Parrot As A Pet
The parrot comes in all colors, shapes and sizes. The smallest parrot is the woodpecker parrot and is only 8 cm tall, the largest parrot is the hyacinth macaw with a size of about one meter.
Parrot birds include mainly parrots, lorises, cockatoos and parakeets. With more than 350 different species, the birds represent a separate order in the avian kingdom, the Psittaciformes.
However, most parrots nowadays come from offspring, as the populations are threatened.
Parrots have the highest life expectancy of any domestic animal. If parrots are kept properly, they can live to be over 100 years old. A mistake people often make is to acquire a parrot because it looks beautiful or has the ability to speak.
However, keeping the feathered creatures often turns out to be very complicated and exhausting. Parrots are very sensitive birds.
What You Should Consider Before Buying
If you want to buy a parrot as a pet, you can expect many decades of responsibility. You should also be aware beforehand that you should buy at least two of the feathered creatures.
Parrots are often very headstrong and stubborn and not always just the dear playful birds. They also need a lot of space to let off steam. Fruits and vegetables require a lot of effort to cut and food scraps need to be removed from and in front of the cage. Parrots like to cause messes and make a big mess. For late risers, parrots can be annoying since they like to make a whistling concert in the early morning. They also like to accompany the TV program with whistling.
If you keep these things in mind before purchasing and all this is not a problem for you, a faithful companion awaits you with the parrot. The parrot appreciates your presence and enriches your life in every way.
Features
Parrots are easy to distinguish from other birds. The most noticeable for laymen is probably the colorful plumage and the well-developed ability to speak. However, parrots are distinguished by experts by other characteristics.
The most distinctive feature is probably the very strongly curved beak. It provides a very large biting force, because it is connected to the front of the head with a joint.
The beak serves the parrot in many things. When climbing it serves as a “third hand”. It also helps with plumage care, hollowing out nest holes or cracking nuts.
Parrot[/caption ]
Another striking feature is the very mobile tongue, which the parrot uses to feel the texture of food.
Species that eat their food from the ground use their feet to push down seed-bearing grasses, for example.
The plumage also distinguishes parrots from other bird species, they have few but much stronger feathers.
Habitat In Nature
Parrots are at home in very different habitats. – From tropical rainforests to the Antarctic climate zone, from coastal regions to high mountains or remote islands.
However, most parrot species live in tropical rainforests. Species that live more in dry areas often stay near rivers.
In the Americas, parrots live from Mexico to Chile. Most species live in the Amazon rainforests.
In Asia, the parrots live from India to South China. A very large part lives on the African continent, south of the Sahara. Also on the South Sea islands, in Australia or Indonesia the parrots are at home.
The species are usually very specialized in the areas where they live. However, there are also species that can easily adapt to new environments and survive there.
Amazons and Alexander parakeets that have been released or escaped from captivity have now settled in major American and European cities.
Parrot Species
The parrot belongs to the genus Psittaciformes (hand-footed). The feathered animals can be divided into two categories.
- Cockatoos.
- Parrots.
The cockatoos possess an erectable feather hood. However, they do not possess the so-called Dyck structure of the feather branches, on which the incident light refracts. The actual parrots do not possess this feather hood. However, both species have the upright posture and the strong beak in common. In addition, the cockatoo, like the parrot, has a climbing foot with two claws pointing forward and two claws pointing backward.
Group Keeping Or Single Keeping?
Parrots are very sociable animals. Therefore, they often live together in large associations in the wild. You should take this into account when keeping them. It is recommended that a parrot in human husbandry has one or two conspecifics at the side. If the birds are alone they tend to become lonely. Often they become ill or show behavioral problems. The single attitude of parrots is forbidden according to the federal uniform animal protection law since 2005.
However, only species that share the same needs and requirements and harmonize with each other are allowed to live together under one roof. Particularly popular parrots are the gray parrots. Gray parrots are considered to be very intelligent and gifted with language. An enormous loss for gray parrots is the death of a partner or caregiver. Often plucking occurs as a consequence.
Grey parrot [/caption ]
Parrot Cage And Keeping In Aviary
The first task is to find a suitable place for the aviary. The parrot cage should have a height of at least 80 cm. If possible, the cage should be placed in a bright, quiet and draught-free place. Round cages whose diameter is less than 2 meters are prohibited.
A parrot aviary can never be big enough. For example, the parrot species macaws require a floor space of at least 4 x 2 x 2 meters. Here, in addition, a shelter must be provided where the birds can retreat. In rooms, it is generally necessary to ensure that there is sufficient daylight. The lighting duration depends on the parrot species and the needs of the animals. As a rule, the lighting duration is 8 to 14 hours. For the feathered animals, the day – night rhythm is very important. The same applies to the correct room temperature. In the cage of the parrot should be enough perches in the form of real tree branches, which must be changed regularly. For the flooring, a special parrot sand is recommended. The parrot sand can be combined with bark mulch and wood chips.
The Care
Since parrots like to take a little bath now and then, you should make sure that there is always a small basin with fresh water. After a short period of acclimatization, you can let your birds fly freely in the room regularly, but make sure that all doors and windows are closed. It often happens that the claws of the birds grow back faster than they are worn, then you should go to the vet or trim them yourself. A common reason for fast growing claws is overfeeding with various nutrients.
The Diet
A daily different and fresh food is very important for the nutrition of parrots. The feathered animals have a very high vitamin requirement. Therefore, you should always give your parrots fresh fruits and vegetables, for example, cored apples, bananas or corn on the cob. Make sure that these are untreated and not sprayed. If your parrot suffers from kidney disease, you should not feed him oranges, tangerines, grapefruits and clementines. Especially unripe elderberries, apple and cherry pits as well as avocados are considered very poisonous for your beloved feathered friend. You can also find the right parrot food for your parrot at your local pet store.
Papageien sind wirklich großartige Tiere!
Das finden wir auch! Toll, dass wir einer Meinung sind!
Liebe Grüße
Dein Haustierratgeber-Team
Vielen Dank für den tollen Artikel! Ich habe ihn benutzt um ein Referat zu schreiben und zusammen mit dem Artikel von screenhaus hatte ich alle Infos, die ich brauchte. Dankeschön <3