awaiting a new parrot

[Jaunita]

Hi there, I'm getting my first parrot in Dec i have been reading all books i can get hands on my problem is that after reading I'm absolutely terrified seems that anything in your house can kill the bird so will i have to get rid of all my cooking things please tell how fragile are these parrots, getting a handraised western longbilled corella , but I'm so scared to do something wrong and kill the bird before i have even owned it week, please tell me how to enjoy without fear of killing it

[marie83]

Honestly its not that bad, just get rid of anything which contains teflon and dont use air freshners/febreeze/deoderants.

I stick to natural cleaners now such as baking soda and white vinegar for the cages and the house, washing up liquid is fine as long as you rinse it off everything properly.

If you have houseplants google the names to see if they are parrot safe, if the aren't or you kind find the info then get rid of those too- if in doubt throw it out.

Cables- keep them covered

Cooking- keep the bird away.

Windows and doors- get into the habit of keeping them shut or make some sort of screen to keep over them permenantly so you dont forget.

Foodwise- no avocado, chocolate, onions, alcohop, fizzy drinks (these are the most common risks but again there are more)

They are probably the biggest risks, there are more of course but if you have those covered you can relax a bit. You will be fine. Anything your not sure of ask on here lots of people to help if your not sure.

[Bigsby]

Ahh the waiting baby parrot blues. I have had many parrots and it never gets old. With every bird I ask she same questions I did with the very first parrot.and all I can say is study up on you little ball of feathers and you will do just fine

[Jaunita]

Just been told my parrot is a week old just tell me what age is the best to take them home ( how old must they be

[pennyandrocky]

you should look into the issues caused from hand raising a parrot before you decide to take this one home. if this breeder is trying to sell you the myth that taking a baby away from it's parent's too soon it can go badly for you and the .when i adopted my i was told she was a feather chewer/plucker so i looked up the causes thinking it would help me solve the problem and one was taking from the parents too soon to be hand fed.they learn proper gromming from their bird parents not from human hands. baby birds have died from choking and starvation from being hand fed. for all the ones who might respond it worked for you it does happen and people should know what can happen when they decide they want to do this.they should be weened from their parents before you take them home.

[friend2parrots]

i agree with pennyandrocky on the issues she has raised. the bird should be completely weaned (eating an adult birdfood diet independently and well) before it is allowed to come to your house.

the best breeders also allow their baby birds to fledge - which means they don't clip the baby birds wings, but rather allow it to learn how to fly as a baby. this is REALLY important developmentally for the baby bird, psychologically, and physically health-wise. There are a number of good articles/posts written by Michael (the owner of this website) about the hazards of wing-clipping, you might want to check those out as part of your background research.

for the life of me I've never been able to understand why so many breeder's cut their baby birds wings, it just doesnt make sense. it will be so much better for you and your bird if they don't. you might want to investigate your breeder's position on this issue.

best wishes for you and your new baby bird!!

[marie83]

Yep I also agree with the others, it also depends on what species your parrot is, some are ready to go at 6 weeks, others not 'til 12 weeks 16 weeks and even much older than that in some cases.

Please do not bring your bird home until it is fully weaned. Ideally your baby wont have been force weaned and will have been eating properly by itself for at least a week before you collect him/her.

In the meantime do as much reasearch as you can on your particular species and taming and training in general.