Some things to think about before you get a Parrot as a Pet

 

Rio - Red & Green Macaw enjoys some time outside his cage at World Bird Sanctuary.

 

At World Bird Sanctuary we got a lot of visitors who see our parrots perform trained behaviors.  Many of them enjoy what they see and have a lot of questions about getting a parrot as a pet.  As a parrot owner and bird trainer I have a few suggestions for people to consider before getting a parrot for a pet.

My first suggestion, when I hear that people are thinking about getting a parrot, or any exotic animal, as a pet, is to do research.  The first thing you need to do is buy a book about keeping a parrot as a pet, and read about your potential animal’s needs.  There are many good books available from reputable pet stores.  These books will tell you what diet is required; contain care suggestions and minimum space requirements for each species.  I always say it is better to invest the $15-$20 in a book than several hundred dollars into an animal that does not fit your lifestyle.

One of the biggest factors to consider before getting a parrot as a pet is that parrots live a long time.  For example, my African Grey Parrot will live about 40 years, so you need to be aware that you will have that bird for a long time.

One of the main reasons people enjoy parrots is because of their ability to mimic human speech. This means both the good and the bad!  Not only that, but remember that in the wild, parrots must communicate with family members over large dense forest areas, so parrots can be very noisy.  Make sure that you’re going to be able to tolerate this!

The last thing to take into consideration is that anything that has a mouth has the ability to bite.  A parrot can exert about a thousand pounds of pressure per square inch, and it only takes seven pounds of pressure per square inch to break your finger.  Make sure that you have the information that you need to train your parrot to behave appropriately.

I don’t wish to discourage any parrot-lover or potential parrot-owner from benefiting from the joy of owning a parrot, but please take the time to make sure that you are able to commit the time and effort needed to maintain a happy, healthy parrot.   You really need to know what you are getting into if you are both going to be happy and enjoy each other’s company.

Submitted by Cathy Spahn – Field Studies Coordinator, and happy owner of Simon, the happy African Grey Parrot.