Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning
• What you need

Macaws are lively and attractive friends with colorful feathers and funny cries. The most common parakeet is the melopsittacus undulatus (bird's nest), a small, long-tailed parrot that eats seeds. Although parakeets are easy to care for, parakeets also need a clean environment, proper food, interaction, and mental stimulation.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Choosing Parakeets

1. 

   Determine whether you want to keep the classic bird's nest or choose from among hundreds of different species of parakeets. Consider yellow-cheeked, pink-necked, black-tailed, or whatever is available to you. The bird's nest is native to Australia, so it's probably the most economical choice for Australians wanting to keep a parakeet. Other macaws from South America, Africa and parts of Asia can also be kept as pets with the right environment and equipment. (Like toys)

2. 

   
   
   Choose a reputable parrot seller. Just like choosing any other pet, make sure you buy it from a reputable dealer. Check online to see more feedback. Ask to see the other parrot's other birds to check that they are in the fresh air, the space is spacious, seem comfortable and well cared for.
   • Make sure the birds do not perch in the branches, and that their food is clean, of good quality, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Also see if there is a squid shell or mineral block in the cage. These are very important in a bird's diet.

3. 

   
   
   Find a bright and alert parrot. Make sure that the base of the beak (the eyepiece above the beak) is free of scaly, and that the hole is clean. A spot is a place where birds are expelling waste, and a dirty spot is a sign that the bird has a digestive problem. Do not choose birds that look lethargic and do not leave the bottom of the cage.
   • Make sure the birds appear comfortable, vigorous, and in the best possible health. You may also need to visit the birds at different times of the day, as parakeets sometimes nap and look sleepy during the day.

4. 

   
   
   Consider getting a couple of parrots. Parakeets are social creatures and prefer to live in pairs or groups. If you only have one bird, you will need to spend time each day playing with the bird to satisfy its companion.
   • If you decide to keep more than one bird, make sure you only keep macaws, not any other birds in the same cage.

5. 

   Take the newly purchased parrot to the vet. Although your parrots appear healthy, they will not show symptoms until the disease is severe, so take the bird to a veterinarian for a check up as soon as you buy it. Your doctor will check for psittacosis, a dangerous bacteria that can be passed on to people. The doctor will also examine the inside and outside for parasites, yeasts, macrorhabdus fungi, and some other bacteria. advertisement

Part 2 of 3: Prepare the Birdcage

1. 

   Buy a cage of the right size. The size of the cage should be at least 45cm x 60cm x 60cm, but if possible, buy the biggest one. Horizontal measurements are preferred because macaws are more likely to fly horizontally than up and down.

2. 

   Choose a stainless steel or non-galvanized cage. The birdcage should be made of stainless steel. Unfortunately, many other metals such as zinc, brass or lead can be poisonous to parakeets, and you should never use rusty or peeled bird cages.Never buy a round birdcage either, as it does not have enough space for the bird to fly, and parakeets' small feet are susceptible to damage from the clustering bars near the top of the cage.

3. 

   Choose a cage with horizontal bars. Macaws love to climb, so choose a cage with horizontal bars so that they can cling to and jump on. The distance between the bars should be less than 1.2 cm, otherwise the bird may insert its head and there is a risk of being trapped between the bars.

4. 

   Line the bottom of the cage to keep it clean. You can line the bottom of the cage with paper towels or printing paper, both of which are better than newspaper. When the paper becomes dirty or has bird droppings, throw it away and replace it with a new one.

5. 

   Attach the food bowl and water bottle. Birds need food bowls and water bottles. You can attach these two items to the bars in the cage, raise them from the bottom of the cage to prevent them from falling and not be contaminated by bird droppings.
   • If you have more than one parakeet in a cage, provide each one with a food bowl so that the dominant bird cannot compete and not feed the others.

6. 

   Equip the cage with a tree branch. It is best to use wooden branches of natural fruit trees. Ideally the branches should be wide enough in diameter so that the toes of the bird are not wrapped around and overlapping, about 1cm to fit. Branches of fruit trees such as apples, plums, pears, or cherries are safe for birds to peck on, and can also be used for a bird's pedicure habit.
   • Most branches are attached to cages that are not normally designed for birds. The diameter of these branches is so small that the bird cannot grip comfortably and cannot sharpen the claws.

7. 

   Provide toys for the bird. Parakeets are hyperactive, curious and need a lot of mental stimulation. Put some toys in the cage so they have something to play with. Toys that parakeets especially like are mirrors, bells or ladders to climb up and down.
   • Toys are essential to keep the bird healthy and happy. If bored the bird may screech.

8. 

   Place the birdcage in any room you normally live in to satisfy your conure's company of love. Macaws feel safe when there is a place to retreat, so it's a good idea to keep the cage close to the wall (so the bird won't feel exposed). Avoid placing bird cages next to windows or doors, as they can be exposed to direct sunlight or wind because birds are sensitive to temperature.
   • Never leave bird cages in the kitchen. The vapors from cooking oil - and even from the coatings of some frying pans - are toxic to parakeets and can make them very sick.

9. 

   Clean the entire bird cage. Replacing the paper at the bottom of the cage is not enough. You should wash the cage bars with soap and water often, especially when you attach food to it. advertisement

Part 3 of 3: Daily Care for Your Parrot

1. 

   Feed the bird on a diet of mostly pellets. Although nuts are a very common food for parakeets in the wild, this food is also a source of bacterial contamination and can harm the health and reduce the bird's lifespan. The bacteria can build up and make the bird sick over time. You should consider switching the bird's diet with 60-70% pellets. Birds adapt to varying degrees of pellet feed, and can at first be fiercely resisted. However, about 90% of parakeets will adapt within 2 weeks when you do the following:
   • Give your parakeet seeds only for 1 hour in the morning and one hour at night.
   • The rest of the time, give your conure some pellets.
   • In general, 10% of parrots that do not switch their diet within 2 weeks will convert after briefly returning to a grain diet.

2. 

   Add a mixture of nuts, fresh fruits, and vegetables to your conure. In addition to nuts, offer them a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables such as kale, beets, beans, carrots, parsley, cooked sweet potatoes, sliced ​​apples, oranges, tangerines, and citrus tangerine. If you offer him a variety of foods, never give him the same food two days in a row. This is to prevent your conure from consuming too much of a certain substance in one food.
   • Try attaching pieces of apple or carrot to the bars of the cage to allow the bird to peck. For larger fruits and vegetables, you can chop them up and place them in the bird's food bowl.
   • Most fresh fruits and vegetables are safe for parakeets EXCEPT avocado, eggplant, apple seeds, rhubarb, tomato leaves, potato leaves. You should also never feed your conure with caffeine, chocolate or alcohol.

3. 

   Change food and water bowls every day. To let the conure get used to you and its surroundings, do nothing but care for the bird's food and drink and clean the cage before you train the bird to rest on your fingers.

4. 

   Treat parrots. Millet stalk is a parrot's favorite dish, but you should not overfeed (only eat about 1.3cm per day), because it is as fattening as fast foods. Avoid sweets or excess oats, both of which are fattening.
   • Millet stalks are also one of the most effective ways to train parakeets to land on your fingers.

5. 

   Communicate with your parrot. Parakeets need company, so be prepared to spend at least 90 minutes a day talking or communicating with the bird - though not constantly. You can also train parakeets with a clicker, which is a fun way to stimulate the bird's spirits and encourage bonding with you.
   • Without adequate attention, parakeets will lose interest in human interactions. A pair of parrots is usually bonded (regardless of gender) and is indifferent to people, but you can become part of the flock by interacting with them.
   • One way to interact with your parrot is to sing with the bird, bathe the bird and if he drops a toy, pick it up for him. It may be trying to play a game with you.
   • Macaws also feel lonely sometimes. One way to cheer the bird up is to talk to it.
   • To train your conure to climb on your finger, give him something to eat and say "Step up". You keep on saying that, your conure will imitate it, and will "step on" your finger every time it talks, and often say the same every time you climb the stairs.

6. 

   Take him out of the cage from time to time. Although the bird can fly in the cage, it is a good idea to let it out once a day for more comfortable flight. Of course you have to be on the lookout for things that harm birds, close windows and doors, turn off candles and so on. Clicker training is a great way to get your conure to hear commands when it's time to return to the cage.
   • There are many things you may not immediately realize are dangerous for parakeets. Before you let him out of the cage, make sure to not only close the windows, but also put away all potentially dangerous bright objects such as knives in the kitchen, turn off fans, and keep them away from the play floor around children. and other pets, etc. The better the bird-safe environment.

7. 

   Create conditions for birds to have good sleep. Macaws sleep about 10 hours a day, mostly at night, but they may occasionally naps during the day. When your parrot is asleep, try not to make a noise, but the music or TV is turned down.
   • At night, your parrot loves the security of being covered up, so cover the cage with a towel or pillow top.

8. 

   
   
   Keep the right temperature. Parakeets are sensitive to large changes in temperature. They do well at moderate indoor temperatures, but make sure the cages have a hiding spot so they can retreat and try not to exceed 27 ° C. Do not place the cage in direct sunlight.

9. 

   
   
   Be devoted to your parrot. Caring for parakeets takes a lot of work, but you will find them affectionate and enjoyable. Most of them can talk, and if they learn more or less, it really depends on you. You have to be willing to care for them, teach them, give them care and have fun, otherwise you might find another hobby. advertisement

Advice

• If you are away often, make sure your conure has friends or he will feel lonely, and that is not fair for this social animal. In the wild they live in groups with many members.You can turn the music on when you're away from home, and even set the time. Light music helps calm your conure when she moves to a new place.
• Place just enough seeds in the food bowl to cover the bottom of the bowl. This way you can control the amount of food you feed your conure without going to waste. This also has the benefit of not causing the conure to dive deep into the food and turn the mess.
• When you bring a new parrot, you need to bring it to the veterinarian for an initial checkup and regular check-ups at least once a year and get the initial health results to compare. Keep new birds separate to prevent infecting birds until you are sure that the new bird is healthy.
• Never let the bird look out a window. It could fly into the glass and hurt.
• Macaws are available in a variety of "pellets" and have different flavors. You can try a variety of feedings to see which one you like. Some look like rabbit food, others are round and seed-like, some are powder, others look like crumbs. The sizes of the foods are also different. You can grind large pellets into smaller sizes to powder to see how much the bird likes to eat.
• You can line curtains with ropes in windows and / or pens, or attach objects to let birds climb and play outside the cage. It's also a good idea to buy your parakeet exercise kit to play with when you're busy - but never forget to keep an eye on them.
• Trim your parrot's wings to keep them from flying when they're full of wings. Be careful with downy hairs, hairs that have a covering, and blood in them. Cut your conure's nails as they grow long and sharp. The beak can also file with nail files. Ask your bird veterinarian for more details.
• Do not play music too loud near parakeets or make sudden movements.
• Never let your conure go outside.
• Never buy a parrot and go away and ask someone else to take care of it. The parrot will think that caregiver is its new owner.
• Never let your conure go outdoors unless in a cage.
• Never poke your parrot.

Warning

• Evergreen tree sap is toxic to tropical birds, so if your home has a Christmas leaf ring or a christmas tree, keep the bird in another room away from even the smell of the evergreen tree. Birds can be attracted to the shimmering decorations on the trees, so be careful.
• Birds often have a stealth instinct so that they do not appear weak in front of predators, so be very vigilant about strange behavior or lethargy. By the time the symptoms appear, usually the bird is sick and may have passed for a while. You should take the bird to the vet. Birds have a high metabolic rate, and their condition can deteriorate rapidly if not cared for properly. Early detection and treatment of the disease is essential.
• Always verify that the branch intended for use is non-toxic to your conure before attaching it to perching bird. Many plants are poisonous!
• Never give your conure chocolate, avocado, coffee or salt. These things poison them.
• If you give your conure a bath, make sure you dry it with a towel after bathing. The rule of thumb is not to bathe your birds after 7:00 pm so they can dry completely before going to sleep.
• Be careful, do not let the bird escape. This means pruning the bird's wings, reminding family members, installing window glass, and being extra careful. If the parakeet escapes, it will most likely die from exposure and confusion.
• Never open a window while your conure is out of the cage as it may fly.
• Don't worry if one of your parrots gets into the nest, it is probably laying eggs. Do not disturb it, as it can break the egg.
• Tropical birds often live under the canopy of trees in the forest, so keep your conure in a shady place if it's too hot. Avoid placing the cage in the sun on hot days.
• Never leave your parrot around a dog or cat, even if it looks gentle. Dogs and cats often pounce to kill birds. That is their natural instinct.
• The nuts are usually stored in the pet food cellar, where the rats often eat and dispose of their droppings. Even though it has been washed, the bacteria persist and cannot be eradicated by freezing or microwave oven.

What you need

• Country
• Toy
• Food
• Plum squid
• Mineral blocks
• Bird cage
• Millet spike (needed to train the bird to fly on your finger or land on it)