Understanding What To Do So That You Have A Healthy Parrot

There are many phases to looking after a pet parrot so that it is a healthy parrot, and most importantly in that mix is the parrot diet. Malnutrition is rife in parrots because so many parrot owners do not understand the feeding regime needed to keep their parrot fed properly.

But having a healthy parrot goes beyond just the diet because there is also the mental aspect of keeping a parrot healthy. Parrots are naturally an active bird by day and they sleep all night. This means that if you are going to have a parrot at home, but not be there during the day, the parrot needs to have some mental stimulation to keep it happy and content. They are not birds that like to be on their own all day long.

Caring for your parrot's health.

There are several precautions that a parrot owner should take in the best interest of their parrot and they are:

- Keep the parrot out of drafts

- Feed the parrot the correct balanced diet

- Keep the parrot out of the kitchen so that he is not exposed to kitchen fumes, and also to prevent any accidents from hot items in the kitchen

- Don't spray any aerosols near him

I always found it helpful when I got my first parrot to remember to compare the size of the parrot's nostrils, eyes, and throat, etc to my own. I realised that if I sneeze at a particular aerosol spray, it must be affecting my parrot so much more because of its smaller size. I found that this constant comparison soon had me changing many habits that I used to take for granted before I bought him.

There are ways to tell if your bird is not well and these are:

- The appearance of his feathers

- He is not acting the way he normally does

- He is using parts of his cage that he normally avoids

- He may be messier than usual with his food - He may be standing in a strange way

- He may perch on two feet instead of the usual one foot as they do when they are relaxing

- He's not interested in anything

- He's not as active as he normally is

These seem to be small symptoms but any one of them would indicate that your bird is not feeling the best, so keep a very strict eye on him.

Keeping your bird actively stimulated and fed well with the right mix of food types will give him the best chance of having a long and healthy life. Most importantly, though, remember that a parrot must eat every day and if he does not touch his food then a trip to the vet is essential and the quicker the better.

Pet parrots can be lots of fun, but if you want a happy, healthy parrot it is important to know how to look after him in the best possible way. They love learning tricks and being interactive with the family.