not band the smaller commonly bred parrots, and some owners may have their bird's band removed after purchase because of the possibility that a band might become caught on a toy or other object and cause injury (removal of a band should be done by a veterinarian or experienced person). Bands are the main method for identifying an individual bird, which is helpful if thethat bird is lost. Sometimes the larger and more expensive parrots are micro-chipped with a tiny security device, as well as being tagged with a leg ring.

Places for young parrots include breeders and specialityspecialty bird stores that ensure the chicks are healthy, well socialized with people and raised properly. Before being taken to a new home, hand-reared chicks will be fully fledged (have been allowed to learn to fly), can crack nuts and seeds for themselves, and will have been fully weaned from semisolid hand-rearing food (or fed by itstheir parents) to an appropriate diet. Some breeders will additionally accustom their young parrots to different experiences, such as harness-training, traveling, and handling by a variety of people including children, taking advantage of this impressionable period of development.

Adult parrots that are rehomed by their owners or offered for adoption from a parrot shelter often make excellent pets after they adjust to a new home. Some of these, however, may have beenexperienced neglectedneglect or abusedabuse in thetheir past, and may do best with an experienced parrot owner. The rehoming of a companion parrot, in most cases, can be avoided by doing enough research before acquiring one and determining whether the potential buyer has a lifestyle that suits the species he/shethey isare considering, and choosing a bird that is most compatible with the human'stheir lifestyle. Owners should also consider potential lifespan when selecting a species, and make appropriate arrangements if the bird is likely to outlive the owner.