The main points about keeping parrots at home: where to put the cage, when and how to clean in the cage, what to feed. Parrot care basics for those who want to have a colored bird at home When you want to have a pet at home, you need to think about the conditions in which this animal should be kept and what kind of care it requires. Here we will look at what a person who wants to have a parrot should know.
Where to put the cage and how to equip it correctly?
First of all, you need to determine where the cage will stand. The place for the cage must meet some requirements. Avoid placing the cage in noisy places such as near a TV. Also, do not place the cage in drafts and near the window. In principle, the cage can be located in any room and in the kitchen, but it should not be located in the aisle. Depending on the size, the cage can hang near a wall, stand on the floor, on a table, or on a special stand. The place for the cage with the parrot should be bright (but without the sun) and calm, preferably near the wall (an unexpectedly frightened parrot will be able to fly off to the wall, where it will be calmer).
Parrots can be tamed and taught to speak, but then he must be kept alone. Small and medium-sized parrots can be kept in pairs, but their nature should be taken into account. In aviaries, parrots can live in flocks.
The cage should be with a metal frame (they will quickly destroy the wooden frame), and the bottom of the cage should also be retractable. Perches should be as far away from feeders and drinkers as possible to avoid contamination with droppings. Place them 2/3 the height of the cage.
The bottom of the cage can be covered with sand (layer 0, 5 - 1 cm), but always washed and calcined. You can also lay paper or film. But small pebbles or sand in the cage must be mandatory, since swallowing them with food helps to grind food in the stomach.
In addition to sand and pebbles, freshly cut branches of fruit trees are needed, they must be periodically placed to grind off the beak. The bark also contains vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of parrots.
The optimum room temperature should be 15-20 ° C. But note that it is not the temperature itself that is more important, but its constancy. Horse racing is more detrimental to parrots than constantly low temperatures, so avoid drafts.
When and how to clean the cage?
So, what do parrots need besides food and water, we figured out, but what is the general daily care of these birds? The main thing is cleanliness!
Every day you need to sift and fill up the sand, thoroughly clean the feeders from the remains of feed, wash the drinking bowls.
Once a week, you need to completely change to new sand, and wash the feeders with hot water, using baking soda. General cleaning is required once a month. It consists in processing the cell. This can be done in different ways, for example, rubbed with chamomile infusion. You can also use wormwood infusions. These herbs are safe for parrots and disinfect well, and dry them can also be poured into the bottom of the cage. You can also use a 1-2% solution of potassium permanganate. Chemicals can only be used in extreme cases, when parasites appear. In such situations, the parrots themselves are treated with an infusion of wormwood from a spray bottle.
When keeping parrots in a group, it is better to attach drinkers and feeders outside the enclosure. This measure will help to avoid their rapid clogging and unnecessary disturbance to the birds. Excessive noises have a particularly negative effect on females hatching chicks. Disturbed parents may even abandon clutches or chicks.
What to feed the parrots with?
The main food is grain. Oats must first be soaked in water for a day, and then rinsed. It can also be given sprouted, like millet. You can give directly ears of both oats and wheat. As a delicacy, sunflower and nuts are suitable, but do not overdo it. It is important to feed the parrot with fresh herbs: knotweed, wood lice, St. John's wort, plantain and dandelion leaves are best chopped beforehand. You don't need to give parsley, while dill can.
Fruits and vegetables can and should be any, except for garlic and onions. For protein foods, offer a chopped boiled egg, stale white bread soaked in water, tea or milk (in the summer, make sure it doesn't turn sour). Low-fat cottage cheese can be used. Accustom your parrot to a variety of foods, this is not only useful, but also convenient. In no case do not give spicy, fatty, fried, alcoholic, as well as meat, coffee, black bread and strong tea.
Here's what a parrot owner should know. And most importantly, you need to love your pet and then even the most difficult care will be a joy. And finally, a couple of funny pictures with parrots:
