Companion Birds Archive

I’m always asked what bird is right for “me or my family”? My common response is a series of questions in no particular order because family dynamics, lifestyle, and what one expects from a companion parrot varies from family to family and species to species. nYes! All species of parrots have different wants, needs and …

Normal Weights in Companion Birds We recommend weighing your birds because as caged birds and clipped parrots, they get far less exercise than that of their cousins in the jungle so obesity is not uncommon in our exotic birds. Another added benefit is making sure they are healthy. Although small birds are hard to weigh …

Providing pet birds a healthy diet is essential. Without proper nutrition, birds can become sick and even stressed to the point of displaying unwanted behaviors such as biting and feather plucking. One of the biggest mistakes that new pet owners make is giving birds a diet solely or primarily of seeds. The problem is that …

One of the most important things to remember about parrots – they are not typical domesticated animals like cats and dogs. To be a bird owner, an individual has to set realistic expectations and respect this beautiful but very complex animal. Concepts of Parrot Behavior Again, a parrot is not domesticated but instead, a wild …

In the wild, parrots exhibit four main behaviors: social interaction, grooming, foraging, and sleeping. The vast majority of their days are spent foraging or searching for food. Food is readily available for pet birds. A feeding process that should take hours, may take only minutes in the caged bird. Left with little to fill their days, some birds …

Budgies (budgerigars) are small parrots that make delightful pets. They are usually friendly and easy to tame, and are quite capable of mimicking speech. Budgies are sometimes also called parakeets (specifically shell parakeets) as they are members of the parakeet family. There are also two types of budgies – the American budgie or parakeet, and …

The more prepared you are as a new owner, the easier your baby bird’s adjustment will be to his new home. Do your homework to learn all you can about living with a companion parrot, and use this checklist to smooth the transition: ☐ Place the cage in a location that shows human activity but …

Prepare your conure’s home before bringing him back home. Get the right size of cage. Conures need big cages and many toys. Intelligent and constantly busy, you’ll need a large cage so that he can spread his wings without touching the sides of the cage. His tail should not touch the cage bottom or brush the cage …