page_title: Companion parrot
section_title: Maintenance
hierarchical_section_title: Companion parrot / Maintenance
caption_attribution_description: English: Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus) also known as the Black-headed Caique, Black-capped Parrot or Pallid Parrot.
context_page_description: A companion parrot is a parrot kept as a pet that interacts abundantly with their human counterpart. Generally, most species of parrot can make excellent companions.
  Species of parrots that are kept as companions include large parrots, such as amazons, greys, cockatoos, eclectus, hawk-headed parrots, and macaws; mid-sized birds, such as caiques, conures, quakers, Pionus, Poicephalus, rose-ringed parakeets, and rosellas; and many of the smaller types, including Brotogeris, budgies, cockatiels, parakeets, lovebirds, parrotlets and lineolated parakeets.
  Some species of lories and lorikeets are kept as pets but are quite messy, and often more popular as aviary birds. Hanging parrots and fig parrots are normally kept as aviary birds and not as pets. Some species as pygmy parrots and kakapos, night parrots, and about half of the species of parrotlet, are not considered companion parrots due to difficult dietary requirements or unavailability.
context_section_description: With the right home parrots have the potential to make excellent, highly interactive, affectionate, and entertaining pets prized by their owners, but should not be considered easy care or low-maintenance pets. Tame companion parrots require daily attention and interaction with their owners, and need to be housed in a cage at least large enough to allow the bird to spread its wings and move about comfortably. Companion parrots also need to be fed a diet that includes fresh vegetables and fruits, and a smaller amount of seeds and grains; dietary requirements vary with species and activity level.
  Other elements essential to a companion parrot's well-being include appropriate toys to chew up and play with; veterinary care; and social time out of the cage whenever possible—preferably on playgyms or other out-of-cage perches. The larger parrots can be expensive to care for, messy, destructive, and loud, and some individuals may exhibit some aggressive behaviors during adolescence. Like dogs, parrots require some amount of basic training and proper early socialization to mature into good companions. Their intelligence means parrots learn new behaviors—both good and bad—easily.
  Many birds end up having to be rehomed because their owners did not realize the level of care required when they purchased the bird, did not understand how loud they can be, or did not understand how to properly socialize and train their bird. This is especially true for macaws and other species with dramatic, beautiful colouring, as well as cockatoos due to their intensely affectionate demeanor. These traits unfortunately make them tempting impulse purchases, leading to hundreds of macaws and cockatoos being put up for adoption.
caption: Black-headed caique in its cage
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