Lovebird Aviary – The Place Where You Can Get Exquisite Lovebirds

Because of the attractiveness of lovebirds, there is no wonder why more people are making them household pets. Aviaries are the most ideal places to visit and be in awe of the loveliness of the African birds. A comprehensive lovebird aviary is where you will find and select the species that you prefer to keep and raise. With the popularity of lovebirds, there are plentiful aviary and breeder sites you can go to.

* Howard Voren is an aviary that focuses on the most uncommon birds in captivity; say for instance, the brilliant amazons in blue mutation.

* Connie?Bird Nest is a lovebird aviary featuring macaws, caiques, lovebirds, amazons and Congo African greys. The site includes a message board, useful information and articles, shopping options, links, and tips with regards to breeding birds which bird enthusiast will find very useful.

* Another bird breeder is Aqua Oceans that is found in New Jersey and specializes in the eye-ring species of lovebirds as well as eclectus, greys and amazons. So, if you are looking for such characteristics and you are around this area, this is the best place to check out.

* The Artemis Aviaries is a lovebird aviary that also gives readers interesting information pieces about hand-feeding pellets and formula and review of ingredients for feeding lovebirds.

* Bucks?frican Skies is another aviary in New Jersey that mainly focuses in the African lovebirds species.

* Feather Tree is also a reliable lovebird aviary. It also specializes in the Pyrrhura Conures along with several beautiful mutations of lovebirds that you may find interesting and fitting to the lovebirds that you are looking for.

* Parrot Parrot is a breeder in California as well as an aviary of lovebird species like the peachfaced lovebird, Fischer’s lovebird and the Abyssinian lovebird. Many lovebirds enthusiast had found their new pet in here.

A lovebird aviary differs from one another. Some of them can focus on a certain breed or mutation while others are extensive enough to provide numerous species. Definitely, lovebirds are wonderful feathered creatures. You can obtain ideas about the behavior and nature of lovebirds among aviaries.

When bringing home a lovebird from a lovebird aviary, it is essential to provide a suitable cage. They do not require a very big space, just a sufficient cage for your pet to move around. Make them feel as if they are still freely roaming in the aviary where they came from.

The Available Methods for Parrot Gender Determination

Usually, a bird’s gender is unknown to other species of beings; it is a well kept secret for the bird itself and its kind. When nature created the birds, it never took into consideration the human specie and the knowledge that this last one needs.

In some birds, the gender can be identified by the individual’s colors, wither completely, or, in some cases, only when they reach maturity. The eclectus male for instance is green, while the female is red. At maturity, the nasal area (cere) of a parakeet male is blue and the female’s one is brow. However, there are still many species of birds that don’t have different colors depending on the gender.

The importance of knowing a pet’s gender is represented by their owners’ desire to give them proper names or to know what pronouns to use when they are addressing or referring to the animals. It also matters for the breeding of the animals because some people know not to expect babies from a pair of birds of the same sex.

Many methods were discovered so far to determine the birds’ gender, some of them scientific and some of them, most of them, non – scientific, discovered by common people in their own houses. We will show and overview of the scientific methods of discovering the birds’ sex: DNA Sexing, Surgical Sexing, Blood Feather Testing and Fecal Analysis.

Every method of testing has both negative and positive sides and the best one is the one that fits the owner’s needs and the situation.

The DNA Sexing method:

In this procedure, a drop of the bird’s blood is required for a DNA testing. The DNA will show an image that will provide reliable information about the bird’s gender. This method is very accurate but it takes up to four weeks to be processed.

The blood is collected from a vein or a toenail by the owner and placed in a prepared collection of vial. This way it can be sent to a lab even by using regular mail. This method is very easy to be performed and it is not stressful.

A bird’s DNA is unique and cannot be modified. So, as in human DNA, a bird’s one is the same since the moment of birth until death. Those tests performed on birds DNA can also be stored by the labs that own a data bank and can be later used for identification or matching.

This method is thus, very easy to be done, it is not expensive and if the period of waiting for the results is not a problem, it may be the best choice. This DNA test will show a bird’s gender and not its capability of reproducing.

The surgical sexing method:

The second method of discovering a bird’s gender is the surgical sexing. This can be done only by a veterinarian, through endoscopic surgery. The bird is put under anesthesia and through a small cut in the bird’s skin, the veterinarian inserts a small metal tube with a light attached on, called the endoscope. This way, the bird’s sexual organs can be seen and, along with the gender, the veterinarian can determine the sexual maturity, any abnormalities and the possibility of reproduction.

Even though this method is very accurate and quick, it may put the bird under a lot of stress. Unlike the DNA sexing method, this one provides immediate results for the owner, in case this one is interested in breeding the bird. The procedure is quite safe, but, on some occasions, it may generate some post – operative or anesthesia complications. The primary concern was the injected anesthesia because it induced a long period of sleep and vomiting. Researchers have discovered new anesthetics for the birds, gases that eliminate the side effects caused by the injected ones. Those new anesthetics are considered by the experts to have negligible risks and the bird will wake up in a matter of minutes after the gas mask is removed.

In the past, veterinarians used to tattoo birds after their genders were determined through surgery. Males were tattooed under the right wing and females under the left one. More recently, microchips or leg bands were used for marking them.

The Blood Feather Analysis (BFA) method:

This method requires a blood chromosome test. This test is performed on cultured tissue from the bird’s blood feathers. If the bird has no blood feathers, some will be pulled out and in their place new ones will grow in two or three weeks. Those feathers are put in a special container with cold packs and sent via priority mail to the laboratory where their tissue is grown and researched under a microscope. The results will appear in around two weeks.

As in the case of DNA sexing of the birds, this method is accurate and safe; and it works on any bird regardless the age but the results are not prompt. As negative sides of this testing method are the higher costs for priority mail and the impossibility of checking the sexual organs of the birds in the cases of breeders.

The Fecal Method of gender determination:

This method is not as accurate as the others and it depends on more than one factor. It consists in collecting fresh fecal samples from the bird in special conditions and mailing them to the lab. The specialists will determine the gender by the hormones (estrogen and testosterone) level from the fecal sample. This method can only be applied on mature birds and it depends on the health of the birds and on the conditions of the sample’s collection.

The fecal method is not expensive, is safe and should bring the results in one week.

Every person will choose the sexing method for his or her bird as it best fits his or her needs. Probably, the breeders will choose the surgical method because of it’s advantages, while those who own a pet bird will choose DNA or BFA methods.

Parrot Cages – STOP RIGHT THERE- Don’t Buy Parrot Cages Untill You Read This

Parrot Cages are 1 of the most important thing to take into consideration when you purchase your parrot. There are 2 reasons this is very very important, so this article will explain in persise detail why it is important and the size you need for the type of parrot you have,or about to purchase.

Parrot cages need to be the correct size for these reasons

Firstly a parrot that has space is a happy parrot that is why size is important, they tend to get depressed and cranky in a small cage.
Other reasons are!!!

Parrots to be able to spread their wings and move around.

Parrots have different size feet, so you need to be able to put different size perches in the 1 cage, we recomend 4 different types to excercise their feet.

Important things to remember are when purchasing parrot cages!!! http://parrot-training.us/2010/08/Parrot-Cages-Buying-Parrot-Cages-Has-Never-been-Easier-Every-Size-Cage-To-Suit-Every-Parrot/

The bigger you go the better it will be, aslong as spacing in between each bars is small enough to prevent injury in the event your parrot tries to escape.So make sure the birds head can not fit in between the bars.

The door must have anough space to fit your hand in comforably to not only catch him, but to put him back in his cage.

Parrot cages latch/lock need to be as safe as possible, parrots are extremely smart and they will figure out how to open it.Majority of the time if your parrot has been purchased from a pet shop they will recommend the minumun size so please read the chart below for the correct dementions to insure your little mate stays happy and healthy.

Below is a chart that will give you an idea of what you need

Parrot cages recomended for Small parrots

Finches
Canaries
Parrolets
Parakeets
Lovebirds
Budgies
Cockatiels
Small Conures
similar sized birds need at least dementions such as 1/2″ to 5/8

Parrot cages recomended for a medium parrot

Conures
Lories
Senegals
Ring Necks
Caiques
Mini Macaws
Pionus
Quakers
Small Cockatoos

similar sized birds need at least dementions such as 1/2″ to 3/4″

Parrot cages recomended for a large parrot

African Greys
Amazons
Macaws
Cockatoos
Toucans
Hyacinth
Alexandrine Parakeets
Con
Eclectus

Do you want your parrots to be happy and healthy so he lives longer?

Familiarizing Yourself With Different Parrot Species

Fascinated to the world of the fast-talking, fun-loving parrots? Are you contemplating on the idea of getting one as your pet bird? If you have plans of purchasing one in the future, then you must familiarize yourself with the different parrot species existing in the pet trades and pet stores today.

As defined, parrots are a very popular group of birds for possessing high intelligence depending on the degree of its socialization and training. Famous for its ability to imitate human speech and various sounds, these tropical colorful birds are mainly found in Australia and South America.

Having a variety of species, parrots differ in size and color. Some parrots are bigger and grander while others are smaller and typical. When it comes to colors, green is considered the most common shade of parrots and are usually wonderful pets for their amazing talking abilities. Several types of parrots are multi-colored-with a distinctive combination of bright blue, yellow, green, and white mixtures.

These birds are also characterized by having powerful hooked bills and feet meant for tree climbing. Mainly vegetarian, other basic foods of almost all types of parrots are includes fruits, chicken or meat and a lot of seeds. Although they belong to only one family of birds, parrot species have distinctive personalities and nature. Some of them are naturally friendly while some are moody and destructive because they pluck their feathers if they are bored or unhappy.

Parrot species include Macaws, Conures, Amazons, African Gray Parrots, Cockatiels, Cockatoos, Budgerigars, and Eclectus. Macaws are one of the most coveted birds in aviculture because of their comical and affectionate nature. Conures, on the other hand, are small cousins of the Macaw that has 2 sub-specie: Aratinga and the Pyrrhura.

While Conures are known for its variety of color and gentle personality, Amazons are famous for their superb talking ability. Considered as the most popular large parrots in aviculture that exhibits distinct personalities, amazons are often considered as delightful pets for imitating sounds well.

African Grey Parrots is probably the most intelligent parrot there is. Despite their intelligence, greys can be hard to handle because they are generally quiet, resulting to stress attacks and reactions.

Cockatoos are considered among the favorites because they are beautiful, smart, playful, cuddly, and good talkers. Although they are generally tame, cockatoos can be hard to handle because they thrive in too much attention.

Cockatiels are most common pet birds because they are easy to breed and are relatively inexpensive pets; Budgerigars or “parakeets” that are usually afraid of humans if not trained properly; and the Eclectus that are “sexually dimorphic” or the male and females look markedly different.

The World of Pet Parrots : Important Information

In the world today there are hundreds of pet parrot species. Many of which can be brilliant companions. For the sake of confusion I will include anything parrot like into the category of parrots, e.g. Parakeets. The most popular parrots are often budgies and cockatiels, but if you are looking for something different, there are many more to choose from.

Being the most popular pet bird, a budgie is a great pet for children or people who don’t have the time and money to care for a larger bird. They are cheap to buy and they require only a small/medium sized cage. Budgies can learn to talk although this is rather difficult, but they can be trained to do small tasks. Many owners like to keep them in an aviary or in a larger cage with many more budgies. They live for about 10 years.

Cockatiels are slightly larger and may require slightly more care and attention. It is said that they belong either to the crested parrot family or the cockatoo family. They require a medium sized cage and are quite cheap to buy. They live for about 20 years so a long term commitment is required.

Cockatoos are much larger birds and are very difficult to handle if you aren’t experienced. They must be trained carefully because an out-of-control cockatoo is a recipe for disaster, for instance their large beaks could cause serious damage to the hands or even the face of a human. They require a large cage and lots of attention because they are intelligent birds; as well as a large buying cost. Possibly the most important thing to consider when buying a cockatoo is lifespan as many cockatoos can live well over 80 years.

Macaws are very popular in the large parrot category as they are intelligent, colourful and fun to play with. They require huge amounts of attention to keep them entertained as well as to prevent feather-plucking which is often very hard to cure. Smaller macaws, like the Hahn’s Macaw, are often bought as pets because they aren’t as high-maintenance as some of the bigger macaws, but beware as all macaws will need a large amount of commitment and care throughout their life, as they live 30-70 years depending on the species.

Conures are very popular as medium sized parrots. They again require a large cage and lots of attention and commitment. They are often seen to be like small macaw species, but conures tend to be cheaper, louder and possibly need slightly less attention. Conures usually live to about 25 years.

African Greys are probably the most popular large parrot species. They again require just as much attention and care as the other large parrots. They cost in between the large macaws and the small macaws and conures. They like many of the other large parrots bond strongly to their carer. African Greys also are known for their excellent ability to mimic nearly everything they hear without training. They often live to about 50 years.

Amazons are also reasonably popular. They are fun and social birds but need huge amounts of attention throughout their long lifespan, about 70 years. It is very important to think well before buying one as they live very long lives. There are 27 species of Amazon parrots that come from South America and the Caribbean. Again, a huge cage is essential for these birds.

Lovebirds are small and very popular pets that, surprisingly for their size, need lots of attention, for this reason, it is generally paired with another lovebird to give it the attention and love it needs. They can however be cared for on their own however they need lots of care. They are originally from African and live usually under 20 years.

There are some other parrot species, although they are usually less popular: Quaker parrots, other parakeets, Parrotlets, Senegal Parrot, Eclectus Parrot and more. It is very important to think about the lifespan and attention needed when deciding on a parrot species. Why not read some books about parrot species and care or look over the internet for some more information about each species. If you have already decided on a parrot species, why not look up Names 4 Pets for some pet naming ideas. Good luck on getting a parrot!

 

Parrot Species

Parrots are found on all tropical and subtropical continents including Australia and the islands of the Pacific Ocean, South Asia, southeast Asia, southern regions of North America, South America and Africa. Some Caribbean and Pacific islands are home to endemic species. By far the greatest number of parrot species come from Australasia and South America. The lories and lorikeets range from Sulawesi and the Philippines in the north to Australia and across the Pacific as far as French Polynesia, with the greatest diversity being found in and around New Guinea. The subfamily Arinae encompasses all the Neotropical parrots, including the Amazons, macaws and conures, and range from northern Mexico and the Bahamas to Tierra del Fuego in the southern tip of South America. The pygmy parrots, subfamily Micropsittinae, are a small genus restricted to New Guinea. The subfamily Nestorinae are three species of aberrant parrots from New Zealand. The broad-tailed parrots, subfamily Platycercinae, are restricted to Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands as far as Fiji. The final true parrot subfamily, Psittacinae, includes a range of species from Australia and New Guinea to the species found in South Asia and Africa. The centre of cockatoo biodiversity is Australia and New Guinea, although some species reach the Solomon Islands (and one species formerly occurred in New Caledonia), Indonesia and the Philippines. Several parrot species enter the cool, temperate regions of South America and New Zealand. One species, the Carolina Parakeet existed in temperate North America, but was hunted to extinction in the early 20th century. Numerous species have been introduced in areas with temperate climates, and have established stable populations in several states of the USA, the United Kingdom and Spain. While a few parrot species are wholly sedentary or fully migratory, the majority fall somewhere between the two, making poorly understood regional movements, some species adopting an entirely nomadic lifestyle. Extant species range in size from the Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot, at under 10 g (0.35 oz.) in weight and 8 cm (3.2 inches) in length, to the Hyacinth Macaw, at 1.0 meter (3.3 feet) in length, and the Kakapo, at 4.0 kg (8.8 lbs) in weight. Amongst the families, the three Nestoridae species are all large parrots, and the cockatoos tend to be large birds as well. The Psittacidae parrots are far more variable, ranging the full spectrum of sizes shown by the family. The most obvious physical characteristic that characterises parrots is their strong, curved, broad bill. The upper mandible is prominent, curves downward, and comes to a point. It is not fused to the skull, which allows it to move independently, and contributes to the tremendous biting pressure these birds are able to exert. The lower mandible is shorter, with a sharp, upward facing cutting edge, which moves against the flat portion of the upper mandible in an anvil-like fashion. Seed eating parrots have a strong tongue which helps to manipulate seeds or position nuts in the bill so that the mandibles can apply an appropriate cracking force. The head is large, with eyes positioned sideways, which limits binocular vision, but greatly enhances peripheral vision. Cockatoo species have a mobile crest of feathers on the top of their heads which can be raised for display, and retracted. No other parrots can do so, but the Pacific lorikeets in the genera Vini and Phigys are able to ruffle the feathers of the crown and nape. The predominant colour of plumage in parrots is green, though most species have some red or another colour in small quantities. Cockatoos are the main exception to this, having lost the green and blue plumage colours in their evolutionary history they are now predominately black or white with some red, pink or yellow. Strong sexual dimorphism in plumage is not typical amongst the parrots, with some notable exceptions, the most striking being the Eclectus Parrot.

Parrot Paradise Singapore – A Place Where You Are Closest To Beauty & Purity

Did you know that Singapore has the largest park for birds in Southeast Asia? Did you also know that parrots are considered the most intuitive, beautiful, intelligent and charming of the birds? Now at the largest park in Asia, the Jurong bird park, you can find the most varied species of parrots. At one single place, you can find parrots from all over the world. Why parrots you might ask. Well parrots are ignored a lot by the people but parrots are the most amazing birds. They have the ability to perform acrobats. They can bend and flex themselves and it is indeed a pleasure to watch them perform.

Parrots also have the ability to talk in the voice of human beings. They can mimic any voice they hear. They are extremely social by nature and are talkative and entertain the people around them completely. Parrots are neither male nor female and they lay their eggs in the wild. Today because of the depletion of forests the natural resources parrots are becoming extinct. To save these splendid creatures and earn revenue Singapore created the Parrots Paradise Singapore. This is housed in the Jurong bird park which hosts all different kinds of birds from around the world.

Parrot Paradise Singapore has about one hector land dedicated to all kinds of parrots and their well being. They house almost 500 parrots with 110 different kinds of species. Here you will be able to see how the parrots behave in their natural form. All the different kinds of species of parrots from any part are given a surrounding they are used to. Hence for a parrot found in the desert the surrounding of the dessert is given to sustain the parrot and make it feel like home. Until now the Parrots Paradise Singapore has bred over 50 species of parrots which is an achievement in itself.

Parrots Paradise is a place you must take your children to. Here the children will find their much wanted quest of knowledge for parrots and other birds. Their knowledge will increase over a fun filled way to learning. Today, in urban places one doesn’t find many parrots especially of different species hence the parrot’s paradise can showcase of the children the times they have been studying about. The children can learn a variety of things about parrots. How they eat their food, how they socialize and how they nest themselves and adapt to the environment. For a change, your children will have the time of their lives and keep talking and thinking about the time spent there for a long time.

There are many birds inhabiting here, from the Sun conure, red sided eclectus parrot, galah cockatoo, blue and gold macaw, military macaw, hyacinth macaw, blue throated macaw to many others which are endangered. All these endangered parrots are housed here for the tourists to learn about them and appreciate their beauty. They can also after looking at them, do their best in any way possible to protect the depleting and endangered nature around them.

Parrot Types

Parrot Families

All parrots, of whatever parrot types or breeds they are, belong to the scientific order Psittaciformes. That scientific order is further broken down into two different parrot families: Cacatuidae and Psittacidae.

The Cacatuidae family includes only the Cockatoo, a bird that is native to Australia and islands near that continent.

The second parrot family, the Psittacidae, includes all of the true parrot types.

Cockatoos

To most people, the cockatoo is a large white parrot with a feathered head crest that it can lift high in regal splendor. That is, however, only one of the parrot types in this family. There are 21 different cockatoos, and not every one is white.

1. The palm cockatoo is mostly dark gray, with red cheek patches below the eyes – cheek patches that change to a deeper red when the bird becomes excited or alarmed.

2. The male gang-gang cockatoo is dark gray with a cherry red head and red crest. This parrot type is often called the red-headed cockatoo.

3. The Major Mitchell’s cockatoo is often called a pink cockatoo due to its soft pastel pink shade.

4. The cockatiel’s plumage is mid-grey on top, lighter grey underneath. It has an orange cheek patch, and a prominent white blaze on its wings. It has a much longer tail than the other cockatoos have.

So Cockatoos are not always a white parrot type, and not all cockatoos are the same in build.

True Parrots

This family includes all of the other commonly-known parrot types. The list that follows is not intended to be exhaustive, but in this family, you will find parrot types such as these:

1. African Greys: This is said to be the most intelligent of all the parrot types. A large gray parrot with a red tail, some of these bird have vocabularies approaching 1,000 words or more.

2. Amazons: This popular parrot type includes about 27 sub-types. Most are large, affectionate, and predominantly green.

3. Budgies: Officially known as a parakeet or budgerigar, this parrot type is small and colorful. It is one of the most popular parrot pets.

4. Conures: This parrot type seems to be a group of large parakeets. With long tails and strong beaks, these “clowns” come in a variety of colors.

5. Eclectus: Eclectus Parrots are unusual in their coloring. On the one hand, males are bright green, with beaks like bright candy corn, tails and wings of blue or red. Females, on the other hand, have red heads, blue breasts, and the same red or blue wings and tails. In place of the candy corn look, they have black beaks.

6. Lovebirds: Lovebirds are a small, stocky parrot type – among the smallest in the world. Many are green, sometimes with red faces or eye rings.

7. Macaws: Native to South America, this is the largest parrot type in wingspan and length. The blue and gold macaw is especially beautiful.

8. Parrotlets: These may look like parakeets at first glance, but this small parrot type has a broader body and tail than the parakeet.

9. Pionus: There are many parrot types under the name Pionus parrot, and this larger, quieter parrot comes in many varieties of color.

10. Quakers: This parrot type is often called a Monk Parrot or Grey-breasted Parakeet. It is a name that comes from facial feathering that resembles an old-fashioned Quaker costume.

There are many more parrot types than this article can list or discuss, even in a surface manner. You will find muc more information in your library or bookstore.

Best Parrot Types for Children’s Pets

A final question is this: “What types of parrots are there that would make good children’s pets?”

Many children are drawn to large parrots because of their colors or their reputation for talking well, but the large parrot types are not good pets for children. They require firm handling and training, and do well as pets only when the owner has had experience first with smaller parrots.

The best parrot type for a child’s pet is the Budgerigar, aka budgie or parakeet. The small Budgerigar requires the least amount of care, and is easily trained to talk and do tricks. Budgies that are young, or those that have no cage mate, will learn most readily.

By: Anna Hart

What Do Parrots Eat – Parrot Dietary Needs and Classifications

Hello fellow Parrot owners -new owners -and hopeful owners. Thanks for visiting the “What Do Parrots Eat” information article. If you are here I will assume that you are new to Parrots or something along these lines. Personally, I have seen many people have a tough time figuring out the best possible diet for there new Parrots.

The best thing I can say is, try to figure out the EXACT species of your parrot.

Usually the pet store will provide you with this information. At least they should -but hey, there are other ways to get your own Parrot. I cannot really get into each and every Parrot species right here, but what I do want to do is show you the different dietary needs of some of the basic parrot species.

Although there are around 300 different Parrot species, we can really narrow things down , and come up with the more important needs of Parrots in general.

Feeding pet birds the right foods is important for their health. A balanced diet based on sound bird nutrition recommendations is the key. Balancing a parrot’s diet from the beginning may prevent many health and behavior problems. But it’s never too late to get your pet bird on a firm nutritional footing. It is something you will want to do since an unbalanced diet is a main cause of disease and early death in pet birds. Malnutrition is a human-made disease. Fortunately, it is also preventable.

Learn What Parrots Eat - And more. Not only can you have a firm grasp of the parrot’s dietary needs, but you can learn to train your Parrot to speak. Be Friendly, and to avoid the Parrot biting that has been known to happen quite frequently.

Types

1. There are three basic forms of “base diets” that make up the majority of a pet parrot’s food intake: seed-based diets, formulated (pelleted) diets and cooked diets. Each has advantages and disadvantages, seed-based diets are not recommended for most species because they are deficient in several important vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamin A and calcium. Seed-based diets do have the advantage of being readily accepted by nearly every parrot. Formulated diets meet basic nutritional needs that are shared among all species, but additional supplementation — usually in the form of fresh foods — are necessary to maintain the health of most species. Cooked diets may be prepared from scratch or purchased in ready-to-cook packages. These diets contain the necessary fruits and vegetables that most parrots require but spoil quickly and are not always nutritionally complete.

Considerations

2. When choosing a diet for a pet parrot, it is important to consider any species-specific nutritional needs, if that information is available. Unformtunately, the nutritional requirements of parrots are not well-known, except for the most commonly owned species. Most parrots do well on a formulated diet that is supplemented with fresh fruits, vegetables and, in some cases, nuts. Amazon parrots, cockatoos, and Eclectus parrots should be fed few, if any, supplementary nuts because they are prone to obesity when fed a calorically dense diet.

On the other hand, macaws and conures of the Aratinga genus require more fat than is typically included in a formulated diet, making the addition of nuts in this case very beneficial. Hyacinth macaws, in particular, require a large amount of nuts in their diet to maintain their health; in the wild, these birds subsist only on the nuts of the queen palm tree.

Eclectus parrots are unusual in that they should not generally be fed a formulated diet; in the wild, they are almost entirely frugivorous. They have an unusually long intestinal system and can absorb excessive amounts of vitamins if they consume a nutritionally dense diet. This species requires a large quantity of fresh produce fed daily along with grains and a small amount of protein-containing food such as cooked legumes.

Misconceptions

3. One common source of confusion in feeding pet parrots is the species’ recommendations on packaged bird foods. Unless the package specifically states that it is formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of particular species or group of species, the recommendations reflect the size of the pieces of food rather than nutritional content.

This is especially true in the case of formulated diets; pellets sold for budgies are nutritionally identical to those sold for macaws or cockatoos. The pellet size chosen should be based on what the parrot prefers (and is therefore more likely to consume) rather than on what the package indicates.

Most conures, for example, prefer pellets sold for large parrots because they tend to eat while holding the pellet in their foot. On the other hand, small parrots that eat by picking food up directly with their beak may be unable to eat very large pellets.

Small pellets rarely present problems, even for very large birds, and can help reduce the amount of food that is dropped and wasted.

To really get a better understanding of Parrots in general you should really consider getting yourself a Parrot upkeep and training guide. There is nothing better than ALWAYS having a reference guide when owing a Parrot. Not only for knowing what your Parrots need to eat and other dietary supplementation, but because these are such special bird’s/pet’s.

These bieds have been known to live for 60 years! Deciding to learn everything possible right from the beginning will undoubtedly give you such a great chance to have a string healthy Parrot for a  very long time.

Not to mention, these Parrot’s can do so much in the way of speaking and other very special thing’s. They will be your best friend for life -so please, considering grabbing your own Parrot training guide.

You can see some of the best Parrot training and upkeep guides here:

Parrot Myths

When you start thinking about adopting an Eclectus parrot, and you start talking to various people about the prospect, there is a very good chance that you will hear many myths, and absolute misinformation, concerning these very special birds. Here are the most common myths that you will likely hear:

When people first consider the possibility of owning an Eclectus parrot they hear so many good things about these birds that they begin to wonder if it’s all really true. well, I’m here to tell you that it is true because these are really wonderful pets to own.

Some people will tell you that Eclectus parrots only live for about eight to ten years. This is only true if the bird is not well cared for. A well cared for bird, on the other hand, lives to be between the ages of thirty and fifty.

Because Eclectus parrots were grossly malnourished when they were first brought to the United States – largely because nobody understood their dietary needs – these creatures were deemed as boring and stupid. This isn’t true. If the bird is well nourished, he is quite active and interesting.

Some people have also said that Eclectus parrots are an unhealthy type of bird, but once again this comes down to proper feeding. Give them the right food, in the right quantities, and you will have a most healthy pet in your family.

Still today, some owners of Eclectus parrots do not realise that these bird require much more than just bird seed and pellets. They need a balanced diet of fruits, grains, vegetables as well as seeds.

You will hear reports of Eclectus parrots that have very bad behavior. In almost all instances of bad behavior, the bad behavior is due to negligence or improper nutrition. When the bird is well attended to, he is one of the easiest of all birds to keep as a pet.

Many people mistakenly think that Eclectus parrots do not talk, or do not talk very well. This is a complete myth that only becomes true when the bird is not sufficiently worked with. Eclectus parrots are actually considered the best talkers. They can learn an extensive vocabulary of words and phrases, and will even sing songs and make sound effects. Furthermore, the males sound very masculine, and the females sound very feminine.

Next time that you hear anything bad about Eclectus parrots make sure that you check out the information and dont just take it as being true. One of the best sources of information is a long standing breeder.

Did you find this article helpful? If you did then take a look at Eclectus Parrot Care.

I have written a previous article specifically on how to keep your Eclectus Parrot healthy. If you have not seen this article, and you would like a copy, please send me an email through my website and I will be more than pleased to send you a copy, quite free of charge of course. Your beautiful bird deserves all the attention it can get.

Next Page »