Many people think of having an exotic bird in their home. The choice is huge, ranging from the little exotic to large parrots. Unfortunately, taking into account the purchase of such a pet, we do not think about what it will be like to live with it. Usually, we pay attention to such features as appearance, singing and ease of taming. Unfortunately, after the initial delight, we collide with reality and it turns out that it is not as colorful as it was supposed to look.

First of all, birds are quite messy animals. We have plenty of feathers at home during the moulting season. In addition, the grain is scattered outside the cage, as is the case with bathing water or sand from the bottom of the cage. We could also have a problem with large parrots’ powder. They use it to cloean their feathers and that floats in the air and settles on everything in the apartment. It is also worth emphasizing that the birds that we will keep at home must also be able to fly freely, which is associated with dirty furnitures, because these animals do not control where they do their own thing.

What to consider when choosing and buying a bird?

For beginner breeders, a suitable choice will be a small exotic, for example, zebra finches, gulls, magnificent amadins. They are delightful with both the look and the singing. We can also consider choosing a canary.If someone would like to have a parrot at home, he should choose a rather less burdensome species, for example a budgerigar, a nymph, a goat parrot. If You want bigger parrots, You can consider rosella, ringed alexandretta. You can have large parrots, such as African Gray Parrots or Macaws, but remember that they will be quite loud, need a lot of space and live for several or several dozen years.

The sounds made by exotic birds will not always be pleasant to our ear. Parrots have a fairly varied range of these sounds, and they are not always pleasant or quiet. Therefore, the best solution is to breed large parrots, for example in an outdoor aviary, where they will be able to move freely and will not interfere with everyday life at home. Thanks to this solution, we also avoid waking up at dawn.

When choosing a bird, you should consider how much space you have in the house, because for larger species of parrots it must be a spacious cage of a large size, and not everyone can afford to put a cage of this size.

We must also be influenced by how much time we spend on these birds. Small exotic, for example gulls, zebra finches, wonderful amadins do not need much contact from us, because they feel great in their herd. We can tame them, but they won’t get any benefit from it.

Large parrots, on the other hand, must have company. If we decide to have a pair of parrots, we will not have this problem with them, because they will take care of each other. We must remember that large parrots usually mate for their entire long life, spend a lot of time with their partner, and are practically inseparable. In the case of breeding one bird, we will be the partner for him and parrot will need constant contact with us. If we work a lot, we often leave, we should rather not decide on such a parrot, because it will not be able to stay with someone else, even from a close family, because it will be emotionally connected with only one person. If he does not have contact with his adoptive partner for a long time, behavioral problems will start: the parrot will start plucking feathers, will become depressed, will refuse to eat, which will lead to lower immunity and a greater incidence of diseases.

Where is the best place to buy a bird?

It is very important to choose wisely where we will buy the bird from. Pet shops are not recommended because there are birds from various sources and we do not necessarily know their origin, physical or physiological condition. The best choice is to buy a bird from a breeder. Then we can see the conditions in which the bird lives, how it behaves and learn a lot of information about the breeding of a given species. The breeder will be happy to tell us how to look after such a pet.

How do I transport a bird home?

Proper transport of the purchased bird is very important. We put it in a built-up, preferably wooden, transport with ventilation. For large birds, it must be strong and durable. For the transport of small birds, the box can also be made of plastic, but if it is transparent, it must be covered to minimize the bird’s stress due to the darkness. Cardboard boxes are not recommended because they are easily damaged, can be crushed, and the bird can destroy them with its beak and claws. The transport container must not be too large, so that the bird does not bump against the walls while driving. We do not transport birds in cages as there is too much risk of injury from the bars. In addition, the bird does not feel very comfortable in such conditions.

The important thing is that before we bring a bird home, we must have a cage prepared for it. When letting a bird into a new home, we do not fill with food or add water – it all should be prepared earlier. The bird must have time to get used to the new surroundings and sounds and should not be disturbed then. We start taming only after some time, when the bird acclimates to the new environment.

How to teach a parrot to speak?

When buying parrots, we hope that they will have the ability to imitate human speech or other sounds. Not every species can do this, and learning is not easy. Some species (cockatiel, budgerigar) can repeat single words or melodies, but this is difficult to achieve and not every bird will have this skill. If we want a bird that will mimic human speech, we must opt ​​for a large parrot. It may be an African Gray Parrot which is a great follower, it may be a macaw or a cockatoo.

It’s best to choose a young bird from a breeder that is hand-fed. Then we have a better chance that the bird will repeat the words, because for him the family group, his flock will be people. In order to teach a bird to speak, we need to talk to it a lot and often, and repeat the words. However, we do not always have a guarantee that the bird will want to repeat exactly the phrase we like, because birds choose specific sounds or words. Sometimes quite funny or embarrassing situations arise, for example when visiting friends, when the parrot uses uncultivated words.

In order to teach a bird to speak, we must remember that it is a long-term process that requires spending a lot of time with the bird every day. Despite this, we do not have a guarantee that we will achieve the intended effects, which can be noticed only after a long time, often after several months or even a year or two. If someone wants to quickly teach a parrot to speak, he or she should not decide on such a pet. Whether we “talk” to the bird is not entirely up to the owner. It is the parrot who decides what sounds or words it repeats and when it does it. We have almost no influence on it, so we cannot get irritated and nervous, as we expose the bird to stress by expecting too much.