by marie83 » Thu Apr 12, 2012 5:31 am
Birds are not ornaments, they have as much right to a good quality of life as we do.
If you are going to get a parrot of any description you need to do a shed load of research so you know how to cater for its needs.
provide it with the biggest/best quality cage you can afford and have room for. Provide it with a diet suitable for it's species, that will mean a good quality base diet and provide suitable fresh foods such as fruit and veg daily.
Scrub out its food and water dishes at least once per day, clean out its cage daily with a full clean once per week and provide plenty of suitable toys to play with and rotate these regually to prevent boredom.
On top of that the parrotlet will need plenty of attention, training and time out of its cage to fly about and exercise on a daily basis to keep it healthy, both mentally and physically. A bird suffering psychological distress will sicken more often, may scream constantly, bite more or even pull it's feathers out. Birds may bite, some more than others you need to be prepared for that and how to handle the situation correctly. You need to know how to get it in and out of its cage correctly.
All parrots need an avian vet, these are bird specialists and they know how to charge. You need to know how to recognise any signs of illness and organise a vet check immediately.
Believe me this doesn't even begin to cover the commitment needed to own a parrot. There is so much more to it. If you just want something for your daughter to look at I second what a previous poster said. Get a toy parrot!