A Meyer’s parrot is a relatively easy breed of parrot to take care of and keep happy. These parrots require a roomy cage with toys, a few perches, food, water and a bath. They also need daily exercise and out-of-cage time. This type of parrot requires a diet of seed mix, fresh fruit and vegetables. A Meyer’s parrot also needs attention from humans.
Small parrot seed mix always should be available in the food dish, because it makes up the majority of the Meyer’s parrot’s diet. You can purchased it at a pet shop, or it often can be found in a grocery store. Parrot seed mix contains oats, groats, linseeds, niger seeds, canary grass seeds, sesame seeds, safflower seeds, red millet, white millet and yellow millet. Keep the seed in a dark, well-ventilated place such as a closet. Store the seed mix in cloth bag, like a laundry bag, for good air circulation.
A Meyer’s parrot also should consume other items, such as fresh vegetables and fruits and vitamin pellets, to give it a balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables should be provided daily. Fruits that are suitable for a Meyer’s parrot include pineapples, bananas and apples. These parrots also like eggplant, green peas, sweet corn, carrots, lettuce, dandelion greens, spinach, zucchini, green peppers and tomatoes.
Meyer’s parrots require a cage that is large enough for them to fly around and play. The ideal size is about 40 inches (1 m) long, 20 inches (0.5 m) deep and 32 inches (0.8 m) high — or larger — with horizontal bars for climbing. Toys such as swings and mirrors can be placed in the cage, along with a bath house that has a textured bottom. Water and food dishes should have guards to prevent waste contamination, or you can opt for an automatic dispensing dish. There should be multiple perches of various sizes at different levels in the cage.
You should let your Meyer’s parrot out of its cage for several hours a day for exercise and social interaction. A good way to do that is to set up a play area for the bird in the same room where your family hangs out. These birds also can come along on outings, with the help of harnesses or carriers. You should keeo your Meyer’s parrot’s wings well clipped so it doesn’t fly away.
A pet Meyer’s parrot will chew, just like other parrots, so you should keep chew toys available. You also might wish to keep the parrot cage far from anything chewable, such as chairs, tables, window sills and any other similar objects on which the bird can get its teeth.