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By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp Bad Birds: Parrots are (usually) NOT GOOD as pets!

There are many different species... African Greys: best talkers... NEUROTIC Amazons: great talkers and highly intelligent... HORMONAL AND TERRITORIAL! Macaws and Conures: playful, colorful, cute... LOUD Cockatoos: Cuddly... DESTRUCTIVE Budgies, cockatiels, and other small hookbills... inexpensive and (relatively) easy to care for... MESSY! By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Each species requires specialized care Lorikeets eat nectar and fresh fruits- their poop is the worst! Eclectus require extra vitamin A – you better be prepared to cook sweet potatoes and carrots for this species! Macaws, with their large size and long tails, require HUGE expensive cages! Cockatoos constantly chew wood, and have been known to chew through foundational columns in houses. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Parrots tend to have long lives! Parrot ownership tends to be a lifelong commitment Large birds can live over 100 years—may outlive you Parrots become quite attached to owners—must consider how to manage bird you can no longer care for, even make provision in your will for the care of your bird Even small birds can live over 20 years By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Parrots are Noisy! See below clip on Screaming Birds They may be heard beyond the premise of your property, sometimes even blocks away, and cause neighbors to report the noise as a nuisance. In the wild, parrots live in groups and call/scream to each other. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Parrots are Destructive! If not supervised constantly, they will destroy everything. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

In less than an hour... By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

In less than an hour... By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

In less than an hour... By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Parrots need lots of SPACE and TOYS This can be expensive. Consider the following minimal setup for a medium- large size bird (Eclectus, African Grey, Amazon, Cockatoo...): 40x30x69 inch cage, from Amazon.com: $459.99 + shipping By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Toys! TOYS! $11 buys ONE cheap toy off Amazon.com – expect to buy atleast one NEW toy per week for a bird this size! Toys can also be made at home, but this can be time consuming. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

FOOD! Feed parrot pellets, formulated as per the results of new dietary studies, supplemented by healthy “people food”. DO NOT FEED SEEDS Seeds are like feeding a child potato chips and fast food- very little nutritional value. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

More FOOD! Parrot pellets can be expensive! Petsmart sells 27 ounces, a small bag, of Kaytee Exact Parrot Pellets for $8.49 They need to have a constant supply of food, because their digestive tracts are short and their metabolism is high. Many birds like to throw and play with food. 27 ounces lasts both of Jessie’s birds about 2 weeks. Grocery stores and Walmart don’t sell parrot food- need to go to an actual petstore or online. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

FOOD! Parrots require constant supervision in the kitchen. Teflon is POISON! You should NOT have Teflon in the home if you have birds. Very small amounts can kill. Teflon has also been shown to be poison to humans, too. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Misc. Supplies: Perches: Beware of using branches because many trees are poisonous. $10-$50 on Amazon.com Expect perches to get destroyed, especially those made of softer wood such as pine…. Costumes and Fun: $30+ Not all birds will wear, and can make for an expensive toy  By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Specialized Veterinarian Care You should take your bird to a qualified avian vet once or twice a year for a check up, wing, and nail trim. Expect to pay $100-$200 Avian medicine is a special science. Parrots are prone to accidents- be sure to locate the nearest avian veterinarian BEFORE an accident happens! Association of Avian Veterinarian’s vet look---up page: http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup/ By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

More Expenses According to the Parrots R Forever Avian Rescue, initial costs for a medium (African Grey sized) parrot are $1820 Annual costs are $915 By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Mess Don’t forget, parrots can make a HUGE mess! Droppings need cleaned daily, cages scrubbed and dried weekly, soiled perches cleaned or replaced as needed By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Emotionally Draining According to the Parrots R Forever Avian Rescue, initial costs for a medium (African Grey sized) parrot are $1820 Annual costs are $915 By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

Emotional and Demanding Become depressed, lethargic, and untrusting if left alone for long periods Needs hours of daily interaction with owner to stay mentally and physically healthy Need daily supervised time out of cage for interaction, exploring, and to stretch wings Parrots are as intelligent as 3-5 year olds… Would you leave YOUR child home alone in a cage all day? By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

What CAN Happen… You may want to hide your eyes… By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

What CAN Happen… Go to http://mytoos.com/chained.shtml By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

What CAN Happen… These examples are extreme Mild-moderate feather plucking is considered “normal” in some species. These tend to be those which pair bond strongest, such as cockatoos and quakers. No one knows why, for sure, birds pluck… Prozac can help, and so can having lots of toys to chew on. By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

An educational clip… By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp

The End Thanks! By Gay Carson and Jessie Bohnenkamp