Taking Your New Parrot Home

The last thing you want to do is cause your new parrot stress but introducing your bird to a new home can be extremely stressful for them. Follow these simple steps to make the move as easy as possible.

The first and probably most important choice you have is cage position. The last thing a parrot wants to do is to have to constantly keep turning around to make sure nothing is creeping up on him. This is why parrot corner cages are so popular with experienced owners.

While you don't want your new parrot to feel he is the center of attraction by sticking his cage in the middle of the room, you should also be careful not to put him out of the way in a quite room where he won't get any interaction.

The cage wants to be in the room you spend most time BUT in a corner or at least up against a wall so he feels a little safer.

If there is already a parrot or other bird in the home its wise to quarantine your new parrot for at least a month just in case he has something ailing him. Keep the birds on seperate floors of the house if possible and be sure you never mix up their feeding bowls for those 30 days. It is always wise to tke a new bird to your vets for a well bird visit especially if he is a newly weaned hand fed parrot.

If he is newly weaned keep a close eye on his feeding or lack of it. A frightened young bird can sometimes regress and need to be hand fed again for a while. If he starts squaking but won't eat contact the breeder and ask for advice.

If need be you can purchase hand feed formula from your pet shop. Simply mix as per instructions and then feed it to him straight from a teaspoon.

Give him some time to settle, specially if you have children in the house. Its very easy for the kids to get excited with the new arrival and over do the playing with a new bird. Ideally you want to work with him for no more than 10 minutes before giving him some time alone.