Room For Rent

Bringing a parrot into your house is a lot like bringing a new roommate into your house. They take up space, never pay their share of the rent, and don't clean up after themselves. However, unlike most roommates, parrots are interesting creatures to live with.

This article is for you if you are considering the purchase of your first parrot. If you're already a parrot owner, you still may find some helpful hints in this article. This article covers the basic topics of housing a parrot. All of the topics in this article should be investigated before bringing home your new parrot. The key topics covered in this article are shown below. You can jump to a section by clicking on one of these topics.

1. Introduction - Welcome
2. Environment - Temp, Humidity, Air Quality, Cage Location
3. Selecting the Cage - Size, Accessories, and Design
4. Cage Cleaning - Learn what to use and when to use it
5. Play Stands - Size, Accessories, and Design
6. Concluding Remarks - Closing remarks and comments
7. Suggested Reading Material - Some sources for further research

1 - Introduction

Reading this article is a great first step in becoming a parrot owner. Parrots are very different from dogs and cats. They require special attention that dogs and cats do not need. One very important consideration for a new parrot is its living quarters. This article will cover the details of all of the considerations that should be investigated before bringing your parrot home. This article provides the details for providing a safe and healthy living area for your new parrot.

2 - Environment

There are several considerations necessary for providing a safe and healthy environment for your pet parrot. These include the Temperature, Humidity, Lighting, Air Quality, and Location.

Temperature - This depends on the parrot breed to some extent. However, most parrots are comfortable in the high 60F to low 70F range. A stable temperature is important and wide swings in temperature should be avoided. Unless you enjoy extreme temperatures, your comfortable environment will be acceptable to your new parrot. When you decide on a specific breed, research that breed to determine if there is any special temperature requirements. Avoid cold drafts near drafty windows and or doors. Also avoid very hot times by placing the entire cage in direct sunshine.

Humidity - Much like Temperature, a comfortable humidity level for your bird will be similar to a comfortable humidity level for you. Unless you live in an extreme humidity habitat you most likely will not require a humidifier or de-humidifier. When you decide on a specific breed, research that breed to determine if there is any special humidity requirements.

Lighting - Most parrots require natural light (sunshine) for several reasons. The UV exposure is necessary for conversion of Vitamin D into a usable form. Their exposure to natural light also affects their eating patterns. Another good aspect of UV is it's natural disinfecting ability. There are two ways to supply the natural light. The first and easiest way is to place the bird's cage in a bright sunny room in the house. Avoiding direct sunlight or at least putting part of the cage out of direct sunlight is necessary for the bird to get out of the sun when it wants. Another method is to provide artificial lighting that simulates natural light. In most cases, this won't be necessary and can get expensive if necessary. If this is required you should still leave a shaded area in the cage for the bird to get out of the light if it wants and you should avoid placing the light within reach of the bird.

Air Quality - This is a very important thing to consider before bringing a parrot home. Parrots are very susceptible to airborne pollutants. Parrots absorb toxic fumes very quickly. Some of the common but often overlooked sources of pollutants are household cleaning supplies, smoke, scented candles, laundry bleach, air fresheners and fresh paint. A couple not so common pollutants are radon gases, natural gas leaks, and fumes from overheating non-stick cooking pans.

Location - In the real estate business they say the three keys to buying real estate is "Location, Location, Location." Location is also very important when considering your parrot's cage. Here's a Top Ten list of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for placing your parrot's cage.

1. Do place it where the parrot can see what is going on around it
2. Do place it in a room where the family often congregates
3. Do place it where there is plenty of natural light
4. Do place it where it is dark and quite during the sleeping hours
5. Don't place it by a drafty window or door
6. Don't place the entire cage in direct sunshine
7. Don't place it near a heating element or heat return from the furnace
8. Don't place it near an air-conditioning return
9. Don't place it in the center of the room
10. Don't place it in the Kitchen

Selecting the location of your parrot's cage is very important. Selecting the place carefully will provide a safe and secure space for your parrot. This will make it comfortable, happy and healthy by providing your parrot a place of refuge when desired.

3 - Selecting the Cage

There are three key things to consider when purchasing a cage. These key considerations are the Size, Design, and the Accessories required.

The size is very important. The parrot will spend a lot of time in its cage so it should be selected carefully. The general rule is to purchase a cage that has at least 1.5 times the wingspan of the bird. This is a general rule and depends somewhat on the breed of bird. It also depends on the amount of time spent in the cage. We'll look at play stands later but they provide a place to let the parrot out of the cage and are recommended for all parrot owners. When you decide on a specific breed, research that breed to determine if the specific minimum requirements. Once you understand the minimum requirements, then purchase as large a cage beyond the minimum that you can afford. In this case "Bigger is Better". There is one caveat to this rule that we'll look at later which is the spacing between bars. Obviously you don't want to use a large cage for a small bird if the bird can fit between the bars.

Cages come in a variety of designs. The cage should have corners. This provides a safe refuge for the bird to retreat to when it is frightened or just wants to sleep or nap. The cage should have horizontal bars on some sides and vertical bars on other sides. Some birds prefer horizontal bars to help it climb the sides of the cage while others like the vertical bars to slide down. As mentioned previously "Bigger is Better" but too big can present a problem too. The bar spacing shouldn't be wide enough for the parrot to put it's head through. This depends on the breed and the recommendations are about 3/4 to 1 inch for Amazon and other medium sized parrots and 3/4 to 1-1/1 inches for Macaws and other large parrots.

The accessories for the cage should also be selected carefully. All cages will at least require multiple feeding bowls or trays that can be accessed from outside the cage. The minimum requirement is two bowls. One is for water and one is for food. Another bowl for placing treats, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, cooked meals and seeds is often used by parrot owners. All cages will also require perches. The size of the perches should be selected based on the breed. Your bird's "feet" should wrap around between 1/2 and 3/4 of the perch. A variety of perches should also be selected such as natural wood, manzanita (hard wood), concrete, smooth, straight, and crooked. These varieties provide the necessary "foot" exercise for your parrot. The concrete perches also help your parrot keep it's beak and nails filed and trim. Also the natural wood provides a perch for chewing on that will also help keep your bird's beak filed. The final necessary accessories for your bird's cage are toys and lot's of them. Toys are very important to parrots. They provide entertainment, mental stimulation and something to chew on. Toys are required for the parrot to be mentally healthy by preventing boredom. Boredom can lead to behavioral problems ranging from noise (screaming) to feather plucking. To keep the toys mentally stimulating it is recommended to change the toys frequently. This can accomplished by rotating toys in and out of the cage and by providing new toys. Toys that are destructible such as paper and wood toys are also important to help keep the parrot's beak filed and trim.

Selecting a cage was summarized very well in the following Top Ten list taken from the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bird Care and Training published by Alpha Books and written by Jacqueline O'Neil (ISBN 0876053266). This is an excellent resource for any parrot owner and highly recommended for your personal library.

Ten Qualities of Terrific Cages

1. Big enough for your bird. Minimum dimensions are _______________ X ________________ X ______________.
2. A simple rectangular or square shape that accommodates your bird's length, wing span, and exercise requirements.
3. Stability (it won't tip over, fall down or slide easily).
4. Safe door(s).
5. Mad of strong caging material, with a nontoxic finish.
6. Bar spacing that is safe for the size of your bird. Ideal spacing is ______________.
7. Horizontal bars among the vertical ones, or vice versa.
8. Removable tray for easy cleaning.
9. Wire floor above the tray.
10. Several slots, so food and water dishes can be removed and replaced from outside the cage.

Notes: Actual cage dimensions and bar spacing depends on the parrot breed.

4 - Cage Cleaning

This is one of the daily chores that you will soon get used to. It is essential for maintaining a healthy parrot and also a healthy household for you and your family. The basic cleaning supplies include brushes, soap, water, bleach, dishwasher, and hand held vacuum. The brushes are used for scrubbing and should be soft enough not to scrape finished paint of the cage but firm enough to scrub dried food and droppings. Usually simple soap and water is used for cleaning surfaces of the cage and around the cage. A mixture of 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach and 1 gallon of water can be used when disinfecting the cage. Some people recommend using a diluted Grapefruit seed extract or store bought "bird safe" disinfectants. These are fine but I've found that diluted chlorine bleach (common household product) solutions work well if you rinse it thoroughly. If possible, select an unscented product when choosing a cleaning supply. A dishwasher is very handy if you have one for washing the toys, feeding cups, and anything else that is dishwasher safe. Finally a hand held vacuum cleaner is a time saver if you have one but not necessary.

Some cleaning is required more than once a day, some is required daily, some is required weekly, and some is required less frequently. These recommendations aren't based on scientific studies. Rather, they are based on what seems to work for me. I've broken the cleaning requirements down based on frequency below.

Several Times a Day - Wash the food and drink bowls each time you change water or food. Most people water and feed their parrots at least twice a day.

Daily - Change or clean out the cage bedding. This means changing the paper if you use paper or scooping the droppings and other debris if you use sand or other bedding. Use simple soap and water to clean the cage by simply wiping it down and ensure that it is wiped off thoroughly of any soap residue. Ensure that all food is wiped off the cage, perches, and any toys. Your parrots play stand may need cleaning daily. This depends on if you feed your parrot on its play stand. Some stands have food cups and some don't If there are food debris on the stand then it should be wiped clean daily.

Weekly - Disinfect the cage by wiping it down with a mild disinfectant. Wipe it clean of any cleaning residue. Wipe down all the toys in the cage and wipe them clean of any cleaning residue. This is also a good time to clean the play stand whether it has food debris on it or not.

Monthly - A thorough disinfecting and cleaning of the cage, the play stand and all the toys. This is a good time to take the cage outside and hose it down. If it's cold, you can take it in the shower and wash it down. Use hot water and a disinfectant to scrub it clean. Rinse the cage and toys thoroughly. If possible allow it to dry in the sun as UV rays provide additional disinfecting.

5 - Play Stands

Play stands are required to provide the parrot a place out and away from the cage. This is important for several reasons. The first reason is just to get the bird out of its confined cage. Being confined for long periods of time isn't healthy for your parrot. To ease territorial behavior is another reason to provide a play stand. Some parrots defend their "area" but providing a larger "area" leads to less severe territorial behavior. I know this sounds strange but the larger the territory the less severe the territorial behavior. Similar to cages, play stands also come in a variety of sizes and designs. Most play stands come in a couple different sizes depending on your bird's breed. They are usually broken down into "small", "medium", and "large" parrot sizes. Stands also come in two basic designs which are Cage Top and Stand Alone designs. Not always but small birds usually are Cage Top designs while large birds have Stand Alone designs. For your birds benefit it is necessary to provide toys on the stand for the parrot to play with. This provides a fun and entertaining place to spend time out of the cage and fosters a healthy and happy parrot. For your benefit, it is wise to choose a stand with a tray at the bottom to ease your cleaning.

6 - Concluding Remarks

I hope this article has been helpful to you in your research. An informed parrot buyer should consider all of these topics and more before selecting a parrot and purchasing a parrot. There are more articles that you may find interesting on Kibibi's Bird Info page.

7 - Suggested Reading Material

Here is a list of suggested reading material that may be helpful