This test is for all potential adopting parronts to take. You are encouraged to cheat by researching the web, reading books, asking your vet, asking other bird friends, even calling your local bird store. The more research YOU do the more YOUR bird will benefit from YOUR knowledge.
This first section covers true or false questions. Please put T or F to these statements. Read carefully, there are some trick questions here.
1. ____ Avocado is a great, safe treat for my bird.
2. ____ I let my bird have as much of the food I eat as he wants.
3. ____ Feeding fruits and veggies at least every other day is good for birds
4. ____ My bird looks droopy and lethargic, I should take my bird to the vet right
away!
5. ____ Seed size doesn’t matter, birds will eat anything.
6. ____ Poultry food is just as good for exotic birds as it is for poultry
7. ____ Birds don’t need fresh water every day
8. ____ Birds don’t need toys if they have me to play with them
9. ____ Birds don’t need a roomy cage if they are outside of it almost every day
10 ____ A cage is all I need for my bird
11. ____ Natural branches are better for birds than a good old fashioned
wooden dowel.
12. ____ Any tree branch I can find is ok for my bird to perch on
13. ____ My bird loves to chew on the wood I found on the beach, if he likes it so
much it must be safe for him.
14. ____ It’s safe for my bird to be on a tree perch outside.
15. ____ Hawks aren’t going to be interested in attacking a large parrot on a branch
outside
16. ____ My bird is safe outside if it’s in a cage, even from cats
17. ____ My bird has a drippy nose, I’m sure it is just a cold and he’ll get over it by
himself
18. ____ My bird cage is rusty, any paint shall do to cover the rust to keep my bird
from getting sick.
19. ____ There’s a few sharp edges in my birds cage, but he knows where they are so
I don’t need to fix them.
20. ____ My bird takes a bath in the small water bowl I give him and that should be
enough to keep him clean.
21. ____ I’m allergic to cat and dog dander but I should be ok around birds.
22. ____ It’s ok for my birds to walk around on the floor.
23. ____ My bird bit me! Spanking him will teach him not to do that again!
24. ____ My bird bit me! Throwing him into his cage as punishment will teach him!
25. ____ My bird bit me! Putting him on the floor and toweling him up and into a
quiet time cage will make him think about what he did.
26. ____ Teaching my bird to step up on a stick isn’t important.
27. ____ My parrots beak is long but he’ll wear it down himself.
28. ____ A tiny scratch from my cat won’t hurt my parrot.
29. ____ My parrots are fighting, I should let them work out their differences by
themselves
30. ____ The bird I just adopted is naked, I don’t need to be aware of the temperature
in my home, he can crawl into his cozy hut if he gets cold.
31. ____ My bird only needs 5 to 6 hours sleep at night
32. ____ My parrot doesn’t need a quiet place to sleep at night.
33. ____ I’m a night owl and I think it’s ok for my parrot to be that too.
34. ____ My parrot hates his cage and breaks out of it all the time, so I might as well
let him stay out all the time.
35. ____ It’s ok for my bird to be in the direct sun, he can flap his wings to cool off.
36. ____ I’m going to make an outdoor aviary and have my bird live in it. He doesn’t
need to be acclimatized to the outdoor temperature.
37. ____ I take my bird everywhere I go, his feathers look a little mottled but he’s not
stressed out.
38. ____ When traveling with me in my car, my bird doesn’t need to be in a cage.
39. ____ It’s ok to have my bird with me in the kitchen when I’m cooking.
40. ____ If I burn something in a Teflon pan, even if I can’t smell anything my bird
will be Ok, especially if I vent the house right away.
41. ____ I should be aware of the effects of chemicals before using them around my
bird.
42. ____ My bird doesn’t need to learn be fed out of a bowl, I’m there all the time to
hand feed him.
43. ____ Chinese food is great for my bird.
44. ____ Pizza, chips and pop is ok for my bird if given in moderation
45. ____ If my bird loves coffee and cola as much as I do, then he can have it in
moderation
46. ____ MSG isn’t harmful to my birds
47. ____ It’s ok to feed my parrot out of my mouth and let him pick my teeth.
48. ____ If I supply only concrete or sand perches, that will keep my birds claws short
and I won’t have to worry about them getting too long.
49. ____ One perch in my parrots cage is all he needs.
50. ____ My parrot destroys all his toys, so he must hate them.
51. ____ It’s ok to stock food and water up in a cage if I’m going to leave for more
than 2 days on vacation and be assured that my parrot is well cared for
while I’m gone.
52. ____ I found these little red dots all over the inside of my birds cage cover when I
woke him up in the morning, it must just be dirt that I’m seeing.
53. ____ My bird laid an egg, I should remove it right away to prevent more egg
laying.
54. ____ My bird is very noisy, yelling at him will teach him to stop it
55. ____If I have problems with my bird, I don’t need to consider outside help, I can
figure it out for myself thru trial and error.
56. ____ An ounce of prevention……….
57. ____ Teaching a bird to swear is really cool and won’t affect the value of my bird.
58. ____ What can be taught to a bird can be untaught just as easily.
59. ____ Birds that have been previously abused may follow the rule, 2 steps forward
1 step back for the rest of their lives and it is good to be aware of this.
60. ____ I have to find a new home by myself if my parrot experience doesn’t work
out for me.
61. ____ Branch sizes don’t matter.
62. ____ Second hand smoke won’t hurt my bird.
63. ____ I smoke but only outside or in a different room than my bird, that won’t hurt
him.
64. ____ Loud music won’t hurt my bird
65. ____ Birds can re-grow their ear drums but not their lungs unlike us humans.
66. ____ If I can eat it my bird can too.
67. ____ A dog and cat vet can do as much for my bird as a vet that specializes in
birds.
68. ____ When bringing home a new bird and introducing it to my other birds, I
should always have a recent clean bill of health.
69. ____ I just bought a new toy for my bird, I don’t need to sanitize it before giving it
to him.
Please answer these questions to the best of your ability. An inability to correctly answer them correctly does not mean that you will be ineligible to adopt a bird it just tells us what knowledge you need to be given before you adopt.
If you need more room than provided, please use the back of this test.
1 Please describe what stress feathers are and how they develop and how they can be prevented.
2. Why is feather plucking such a serious problem?
3. What is a Velcro-baby and how can you prevent this problem child?
4. Why should you always take your bird out of your cage yourself and not let your bird choose to go in and out as he or she pleases?
5. Your bird is getting fat, what should you do?
6. What are pin feathers and how do you care for them?
7. Why is it important to keep a regular schedule with your bird once he or she is used to it?
8. What is styptic powder? when, and how do you use it?
9. Why is rotating toys and perches important?
10. Why is it important that toys be provided to your bird?
11. Why is paying attention to how big the branches are in your parrots cage important?
12 Why does physical violence to a bird or to the cage the bird is in never work and what is the true result of that violence?
13. How do you separate 2 birds fighting?
14. Why is it important that your bird can be handled by people other than you?
15. Why is stick and towel training important?
16. Why is it important to keep your parrots wings clipped?
17. How many hours sleep in a quiet room essential for good health?
18. Why is it important, when introducing a new bird to your home and yourself, that you leave the bird in his or her cage for a minimum of 3 days before touching him or
letting him out?
19. Looking at your birds droppings every day is an important clue to their needs. Please
tell me what you should add to their diet if:
19a. Feces are all white
19b. Feces are all green, no or very little white
20. Why is a regular diet important?
21. Why do you NEVER let a bird into your mouth or eat food out of your mouth?
22. What are bird mites and how can you identify that your bird has them?
23. List some healthy foods that aren’t fruits and veggies
24. List some foods to be avoided at ALL costs.
*For potential owners that may receive female birds
What are the signs of egg binding?
What can you do to prevent egg binding?
What can you do to help your bird if she is showing signs of egg binding?
Why do you handle an egg bound bird VERY gently?
*For potential owners that may adopt a nectar bird
What do nectar birds eat?
What make nectar birds different from other birds?
Why is 100% fruit juice not enough for nectar birds?
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