What type of parrot to get in an apartment is a question people think about when they decide to buy a pet. Wavy or cockatiel? Or maybe it's better to be gray?
In fact, this is far from an idle question. After all, each species is slightly different from others in terms of conditions of detention. Therefore, in order to successfully solve the question of how to choose the right parrot for your home, you need to have at least a general understanding of the main types of pet parrots.
Pet Parrots Suitable for Beginners and Children
There are three main types that are most suitable for those people who have decided to have a pet parrot for the first time or who are purchasing a feathered pet for a child in order to develop in him responsibility and love for the animal world. These include wavy birds, cockatiels and lovebirds. They are less demanding of home conditions than other members of the family.
Budgerigar
The natural habitat for these birds is the mainland of Australia and its adjacent islands. The main color of their body is dark green, the forehead and face are yellow, and the back of the head and the top of the back are yellow with dark tuberosity. The tubercles resemble waves.
At home, these parrots are sociable, easily make contact with people, and with proper organization of classes they successfully learn to speak. They can learn several dozen words, using them when communicating with people, birds, and other animals. Words are usually spoken without any logical connection. The average life expectancy in captivity is 10-15 years.
Corella
Home breeders are attracted to these parrots by:
- Relative unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention.
- Beautiful body.
- Bright color.
- Good intellectual abilities. Cockatiels can easily learn to speak.
Lovebirds
These small parrots live in Africa. Scientists identify several types of lovebirds. They got their name for their desire to create stable married couples who often spend their entire lives together. The sizes of these birds are small - body length is from 10 to 17 centimeters, and weight is up to 50 grams.
Lovebirds do not tolerate loneliness well. Therefore, it is advisable to keep them in pairs. If suddenly a lovebird is kept at home alone, the owner should communicate with him often. Otherwise, the parrot will be sad and stressed.
These birds love to sing, but their speech abilities are not developed. Most lovebirds are unable to speak. Only some individuals can learn 10-15 words. Therefore, if a person wants his pet to be able to learn human speech, it is better for him to choose between a cockatiel or a wavy.
Laurie
Lives in the high tropical forests of Australia. Eat plant seeds, fruits and berries. A small parrot, the length of which does not exceed forty centimeters. Has very bright plumage.
Skillful and intelligent birds, capable of remembering several dozen human words, as well as imitating other sounds they hear.
Parrots that are more difficult to keep and raise
For already experienced poultry lovers, we can recommend more difficult types of parrots for home keeping. These include large and medium-sized varieties of these birds, which require more spacious cages and aviaries.
Kakarik
The natural habitat of kakariki is New Zealand and a number of Pacific islands. These birds reach a length of 35 centimeters and have a body weight of up to 100 grams. Their main body color is green. In captivity they can live quite a long time - up to 15-20 years.
They run very well on the ground, as in nature they live in the lower tiers of the forest. Therefore, it is advisable to cover the floor of the cage with grass flooring.
They love to sing. They have very good intelligence and are quite good at taming. Despite this, they speak poorly; their vocabulary usually includes no more than 10-15 words. Only males can learn to speak.
Cockatoo
Varieties of this parrot are common in Australia, New Zealand and some Pacific islands. They are all distinguished by their unusually beautiful, large and bright crest. It is usually pink or yellow with the predominant main color being grey, white or black. It is thanks to the crest that some lovers believe that cockatoos are the most beautiful parrots.
Speech abilities are undeveloped. The owner has to make a lot of effort to get the male cockatoo to talk. The vocabulary does not exceed several dozen words. At the same time, these parrots have good intelligence, are able to learn various tricks and are quite good at taming.
Jaco
Many experts and amateurs believe that these are the most talking and intelligent parrots. It is their highly developed speech and intellectual abilities that cause their great popularity among home breeders. Vocabulary can reach up to 1500 words. At home, these birds can copy the psychology of their owner. Special studies have shown that they have mental processes. They can:
- Connect objects in the surrounding world with words that designate them.
- Perceive the concepts of color, serial number, shape and even zero.
They are found naturally in West African countries. Their height reaches up to 35 centimeters. Their feathers are colored gray and red.
Amazon
Large birds with a dense build. In length they reach from 25 to 45 centimeters. Their natural habitat is Central and South America, as well as the islands of the Antilles archipelago. Their main color is green.
In captivity, they can live up to 70 years, although they are very demanding about the conditions of their detention. Some types of these parrots are trainable and can learn to pronounce up to several dozen words.
Macaw
Very large birds, whose height reaches 95 centimeters. They live in the countries of South and Central America. They are characterized by a very bright color of red, green, yellow and blue tones. It is thanks to this that many experts, answering the question - which parrot is the most beautiful, say - the macaw.
Macaws can safely be called monogamous. They create pairs at the age of approximately 3 years. Very often, a male and a female live together all their lives. If one of them dies, the other will be very sad and may die from depression.
The character of these birds is complex. They become strongly attached to their owner, but can also show jealousy, irritability and aggression. They have good intellectual abilities. They can learn to speak, but the maximum vocabulary reaches only a few dozen words. They are very expensive and their acquisition is beyond the reach of the average hobbyist.
Passerine parrots
These small parrots (only 12 to 14.5 centimeters long, weighing up to 30 grams) live in central and northwestern South America. Because of their miniature size they are called passerines. Their main body color is green. The tail is short, rounded or wedge-shaped.
They are usually friendly in nature, but during the mating season they can show aggression towards other birds. Therefore, it is advisable to keep only married couples in the cage. They love to fly. In this regard, the storage area should be spacious.
They sing very quietly. Some lovers even believe that passerines are the quietest parrots. Vocabulary is limited to 10-15 words.
Male or female - let's pair
Some species live quietly in celibacy throughout their lives. At the same time, males can limit themselves to periodic platonic flirtations with the owner or mistress, and are very happy with that.
Females, even in the absence of males, can make a nest. By the way, this is one of the ways to determine the sex of a bird. Girls begin to put twigs or paper torn into strips under their tails.
If you decide that your parrot is fine without a mate, be prepared for the fact that you will become his life partner. At the very least, he will need much more attention than if you decide to buy him a soul mate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y6cc7C2r8w
Some are already sold in pairs - most often these are lovebirds and wavy ones. Know! When buying a girl for a male parrot, feel free to put the lady in the cage. If the opposite happens, the parrot will perceive this as an encroachment on her sovereign territory and may injure the new resident boy.
Remember! These birds have a matriarchy
When purchasing a male for a female, buy him a separate cage and transfer the female there. Attempts to “slip” the groom into the bride’s living space can result in a serious fight, plucking of the male and even damage to his skull (don’t forget that even small parrots have sharp and hard beaks). Moreover, in some species the females are larger than the males, so the battle a priori will not be equal.
Which parrot talks more?
How to choose a talking parrot for your home? If a person wants a pet to speak well, then it is better to choose a Gray. Representatives of this breed are capable of not only mechanically repeating phrases, but also conducting dialogue. True, they are quite expensive.
What kind of parrot should I buy that can talk but is cheaper? The answer is simple - wavy. The cost of such parrots is low, from about 700 rubles. With due diligence of the owner, they can learn to speak and remember up to 150 words.
Pet selection criteria
The main criterion is whether you can create a comfortable living environment for him.
Which parrot to choose?
These concepts include:
- Space - the cage should be of such a size that the parrot can move in different directions in it. Some large birds can only live outside the cage.
- Humidity, light and temperature conditions - for tropical birds it is important to have a warm room, additional illumination with a UV lamp, and a complete absence of drafts.
- Proper diet - there are vegetarians, there are omnivores, but they all need fresh, high-quality food, which can be expensive.
- The presence of a complete set of necessary accessories - from the already mentioned cage to toys, swings, feeders, drinking bowls and other pleasant little things.
The rest - the bird must be healthy, not enter into irreconcilable conflicts with the rest of the household and pets, and also not irritate the owner beyond measure. This is especially important to keep in mind. A screaming parrot (and they are mostly like that) is something that not every person can get used to. And don’t be fooled by the fact that during the purchase he was silent and behaved in an exemplary manner. Therefore, if you like silence, it is better to buy aquarium fish.
Pros and cons of having a parrot at home
The main advantage of keeping these birds at home is the aesthetic pleasure that the owner and his family members receive from these pets. People especially enjoy interacting with talking parrots. And the sense of responsibility that a child acquires by caring for his pet, for example a budgie, will greatly help him in life.
There are two main disadvantages. First, a cage or enclosure needs space. Sometimes it takes quite a lot. Secondly, you need to constantly engage and communicate with your feathered pet. This requires time, which is sometimes in short supply. Without full communication with the owner, he will never become tame, will not learn to talk and will live much shorter.
Large breeds
Macaw
Such birds require special skills on the part of the owner. Parrots are quite noisy; the owner should not encourage constant noise from the pet. But the macaw is a real long-liver; he is able to live at least 30 years, becoming a full-fledged member of the family. Birds are also intellectually developed, they are easy to train, quickly learn words, and perform tricks. Such abilities oblige the owner; he must constantly work with the pet, develop its skills, increase its intellectual load, and purchase toys, including for physical exercise.
You should not have a bird in a house with small children. The guys will tease the parrot, and in response it is capable of painfully scratching the offender and hitting him with his beak. Such birds should be regularly released from their cages, as they do not like enclosed spaces and may harbor a grudge against the owner.
Advantages:
- macaws are real long-livers;
- smart;
- easy to learn.
Flaws:
- have a pronounced temperament;
- require discipline;
- may bite painfully.
The average cost is from 100,000 Russian rubles.
Jaco
A bird up to 50 cm in size lives even longer than its predecessor described above - 50-60 years. The color of parrots is not very diverse; most often they are gray, but they learn many words, phrases, and can repeat the sounds around them.
Keeping and caring for birds is simple, but they require intense physical and mental stress. The bird may get bored; the owner will have to regularly come up with new entertainment for the bird. In the absence of proper upbringing, Grays are capable of ruining more than one important thing in the house.
The Gray needs a large cage; a narrow space will be a real test for the bird.
Advantages:
- sociable;
- easily remember complex words;
- recognize family members;
- non-aggressive.
Flaws:
- improper upbringing will make the individual capricious;
- can spoil things.
The average cost is from 60,000 Russian rubles.
Cockatoo
Are you looking for a faithful friend for many years? Then you should pay attention to this bird. Cockatoos are sociable, they get used to their owner and remain faithful to him. Individuals are not talkative, despite the fact that they can remember words. Most often, birds just like to make noise and shout.
The bird needs education and care. If handled incorrectly, the cockatoo may bite, scratch, or make a lot of noise.
Advantages:
- live long;
- sociable;
- smart.
Flaws:
- require education;
- make a lot of noise;
- high price.
The average cost is from 200,000 Russian rubles.
Jaco
Middle name: Gray Parrot. With a length of about 35 centimeters, the wingspan reaches 65 centimeters. It has two dominant colors in its plumage: a base gray and red in its tail plumage. It lives in the great forests of West Africa.
During the day they look for food - the fruit of an oil palm tree; in the evening they choose a tall tree for the night. The mass capture of parrots for further illegal sale causes enormous harm to the population.
The popularity of the species is due to its attractive appearance and ability to repeat the human voice. Life expectancy can exceed forty years.
Lifestyle Features
The parrots chose for themselves the existence of the main tree. They prefer to settle in tropical forests, less often in lowlands. Some species are found in the mountains. The bird is active during the day, during which it hunts for food.
The basis of the diet is a variety of plant products: seeds, fruits, berries, and so on, but you can also eat food for pets - various insects and their larvae.
Responsibility
Some bird species, especially beaked birds, require daily exercise, companionship and freedom outside the cage. Can you spend at least two hours a day interacting with and supervising your parrot outside of the cage? If not, then a finch, canary, or other more independent species may be better for you. To ensure that your parrot is healthy and happy, you must consider how much time you have to spend with him. You also have to factor in the time spent cleaning their cage, feeding and cleaning cups, and visiting the veterinarian to make sure your bird is healthy.
Main types of medium-sized parrots
Corella
Cute and touching pink-cheeked cockatiels are very common in Russian homes. Their weight is about 100 g. By nature, these pets are very sociable, active and interesting. The following subspecies are popular among cockatiels:
Rosella
Unlike cockatiels, Rosella often has difficulty pronouncing words. But on the other hand, he performs very pleasant trills, which surprisingly caress the ear and lift the spirits. From beak to tail, this parrot is endowed with intense and bright colors, consisting of at least 10 shades. In females it is contained somewhat more. This breed has about 7 varieties, which differ from each other in color.
Rating
Beautiful friendly birds. Their color is dominated by yellow colors with golden reflections. Sometimes when you look at these cute ones, you get the impression that sunlight is emanating from them. The genus Aratinaceae has more than 20 species.
Hawk parrot
This representative of the parrot family boasts not only the brightness of its plumage, but also the extraordinary beauty of the ornament applied to its surface in the form of scales. It got its name from its resemblance to the mottled coloration of a hawk. The genus to which the parrot falcon belongs is called “fan”, there are more than 20 representatives.
Jaco
This type of parrot is considered the most intelligent. There are relatively many family members, it is modest in size. Since it has powerful legs and a huge beak, it is classified in the general group. There are about 10 species of gray parrots. The most famous are browntails, redtails and kings.
