by Wolf » Mon Apr 11, 2016 11:05 pm
Much of the answers that you are looking for is really dependent on you, regardless of the parrot that you were to get although there are some species that are definitely not a good choice for beginners due to the nature of the species of parrot and their requirements.
I do not have any IRN's and have not done very much research into them although I believe that what reading I have done suggests that they are not considered to be an ideal bird for beginners, which could also be said about most of the more than 300 species of parrots as well, so I will leave most of the replies about this species to those who are more knowledgeable about them than I am.
Still I have a few things that may be of use as they apply to all species of parrots. Beginning with lighting. Parrots are photoperiodic, meaning that their mating cycles are largely controlled by the type and quantity of light that they receive. That being said they lighting that they require is the very same as the birds outside living wild receive, they get the light from the twilight periods of dawn and dusk with no artificial lights interfering with the light at these time and that light sets their internal biological clock which then signals the beginning and ending of the breeding cycle as well as other times that cycle through in the course of the year. Parrots can not be fed just seeds and/ or pellets, they require other foods that you will have to teach them to eat such as whole grains and various fruits and vegetables. You also have to learn that they can't eat every fruit or vegetable as some such as avocado are toxic to them. Many of the normal household items that we take for granted are also toxic to them such as most non stick coatings used for cooking utensils or in heat producing items such as clothes irons or toasters. Some cleaning supplies, soaps deodorants and other personal hygiene products, house plants, metals, some woods and such may also be toxic to the bird. Parrots also require a lot of attention, on the average of four hours daily spent on and around their human. They tend to chew on things like electrical cords and wood, they put everything in their beaks, so you have to keep jewelry and small items put up where they can't find them.
All parrots bite, mostly when they are young and just learning, but also when they are afraid or overly excited or hormonal and also to correct our poor parrot manners. They are intelligent and self aware. there is a lot to learn about them and they can not fully adjust to a human environment or human lifestyle which means that we are the ones that need to adjust to their needs.
This is just a short list of the things that you will need to consider before getting a parrot of any type. If you are looking for an animal companion that is easy to keep happy and healthy then you might want to reconsider because they are not easy. I will leave it to others to expand on this.
