Bringing a parrot or bird home

When bringing a parrot home, you'll have to take care of its physical and emotional requirements.

Cage
Every parrot needs a cage to feel secure. Buy a sturdy, huge, rust-resistant cage in which the fully-grown parrot can spread its wings comfortably and climb around without bumping into toys and perches. Check for sharp edges. And buy a secure lock for the door. A removable tray provides for easy cleaning, while a trolley facilitates transportability throughout the house and garden. A smaller cage is also needed to keep the parrot safe when cleaning the main cage and for vet visits.

Perches
Commercial hardwood perches or branches from unsprayed willow and fruit trees may be used. Clean, disinfect and check for insects. For optimum foot and mental health, perches should be of different diameter, shape, hardness and texture and arranged in an interesting way. Some perches should be above human eye level to make your bird feel secure. Change dirty and worn perches regularly.

Dishes
Stainless steel food and water dishes are the most practical. Secure the dishes to the cage.

Cage cover
A cage cover keeps your parrot warm, controls its sleeping routine and will help to prevent night frights. It also will give the parrot a sense of security and privacy.

Floor cover
Newspaper is by far the best.

Toys
To relieve boredom and frustration, your parrot should be given both destructible and indestructible toys. Change the toys regularly to keep the parrot interested. Ensure that all toys are made of safe materials. Fresh branches with peeling bark and other natural objects also qualify as toys - as long as it keeps the parrot occupied. Try to create a 'jungle' in and around the parrot's cage with ladders, branches and thick ropes.

The direct environment
The cage should be placed in a room where the bird can experience the most interaction with its human family members, but still feel safe. Avoid placing the cage in the middle of the room or next to a doorway. An ideal location would be against a wall, away from the window and constant, direct sunlight. As a bird can be quite messy, place the cage on tiles or a washable, loose rug. Make sure the environment is bird-proof. Household hazards may include other pets, electrical wires, hot plates, small objects that could be swallowed, toxic cleaning products, etc. Never leave your bird unattended when outside its cage - it's downright dangerous. A healthy parrot also will happily destroy your furniture if given half a chance.

Cleaning
Clean the cage daily. Remove uneaten food and replace floor covers. Scrub and disinfect the cage with household bleach or any other safe disinfectant once a week. Leave in the sun to dry.

Food
A diet of commercial pellet parrot food is recommended, supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables. Never give your bird avocado pear, salty snacks, sugar, alcohol, chocolates, milk, onions or fatty foods. Fresh water should always be available.

Terrible two phase
At about nine months of age, your parrot may start changing from a sweet baby into a challenging, loud, nipping teenager. This behaviour continues until about 18-24 months. The causes are based on instinctive fear of predators, dominance to establish pecking order and demanding attention.

Don't give the parrot away during this period - it's only a phase. Also, don't get angry or impatient. Take charge. You must establish yourself as the dominant member of the flock. Be a loving, strict parent that teaches him every day and provides him with food and love. He must know his place in the family, otherwise the status struggle will continue.

Never allow a parrot to climb on your shoulder at this stage. Keep training and teaching him. During this time, you will influence his behaviour for the rest of his life.

Be consistent. Don't spoil him or let him have his way when he's out of control. All family members must be consistent in enforcing rules. The parrot will test his social rank in the family.

Practice the step-up command daily. This command is never a multiple choice.

He has to learn to co-operate for attention, food, transport and affection. Also, teach the parrot to play independently.

Avoid bad behaviour before it happens and don't reinforce bad behaviour with attention, food, laughter or screaming. Only reward good behaviour.

Establish a daily routine. Then provide good food, a big cage, lots of destructible toys, social interaction, outings to prevent phobias and territorialism, opportunities to exercise and burn off steam, frequent baths, decision-making options and interesting things to do. Share activities such as eating, bathing, talking, singing, exercising and express affection in the presence of the bird.

Don't constantly reprimand the parrot without giving it an alternative option.

Learn to read his body language and don't interfere when he's busy or angry about something. Tell him what you expect before touching him. Tell him to be a good bird and let him step up.

Don't give up. You're responsible for a long, loving relationship with your parrot - enjoy it.

Seed for birds - silent killer

It's a misconception that a bird's diet should consist of seeds. The latter is deficient in almost every nutrient except fat. Even if your bird is supplied with extra fruit and vitamins, the diet is almost definitely still unbalanced, lacking essential amino acids and proteins. An all-seed diet is a death diet.

Because we've taken away their freedom to feed themselves, bird pellets are the most nutritious, scientifically formulated feeding plan for captive birds. You can rest assured that every bite is balanced.

Malnutrition is directly or indirectly responsible for 99 percent of the problems seen in avian patients. Some of the horrific seed-related problems seen by vets almost every day are: feather plucking and self-mutilation; sinusitis; respiratory problems; kidney failure; abscesses; feather stress lines; itchy, flaky skin, obesity and liver failure; poor immune system; goiter in budgies; seizures and balancing problems; rickets; leg weakness; bleeding; poor growth; arteriosclerosis; sudden collapse or fainting; and behavioural problems.

Among the good foods are: commercial egg food from Aviplus or Nutribird; warm adult bird porridge from Aviplus; guava; green peppers; whole grain cereals; wholewheat toast; mushrooms; couscous; mieliepap; rice cakes; sprouts; non-fat yoghurt; low fat cheese; pumpkin; apricots; green asparagus; figs; tomatoes; cooked white fish; pineapple; salt-free nuts; radishes; strawberries; cabbage; cucumber; and watermelon.

When having a meal, you may share some of the above good foods with your parrot. Offer it in a separate bowl and remove after an hour.

Birds may accept a new diet more readily first thing in the morning when the appetite is strongest. Clean the cage and give fresh pellets and water before the bird goes to bed. Provide limited portions only - 10 gm per 100 gm of the bird's weight. Too much food will only spoil, waste and cause disease.

Don't starve your bird. Cockatiels, budgies and finches may starve themselves instead of eating the new pellet food. Let them go half a day without seeds and only provide the new food. If they don't eat anything the whole day, rather give them baby porridge, fruit and veggies or egg food.

Birds are social eaters and want to eat when the flock is eating. Pretend that you're eating the food with the family and praise everyone eating it. Don't try to bribe the parrot with it. Just leave the food there and walk away.

Never feed a parrot from your mouth or spoon. You have bacteria in your mouth that may be deadly to your parrot.

Always wash fruit and vegetable first. Don't give wilted or overripe fruit/veg - only food that you'll eat yourself. Use a food processor and cut the fruit/veg into small pieces. Add a pinch of Spirulina every day. This is a very high source of vitamins, anti-oxidants and an excellent immune stimulant. Also add pro-biotics every day.

Beak care

Critical to the overall health of your bird is caring for his beak. Not only is the beak the entry for nutrients, it's also used for climbing and playing. Promote beak health by ensuring the bird is receiving all the necessary nutrients and detecting problems early.

At-home beak care includes:

• Check your bird's beak daily. Look for cracks, overgrowth or discolouration.
• Consult an avian veterinarian if you think your bird's beak is growing unevenly. This might indicate underlying problems such as liver or nutritional issues. An avian vet can determine the reason for the problem, as well as trimming the beak to prevent eating or preening problems.
• Provide chewing toys, because any toy that a bird has to work at by chewing will help keep his beak trim. These include self-made toys which alternate mineral pieces with rope, wooden blocks and plastic.
• Include different perch textures, including cement perches specifically made for beak and nail health. Don't use sandpaper perches.
• House the bird in a properly sized cage. Especially owners of large parrots need to provide a sturdy cage not made of toxic lead and zinc.