Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best bird for me?

In short there is no right answer here. It depends entirely on your circumstances are. One important thing to note is that price does not matter. What I mean by this is that a $3000 bird is not necessarily 'better' than a $300 bird. It depends on your goals and needs. Similarly if you work out the cost per year we recommend saving longer if you need to but GET THE BIRD YOU REALLY WANT (within reason). $3000 divided by even just a 30 year lifespan is 100 per year as compared to $10 for a $300 bird. However, you will have this bird and need to care for it for decades. It will be a part of your life. While vet costs are not commonly an issue for birds that are well cared for these are not charged based on the bird's value... the cost of food varies slightly but is not that large as a % of value. Get the bird that you believe will be best after researching, not the one you can afford first.   

Some things to consider include:

• Noise level?

  • All parrots are somewhat noisy. That is their nature and while African parrots are generally quieter than Aussies and South American Species they still make noises. 

• Will it talk?

  • most parrots talk (mimic), generally larger parrots are better talkers but are also noisier. ​

• Diet - are they hard to look after?

  • Lories and Lorikeets are probably the most important subgroup here with special requirements and being particularly messy with respect to poop which they can squirt many metres. ​

  • We do not believe that Eclectus are particularly tricky to feed properly, we feed basically the same diet to Eccys as Greys etc. 

  • Parrot pellets have made caring for parrots a whole lot easier. It is a balanced diet so you can supplement it with some more interesting food but you do not need to be an expert to look after most any parrot really well. 

• How big a Cage do I need?

  • Bigger beak = bigger bars and more space required​

  • Bigger is generally better

  • The bird should be able to move freely in the cage because even if you do not plan that it should spend much time in there you may need to lock it up sometimes for extended periods unexpectedly and it is good to be prepared.

• Are they destructive?

  • This varies not only by species (larger birds generally more able to be destructive) but also by individual bird with some greys for instance never chewing furniture at all while some cockatiels can be a real mennace. ​

  • Basically do not expect the bird is not going to destroy a few things if left unsupervised so do not leave them on your $10,000 couch. 

  • You can distract them to some extent with toys and the like they are allowed to destroy but this is not 100% effective.

• What Size parrot should I get?

  • Larger birds also weight more on your arm so for kids we generally suggest smaller birds. ​

• Do they need regular vet checks?

  • In short no they do not. ​

  • If you have concerns it pays to see a suitable vet but they do not need annual checkups if there are no issues and the bird appears healthy and happy. 

• Do you need to worm birds every 3 or 6 months?

  • Generally speaking you do not. This depends on your situation and where the bird is housed, what other birds it interacts with, it's diet and more. We usually only worm our birds if there is an indication of a problem (runny poos under tail, weight loss, worms evident in faeces). ​

• How often should I weigh my bird/do I need to weigh my bird?

  • We suggest getting a baseline weight to refer to if there is even any concern over the bird's health but there is no real need to weight the bird regularly. It is a way to detect issues early so there is no harm to weigh tame birds regularly, it is just not really required. If you suspect an issue with your bird getting a weight right away to compare with those taken the next day or week is a good idea. If you do weigh the bird it should be done first thing in the morning before feeding so you get an empty crop weight for consistent comparison.​

• What should I feed my bird?

  • Please see our Feeding page​

• Are parrots expensive to keep?

  • All things are relative, you can make it expensive or keep it relatively cheap. There is no need for regular vet visits, there are no vaccinations or any other recurring treatments required if your bird is well cared for and unless something goes wrong. ​Food costs vary by size but you can expect to spend around NZD50 per month (2020 estimate). This is comprised of approx $20 for 1kg pellets (brands vary in price but work on around 1kg per month for a mid sized parrot if you do not waste by overfilling bowls), most people can just use veggies and fruit you cook for yourself but say a quarter apple sized fruit equivalent per day so at $4 per kg for most fruit in season you would not likely spend more than $10 a month, a 1kg pack of frozen mixed veg at $3 odd will cover most of a month and is perfectly fine to use as compared to fresh stuff from the supermarket, $10 for 2kg of soak mix shold last a couple of months, berries and nuts etc are incidental and $10 of sunflower should also last more than a month)

• How many toys does the bird need - what toys?

  • There are many options available to buy. ​

  • You do not need to spend a fortune, the bird will be 'just as happy' with a branch with some loose bark to rip off, some leaves, paper to shred, soft wood to destroy as it will with a fancy toy. Dried pinecones work wonders also. There are so many ideas I will not address this question in detail but suffice to say you do not need a load of expensive toys. These are convenient to buy and install but not required.