If you are thinking of buying a parrot, spending a few minutes reading this article will be very worthwhile. The key thing to consider before you go ahead and buy a parrot is - Are you prepared to devote the required amount of time to properly care for a pet parrot?Parrot care should not be taken lightly, because it is very important for the health and well-being of your bird, and it takes a great deal of time in order to do it properly.

Parrots have been popular pets for centuries now, and it is easy to see why - they come in lots of superb colours; they have great personalities; they are really intelligent; and they are reasonably easy to train. However, these big plus points often cause people to overlook the negative points associated with having a pet parrot, and they rush out and buy a parrot without properly considering how much time and effort is required to properly look after one. Sadly, this results in lots of parrots acquiring behavioural problems. Although there are over 350 species of parrot, and each species has slightly different parrot care needs, there are certain common 'parrot care' factors that are important to all of them:

1) Cages - Nothing has a bigger impact on a parrot's mental health than the size of its cage. It needs to be easily big enough to allow the parrot to fully spread out and flap its wings. There also needs to be enough room for 5 large parrot toys, without the parrot being cramped. Regularly check the cage for damage that could harm your parrot (e.g. rough metal edges caused by your parrot chewing the cage).

2) Socialization - If parrots are left on their own, they will often experience mental health problems. Therefore, it is very important that they have a lot of social interaction with you and your family - treat your pet like a member of your family, and he will act like one! The best way to do this is to place the cage in the part of your home where you and your family spend the majority of your time. Note: Don't put the cage in your kitchen, because cooking often gives off chemicals that are toxic to parrots.

3) Nutrition/Diet - Although diets vary slightly from species to species, there are lots of common foods that are good for all types of parrots. Every parrot's diet should consist of the following foods: fresh water, parrot seed (ideally enriched with vitamins), fresh fruits and vegetables, and parrot pellets.

4) Cage Cleaning - Clean the cage daily, but be sure to only use water and mild soap. You should always wash your hands before you handle a parrot, or prepare his food, because it is easy to give a parrot a bacterial infection. For example, human saliva contains bacteria which is extremely harmful to parrots.

5) Parrot Grooming - Parrots require a great deal of grooming. Their beaks and nails don't stop growing, and require clipping approximately every four or five weeks. This is essential, because long beaks and nails can easily cause your parrot to get snagged on various bits of his cage, which can easily cause an injury. You also need to provide water baths or sprays each day to keep your parrots' feathers in top condition.

In conclusion, if you are prepared to provide the proper parrot care, owning a parrot is really enjoyable and rewarding. Parrots thrive in normal household environments, and they make fantastic pets and companions. However, please realize that having a parrot is a long-term commitment, because (depending on the species you buy) parrots can live anything between 13 and 75 years.