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Clean
environment:
your parrot's cage needs to be cleaned every day. Dry feces release
spores into the air that cause dangerous and often fatal respiratory
illnesses. Unlike your dog or cat that can move away from it's
"bathroom," your parrot sits inches from his droppings
all day, every day. By cleaning and disinfecting the cage daily,
your parrot and you can stay healthy. Convenient bedding or newspaper,
a spray bottle of disinfectant and a roll of paper towels kept
handy make daily clean up easy. Believe it or not, simple daily
routines like cage cleaning have psychological benefits as well.
Pet birds are less anxious when they can count on and look forward
to regular, routine interaction.
Balanced
nutrition:
Parrot seed mixes high in sunflower have proven to be less than
sufficient diets. Basically, sunflower seeds taste good - too
good! Your pet parrot may pick out only the sunflower and leave
everything else sabotaging your attempt to balance her diet.
We feed a seed mix containing no sunflower along with extruded
"pellets", fresh fruits and vegetables. The sunflower
seeds given to our birds are used as REWARDS.
Many food items such as pomegranates, raw corn on the cob and
spray millet provide behavioral enrichment as well as being nutritious,
quality natural foods.
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Stimulus,
stimulus, stimulus! Wild
parrots spend nearly every waking hour engaging in mentally and
physically stimulating behavior. Part of the challenge of keeping
your pet parrot entertained and enriched is providing him with
a comparable environment.
Toys: Because of their intelligence
coupled with their beak and foot dexterity, parrots naturally
play with toys. A practical, SAFE, favorite toy can provide hours
of stimulation. After many years and hundreds of dollars we have
found our bird's favorite toys are natural "browse"
we clip from trees we grow on our compound for this purpose.
We grow and use acacia and two species of eucalyptus. Note: Many
species of plants are toxic to birds and animals. Check with
your local zoo or veterinarian for a list of non-toxic plants!
Play interaction
and training:
Training a pet parrot to perform "tricks" or behaviors
in exchange for "treats" or food reinforcement is a
practical and enjoyable way for the two of you to interact. As
humans we enjoy communicating with our pets and teaching them
new ways to play with us. As parrots our birds are naturally
engineered to engage in both physically and mentally challenging
behaviors involved in gathering food. "Trick training,"
or working for peanuts is a much more fulfilling and natural
way for a parrot to spend the day. Establishing a routine training
time and incorporating simple props, cues and of coarse a favorite
treat can give your pet something to look forward to and be successful
with.
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