Summer Time Tips For Pet Parrots

Spring is in the air, and before too long, kids will be out of school and summer will be in full swing. Making sure your bird has a comfortable and safe summer season isn’t hard if you keep a few things in mind.

Since most parrots are from warm, tropical regions, warmer temperatures don’t usually bother them. They can handle humidity and temperatures that most of us would find stifling, so don’t feel you have to crank up the A.C. on your bird’s behalf. If you use ceiling fans, and your bird can fly, take care not to have them on when the bird is out. When using other fans, locate them in an area where your bird can’t explore them and their temptingly chewable cords.

When the weather’s nice, you may decide to take your parrot outside more often. Make sure his wings are clipped, or better yet, train him to use a secure harness and leash system. When using an outdoor perch that’s not in an enclosed aviary, stay close by. Hawks have been known to swoop down upon parrots, even in urban areas. Locate the perch (or aviary) in partial shade so your bird doesn’t have to sit in direct sunlight if he doesn’t want to. Provide a supply of clean, cool water for him at all times and watch for signs that he’s ready to go back inside. If you see him panting, he’s probably too hot.

Some owners notice their parrots appreciate a couple of extra baths during warmer months. This may be a good time to experiment with different bath/shower methods to provide a bit of variety in your bird’s routine. And keep a close eye on his drinking supply if you don’t use a water bottle. A parrot’s more likely to take a cooling-off plunge in his water bowl if he’s warm, so he could end up with an undrinkable mess more often.

Speaking of bowls, you may need to battle pesky little fruit flies in your bird’s food bowl. To avoid attracting them, don’t leave fresh food in the cage longer than it takes for your bird to eat it and pick up pieces that get tossed. Keep kitchen waste cans covered and put fruits and vegetables in the fridge instead of out on counters. Cold produce tastes better this time of year anyway.

You should be able to offer more than just the standard bananas, apples and grapes now. Summer means you may have access to a wider variety of fresh foods. Even if you don’t have a garden, farmer’s markets, generous gardening neighbors and grocery stores are usually flush with produce. Here in Northwest Florida, you can’t drive anywhere without seeing someone selling greens, melons, tomatoes and other garden fare out of the back of a truck. Melons are especially good these days, but also try papaya, fresh pineapple, mango and kiwi. Gather up bunches of greens: collards, mustard and turnip. These low-cost, high-nutrition vegetables will greatly enhance your bird’s diet. Be sure to rinse all produce well before serving.

Garden goodies are a sure sign of summer, and so are hoards of kids running around the neighborhood. Now that school’s out, the kids are going to be around a lot more, so parrots that are used to quiet days may be in for a jolt until they get used to the new daily routine. Along with kids coming and going comes doors opening and closing. If your parrot is flighted and out of his cage, an open door is a possible disaster. Don’t be one of those people posting “lost parrot” signs around town. Either confine the bird during high kid-traffic hours or be extremely watchful and teach the kids to carefully close doors behind them. If your house is one of the neighborhood hangouts, there might be a lot more noise and activity than your parrot wants. Realize that not all parrots appreciate attention from people they don’t know well, so be sure to supervise any interaction between your bird and visiting children. It might be a good idea to establish a “look but don’t touch” policy to avoid any trouble.

And finally, what would summer be without a family vacation? What to do with the bird is something you may struggle with. Take him with, board him somewhere, or have someone come in? What’s right for your situation depends on a lot of things. Next week, I’ll cover some of those issues.

The author Kim Bear writes and consults for her own clients, helps coach lots of parrot owners through their parrot’s behavior problems. One of her specialties is working with African Grey Parrots. You can find more advice for training African grey Parrots at www.birdtricks.com/african-grey-parrot.html

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