Birds make for great pets because of the beauty and grace that these animals possess. Of the many bird species that you can take care of as pets, one of the most popular is the parrot, which comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and which are particularly famous because of certain species’ capacity to emulate the human voice. Although there is generally not a tax for keeping parrots, unless you are keeping rare breeds, there are certain costs that you should be aware of.
Cage. The cage is one of the primary tools that you need to take care of parrots. Some owners prefer to let their parrots roam freely around the house, but this is only effective for parrots that have been well trained. Unless you want to keep all of the windows on the house closed and unless you are willing to clip off the very beautiful feathers on a parrot’s wings, you should keep the parrot in a cage. Some other parrot owners will instead tie the parrot’s feet to a certain location in the house to allow it to move in a given circumference, but it is best to let the parrot roam by itself in a sealed container. This will also allow you to keep parrots and other small animals such as dogs, which can harm the bird if it is not kept inside a cage.
Play gyms. Next, you should allot some money for the play gyms and the T stands that the parrots use. These will allow the parrots to move and climb, which provides for the exercise that the parrots need even when inside the cage. These play gyms for parrots can cost anywhere from 50 dollars to five hundred dollars, depending on the size and the quality. These are, however, important investments since parrots that do not have any exercise will become weak and prone to illness.
Food. Pellets are one of the basic food items that parrots eat, and will cost you only a few dollars. However, keeping a healthy parrot will require more than just the ruin of the mill pet shop pellets. Although these pellets contain basic nutrients, you should still complement the parrot pellets with vegetables and fruits which add to the variety of the parrot’s food and which will give the parrots the well-rounded diet needed for healthy parrots with long and active lives.
Toys. Apart from the play gyms, parrots will also appreciate toys that they can chew and play with. There are plenty of toys for parrots in most pet shops, but these can cost you in the long run, especially since parrots will inevitably chew the toys or claw these off to pieces after a certain time. What you can do to save up on money is to create your own toys for the parrots.
Apart from the usual expenses that come with taking care of parrots, you should also set some money for the vet since parrots will need regular checkups to remain healthy. There are also immunizations that you need to get for your bird. Add the anticipated vet bills to the rest of the needs of the parrots, and you will have the estimated cost of keeping a parrot.