The parrot makes an interesting and delightful pet and is fairly easy to feed and maintain.  Most parrot owners would agree that wherever possible, it is better to purchase a captive-bred parrot from a reputable source so that if you have questions regarding the parrot or the parrot becomes sick, you know who to contact and where.

Larger parrots can live for a very long time so you are committing yourself to long-term care of the parrot.  If you intend to put your parrot in an outside aviary during the colder months, you should ask the breeder how acclimatised the bird is and if you are already the owner of parrots, it is also advisable to quarantine the new one for approx. 35 days before allowing it into the same area of your existing parrots in case it is carrying any form of disease.

Check to see if your new parrot is fluffing up his feathers, resting with his head in his wing, is standing on two legs rather than one leg or is breathing heavily with discharge from his nostrils, as these are sure signs of illness and you need to keep him warm and quiet.  The best temperature is around 80 to 90 degrees F (27 to 32 degrees C) and make sure that he’s provided with easily digestable food like baby food that is easily reached from his perch.  We would advise that you then contact a vet with avian expertise immediately. As these Vets are not common, it would be sensible to locate one before you buy the parrot as it’s often in the very early days of ownership that you might need one.  If you contact The Parrot Society, they will assist you in finding a vet with avian expertise who is the most local to you.

Feed your parrot a wide variety of foods such as canary seed, mixed millets, hemp, wheat, maize, safflower, sunflower (in moderation as it is an oily seed and can cause your parrot to become overweight), oats, buckwheat, paddy rice, niger, linseed and groats. Also let him have fruits such as oranges, sweet apples, grapes, pears, cherries and bananas. If possible try to include some exotic fruits such as papaya, mango and kiwi.

Never give your parrot avocados as these are toxic to birds.  You can however offer him  carrots, celery, spinach, beetroot, peas, beans and lightly cooked corn on the cob. They also enjoy sprouted seeds and soaked biscuit but don’t feed him scraps from the table.

Larger parrots like macaws should be given nuts in their diet throughout the year and these can include walnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, macadamia, cashews and hazelnuts. He will also enjoy a few cob-nuts when they are in season.

Don’t forget to wash all fruit and vegetables that you give your parrot and make sure that the bowls inside his parrot cage are washed thoroughly before use.  It’s best not to place any food bowls directly underneath the perches in his parrot cage as they will soon become soiled.

Of course, the usual proprietary foods in pellet form are available from pet shops, but a lot of experienced aviculturists believe that this doesn’t provide foraging experience for the parrot and so has little therapeutic value. However they are very convenient and will provide adequate nutrition so can be used extensively or in part. Your avian vet will be able to advise you further on this.

As with all pets, the larger the home you can provide him with the better.  A large parrot cage is acceptable so long as your parrot is allowed out of his cage every day.  Don’t however, leave him on his own, unsupervised as he may chew electric cables, damage your furniture and fittings or escape.  Provide him with a bird play stand and some parrot toys so that he can amuse himself as well as fly around when he is out of his cage.

Large macaws are better kept in large outdoor aviaries and ideas-4-pets have some quality aviaries to choose from – both timber and metal.

The floor of his parrot cage should be covered with peat, shavings, sand or newspaper and changed daily to make sure it is clean, fresh and hygienic. Garden aviaries should have a draught-proof, weather proof indoor section to protect your parrot from extremes of weather. Because parrots are intelligent and inquisitive, provide your parrot with an interesting, stimulating environment with plenty of climbing opportunities.  These could include cotton rope, ladders and wooden climbing frames. Packs of suitable toys can be bought from ideas-4-pets. If you are keeping your parrot in an outside aviary, make sure he has penty of perches and cotton climbing ropes but remember to leave him enough room in there to fly around. 

All bird cages and aviaries are better if they are fitted with natural perches (fruit tree or sycamore branches are ideal) as these provide different diameters for your parrot’s feet to move to.  This allows him to flex the bones in his feet. It is also important to change the perches on a regular basis.

As with all pets, fresh, clean water should be provided daily. In the case of parrots, multi-vitamin drops can be added to the water and should have access to grit cuttlefish which will provide him with calcium.

If you provide your parrot with the correct housing, the correct food, things to play with and time to spend with him, he will provide you with amusement and wonderful companionship for many years.