Parrots are wonderful pets, but not all of them are suitable. Many parrots are left homeless three years after they were bought, simply because their owners chose without thinking well. Here are a few tips to help you decide if the parrot will become a good pet for you and your family.
Steps
-
By preparing food for your parrot, you show him your love. It’s good if you give him more varied food, giving them choices and new habits. The most popular favorite among bird owners is “bird bread”. This is bread, inside of which there is something baked from food for parrots. This is a great way to feed your pet if he refuses any particular food, because this food is “hidden” inside the bread. This is a particularly wonderful idea if your parrot does not like vegetables!
Warnings
- Do not take a parrot with behavioral problems, unless you have taken special courses or preparation for how to deal with such problems. Parrots who have been rescued from certain situations or parrots at the age who changed their house have such problems. * NEVER rescue a parrot from a pet store with terrible conditions! Buying a parrot there, you financially support them, which ensures that they will continue to buy and torture birds, keeping them in terrible conditions. Report the store to the appropriate local authorities and boycott it.
- Do not buy very tiny chicks. Feeding from the hand of such a chick requires VERY specific skills, and you can seriously harm or even kill the baby by improper feeding. A parrot will not be more attached to you just because you fed it from a hand in childhood! If you are not an expert, then wait until they grow enough to take them home.
First you need to decide what kind of parrot you want to get. There are long-tailed and budgerigars, there are Corelli (Australian parrots). There is a huge variety of parrots, not all of them are as large and variegated as macaws, some as African gray, less bright, but they have a bright red tail. A white cockatoo with a bright yellow crest. And also at parrots the beak bent by a hook.
The cost can vary from $ 20 for a budgie to $ 12 thousand for a hyacinth macaw. But these are extremes. Most usually spend between $ 50 and $ 2,500 per chick. Just remember that if a bird is inexpensive, this does not mean that it needs less love, attention and care than an expensive and brighter parrot.
You will need to buy a cage with a lattice, the size of which would suit your bird correctly, and so that the cage is large enough depending on the size of the parrot. For example, a white-bellied parrot is considered a small and medium-sized bird, but they are so energetic that they need a very large cage. The parrot will use every centimeter of the cell, including its gender. African gray loves to sit on the perch in the middle of the cage or at the top, but he will also need a large cage, despite the fact that it is medium in size. For them, you need to buy the largest cells, as they like a lot of space. But there are limits to the smallest cells. Many stores recommend the smallest cells measuring 46x46x46 cm for African grays. In fact, this is too small a cage. As the owner of such a parrot, I recommend 76x76x76 cm. A cage would be even better, but this is the minimum size of the cage in which your parrot will be happy and healthy. If you cannot afford to buy a cage of the right size for money, maybe you should refuse to buy a parrot. Cells are expensive, but you need to think about them as an investment. Buying a cage and everything you need can last a long time.
You need to buy three cups for water and 6 cups for food (if you buy a large cage 1.8m x 0.4m x 0.9 m; if the cage is smaller, then do not). There must always be 3 cups in the cage. One with fresh water, one with regular food and one for a daily serving of fresh food. If you want, you can add a fourth for sweets or toys. A cup of water should be taken and washed once a day, and twice a week - a cup for dry food, such as seeds (well, or unscheduled, if your bird mistakenly spoils the cup). You also need to buy either a parrot stand or a playground for games when you release it from the cage. All parrots must be periodically released from the cage. They need to buy toys, and when you buy for the first time, you need to buy several different types: jigsaw puzzles, acrylic, wooden (true, red-tailed parrots and macaws quickly dissolve them into fibers if they are made of thin wood) and rope toys. These toys need to be alternated, removing them from the cage and replacing them with new ones when the old ones are worn out. Acrylic toys do not wear out, but parrots need toys that they will destroy. This can be costly because toys cost from 3 to 150 dollars. To save money, you can learn how to make such toys yourself. They are necessary for the health and happiness of your parrot. You also need to include high-quality granular grains in their diet, by themselves they cannot become a healthy diet for a parrot, but as an addition to a balanced diet, they are very useful. Also, you will need to buy them and human food like nuts (in the form of refreshments), fresh vegetables and fruits. You also need cell cleaning products (Poop Off is a good brand), bedding or newspapers for the bottom of the cell. We recommend using newspapers because they are always at hand and non-toxic.
Calculate your budget. Be prepared for the fact that you have to spend from 10 to 50 dollars for toys, 30 dollars for food and 25 for all sorts of other additional expenses every month.
Find a bird veterinarian. As soon as you buy a parrot, it will need to be taken for a physical examination. You may need to be vaccinated. The usual vaccination is a few shots from the polyoma virus. If your budgie looks sick, take him to the vet immediately. Parrots masterfully hide their diseases, because the protective mechanism is fixed in their behavior in their natural habitat, so that you will see symptoms only if the parrot is already very sick. At the early stage, only a very attentive and loving owner can catch the signs of the disease. And if one day your parrot shows obvious signs of the disease, this is a critical period and it must be urgently shown to the veterinarian. This means that the disease has been developing for some time. An urgent visit costs about $ 250 and above. In the seven years that parrots have been living with me, I was fortunate to have only twice been in such emergency situations. However, there are people who have had to spend thousands of dollars to treat their pet. You must have the financial ability to pay the high bill of the veterinarian if such a need arises, or plan visits to the bird veterinarian, which will allow you to plan expenses. Many owners are considering whether to go on an unplanned visit to the doctor or not, because it requires expenses, and the result is sad. Medical services for birds are much more expensive than veterinary services for dogs or cats, because it is a complex and constantly changing field of science. Therefore, such veterinarians have to devote more time to the study of exotic birds. Therefore, it is very important to visit a certified veterinarian.
So, now you figured out what a parrot is and how much it will cost you. And you still want to get a budgie. Now is the time to figure out which particular parrot you want to buy.
Most of the low-budget parrots are small, and you can still choose from this variety. If you have more money, you can afford to be picky. However, more expensive does not mean better. The best parrot is the one that will bring you joy, and it may not be a macaw at all. It could be a corella. More expensive parrots are those who are difficult to breed or rare species that, in general, have no place to sit at home in a cage. Before spending a large amount of money on a bird, determine whether its species is under threat of extinction.
Some parrots live to 80 years. Such a pet should be mentioned in the will, passing it to someone. Diseases, ailments, accidents and genetic defects - all this can end the life of any creature before the deadline. Many parrots today live long because we better understand their needs.
Start exploring the information! A good book about parrots will tell you almost everything you want to know about how to become the owner of a variety of species.
Find a good breeder and look at their parrots. Mostly there will be chicks, and small parrots behave differently from adults. Often they are not so noisy, more friendly, more quickly adapt to changes and more touching. It will be ideal if you can contact local parrot owners through online groups and look at their adult birds. If there is a bird shelter near you, you can search there. They have courses there for beginning owners of parrots or for those who want to get older birds. Remember, if you take a chick, there is no guarantee that his character will remain the same when he grows up! As well as human children, they have a period of childhood, maturation, youth, etc.
Appearance. This is the last thing you need to think about. All parrots are beautiful, just some are brighter than others. If you want to choose this particular bird, because it matches the color of your furniture, do not waste money. Go away and you better buy yourself a picture. When you buy a bird, it makes no sense to focus on the appearance, the main thing is its nature.
Decide how many parrots you want. If you have never held them before, start with one, and then see how much you can pull physically and financially. Keep in mind, if you add another parrot, you will have to double the time you spend on caring for the bird, take into account the clutter and noise factor that they will create. Consider the amount of time, money, and emotional reserve before you buy too many birds.
Noise can be a problem. Parrots are very noisy by nature and will emit invocation cries of the flock throughout the day. Some species are quieter than others. Most of them are not suitable for those who live in apartments, since noise can annoy neighbors. There are no parrots that would NEVER scream. Someone screams several times a day, someone at least 15 minutes or more, this is a natural behavior for them. If properly trained, excessive cries can be eliminated.
Often the behavior of budgerigars is perplexing and perplexing the novice owners. Basically, these pets by their actions are trying to explain what they want. To establish communication with the bird, any owner must understand what this or that bird movement, posture or strange sounds means. In this article we will consider the basic habits of budgies.
Budgerigars have a very changeable character and their own perception of the world around them. They can have fun and, in a minute, have a lot of fun and grunt. Some birds have a flexible disposition and therefore they make contact quite easily, others behave quite aggressively, others are cowardly and can constantly hide from brothers or people.
The owner must understand the behavior of his pet in order to be able to understand in time when everything is in order with him and when something is wrong. Of course, changing the nature of the "wave" will not work, but you can change his attitude personally to the owner. Observing these birds for a long time, we can conclude that their habits are divided into two types:
- biological;
- external.
Let us consider in more detail each type of behavior of a budgerigar.
Biological factors
Sexual arousal
During sex drive, when the level of testosterone rises in budgies, their behavior changes markedly. In some birds this is very noticeable, while others quite calmly tolerate such changes.
For example, a lone male can try to mate with the owner’s hand or with some toy, and the female - eggs. That is why, at such moments, experts advise cleaning away from the pet. If he takes this item as a partner, then relations with a real bird may not work out. There were cases when a bird, not receiving reciprocity from its reflection, fell into a deep depression.
Hormonal activity makes budgies to care for each other. If you notice that the behavior of the birds has changed, they started spinning next to each other, taking various poses, making loud noises, cooing, which means they are ready for.
However, if you have a single male or a single female, then puberty in them is manifested in the form of habits such as rubbing a cesspool on a heart or a rod of a cage. At such moments, picking up a pet is not recommended - he may begin to do the same with you. Also, you can not pat the female on the back, because after that she can lay eggs.
Some pets living alone may begin to feed their master. On the one hand, this speaks of the manifestation of love, but during the sexual period, the bird thus manifests its parental instinct. If you don’t like this behavior, distract the parrot with a toy or something else when it begins to crank its neck.
Possible problems
Under the influence of hormones, the pet can become quite aggressive and begin to bite. Females are especially active in this regard. Since you still have to clean the cage, replace the water and food, you will have to think about how to wean the parrot from this bad habit. Otherwise, these habits will bring you inconvenience.
There are several options for weaning a parrot to bite. Consider an example of the most effective option.
By the way, the answer to the question: why does the budgerigar bite, there can be not only hormonal changes. Such habits can also occur due to a lack of attention, a defensive reaction, and character traits. And some birds play this way. Therefore, it is first necessary to establish the cause of this behavior, and only then try to eliminate it.
After you understand at what moments the pet strives to bite you, begin to remove the object of biting, strictly saying "You can not." Then try to turn his attention to something else (a toy, a yummy one).
Get ready for the fact that the bird does not immediately understand what you want from it. Remember - to wean a parrot to bite, you have to be patient. You can not shout at him and even more so to beat. The pet may be afraid to start biting harder, defending itself against you. Gradually, he will cease to perform actions that are objectionable to you, having heard your categorical “It is impossible”.
Also, to wean a parrot from biting, you can gently click on its beak before he wants to do it. But this is not the best way, since it does not always act on the bird. You can just leave the room when your pet tries to bite you. He will understand that he is losing your attention and will cease to behave this way.
External factors
Throat problems
Sometimes, watching a wavy parrot, you may notice that he opens his beak several times in a row. Moreover, the bird does not make any sounds. Many owners may be afraid of such a strange thing. We will figure out what can cause this behavior.
Firstly, pets thus try to clear their throats after they have cleaned their plumage. The fact is that during such a hygienic procedure a small part of the fluff falls into their throats, and the parrots try to get rid of it.
Secondly, this behavior may be due to the fact that the bird choked on something. No need to worry - the “wavy” easily cope with such problems.
Thirdly, the parrot opens its mouth because it is infected. In this case, these movements are accompanied by a lethargic appearance of the pet, loss of appetite and a decrease in its activity. If you notice something like this for your feathered friend, urgently consult a veterinarian for advice. Only he can make a more accurate diagnosis after examining the bird and prescribe treatment.
It is very bad if the budgerigar breathes with its mouth open. Such bird behavior indicates that he has problems with the airways. If a bird does this for a long time and in a sitting position, it may have been sick for a long time. Take your pet to the vet urgently for timely intervention.
Accommodations
If your wavy pet hides its head under the wing, it may just be cold. So the bird tries to keep warm. Try to enlarge the room with a portable heater. The main thing is that he does not stand too close to the cage with a parrot.
Often a bird hides its head under the wing during sleep. But not all individuals do this — some may sleep by tilting their head forward or throwing it back. In general, these birds can. For example, grabbing one foot on the cage, and the other on the perch.
However, if your wavy pet often tries to hide its head under the wing while it should be awake, and this movement is accompanied by rapid or labored breathing, lack of appetite, weakness, drowsiness, lack of singing, the parrot may be sick or depressed.
The lessons of Russian-bird.
The fact that the communication of animals is fundamentally different from ours, human, was also told by biology textbooks. Whether nature, or our own extraordinary ways of dealing with it gave people speech. However, this, rather, added problems to ourselves, than somehow exalted it above the animal kingdom.
Communication between animals takes place at a completely different level and may include not only auditory communication channels, but also olfactory and tactile ones. As for the birds, they can be attributed to those lucky ones who are given a special voice and the opportunity to communicate with their own kind not just anyhow, but really beautifully. Superbly developed ears and a strong vocal apparatus - this is exactly the result of which we hear in the mornings in the forest. But let’s leave the forest birds their own rich and mysterious life of beautiful songs: their parrot relatives mastered communication at the highest level.
For example, it is worthwhile to dwell on a species whose number of individuals in captivity exceeds the number of individuals in nature. This is the beloved mischievous budgie. For starters, it would be nice to destroy the standard, according to which it is believed that the parrot’s favorite pastime is screaming and copying human speech. A budgie on closer inspection can be a very interesting model for studying the bird's communication system.
To begin with: that very sharp and unbearable parrot cry for many, which can be reproduced by the sounds of Russian speech approximately as “cha-cha-cha”, is not really the main sound theme of bird life. You can run into such a cry only when the parrot is greatly excited by something or if he has an excellent, vigorous and even impudent mood. The yell “cha-cha-cha” with an open vowel accompanies an active cross in the cell with jumping onto the grill, ceiling and wingspan. So a person who heard such a passage should translate it as "I have fun, the morning is fine, but are you having fun?"
“Cha-cha-cha”, only with a more closed vowel and covered beak, the parrot pronounces when he wants to approve something. Approximately this can be translated as "yes, yes, exactly so, master, and there is nothing to look at me like that." Most often, this sound is reduced to simply “chak-chak”, which brings even more weight to bird information.
The bird can just “get on” how to whistle, having informed that the situation is generally favorable for him, but there are not enough reasons for fun. It is worth noting that if in nature birds communicate exclusively with each other, then the life of a parrot is tightly tied to a person, which is why he uses his sounds to convey information to the owner. That’s why it’s nice to understand what the bird is talking about and understand that it is not yelling at all, but just talking.
If a person and a parrot have good contact, the first time they meet, say, in the morning, the parrot can often strike the owner with its closed beak and say something like “chak-chvyak”! So did the outgoing bird Masha Galina Muller and the parrot of the author Artush. This can only be translated as "hello, very happy"! A parrot can do the same with a relative, but it is not yet a question of whether he will receive a corresponding answer: birds love to exchange cuffs.
The second most frequent parrot utterance is the peak sound, in which, in the loudest phase, it is easy to hear the typically sparrow tweet. This is the first sound that parrot kids learn to make when they only have a voice cut through. Usually it sounds like “piu” - very childish.
“Chirp-chirp” has several shades in a parrot lexicon. By the way, it is precisely by this parameter - melodism - that the parrot language can be remotely compared with the Chinese language, because there too the meaning of many words depends on the said melody and intonation. The sound “tweet-tweet-tweet” usually indicates that the parrot doesn’t understand the situation and wants to clarify something. And the more incomprehensible the situation, the more piercing and louder the persistent “chirp!” Turning into a piercing and monosyllabic repeating “pi”! "Pi!". Kesha Olga Patlata usually did so when the owners made some manipulations with the curtains. The sound, light and atmosphere acted on this pretty green guy just unnervingly. With his desperate “pi!” He prayed to explain to him what the hell was going on and to stop it as soon as possible.
Parrots can talk in a similar way when they call a relative, say, if they took the cage. Then it can be translated as “Where? Where? ”Contrary to the popular belief that a bird can scream from hunger, we can say that, in the absence of food, the parrot, on the contrary, is silent and tries to convey information to the person with its behavior rather than a scream.
“Pi” said in a calmer tone, with additional sounds like “piu”, usually translated as a question, but asked calmly and patiently. For example, Arthur always resorted to such issues when his cell was moved to another place for some reason. He was bewildered, and questioned, but tactfully and rather quietly.
Parrots are great explorers. They can arrange a trip to your home and learn a lot about themselves. So in the lexicon they have their own sound, which the parrot pronounces when it is very good and interesting. Usually it resembles the words “chivi-chivi-chivi” uttered with a full mouth, repeated three times after each pause. What does the parrot say, without interrupting the matter. This is what the bird Artusha did, adoring to untie the fringe on the floor lamp. Focusing on these insidious sounds, the owners already realized that the bird got to his favorite pastime.
In addition to the basic sounds for expressing strong emotions, the parrot has the ability to sing in a peculiar way. It is the combination of the sounds “piu” and chuck that give birth to his famous trill. By this trill the parrot makes it clear that his mood is good and calm, and he is not unnerved. The parrot is in a comfortable position. Most often, in front of a mirror or some outstanding object, such as a nail, curls of furniture or another parrot, it begins to sing.
Researchers of songbird forest birds have noted parts of trills and knees. The parrot doesn’t have any special rings, it combines sounds arbitrarily, depending on the mood and creative fuse. In general terms, this song looks like “thu-thu-thu-chuck, thu!” From afar, it may seem like water is flowing. In this state, it’s better not to touch the parrot - not to spoil his mood. Yes, and the song itself, although unsophisticated, but quite pleasant by ear. Sometimes a chisel appears in a song, which in itself is a sign of inspiration.
If the parrot is tired of its own fun, but not yet to the extent that it wants to fall asleep, you can hear cooing sounds from it, such as pronounced softly and under your nose, with its beak closed “que, quee, quee-ee.” The intonation of sounds is reduced. In a sleepy state, talking about how tired he is and how well he is reduced to a simple “kyo-yo-yo, kyo-yo.”
The parrot can "croak" in a completely different tone. Then this is no longer a quiet coo, but a desperate cry. Anyone who has ever tried to pick up a parrot has come across this. The heart-rending “quya!” Sometimes resembles a squeal of pigs and only signals that the parrot wants you to immediately leave it alone.
Parrots are prone to both fun and some negative emotions. For example, a parrot dissatisfied with the behavior of a person or a feathered partner makes a very unpleasant scream, reminiscent of gurgling. It can be conveyed as “piti-piti-piti” with a very sublime intonation, sometimes breaking down to the final loud “peak”! two beautiful girls Ricky and Nicky often switch to a similar language, defending each other the right to a twig or piece of apple. This can also apply to a person, so watch your pet. Say, a prominent bird man Arthur always reacted very negatively to what was being done directly in front of his cage. Any mop-up or attempt to take the remote control was accompanied by a chatter.
The rumbling sounds indicate that the parrot is good, and he trusts the one to whom this rumbling is related. Birds can similarly communicate with each other. It looks like this: two parrots (not necessarily “husband” and “wife”) sit next to each other and climb into their beaks. Direct feeding is rare. The sound of the rumble of a bumblebee, which can be reproduced as "boar-boar-boar" signals that there is some very pleasant and confidential conversation between the birds.
The parrot emits a loud, but lonely and sharp squeak with severe pain. This, so to speak, is a bird "oh." When Arthur was bitten by his girlfriend Pear, he cried out that way. To avoid bodily suffering, a parrot can bring the matter to a kind of uterine roar. Usually this sound is very difficult to hear, it comes as if from a bird’s stomach, sometimes bursting out with the whistle of a teapot. You can never bring a parrot to such a state! A bird with a good memory for emotions, it may not forgive the owner of such a situation.
As for the so-called "speaking" so beloved by some owners, for a parrot this is also just one of the possible sounds of its parrot language. A parrot uses human words to express its emotions. Most often, parrots speak in a good and calm mood, but they can skip a word or two in some emergency situations or out of place. The fact that parrots can pronounce words at the right time is a separate conversation. It is only worth mentioning the remarkable intelligence of these birds, allowing them to correctly use their vocabulary.
Hanna Vartiainen, Ph.D. in Biology, an ornithologist at the University of Finland in Oulu, recalls that the parrot, like any bird, has rich communication experience and a developed brain that controls the communication process.
“The brain of a parrot is different in structure from ours, but this does not mean that it is less perfect,” she says. “For any bird, sound is the main communication tool. If you deprive a bird of the ability to make sounds, it will generally die. Therefore, their sound communication system is so rich, and it is very difficult to comprehend it to the end. Birds are capable of manifesting feelings - resentment, jealousy, caring - and we must appreciate this and respect. ”
Therefore, when the budgerigar sits and quietly “bows,” he actually conducts a melodic monologue, which, perhaps, it became easier for a person to understand.
Tweets
The main sounds made by the parrot include a “peak”, in which, in the loudest phase, it is easy to hear a “chivik” resembling a sparrow “chirp”. This is the first sound that the chicks learn to pronounce when they only have a voice cut through: so they ask them to feed, to pay attention to them. Therefore, even in adulthood, this sound is usually associated with some kind of request from a bird. What the parrot wants to convey to the owner depends on the melody and volume of this sound. If the bird is ignored, the sound becomes louder and sharper.
A “peak” or “piu”, said in a calmer tone, usually translates as a question asked calmly and patiently. For example, a bird can use such sounds if its cage is moved to another place for some reason. Or if the owners started a rearrangement of furniture in the room, the parrot may be a little perplexed as to why everything is not in its place. Or if a person appears in front of the pet in an unusual way - in large sunglasses or, say, with a colander on his head (who knows?)
Parrots are great explorers. They like to arrange excursions to the little-known corners of your home and learn something unfamiliar to themselves. So in the lexicon they have a special sound that the parrot utters without interruption when it is very good and interesting to him. It usually sounds like a quiet “chivi-chivi-chivi”, and is periodically repeated after a pause.
In a calm state, the parrot can simply “nibble” quietly - as if to whistle, thereby informing others that the situation is generally favorable for him, but there are not enough reasons for a longer tirade.
If a parrot makes a fuss ...
The sharp cries of a parrot, which can be reproduced as “cha-cha! cha-cha! ”, have a different meaning depending on the situation. The parrot can rebel and demand to let him go for a walk. He can “call” the bird that he heard outside the window. He may also be thrilled with something, intrigued to the limit - a peculiar ecstasy of many birds leads to the loud rustling of cellophane and foil, the fall of a spoon or pile of books from the edge of the table and other "emergency situations". You can run into a similar cry even when the parrot has an excellent, vigorous and even daring mood. Usually, yelling is accompanied by active cross-country cages with jumping onto the grill and flapping wings.
Anyone who has ever tried to take an untamed parrot into his hands has come across a heart-rending cry of “quya!” The sound can be frightened or indignant, and sometimes resembles a piggy squeal. It signals that the parrot wants / requires that you immediately leave it alone. But the parrot emits a loud and sharp single squeak if it hurts - for example, if another bird pecked it. This, so to speak, is a bird "oh."
Parrots are prone to both fun and some negative emotions. For example, a parrot dissatisfied with the behavior of a person or a feathered partner makes a scandal: it makes a very unpleasant “electric” scream, which can be transmitted as a “piti-piti-piti” with a very sublime intonation, sometimes breaking into a final loud “peak”!
If the parrot sings and cooes ...
Most of the time budgerigars have a great mood, which they accompany with singing. The parrot takes a comfortable position, most often in front of a mirror or some outstanding object like a nail, a teaspoon, curls of furniture or another parrot, and begins to sing. In this state, it’s better not to touch the parrot - not to spoil his mood. Yes, and the song itself, although unsophisticated, but quite pleasant by ear.
Usually a parrot combines sounds randomly, depending on the mood and creative fuse. The combination of sounds “chivik” (but deeper and more melodic) and “chuck” give rise to the famous trill, with which the parrot makes it clear that he has a good mood and sees his life in rainbow colors. In general, it sounds like “thu-thu-thu-chuck, thu!” At the same time, it may seem as if the water murmurs. Sometimes a chisel appears in a song, which in itself is a sign of inspiration.
If the parrot mutters ...
If the parrot is tired of its own fun, but not yet to the extent that it wants to fall asleep, you can hear cooing sounds from it, such as pronounced softly and under your nose, with its beak closed “que, quee, quee-ee.” The intonation of sounds is reduced. In a sleepy state, talking about how tired he is and how good he is is reduced to a simple “kyo-yo-yo, kyo-yo.”
The funny sound of the bumblebee rumbling, which can be reproduced as “boar-boar-boar”, indicates that there is some kind of very pleasant and confidential conversation between two birds - they can feed each other or just “rattle” with their beaks. Just do not confuse good-natured grunts with the signs of the disease - wheezing and shortness of breath, which occur in lethargic and tousled birds with a dull look and poor appetite (such a pet is uniquely sick and needs to be shown to a veterinarian urgently).
If the parrot spoke ...
As for the "talking" beloved by the owners, for the bird this is a valuable additional way of communication. Most often, parrots speak in a good and calm mood, but they can skip a word or two in some emergency situations or out of place. It is no secret that feathered talkers can pronounce words at the right time: the remarkable intelligence of these birds allows them to correctly use their vocabulary.
To simplify the task, you should always say the most important moments of interacting with the bird aloud - so that the parrot knows how to convey basic information to a person if necessary (eat, drink, swim, walk, go home, hello, come to me, it's time to sleep). This vocabulary can gradually expand - for example, a parrot will learn how to ask for a favorite treat (apple, banana, grass, etc.)
Feathered pets, however, like other pets, can not complain to us about health problems that have arisen. And only master observation and intuition will help to identify the disease in time and start treatment in a timely manner. The whole process is complicated by the fact that in parrots the development and course of the disease proceeds rapidly, and sometimes almost without symptoms. Any changes in the behavior or appearance of a feathered friend can be the initial symptoms of a developing disease that is easier to cure at the initial stage.
How to identify a parrot disease by behavior?
The first signs of illness are usually associated with changes in bird behavior. You should not panic for any slightest deviation from the usual behavior of the parrot, but there are a number of symptoms that require more careful monitoring of the pet and timely treatment to the veterinarian ornithologist.
These symptoms include:
- a lethargic, indifferent or depressed state, sleep throughout the day, apathy, which is usually not characteristic of an active pet with a cheerful disposition;
- indifferent to everything that happens around;
- any sounds made by the parrot and uncharacteristic for it (for example, wheezing or mournful squealing);
- “Loss of voice” or hoarseness;
- refusal of food;
- hard breath;
- strong weight loss;
- intense thirst;
- disheveled or “frizzled” state, head down;
- the parrot constantly covers its eyes, shakes its head from side to side, as if trying to shake something from it;
- a lethargic state is accompanied by nausea and regurgitation of food that has not yet been digested;
- severe itching;
- the appearance of tumors on the body;
- causeless lameness, convulsions, seizures;
- constant sneezing, discharge from the beak, breathing through the open beak;
- the parrot does not brush or does not do as well as usual;
- liquid droppings or offensive odors;
- violation of coordination of movements, the parrot flies from time to time on the wall.
How to identify a parrot disease in the eyes?
The eyes of a healthy parrot are clear and clean, without clouding, secretions, inflammations and any mechanical damage. Accordingly, the following signs may become a reason for a visit to the veterinarian:
- one or both eyes are closed or half-closed;
- redness of the eyes or swelling, lacrimation;
- purulent or watery discharge;
- opacities or spots visible on the iris;
- the bird combs the area around the eye about the bars of the cage, objects inside it or with the help of a paw.
How to identify a bird disease by its beak?
A clean, shiny and smooth beak with dry nasal openings, without any discharge, testifies to the normal health of the bird. Some serious infectious diseases, as well as fairly serious diseases of the internal organs, may be evidenced by changes in the state of the beak.
Signs of a parrot malaise, determined by the beak:
- the parrot combes the nasal openings about the bars of the cage, objects inside it or with the help of a paw;
- the appearance of roughness on the surface of the beak;
- growths, cracks, peeling on the beak;
- tumors or abscesses on the growth of the beak;
- the appearance of plaque;
- the beak is very flaky;
- too fast beak growth, in which the parrot does not have time to grind it;
- changes in beak color;
- nasal congestion, redness or discharge from them.
How to determine the disease of a parrot by plumage?
It is believed that plumage is actually the first and main indicator of bird health. Beautiful feathers, with bright colors, smooth and shiny, strong, not tousled, and tightly pressed to the body - this is the "standard" of a healthy feathered pet. The correct maintenance of a parrot largely determines its future health. It is extremely important to comply with such parameters as humidity, temperature in the room where the cell is located, as well as properly adjusted lighting. These factors are fundamental to the beauty of the plumage and the health of the parrot. During molting, birds experience an additional load on the body, which is often accompanied by intestinal disorders, lethargy, sometimes an increase in body temperature, and a deterioration in appetite. At this time, the feathered diet should be as complete and varied as possible, it is best to use industrial feeds designed specifically for birds during molting.
In addition to natural molting, stress molting is also distinguished when a bird is frightened, this is the so-called protective reaction to fright. If molting occurs due to factors such as drafts, colds, or exhaustion of the body, all measures should be taken to solve the problem - relocate the cage to a place where drafts are excluded, adjust the room temperature or review the parrot's diet.
Signs that identify possible problems in bird health:
- delamination and fragility of feathers;
- damaged rods or feathers;
- feathering;
- disheveled, protruding feathers;
- a parrot with frenzy tears feathers and fluff;
- shedding of feathers in large numbers, the appearance of bald spots and baldness;
- during molting hemp does not open, and the bird tries to pull or peck them;
- the feathers seem wet, but the parrot did not bathe before;
- bleeding at the site of a broken pen;
- contamination with droppings of plumage growing around the cloaca (this often indicates an intestinal disease);
- contamination of feathers in the area of \u200b\u200bgoiter and sternum (consequences of vomiting, which may indicate an infection of goiter).
How to identify poultry disease in the paws?
It should be remembered that lameness is not always the cause of a paw injury. In some cases, this is considered one of the signs of serious diseases of the internal organs, such as the kidneys.
Signs of paw disease
- peeling of the skin of the paws;
- the appearance of growths or cracks in the paws;
- redness, swelling of the paws;
- the parrot squeezes the foot, and when moving it tries not to lean on it;
- lameness;
- the appearance of bloody traces;
- tuberous skin, raised horny scales, as well as the presence of epidermal crusts, says infection with scabies mites.
How to identify a parrot disease by litter?
The color of normal feces can be green or brownish, and also have different shades that are in this range of colors. Contact your veterinarian if:
- feces have an unpleasant fetid odor;
- in feces, a large amount of fluid (diarrhea);
- the presence of mucus, blisters, or blood.
With severe, constant diarrhea, when the litter is colored red, if the bird is not helped in time, it can die within a day.
The urate of a healthy parrot is usually light, often white, although it may be light cream or creamy, opaque, slightly similar to chalk. You should be wary if their color has changed to yellow or green, if this is not associated with the use of certain types of products, for example, dried fruits.
Normal urine is clear. Deviation from the norm is a change in color and an increase in its quantity.
A large amount of urine, liquid feces, drops of blood or insufficiently digested food in the litter, all these are alarming symptoms.
When considering a litter of a parrot, an important factor should be taken into account - the food that he consumes. So, when changing the diet of a feathered pet, even moving from one grain feed to another, the color of feces can change, and this is not at all a cause for concern. And with some types of liquid diets for birds, feces can be somewhat more watery than usual, which is also permissible. Therefore, it is important for the bird owner to be able to analyze all the components. If there are changes in the litter with a constant diet, and this is accompanied by other symptoms, for example, changes in the behavior of the parrot (lethargy, apathy, drowsiness, etc.), then it's time to consult a veterinarian.
