Author: Chewy Editors

Everybody wants a parrot that talks, but those who love parrots remind us that, in the range of all the gifts parrots give, the ability to talk is just the icing on the cake. Conures are not the best talkers of the parrot world, but they are also far from the worst. It’s quite typical for a conure to say at least a few words, and some individuals have much larger vocabularies. However, when you ask conure owners about their birds, they are likely to first describe the conure’s, energetic, fun and affectionate nature long before they get around to talking ability. An informal survey at Talking-Poll, which provides a glimpse into the range of conure vocabulary. More than 80 percent of the conures included in the poll talked at least a little. The Aratinga conures (cherry-headed, white-eyed, half moon, and others) seem to have the edge, taking the top spots in terms of average vocabulary. Male conures seemed to have a slim lead in overall vocabulary. Members of the Aratinga conure species, in addition to their bright coloration, also have attention-getting voices that even their biggest fans often describe as “ear-splitting.” The more subtly-colored Pyrrura conures, such as the green cheek and maroon belly, possess a lower decibel level and fewer words; however, in the conure talking poll, it was a quieter and less showy green-cheeked female conure that won the prize for the individual bird with the largest vocabulary. Conures speak in their own style. When an African grey parrot speaks, it reproduces voices so well that you might swear your mother-in-law is in the room with you. But when your conure speaks, you know you’re listening to a bird. Visitors who are not used to being around birds might not even realize that they are hearing speech until you point it out. While a conure’s human vocabulary might be limited, the bird can be a talented sound-effects artist, mimicking common household or human noises, such as laughter, sneezes, or other, less-polite sounds. Some nanday conures reproduce the tone and timbre of human conversation without producing actual words, much the way human babies “jargon” while gearing up to attempt actual speech. The birds might carry on this babbling running commentary while you are speaking to others face to face or over the phone: endearing, if a little distracting. Talking to your bird is the best way to encourage it to talk to you. Just as babies wouldn’t learn to speak unless they were spoken to, your conure will want to converse with you in your language; so commenting matter-of-factly on treats, toys, or whatever your bird is doing, provides the input for your budding talker. Of course, don’t be surprised if, instead of greeting you with the friendly word you have intentionally been repeating to it for weeks, your bird instead shows off a phrase that you didn’t even realize you used at all until you heard it drop proudly from your conure’s beak. Enjoy your bird regardless of its talking ability. lf it’s a conure, it’s bound to be energetic, fun and full of personality, whether it chatters your ear off or if it doesn’t say a word. Posted by: Chewy Editorial Featured Image: iStock.com/JTKPHOTOz

Parrotlets, affectionately known as “pocket parrots,” are charming, miniature-sized, true parrots. There are seven species of parrotlets: blue-winged parrotlets (Forpus xanthopterygius), Guiana or green-rumped parrotlets (F. passerinus), Mexican parrotlets (F. cyanopygius), Pacific or Celestial parrotlets (F. coelestis), Sclater’s parrotlets (F. sclateri), spectacled parrotlets (F. conpicillatus) and yellow-faced parrotlets (F. xanthops). The most commonly kept parrotlets in the United States are the green-rumped, Pacific and the spectacled. These usually weigh between 18 and 28 grams and are approximately 3 to 5 1/2 inches in length. Parrotlets can be sexed at a glance, since they are sexually dimorphic. Most owners describe them as lovable and easily maintained, yet very territorial. They are relatively inexpensive at prices ranging from $100 to $350 each. The following are a few common questions one may have while considering a parrotlet for a pet.

It seems most of us are fairly predictable when it comes to keeping a pet canary; we get one and are soon thinking of getting another. “Just one, to keep him company,” we say, wanting the best for this tiny enchanting creature that has generally managed to wriggle his little feathered way into our affections much faster than we’d expected. By then, the next question seems almost inevitable: “Can canaries share cages?” During the late summer, fall, and most of the winter, it is possible for some male canaries to share a cage relatively amicably. But no matter how well they get along, only the more dominant canaries situation. You will get a little more song in a large shared-cage than a smaller one, but not as much song if each canary has his own well-defined territory. If you got your canaries at a young age, say, 6 months or so old, the gender will be uncertain since, with very little exception, it’s impossible to accurately tell the gender of a young canary until it is both physically mature and in full breeding condition. Even song is not a reliable indicator, as some canary hens can sing fairly well. A smaller sub-group of singing canary hens even exists that can sing every bit as well as most male canaries, and better than some!

If you fancy large birds, you can’t go wrong with an eclectus parrot. They’re not only beautiful, they can also entertain you with their chatter. But keeping an eclectus parrot is not for the time-strapped owner, says Dr. Katherine Quesenberry, head of avian and exotic pets at Animal Medical Center in New York City. “They’re not the type of pet you want if you have a very busy lifestyle and you’re not home very much,” she explains. (If “busy” best describes you, you’re better off with a small bird like a parakeet or cockatoo.) But if you do have time and energy to invest, you’ll be amply rewarded. Read on for the lowdown on these colorful birds.

We all know that pet birds are masters at hiding signs of illness. In nature, weak birds or those showing signs of disease are usually the first to be removed from the flock by predators. Of course, in the safety of our homes, our pet birds don’t need to hide illness; however, this is not something that a bird has conscious control over. By the time a bird shows signs of being sick, it is often quite ill and may actually be in a life-threatening situation. We all know that sitting on the bottom of the cage, fluffed up, with beak and head tucked under a wing during the day, or sitting with eyes closed most of the day are common symptoms displayed by a sick pet bird. Sneezing, rapid breathing, regurgitating, having overt changes to the droppings or bleeding are also all signs of a very sick bird. For owners who often spend a lot of time observing and playing with their pet bird, subtle changes to a bird’s behavior are usually the first clues that something is amiss. But bird owners also should purchase and use a good-quality scale to measure their bird’s weight on a regular basis. Weighing your pet birds weekly can be invaluable. Weight loss can be so subtle that you won’t be able to feel it when picking up a bird, but the loss may actually be significant. For a small parrot, a weight loss of few grams can indicate a sick bird. By the time you can feel muscle loss around the keel, testing may reveal that the bird is very ill. At the other end of the spectrum, rapid weight gain can give an owner and the bird’s veterinarian a heads-up that a hen is cycling and might begin producing eggs soon. Weight gain over time can be an indicator that a bird is consuming too many calories or is possibly developing an internal problem (fluid build up in the body cavity, a tumor or mass, for example).