Parrot care guide

• Keep a steady rhythm: similar wake, feeding and bedtime each day helps a new bird settle.
• Offer time out of the cage with supervision every day, plus calm one-to-one handling.
• Give 10–12 hours of quiet, dark sleep. A cage cover in a calm room helps.
• Change water and remove fresh food leftovers daily so nothing spoils.

• Use a pelleted food suited to the species as the base of the diet.
• Add a daily fresh mix of vegetables and sprouted pulses, with fruit in limited amounts.
• Give nuts or seed in amounts that suit the species – larger macaws need more fat than small parrots.
• Change foods gradually. Every bird from us comes with a starter supply and a written diet sheet to avoid a food strike.
• Never feed avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol or salty, greasy human food.

• Choose the largest cage you can, with bar spacing safe for the species.
• Fit perches of different widths and natural wood to keep feet healthy.
• Place the cage in a lived-in room, away from draughts, direct heat and the kitchen.
• Avoid non-stick cookware fumes, aerosols and scented candles – parrot lungs are very sensitive.

• Rotate chewable and foraging toys weekly so the bird stays curious.
• Hide food in foraging toys to encourage natural searching behaviour.
• Use short, positive training sessions to build trust and step-up skills.
• Boredom and loneliness can lead to screaming or feather plucking, so plan for daily attention.

• Book a check with a licensed avian vet soon after your bird arrives.
• Call promptly if you see fluffed feathers for long periods, sleeping more, loss of appetite, changes in droppings, discharge from eyes or nostrils, or tail bobbing.
• Birds hide illness well, so any sudden change is worth a call.

Birds placed by us are covered by our health guarantee.

Some species suit first-time owners better than others. Read our FAQs, try Bird Match, or browse available birds.