How to House Baby Parrots

Baby parrots are atricial; when they hatch, they are featherless with closed eyes and completely helpless. In the wild, or if left in the nest box, the mother bird provides them with the necessary warmth and humidity to survive. Hand-reared baby parrots must be kept in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment until they are mostly feathered, at which time they are moved to a weaning cage. Good quality commercial brooders include accurate thermostats to regulate temperature within a few tenths of a degree.

Things You'll Need

  • Plain, unscented facial tissues
  • Plastic berry baskets
  • Commercial brooder
  • Laboratory grade thermometer and hygrometer
  • Washcloth
  • Plastic sandwich bag
  • Plastic buckets with square sides
  • Non-toxic wood shavings
  • Weaning cage
  • Perches
  • Toys
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Instructions

  1. From Hatch to 1 Week Old

    • 1

      Place a few layers of crumpled, unscented facial tissues into plastic berry baskets or similar sized containers. You will need one container for each baby parrot. Whatever container you choose, make sure that it has a square shape rather than round. Brooding chicks in round containers has been linked to beak deformities.

    • 2

      Place the containers in the commercial brooder (one designed for parrots), and set the thermostat to 97.5 degrees. Put a laboratory grade thermometer and hygrometer inside the brooder, near the containers. Turn the brooder on, and wait until the temperature has stabilized--preferably for 24 to 48 hours--before placing the baby parrots inside.

    • 3

      Put the baby birds into the brooder, one per berry basket or other container. Change the bedding (facial tissues) after each feeding.

    • 4

      Monitor the humidity several times a day. The humidity should be maintained at 50 to 70 percent for best results. Increase the humidity by placing a damp washcloth inside an unsealed sandwich bag, then place the bag on the floor of the brooder. It is highly unlikely the humidity will become too high, unless you have taken steps to raise it. In this case, reduce the amount of humidity you are adding to the environment until it stabilizes at around 60 percent.

    • 5

      Watch the baby parrots for signs of chilling or overheating. Pale babies may be too cool; red babies are usually too warm. Adjust the thermostat slightly, if needed.

    After the First Week

    • 6

      Move the baby parrots into community brooding containers and replace the tissues with fine, non-toxic wood shavings, such as those made from aspen. Each clutch should be in its own container. Larger plastic containers with squared sides work best for this.

    • 7

      Decrease the temperature of the brooder gradually. From 1 week until 10 to 12 days, keep the brooder at 95 degrees, then reduce it to 93 degrees. Continue reducing the temperature, 2 to 3 degrees at a time, until the chicks have feathers covering their breast and most of their body.

    • 8

      Move the chicks into a weaning cage once they are comfortable at room temperature. Mount perches low in the weaning cage to prevent injuries from falling, and provide toys to keep the baby parrot occupied.