Want to Keep Him Healthy? What Do Parrots Eat for a Long, Happy Life?

How many times have you gone into your local pet store looking for pet care items and you are greeted by a whistle or simple "Hello there." You look around to return the nice gesture but cannot find the person that it came from. What you see is this beautiful bird staring at you and again you hear "hello there!" It came from the beautiful parrot in the cage next to you. You tell yourself that you want to take him home. But what must you buy for him? What do parrots eat? So many questions!
You are so taken by this little fellow that you spend the next 10 minutes talking to him forgetting just why you are there in the first place. Sound familiar? Wondering how much he costs to take home with you? Now that you've spent the next half hour talking to the salesperson about him and finalizing the purchase, you think that you are done. Nope! Not yet! He will need to eat once you get him home. But there are so many different bird foods in that aisle. There are seeds, peanuts and many different colorful pellets.
Although your parrot would probably eat many of the wide selection there, you must think about the health and wellness of your new friend if you want him to live to his full life expectancy. As you may have heard, parrot species can live anywhere from 10-80 years depending on which parrot type you choose. 
You will need to feed your parrot a variety of foods from the seed selections, pellet diet to fruits and vegetables. The different varieties of food available mostly have different ingredients that are essential to your parrot's good health. For example, a diet made up of only seeds does not give your parrot the proper nutrition needed to live long and healthy. 
The pellet food available is a more balanced diet that when added to the fruits and vegetables you will provide him will give him what he needs to be happy and healthy. You will choose the food that best suits your parrot's size and weight requirements. A parrot is a wonderful friend that can be a lifelong companion for you if you know how to properly care for and feed him so he can live to his full life expectancy. Taking the time to educate yourself on the basics of companion bird care before you actually go out and purchase one will only set you up for success and give your new family friend a head start to good health and a happy life.

Senegal Parrot - 5 Personality Traits That Make the Senegal a Great Pet Parrot

The African Senegal Parrot has worked its way up on the list of top picks for pet birds. Here are 5 of its best personality traits that help make it a great choice for a pet Parrot.

Quieter Than Many Parrots-Sometimes the Senegal is listed as a quiet bird which is absolutely true, except when it's not. Even though they are not prone to making screaming and screeching sounds as frequently as some parrots, when they want to be heard they have no problem making it happen. In their defense, they are not usually noisy except when excited or wanting attention. And as always, a lot will depend on your individual bird.

Can Entertain Themselves-These are pretty independent birds that do well without another bird sharing the cage with them. With a variety of toys that are rotated in and out of the cage frequently, they are happy spending their days exploring, swinging, climbing and chewing their toys for stimulation. They still will need to spend several hours out of the cage each day for proper exercise. They will also need several hours of human interaction daily to remain tame and to continue to foster trust and affection between caregiver and bird.

Talkers-Many learn to speak well, while others tend to sound mechanical when speaking. There are still others who never learn to speak at all but enjoy whistling, and imitating household sounds such as doorbells, alarm clocks, or microwaves. There are a number of videos and books written about the best way to get your bird to talk, but ultimately they are no guarantee that the bird you've chosen will do so. The best way to insure that your bird will talk is to hear it talk before you buy it.

Highly Trainable-Senegals enjoy short, but regular training sessions for tricks with the outcome being great tricks and a stronger bond between you and your bird. Remember to go slowly, be consistent, and reward with a treat when they have done a good job for you. Never, ever, scold or punish your bird if it does not meet your expectations. This will only injure your relationship with your bird and lessen the chances of getting your Parrot to learn the trick.

Fun and Entertaining-With proper toys, perches, ropes, and a swing or two they are energetic birds that are highly entertaining. Watching them can be a lovely way to unwind any time you have a minute to watch the show.