by Brenda Schmitt

Created on: November 23, 2009

You've just bought your new parrot, now what? This article will address the care needed in those first few days to get off on the right foot with your new friend.

The first thing you'll need to bring your parrot home is a pet carrier and appropriate lining material. (Birds poop every 20 minute to an hour) The store should have a carrier they will give you or sell you, but a breeder may need you to bring your own. It's dangerous for your bird to be outside or in the car loose. He could fly away, even if clipped and a bird loose in the car can cause accidents or be easily injured.

You may want to buy a pet carrier made just for birds online and it's a good investment for all those times you will want to take you pet with you somewhere. I've even bungeed my carrier to my bike and taken my parrot for rides. Acrylic carriers are another possible option. If you will be flying, airlines have specific requirements for carriers and require a veterinarian certificate of health.

You'll want to be sure your bird is properly banded. All bird should have a band around one foot giving information regarding their history. In addition, you'll want to be sure you get copies of any guarantees the breeder or pet store provide. Locating an avian vet in your area is probably also a good idea.

Hand feeding an unearned parrot baby takes practice, and it's beyond the scope of this article. I did hand feed my parrot but you can hurt your bird if you don't know what you're doing. If you choose to take home a baby that needs hand feeding be sure you get your breeder or pet store to show you how it's done and what formula they are using.

Assuming you bought a weaned parrot it's important to check with the pet store, breeder, or former owner, to find out what your parrot was eating before you bought him. If at all possible, buy that brand of feed for your parrot and only slowly change his feed by mixing greater and greater amounts of your new feed into your parrot's food bowl.

It's commonly felt; the best diet for parrots is a formulated pelleted diet. These foods are similar to dog or cat foodbur formulated for parrots. My conure Tiko, absolutely refuses pellets. I've tried several kinds with no success. I use KayTees fiesta conure mix for my bird. It's a seed and pellet mix fortified with vitamins and mineral. Tiko generally throws the pellets on the floor and just eats the seeds! I supplement his diet with fresh vegetables and fruits. I generally attach these to his cage bars or his

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