There
it is, the dread Parrot poop!
If you want to own a parrot, you had
better get used to it because it is going to become a routine part of your
everyday life.
You will be regularily cleaning it off of cages, t-stands,
toys, food bowls, the floor, your furniture, and occasionally the bird and
yourself.
It will become second nature to scan yourself and each member of the family for
"parrot tracks" down the front or back of their clothes before going out in
public.
It will become automatic that you
do a last minute scan of the floors and furniture for little "surprises" just
before company arrives.
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You
probably think I'm exaggerating here, but just ask any parrot owner. I don't
want to dwell on this subject
but there are a couple of important things you need toknow
about it before acquiring a parrot. The first thing you need to be aware of is
that parrots have a metabolism designed for flying many miles in the course of
a day and this requires a great deal of energy. Lots of energy means lots of
fuel, and what goes in must come out. A healthy bird will pass waste, on
average, every 15 to 20 minutes. There are ways to minimize the clean-up work,
but it is always a messy task that must be done at least once a day to maintain
a clean, healthy environment for your bird and your household.
The second thing you should know is that you will need to
examine your bird's droppingsevery day. I don't mean
glance at, I mean EXAMINE. Gross, you say! Yes, but necessary. In the
wild, parrots are prey animals. As such, they are instinctively aware that sick
or wounded animals are an easy meal for predators such as hawks and
eagles. As a defense mechanism, birds have become masters at hiding sickness or
injury. In many cases, by the time an unwary owner realizes that something is
wrong it is too late. One of the best, earliest and sometimes only indicators
of health problems is the stool. As a responsible and caring owner you will
need to read and understand
Parrot Poopology 101
and apply this knowledge on a daily
basis. If this is not something that you are willing to do for the next 20 to
80 years, you should look for a pet other then a parrot.
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So you want to own a parrot? |
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