When you adopt a parrot, it’s a lifelong vow. And we just don’t mean the life of your new friend...

Your parrot may live as long as you do or, depending on your age when you adopt your friend, even outlive you!

As crazy as this sounds to those who are unfamiliar with parrots, it’s an important consideration to ponder when adopting.

It’s not unusual for a healthy, happy parrot to live 50 to 70 or even 80 years. This is the normal aging process for the larger birds, like the Macaw. The smaller species of parrots. like the parakeets or the cockatiels, – don’t live quite as long. They only live between 13 and 30 years, depending on the type.

The conure species of parrot, if well cared for and healthy, lives between 25 to 40 years.

You can easily see how when you adopt your parrot – especially if he’s a baby – you may very well be forming an exceptional bond that could last the better part of your life as well as your new friend’s.

If you’re interested in the lifespan of that African Grey Parrot you have your eye on in the pet shop, Parrot-care-center.com to discover how long of commitment you can expect to make!

So you’ve brought your parrot home with you. You have him all set up in his gorgeous cage in the family room. And he seems happy enough there. So, why, you ask does he seem to be developing some . . . well, as best as you can determine “psychological” problems?

In Healthy Parrot Secret #4, we’ll tell you what may be bothering your friend. In fact, if you place your bird in a noisy room, especially one that gets used extensively in the evening, your beloved Polly may actually be sleep deprived.

If she seems irritable, grouchy or just plain out of sorts, you may want to evaluate her sleep patterns. Your bird’s ancestors are natives of the tropical zones. The days and nights are just about evenly matched in hours around the equator.

And your bird’s ancestors normally begin their nightly sleep routine right around dusk. So given this information, you really need to allow for a minimum of 12 hours of sleep to keep your new family member healthy and happy. Any less than that and you may discover that you not only have to use tooth picks to prop his eyelids open, but you’re dealing with a very grouchy bird!

If you do have your friend’s cage in a room where the television runs late into the evening, you should find a new home for it. It should be in an area where he can see the family throughout the day, but also experience some peace and quiet as dusk falls. In this way, he can indulge his social skills, but still be able to sleep when it gets dark.

Who knew a parrot needed his beauty sleep?

In the next secret, we’ll reveal another factor that may be causing your new friend undue stress. In the meantime, you may just want to learn what it more about those eyes of the parrot. And specifically how his iris differs from yours. You’ll be amazed at the gift he has!

Okay, so you’ve moved Polly’s cage out of the living room and away from all those marvelous TV shows that you watch.  And you’ve learned that it’s not that your friend doesn’t appreciate the entertainment, it’s just he’s not cut out for those late nights.

Yet, you discover that he’s still grouchy, irritable . . . and just plain unhappy. So, what’s going on?

Consider this:  “You can take the parrot out of the flock, but you can’t take the flock out of the parrot.”  Yes!  Your new friend is in need of some friends. But before you run out and adopt several more parrots to keep him company, try spending more time with him.

The bottom line is that  a parrot is a very sociable animal.  His ancestors and his wild cousins travel in flocks.  They actually enjoy each other’s company!  Your parrot has a much larger spectrum of emotion than you can imagine.  

Review the time you do spend with Polly.  Consider not only the hours you spend, but also her reaction to that time.  You can probably already tell that she loves to be with you.  Not only does she love, but she needs it for her emotional and psychological well-being.

Look at her right now. You can see that she’s foraging for food.  That, in the parrot world, is normally a social hour for them.  While you don’t want to spoil your parrot, you do want him to be happy.   

Don’t be afraid to take him out of his cage every day and spend some one-on-one time with him.  He’ll always consider himself a member of the flock.  And more than that, he sees you as a member of his flock too.

If you can do this, you’re well on your way to raising a happy, healthy parrot!

Ah…just look at the two of your there. It’s a match made in junk food heaven. The couch potato and his companion, the junk food parrot.

If this describes your relationship with your parrot, then your parrot needs a nutritional makeover - and fast! Consider for a moment your attachment to junk food.

Do you feel the need – thanks to the persistent squawks and squeals of your parrot – to share the peanut butter filled pretzels with Polly? Be honest, we’ve all fed our birds potato chips, corn chips, even cheese puffs on occasion.

But when those occasions are the celebrating of the setting sun or the clock chime indicating it’s 3 p.m., then it’s definitely indicates a need to revamp the nutritional status of your parrot.

Your parrot, unlike most of us, will gladly take that junk food. But you may have noticed that when he does, he eats fewer of the fruits, vegetables and other foods abundant in phytonutrients that he needs.

Your parrot may be eating, but the chances are if you’re sharing your processed, packaged and junk foods with him, he may also be malnourished. And that could do be a life-threatening situation for your beloved friend.

The answer: The same answer that the doctor would recommend for you. You need to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, those empty calories and replace them with healthy whole foods jam-packed with a variety of antioxidants and nutrients.