While most pet owners would pick a dog over a bird to provide companionship, love, and entertainment, the truth of the matter is that birds are equally good at providing all three and can even take the place of man's best friend if given the chance. Birds are so easily overshadowed by the stereotype cast upon Polly by Hollywood that their emotional and intellectual attributes are often disregarded in favor of a fluffy, tail-wagging puppy. Yes birds happen to sit and squawk in their cages for most of their lives, but that's only if the owner neglects to take the time and create a bond with their pet bird. Birds, like all pets, can create strong bonds with their owners and can even be trained and enjoy having fun if given the chance. Remember, the owner is the one keeping the bird in the cage. Given the chance to fly, your bird will spread its wings and soar.

Before one can turn that feathery puzzle into the perfect pet, there are a few behaviors that we as owners should be aware of. The quickest way to get on good terms with our pet is by understanding each other and birds, like dogs or cats, have unique behaviors that may seem confusing to a new owner but shouldn't be cause for alarm. Keep in mind that birds are living, breathing, and most importantly feeling creatures. In order to keep a relationship with your bird healthy, remember that birds don't necessarily have to talk in order to express their feelings. There are many other obvious signs that you will see over time that will tell you how their feeling or what they need.

If a bird becomes excited it doesn't always mean that it's upset or angry. However, there are a few behaviors to be aware of and if it does seem your bird is either agitated or exceedingly excited, it's never a bad idea to keep your finger out of its' face. Eye pining is when the eye of a bird dilates in and out repeatedly and quickly. This is often a very obvious sign of excitement, as is the flaring of tail feathers. When your bird starts clicking its beak, it is most notably a warning to keep your distance. Wait until the bird has stopped clicking or has been left to calm down over a period of time before attempting to stick your hand in the cage.

Some other movements may not indicate any excitement and rather serve functional purposes. Feather fluffing occurs when birds have finished cleaning themselves in order to rid of the excess debris that's collected within the folds of the feathers. Feather fluffing is also done to keep a bird warm, though, so if your bird seems to be doing an excessive amount of it, it may be ill. Birds may also wipe their beaks on a perch or on the cage after their done eating to rid of extra mess.

Some behaviors are bird-specific. If your bird has a feather crest atop it's head, it may flare it when it's experiencing certain emotions whether it be agitated or happy. Take note of when it happens and try to understand what triggers it. Other birds, such as the Quaker, are named for their unique behavior. Quakers shake frequently for no apparent reason, and some birds will bob their heads out of anxiousness, excitement, or agitation. Most birds will shake after a bath regardless, due to an involuntary muscle spasm in their chest, but take note if your bird seems to do it when in a particular mood.

Other normal behaviors of birds include the grinding of their beak right before they fall asleep, which indicates contentment, or the preening of feathers to keep them neat and clean. Preening is only worrisome when it turns into over-preening and the bird is constantly plucking out or chewing out feathers. Birds also regurgitate food to younger birds and those they care about. So if you and your bird are close enough, you may find that it will regurgitate for you as a sign of affection. Don't be alarmed. There is a distinct difference between regurgitation and vomit; vomit will stick to the feathers and beak of the bird.

Keep in mind that your bird was not bred to live in a cage, ergo the tight confined environment might bore your pet after a while. Give your bird space to fly free and equipment to play with. Like all pets, birds enjoy some free time and the occasional good toy. If you see your bird attempting to lift off in the cage or shuffling uneasily, it's a good bet that it's bored or needing some open air. Consider blocking off a room and letting the bird go. It will appreciate it in the long run and the exercise will relieve a lot of pent up energy. Birds will also nap frequently throughout the day. Birds will usually sleep on one leg, and if the bird looks fluffed and is sleeping on two legs it may be ill.

Your bird may also become possessive of either you or the cage, and may even show signs of jealous aggression if you get another bird or pet. Birds also have extremely obvious behavior such as hiding when they are scare or freezing in place. They may even beg for food or attention if their being deprived of either, but if it becomes an issue don't be afraid to figure out what triggered it to begin with and change it. Like all pets, birds adapt well to the wishes of an owner that is willing to take the time to work with them and understand them.

If you are looking for top of the line quality parrot pellets . than search no further then Lafeber Cares. Lafeber cares are experts in the field of parrot food .

• Adopting a Baby Ferret - Care and Accessories by Rudy Catson In order to provide a safe environment for your baby ferret, he will need a home of his own. Ferrets like lots of space, so it's important to provide a spacious cage. You should also take care to line the cage with a non-porous material to make......
• Looking For A Good Dog Obedience School? An increasing number of dog owners appear to prefer training schools, more than the do-it-yourself strategy. Dog training schools can be very costly. However, in the event you are lacking the needed expertise, or the time to dedicate for this activity, these types of schools can be found to......
• Bird Cages: Invest Money With High-Class Bird Cages? by Birbio Diibs Taking care of a bird is not an easy task, but can be enjoyable. There are a lot of homes out there that have beautiful birds as pets. Most people who have birds as pets will buy all the best things for their bird, including the best......
• Crate Training Dogs by Geraldine Dimarco What exactly is crate training dogs? It sounds like something you do to a bad doggie for doing a no-no on the living room carpet. But its not. Crate training is actually based on the principle of the dogs' innate need for security. It is said that......

• How to Clean Your Own Gutters If your house is equipped with gutters and you can't remember the last time they were cleaned, it's best to get proactive and do it yourself. While there are services that can come do this for you, it's actually quite easy and just about anyone can do it safely. Before......
• Getting Smart About Corporate Blogging - Part Three The first two part of this series discussed a semi-recent post made by Matt Cutts, that covered a few things that corporate bloggers need to know. The last point that we'll cover in this series is what Matt had to say about blogging angry. There is some very powerful information......
• Go on a Mini-Vacation: Take a Weekend Roadtrip Without Breaking the Bank Cabin fever has been settling in lately. Gray skies and bitter winds keep the outdoors out of reach unless there is somewhere to go by car. Since school is in session during the week, often a weekend road trip can be just the thing to pull the family out of......
• Choosing the Right Birdhouse Are you thinking about adding a birdhouse to your country garden landscape design? This is a good thing! Birdhouses are especially important because they offer wild birds shelter as well as protection while they are nesting. Birdhouses also give us a unique opportunity to be able to watch these birds......

Written by Dominic Lawsen using tags: animals, Birds, Diet, family, Food, health, Home, Information, lifestyle, Nutrition, parrot, Parrot Food, pet food, Pets

A very good question!

I would have to say YES you definitely need to train your Parrot whether you have a Budgie or a Blue and Gold Macaw.

All parrots are highly intelligent, social creatures that require lots of stimulation in both the wild and in captivity. In their natural environment parrots spend most of their life learning. Young birds learn from their parents and will pick up new behaviours quickly. From how to find food to recognising a predator all young parrots have to learn to interact with others of their own species.

In captivity, parrots still have that natural instinct and desire to learn either from their parents or in the case of most captive birds " their owners.

What if I don't train my parrot?

Well quite simply this is often how unwanted or problem behaviours develop. A parrot that is deprived of attention is going to try to get some whenever it gets the opportunity. Any reaction from their owner is a positive experience to the parrot and will encourage the parrot to repeat the behaviour. So when your parrot starts screaming like crazy late at night it is trying to prompt a reaction from you. If you start screaming (and often swearing!) back then your parrot will be very pleased, as he has managed to get you to respond. This unwanted screaming will then increase over time as the parrot has been rewarded for doing it.

The owners of parrots are the usual cause of behavioural problems. Your parrot can be accidentally rewarded without you realising it.

Parrot behaviour will be positively or negatively affected by everything that you do while you are close to your parrot. When you react to something your parrot has done then that behaviour will either decrease or increase over time.

An example would be if your parrot is in a bad mood and you try to take him out of his cage to give him a treat. Most likely he will be reluctant to come and may back away from you or even show a sign of aggression to tell you he wants to stay put. You give up but give him his treat anyway so therefore reward him for either being aggressive or backing away from you. In the future this behaviour is likely to increase as a result of this.

When you are with your parrot you really need to think about everything you do.

A happy and healthy parrot needs a ongoing training schedule. Try to make sure that you are rewarding the things you want him to do and try to avoid rewarding those things you don't want.

Your relationship with your parrot will be taken to a whole new level when your parrot understands what YOU want from him.

• Parrot Care Is The Key To A Long Life For Your Parrot As Well As Many Years Of Great Health Fun And Relationship. by Roderick Fraser Having a Parrot is not as easy as just teaching it to talk or feeding it. You also need to realize this will take time, money and patience too. It is a big responsibility. Parrots can live as long as a human. With the right effort and......
• The Health of Your Pet Bird by Emmanuel J. Hood Birds can sometimes be a little more difficult to comprehend than a cat or a dog, and sometimes that can lead to serious issues. Health concerns in a bird could be respiratory infections, or even excessive molting just to name a few. If you take care......
• Most Popular Bird Cage - The Flight Cages Some bird owners might think which cage best works the best for their bird, but they are also interested in getting a cage that will fit their convenience and then get the right bird for it. Flight cages are made specifically for birds and small parrots but can also......
• Preventing Parrot Feather Plucking If you parrot is feather plucking then it is a serious behavioral problem. The real problem is that once it had started it is nigh on impossible to get your parrot to stop. It is a very stressful situation for the bird and the owner. Early on it's possible......

• Five Good Uses for Your Tax Refund If you’ve already completed your tax return for 2007, you may find yourself among those lucky folks who will receive an income tax refund. Tax returns can vary from small amounts to fairly hefty sums. In fact, some people receive returns that are as much as several thousand dollars. If......
• Getting A Tax Refund? 5 Smart Ways To Use It If you’ve already completed your tax return for 2009, you may find yourself among those lucky folks who will receive an income tax refund. Tax returns can vary from small amounts to fairly hefty sums. In fact, some people receive returns that are as much as several thousand dollars. No......
• Ladies and Butlers versus Boredom! Don’t you just hate it when you download a raw to try to crank out a review quickly but by the time you get around to watching it and gathering your thoughts, the fansubbed version is already out? Not to spite anyone, but those fansubbers are ridiculously fast. At......
• Blame It On The Rolling Stones Thanks to StonesDoug from Shidoobee Rolling Stones classic wakes grandfather from coma A 60-year-old grandfather woke up from a 10-week coma after his favorite Rolling Stones song was blared into his ears. By Chris Irvine Last Updated: 3:04PM BST 07 Aug 2008 Sam Carter lost consciousness after contracting severe anemia......

Written by Mat Richards using tags: african grey, e, f, h, home & family, P, parrot, parrot cage, parrot cages, parrot problem, parrot training, Parrots, pet, Pets, pets_and_animals, r, t, train my parrot

Taking care of a bird is not an easy task, but can be enjoyable. There are a lot of homes out there that have beautiful birds as pets. Most people who have birds as pets will buy all the best things for their bird, including the best food, to ensure that they stay healthy for a long time.

When it comes to getting a bird cage you will need to know that this is a part of taking care of your bird that you do not want to cut corners on. This is where your bird will spend most of its time so make sure the living quarters are up par.

There are a lot of bird owners who will provide their bird with the very best things, but when it comes to the cage they live in, they think that all cages are the same. The problem that lies there are that the people that own the birds haven't done the proper research on what's best for their bird, because they come in so many different styles.

Getting a bird cage is something that will come with a price. You are going to have to understand that this price you pay is going to be a great investment both for you and your feathered friend. Bird cages that are made cheaply can be very bad for you bird, causing harm to it if you are not careful. Bird cages that are made cheaply may have bars that bend and your bird can get stuck or even escape.

The best bird cages on the market do not use boring wooden dowels as perches. They choose to use fine rosewood or other quality wood that fits perfectly inside the bird cages. An great bird cage will also leave plenty of room between the grate and the tray so that your bird's beak and feet will stay clean.

With that said you're bird will want out of its cage if its not happy being in there. If the bird get restless and does try to get out of its cage, you will want to make sure that you that you have it in a stainless steel cage so that it cannot bend the bars with its beak.

In this day and age, with all the creativeness and technology, cages are put together in a variety of different ways. They come with different colors, sizes, and shapes and if you do not get the right one for your bird then it can spell trouble. Cages that are made with bolts and screws are typically the best as they are safe and durable. The ones you have to be careful with are the ones the have holes drilled in them because bacteria can grow in the holes.

Birds can be great friends and they rely on your for the very best of everything. If you can provide them with a quality cage, you can rest assured that you're bird will be at its happiest all the time. Hopefully by reading this article you have now realized that in order to keep your bird happy, getting the best living quarters is something that is imperative. So get out there and get the cage that you and you're bird are happy with.

• An Overview Of Dog Toys For Making A Decision There are a multitude of dogs toys to choose from when you are looking for the perfect gift for your pet. Many people find that choosing a toy for their dog is a difficult task because they are not familiar with their pet's personality or the type of placing......
• Rabbit Care Demystified Rabbits may perhaps be small nevertheless they've got specific needs, different from other traditional pets most of us are used to. So anyone that is pondering finding a bunny as a pet really should learn proper rabbit care prior to making a decision. To get you started, here's the......
• A Tough Question - Should I Crate Train My Dog? There is still some disagreement about whether or not crate training dogs is the right way to go. Crating a dog involves keeping them in a cage just slightly larger than themselves, usually a plastic or metal one for a time, either at night or during the day. The......
• Recognizing Your Pet Bird And If It's Sick For any household which has a pet, you already know how significant they can grow to be in your family. One of the more common varieties of pets which you can acquire for your family is a bird. If yours is a family that has a lot of responsibilities......

• How to Survive Inflation Turn on the television, read a paper or go online and chances are you’ll be bombarded with bad news about the state of the economy. Inflation is being whispered about, and in some cases, shouted about from the rooftops. Are we really facing inflation and how bad will it get?......
• Does Spending Less Money Get Easier Over Time? My family has been on a mission to reduce our spending, pay off remaining school debts, and build a giant emergency fund for well over a year now.  For much of that time I've been chronicling that journey at Frugal Dad.  One question I am typically asked by readers, and media......
• The Benefits of Sip Trunking SIP Trunking is a newer and cheaper way for businesses to do what they do best, business. At one time not too very long ago, businesses had to buy a dedicated line from a telephone provider. Thanks to SIP trunking, businesses can now enjoy lower costs, better communication, and......
• Chance Gatherings & Great Conversations 2010 has gotten off to an interesting start. I've been meeting lots of wonderful people and the best part of that is the great conversations that happen over drinks, dinner, moments between things happening at press events and partying. On Friday, I went to a work event and caught up......

Written by Birbio Diibs using tags: Bird Cage, Bird Cages, Bird Supplies, Birds, innovative cages, parrot, Parrots, Pets, wild life

Having a Parrot is not as easy as just teaching it to talk or feeding it. You also need to realize this will take time, money and patience too. It is a big responsibility.

Parrots can live as long as a human. With the right effort and care buying a baby parrot can be well worth it. Think hard about it though it is a big responsibility, weigh up the positives and negatives. If it is still yes then go to a parrot breeder to buy your baby parrot.

Although most breeders go out of their way to make sure you know everything you need to know about your new parrot, beware as there are some unscrupulous breeders out there. Parrot breeders that are only in the trade for money usually don't raise their parrot babies with the same level of care and love as a good parrot breeder especially one who hand rears and feeds their baby parrots. Ask around and do some research to lessen the odds of dealing with unscrupulous parrot breeders.

When you buy your parrot there are several things to check out and verify first. Like the parrots age which can be verified on its leg band. Also, another really important thing to know is if your parrot was raised and fed by hand. A good indicator is if the parrot will take food from your hand.

The best parrot breeders raise their parrots by hand feeding them so they are happy, healthy, well adjusted loving birds. Obviously a hand fed parrot will command a higher price. Some breeders cut corners and do not hand feed their baby parrots, yet they might claim they have. You will notice the difference.

Good breeders are poles apart from those who are not. They will answer your questions and show you how they raise and hand feed their parrots. They will usually show you their aviaries too. The affection they have for their baby parrots will be self evident.

Parrots are highly intelligent birds that will certainly attract the eye and become the focus of attention in any room. It is so important to know about parrot care as it can mean the difference between having a relationship that is fulfilling and having a problem child with the terrible twos to deal with.

As a member of your family your parrot will require effort on your part to learn how to train them and make them a part of the family without which you may find this could become difficult.

Putting your parrot in its cage when you get home from the parrot breeder is only the start as tempting as it may be to think otherwise. You need to handle your parrot correctly and spot signs of boredom, upset, irritability and stress. Otherwise you are in for a rough time. By learning this you will have many happy years together simply because you put in the hard work up front.

Parrot care including diet and exercise will lead to a long life as your parrot could live 20, 30 or more years. Noticing what your parrot does when it is happy and healthy will hold you in great stead if you notice any changes such as lethargy, loss of appetite, discharge from eyes or diarrhea. These are symptoms you need to bring to the attention of your avian vet. Get to know and pay attention to your parrots well being.

Help your parrot live a long time. The more immediate your detection of anything being wrong and getting it treated, the better.

• The Responsibilities Of Chinchilla Care by Bella Holly It's surprising to realize that very few people actually know what a chinchilla is, often mistaking it for another animal entirely. There really aren't a great deal of people who really know what a chinchilla is or what it does for that matter. Some people mistake them......
• Remote Dog Training Collars: The Facts by Penny Garron There is quite a bit of information to learn about Remote Dog Training Collars. Some basic information about them is what type of models there are, how to use them properly, what type of training they're good for, and of course, how much they cost. Understand what......
• A Tropical Fish Guide With Some Easy To Follow Tips So you're ready to discover the very exciting and rewarding world of owning tropical fish? You have made an excellent choice! Exotic pet ownership is fun and challenging. You have a lot of responsibilities at the beginning but once you've learned about how to care of your tropical fish,......
• How To Care For Your Horse by Tom Wills Horse care is not easy. It involves monitoring and maintaining your horse's health as well as its emotional, physical and mental well-being. Be sure that you have all the necessary information to care for your horse and keep your horse healthy. Below are a few key aspects......

• Miniature Collectibles Collectibles -> Decorative Collectibles -> Miniatures When it comes to a delightful collectible that won’t take up a lot of space, miniature collectibles are the ideal answer. These tiny little works of art require a great deal of craftsmanship and many of them feature amazingly lifelike details. You can find......
• What Kind of Boat Should You Buy? [/caption] If you're an avid fisherman, you've probably had consistent access to one boat or another during your tenure out in the water. But if it's come time to upgrade - or buy a new boat entirely - you'll have to ask yourself what kind of boat is right for......
• Even More Essentials for Good Health Here is a look at ten essential tips for good health, which involve diet, weight loss, good nutrition, fitness and movement and other aspects of your health. Tie these ten essential tips together and you will have a picture of good health and wellness. Essential Tip #9 - You should......
• Lazy Man's Gift Guide 2008 Last year at this time, I released my 15 products that save you time, money, and space. It became one of my most popular posts, ever. I figured I'd take another shot at rounding up some of the best value items I have found. If you came here looking for......

Written by Roderick Fraser using tags: animals, Birds, health, parrot, parrot breeder, parrot breeders, parrot care, parrot health, Parrots, pet health, Pets